Article: The Picky Eater Who Came To Dinner

[MadamePresident]

My family has a lot of food allergies, so I'm used to dealing with dietary restrictions. I am good at cooking certain ways to avoid any issues or even cross contamination. What annoys me are the people who "say" they are allergic to something, but then you sometimes see them eating that very thing. That drives me crazy.

[curbsideprophet]

Jul 6, 2012 12:37:05 GMT -5 winnied said:

A few months ago we hosted friends and we knew they were vegetarians. They then explained they eat organic, cage-free meat and eggs and that those are preferred to fish, because most fish in the US is farmed.

From an environmental standpoint, some farmed fish is the best option. It really depends on the type fish. I find it odd that they would rule out all farmed fish.

I can understand people with allergies/medical issues. However if it is just a personal choice than I think you just need to deal with what is served. If you are that picky, eat something ahead of time.

If you don't want any cheesy bread, pass it this way, I will eat it.

[midnightrae]

Jul 6, 2012 13:18:34 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

Jul 6, 2012 12:37:34 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

I don't really care what other people eat.

They can do whatever they want.

And I can eat whatever I want.

Yup. I just took my staff to lunch. They all made comments about my salad with a few other items on the side. I could give two shits...I eat what I want, they eat what they want. I can't eat certain things. I eat what I can, am always friendly, and act like a gracious guest. If I am still hungry I keep snacks in my purse

Sent from my DROID3 using ProBoards

This exactly. Being allergic to a lot of foods is not fun. I would love to eat whatever I want, but I can't. Also, I am allergic to dairy not "just lactose intolerant" and people don't seem to know the difference and try to get me to eat dairy because they would if they were "just lactose intolerant". And about half of the stuff I don't eat (on my picky eater list), I was told by my doctor I shouldn't eat them, like beans, etc.

[Lissa]

I'm a picky eater. Some foods I just don't like and others I love, but just can't eat it for dietary concerns. I don't want any host to even think twice about having something for me. Eating beforehand or bringing something are my norm.

[Deleted]

My husband's entire family are insanely picky eaters. And my sister is now a pescatarian. I think pizza (with differen toppings of course) is literally the only thing everyone will eat.

Good thing I don't really like to cook.

[ESF]

Jul 6, 2012 15:07:48 GMT -5 incogneato said:

I have one friend who is a vegetarian and another gluten free for health reasons. If I were to have them over I would try to make a main dish that they both could eat although I have no clue what that would be, and lots of sides that had a variety of stuff so they could pick and choose. That's it. Everybody won't eat every dish.

I have a friend that is vegetarian and celiac, with a minor case of lactose intolerance.

Things that I have made her for dinner include:

mushroom and corn risotto and salad
chipotle sweet potato soup, salad, and corn bread

I almost made a Spanish meal -- Spanish omelet (eggs, potatoes, onions), marinated olives, garlic mushrooms, and sauteed swiss chard another time.

Now she has quit drinking. That is almost harder to accommodate than the dietary restrictions. I don't know any mocktails, LOL.

Anyhoo....other than her, I just don't know these people and I live in the capital of food snobbery, so I don't know if this is actually a real trend or more just a few douchebags here and there.

[AAM2012]

The most frustrating thing about having dietary needs is having to ask a million questions to the host about what products they used to make their dish and how they prepared it (and whether you trust their answers). I refuse to ask a host to make something specific just for me but on the flipside it can be very awkward telling someone that I can't have that beautiful cheese stuffed bread that they bought/made.

If we're going to a friend's for dinner and they are not familiar with my specific needs (I have a few friends who are in a similar situation) I usuallly will eat dinner before we leave and then put some food on my plate and just move it around or have a salad with no dressing. After a few glasses of wine nobody notices, or remembers that I didn't eat anything. I've even brought my own dinner before to heat up and eat with everyone else just so I can 'fit in'.

[pantsparty]

Time for new friends.

[Wines Not Whines]

My family has a few semi-picky eaters - two people who won't eat anything spicy and one person who doesn't like seafood. Thankfully, those aren't too hard to accommodate. My ILs are scared of most "ethnic" foods, but we've worn them down a little on that one.