Post by midnightrae on Jul 10, 2013 11:30:42 GMT -5
when it comes to people assuming if things have or contain dairy in them. I heard this last night. Note: I had asked about a fish product (which usually contains dairy or uses dairy) "I don't know. It has flour in it if you get it breaded, but I don't know if that is dairy. Is it?"
Seriously? How did she even get a job? Especially a job working in a place that serves fish.
Dairy and non-dairy is totally weird sometimes, though.
A few days ago, I used a packet clearly labeled "Non-Dairy Creamer" in my hotel room, but there was tiny print below that said, "Contains milk."
WTF?
But flour?! And the non-dairy creamer probably had the milk protein in it. They tend to label things as non dairy, even if the milk protein(casein) is in it for some reason. If the non-dairy creamer doesn't say vegan, I won't buy it. Same with "dairy-free" cheese.
Although you'd be surprised how any people think eggs so in the "dairy" category. Just because eggs are in the same aisle as dairy products in the grocery store doesn't mean they are in the same category.
Although you'd be surprised how any people think eggs so in the "dairy" category. Just because eggs are in the same aisle as dairy products in the grocery store doesn't mean they are in the same category.
This drives me nuts too, dairy=cow, eggs do not come from cows.
Dairy and non-dairy is totally weird sometimes, though.
A few days ago, I used a packet clearly labeled "Non-Dairy Creamer" in my hotel room, but there was tiny print below that said, "Contains milk."
WTF?
But flour?! And the non-dairy creamer probably had the milk protein in it. They tend to label things as non dairy, even if the milk protein(casein) is in it for some reason. If the non-dairy creamer doesn't say vegan, I won't buy it. Same with "dairy-free" cheese.
I don't know. There is so much liability involved these days with these things. Any purveyor of foods is better off simply telling you to be cautious, even if it sounds crazy.
Perhaps they use milk and other binders to get the breading to stick. I don't know.
There could be dairy in anything...EVEN NON-DAIRY CREAMER.
But flour?! And the non-dairy creamer probably had the milk protein in it. They tend to label things as non dairy, even if the milk protein(casein) is in it for some reason. If the non-dairy creamer doesn't say vegan, I won't buy it. Same with "dairy-free" cheese.
I don't know. There is so much liability involved these days with these things. Any purveyor of foods is better off simply telling you to be cautious, even if it sounds crazy.
Perhaps they use milk and other binders to get the breading to stick. I don't know.
There could be dairy in anything...EVEN NON-DAIRY CREAMER.
If you work in a restaurant that where 99% of the menu is fish, you should know if your food contains any allergens and what allergens they contain. I don't think that it is too much to ask. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has asked about allergies. Also, if you work in a restaurant, there should be some sort of chart with an ingredient list or menu that says what allergens are in it. And dairy in the breading does not mean that flour is dairy. Sure, most flour is white like milk, but that's as close as it is going to get to being dairy. I feel like that is common sense.
My friend is allergic to dairy (not lactose intolerant, allergic to the protein) and we once had a server INSIST that a sauce had no dairy in it. The description did not use "cream" or anything that would imply dairy.
It comes up and it's what she ordered, but it's obviously a cream sauce. And they wouldn't take it back b/c it was what she'd ordered.
We swapped plates and they got a 4 cent tip b/c we didn't want to ask for change.
So I think I'd rather have the overly cautious than the "can't give a shit" attitude.
I would much rather someone answer they honestly don't know than to assume and misdirect me. I was once reacting severely to gluten and I went off of it. I asked a restaurant for their gluten free dishes and received one option. I double checked with a manager that it was gluten free. I had a terrible, awful reaction that night and I am quite sure they used gnocchi with gluten (they sell both kinds). I was not pleased.
Then she should just leave at that she doesn't know and will find someone who does instead of guessing random things to be dairy.
There can also be milk proteins in things that might be labeled dairy-free. If you have a serious medical condition that does not allow you to have any dairy, ever,ever,ever you have to learn to read labels really well.
Also, if something is breaded, I would not worry the flour, but what they use as a binding agent.
when it comes to people assuming if things have or contain dairy in them. I heard this last night. Note: I had asked about a fish product (which usually contains dairy or uses dairy) "I don't know. It has flour in it if you get it breaded, but I don't know if that is dairy. Is it?"
Seriously? How did she even get a job? Especially a job working in a place that serves fish.
Food allergies totally suck, but this seems harsh.
I don't think her having a server job should require her to be an expert on all possible food allergens in all the dishes they serve.
When I'm in doubt, I order something else.
ETA: If you know the dish usually has dairy, then why even try to order it? I don't get it.
I called to ask first just in case. I did not order it. And if 99% of the menu is all similar fish dishes with the other being chips and salsa and guac, then it shouldn't be that hard to remember. It was a small menu. And I'm not saying that a server needs to be an expert, but they should have knowledge if their food contains any of the top 8 most common allergens. Most places have a list for the employees to look at to reference. Apparently this place did not.
I'm the asshole who gives the cashier a $20, a $1, and a penny when something costs $6.91
Then I get blamed because they can't make change because they punched in $20 in the register. Sure, some people can't do math like that in their head, but a huge part of your JOB is making change. It's not a separate skill set.
Is it possible that she meant the dish itself had dairy in it when she found it was breaded? Since you use milk in the breading for it.
I could see someone jumping thoughts and saying "well...breading uses flour and a breading that has flour usually means there is dairy in it as well" because 95% of the time, if it's breaded in flour, there is milk. Where as, something breaded in bread crumbs usually is bound with an egg or butter.
Then she should just leave at that she doesn't know and will find someone who does instead of guessing random things to be dairy.
LOL. I agree that asking whether flour has dairy is quite dumb. But she was just trying to be helpful. Next time just say "would you mind asking the cook if there is any dairy or milk protein in this dish?"
She's just a server. All they do is memorize the menu. They can't be expected to also memorize all the recipes.
I did. I was on hold for at least 10 minutes. And when she came back, she still didn't know. So I decided not to drive over there. I just wanted a grilled fish taco with salsa.
LOL. I agree that asking whether flour has dairy is quite dumb. But she was just trying to be helpful. Next time just say "would you mind asking the cook if there is any dairy or milk protein in this dish?"
She's just a server. All they do is memorize the menu. They can't be expected to also memorize all the recipes.
I did. I was on hold for at least 10 minutes. And when she came back, she still didn't know. So I decided not to drive over there. I just wanted a grilled fish taco with salsa.
I really don't understand how any of this would have dairy in it. Do they grill the fish in butter? Why was she talking about breaded items if none of that is breaded. I am confuuuuuused.
Food allergies totally suck, but this seems harsh.
I don't think her having a server job should require her to be an expert on all possible food allergens in all the dishes they serve.
When I'm in doubt, I order something else.
ETA: If you know the dish usually has dairy, then why even try to order it? I don't get it.
I called to ask first just in case. I did not order it. And if 99% of the menu is all similar fish dishes with the other being chips and salsa and guac, then it shouldn't be that hard to remember. It was a small menu. And I'm not saying that a server needs to be an expert, but they should have knowledge if their food contains any of the top 8 most common allergens. Most places have a list for the employees to look at to reference. Apparently this place did not.
Have you worked in a restaurant? As a server? I was never given a detailed list of all the ingredients of a dish ever and I worked as a server at a bunch of places. You get the basic over view of the dish, but not the nitty gritty details like using milk as a binding agent in the breaded in flour fish.
I really don't understand how any of this would have dairy in it. Do they grill the fish in butter? Why was she talking about breaded items if none of that is breaded. I am confuuuuuused.
It's not uncommon for not-so-fresh fish to be treated to a milk bath to get rid of fishy odors.
That explains the 4 gallons of milk I saw you buy at the grocery story last week.
I really don't understand how any of this would have dairy in it. Do they grill the fish in butter? Why was she talking about breaded items if none of that is breaded. I am confuuuuuused.
It's not uncommon for not-so-fresh fish to be treated to a milk bath to get rid of fishy odors.
It also gets rid of the algae/dirt taste that is common in some farmed fish. I wouldn't expect a server to know that this happens.