The map in figure 1 of http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/36 indicates that lactase persistence in the Caucasus mountain area is actually quite low. 
Our pediatrician told us when the guys were small that the more processed a dairy product it, the less likely it would be to bother sensitive stomachs. This worked for us, at least when it was evaporated milk vs. formula (post-nursing).
Actually, in this scenario, the person cannot bring in other foods to our synagogue, as we maintain kashrut.
Pizzagirl, that’s why my menus are all about plain veggies and fruits. I can’t and don’t do the fat/salt thing, either.
This person was very happy with my menu and as it turns out, I won’t need to modify anything. She was also extremely appreciative that I reached out to her to make sure we could find something that worked.
I knew a woman who said she was lactose intolerant but could tolerate milk if it was really cold. Cooked cheese in dishes or on pizza, etc. would send her straight to the toilet.
I’m allergic to shellfish. I could eat a few pieces of cold shrimp cocktail without a problem but would react strongly to eating cooked shrimp. Don’t know why the cooked makes a difference but it does.
But it’s a pretty easy allergy to manage and I don’t have to give much thought to it at all. it’s a pretty easy ingredient to know when it’s there.
@Pizzagirl shrimp cocktail is cooked you know
Keep in mind the occasional menu you may have seen which boasts “Our milkshakes are made with REAL milk” and the fact that Cool Whip has been around for a long time.
I am not allergic to shrimp, but I have an horrible intolerance to sulfites (not sulfates) which are very commonly used as preservatives. Because of the nature of catching shrimp the boats stay out for a while so they are allowed to add some sort of a preservative to the shrimp right on the boat to prevent spoiling. If I rinse the heck out of the shrimp with cold water, I can usually tolerate 2 or 3 pieces.
I also negatively react to pizza and tortilla shells if they use a metabisulfite as a dough conditioner. (anyone with asthma should watch for this and for caramel color)
I loved the line about serving a glass of water! When I go to events where food is served, there are things that I choose not to eat (like just about everyone), but I never ask for special food.If I suffered from ailments like inability to eat bread, pasta, dairy etc. I would not leave it to chance and not each much or any food prepared by others. In today’s world there are usually things like salad, vegetables and fruit, if all else fails. I have been to weddings and the like where they have some kind of vegetarian items by request, but certainly not sugar free, salt free, etc. etc. In my home, I cook without salt because there is so much of it everywhere else. The one exception is chicken soup. My H and D complain about the lack of salt, so I have finally learned how much to use for them.
I don’t eat shrimp enough to know the difference. Maybe it’s just hot vs cold.
Many years ago I had to eat a low-iodine diet for several weeks in preparation for a thyroid procedure. Anyway, the diet was torture!! Low-iodine essentially means salt-free (since you don’t know if the salt in your foods is iodized or not) - which means no commercially-prepared breads, no canned goods, no dairy, no eggs, no processed food at all. Honestly, I eat very little processed food anyway, so I thought it would be easy - but it wasn’t. By the end of the two weeks I was eating carrots and gruel and dreaming of cheeseburgers and milkshakes.
If someone really was “allergic to salt” - it would be a tough way to eat, and I say that as someone with diabetes who knows how tough it can be to eat with dietary restrictions…