Outrageous Guest Requests

Parent Cafe
561

<p>I feel sorry for people who invite my family over for a meal that is not a buffet. We have so many issues, but I usually try to bring something I know we all can eat, so we are not seen as the outrageous guests.</p>

<p>DD is allergic to cherries and watermelon, and has oral allergy syndrome to most fruits and veggies - no cukes, carrots, peppers, stone fruit, apples/pears, grapes, etc. She can do lettuce and blueberries. Good thing she is also trying to GAIN weight instead of lose it!</p>

<p>DH has IBS type stomach issues and is sensitive to shellfish and a lot of other common ingredients. </p>

<p>I have developed a sensitivity (I don’t think it’s allergy) to tomato products. Spaghetti sauce etc has given me an upset digestive system of late, so I have taken all those things out of my diet.</p>

<p>I fear we may been seen as high maintenance, esp by people who are not familiar with fruit allergies. At least those things are relatively easy to avoid (once we discovered that Skittles do in fact contain fruit juice!)</p>

562

<p>I am allergic to the tenth vodka tonic. I get dizzy.</p>

563

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<p>You need bigger glasses!!!</p>

564

<p>I suspect the tonic.</p>

565

<p>Perhaps the lime…</p>

566

<p>It’s the swizzle stick.</p>

567

<p>Cheap vodka. Always go top shelf.</p>

568

<p>What is the difference between a sensitivity and an allergy? I sneeze quite a bit after eating ice cream. Doesn’t matter what kind of ice cream–I start to sneeze. It’s something that’s developed in the last few years and doesn’t seem to get worse, i.e., the symptoms don’t go beyond sneezing. I like ice cream but feel like I ought to avoid it because I don’t want to have a full blown reaction one day. Is that likely to happen? Anyone know. My PCP didn’t seem concerned when I mentioned it to her. She said–don’t eat ice cream.</p>

569

<p>My nutritionist insists on the limes as they represent (along with the vodka) my sole daily source of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, I suspect (based on other factors) that I am predisposed to scurvy.</p>

570

<p>For those who are lactose intolerant (vs. ALLERGIC to dairy), does taking the lactase tablets take care of it? Or just reduce severity of symptoms? Or do nothing?</p>

571

<p>Nrd, it depends. My body will sometimes respond to the pills and sometimes not. I have friends who it works for perfectly and others who it doesn’t work for at all. </p>

<p>It really depends on you and your own body.</p>

572

<p>wow…never knew so many people had food allergies…I don’t know of anyone who has allergies to food</p>

573

<p>geeps, you likely know them, they just don’t disclose them. </p>

<p>Outside of my family, my boyfriend, and my roommate, no one IRL really knows about my food intolerances. The fact that my body can’t process lettuce or corn (among other yummy topics) doesn’t really come up in conversation.</p>

574

<p>It seems pretty clear that allergies run in families. My side of the family can eat anything, but we have a tendency towards mild seasonal allergies. My sister, who has the worst seasonal allergies, recently had a huge reaction to wasp stings and had to be rushed to the hospital as her face blew up and her throat closed. She now carries epi-pens.</p>

575

<p>blueiguana,</p>

<p>How I wish you were my SIL!</p>

<p>I was raised strictly kosher, my H was not. For many years, our household was “kosher style.”</p>

<p>However, in their teens 2 of my 3 boys became more religiously observant, and my oldest and his wife are Modern Orthodox. So 2 of my sons and my DIL keep strictly kosher.(my DIL is from a very religious family). They prefer to eat at home, but will eat vegetarian in restaurants. H and I eat what we want when we eat out…we just don’t bring anything home, or order in.</p>

<p>To keep life easy, when I redid my kitchen, I made it strictly kosher–all new everything, and doubles of almost everything (dishes, ovens, dishwashers…) and anything that enters my house meets glatt kosher standards…everyone can eat here, everyone is happy, even H, surprisingly.</p>

<p>And then there is my SIL. Every year we travel 400 miles to her house for Thanksgiving, and our children come in from Boston and DC. Thanksgiving is the big family holiday for them, and as we have always lived out of town since our children were small, Chicago at Thanksgiving is a family tradition.</p>

<p>No one expects her to buy or prepare a kosher meal. They would be happy to eat what they can eat (bread, salad, stuffing…). </p>

<p>But my SIL is “offended” that they keep kosher. So she actually goes out of her way to make things difficult for them. Two years ago the appetizers she served were a shrimp platter and hot dogs in puff pastry (dairy); the raw veggie platter with bacon/horseradish dip; a lovely caesar salad, but instead of putting the bacon bits in a bowl to the side, they were on the salad; and oysters in the stuffing. The potatoes roasted in the same pan as the unkosher turkey.</p>

<p>My children literally ate bread and water for dinner…they were able to eat fruit for dessert.</p>

<p>I later had a “chat” with my SIL…she didn’t see any problem with the menu, she had made all of her children’s favorite dishes.</p>

<p>Last year I packed a cooler when we went for Thanksgiving. I had made a real Thanksgiving dinner and packed it in pyrex dishes that could either be microwaved or put in the oven, whichever my SIL preferred me to do. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and just stuck everything in the refrigerators in the rooms.</p>

<p>My SIL was actually ticked that I brought food for them…although the menu was the same as the previous year. On the other hand, my children were thrilled. And so were some of their cousins, because I brought enough for everyone to sample/share.</p>

576

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Lactase never did anything for me.</p>

<p>What did get rid of my lactose intolerance was going gluten-free. It took about 6 months of fairly rigorous compliance.</p>

577

<p>boysx3 - </p>

<p>I’m so sorry. I find that kind of outright hostility and intolerance inexcusable in any adult once they have been politely made aware.</p>

<p>Despite growing up in a suburban area near a major city, and having friends of all faiths, including jewish, my kids didn’t know anyone who kept kosher. When we found out that my son’s rm did we just all thought it was an excuse to eat new food (which we love). He’s a great ‘kid’ who is impossible not to like and part of our family now. We’ve enjoyed learning his traditions. At Thanksgiving we all go to my SIL’s, so I pow-wow’d with her ahead of time to make sure we had plenty of options available. My MIL made another stuffing in addition to her usual oyster stuffing (we were thrilled as no one really likes it, lol), several dishes had easy substitutions or portions pulled out before bacon was added. It really is so very easy. If you can’t at least make these accommodations for someone, why in the world would you oppose to someone bringing their own meal that was appropriate…just wow! I’m irritated on your behalf just reading about it.</p>

<p>I think our lives can only be enriched by sharing the traditions of others.</p>

<p>Oh, I almost forgot…after Thanksgiving dinner my MIL traditionally gives all the grandkids advent calendars with milk chocolate treats. When she gave one to my son’s rm (she NEVER leaves anyone out) I gave her ‘the look’ and she just said indignantly “oh, this is Santa, it doesn’t count”. We all about died laughing. The rm was so nice about it, in fact was very excited and displayed it in the dorm room proudly. You can’t make this stuff up…</p>

578

<p>boysx3

  • That is just awful! Is SIL Jewish? Observant? Sounds like she absolutely did it on purpose.
    Way to go Blueiguana! I’m totally on board with that!!</p>
579

<p>boysx3- Your SIL needs professional help BIG TIME!!!
Is your SIL your brother’s wife? Have you discussed any of this with your brother?</p>

580

<p>boysx3 - how awful of your SIL! Shame on her.</p>