Am I the only person who doesn't care about catering to the gluten-free? *RANT*

afox007

lc07 said:

KatieinBkln said:

lc07 said:

Yeah but I don't think doctors know everything and neither do pharmaceutical companies. Otherwise you wouldn't have all these recalls on drugs and mis-diagnosed illnesses and problems.

One of my close friends has MS and takes no drugs for it. She went on a MS recovery diet which is way extreme in what you cannot eat and she gets symptoms of MS when she eats certain things because of the inflammation the food causes. Her lesions had actually decreased at her one year scan whereas the doctors told her that with medication they would just be trying to prevent additional damage.

I say, as long as you aren't hurting anyone else it's everyone's right to make their own choices about their health. And food is a HUGE part of that. And doctors aren't always geniuses. In the case of a child, I do think it's important to get second opinions and continue with testing, however. They can't make the choice for themselves.

You will hear no argument from me on any of this. I'm just talking about catering a wedding, man.

I just don't think it's really any of our business why our friends are eating what they're eating or not eating what they're not eating. I don't think you need a doctor's permission to have a valid reason not to eat something. And as hosts, I think it is our job to accommodate guests to the best of our ability.

Like a lot of PP's have said if it is an actual medical issue then yes it is important it is accommodated. My BFF's sister has Celiac's and every time she came for dinner I called to run the menu by her because there were things I didn't realize she could have. 

However, when I decided to go on South Beach to lose weight I just ate what I could. I didn't expect people to accommodate the fact that I would not eat carbs. If that meant I loaded up on salad and scraped the breading off my meat then so be it. It was my choice and wasn't going to make me sick that people were "bad hosts" and didn't make more carb free options. 

SBmini

lc07 said:

KatieinBkln said:

lc07 said:

HaileyDancingbear said:

HaileyDancingbear said:

I give zero shits about other people's diets.  The way I see it, if I am serving a bunch of people free food, they have no right to complain.  Either eat it or don't.  Be as picky as you want with food you pay for on your own, but don't whine about a free meal.  It makes me not want to feed these people at all.

The only exceptions to that are if you actually have a medical reason (and by that I mean your doctor actually told you not to eat gluten ever.  I'm so sick of this "Well I used to feel funny but then I stopped eating gluten and now I feel great" crap- That is not a legitimate diagnosis for a gluten sensitivity.  Also that's totally a placebo effect.)  OR you have an ethical reason to not eat a food.  Don't want to support the way animals are raised and killed for meat?  Ok.  Can't blame you, I'll serve veggies.  Think cows are sacred?  Ok, no steak for you, I'll serve other options.  

For those two reasons I would work to accommodate a guest, absolutely.  If they legitimately CAN'T eat what I'm serving, I'll accommodate.  But if you technically CAN eat what I'm serving without health issues, and are simply CHOOSING to demand something else, then I am not going to accommodate you.  Don't eat then.  Or bring your own food.  

It's like I say to the kids at work when we serve snack- "You get what you get and you don't get upset."  

It's really this attitude that is off-putting to me. I mean, if you don't care about my diet, don't invite me over for dinner. Don't invite me to your wedding either because we clearly aren't that close.

I would NEVER invite people over to my home for dinner and serve them whatever I felt like and tough shit eat it or don't. That is such a shitty attitude. And in my circle of friends we have one who won't eat pork because pigs are cute, one who won't eat seafood because they don't like it, a vegetarian, 2 gluten free peeps, and a lactose intolerant person. If I want to host them, I provide something to their liking. Or I just don't invite them at all. A wedding is no different.

A wedding in most cases has a LOT more people on the guest list than a dinner party.  If I invite a few people over, of course I'll serve what they will like because it's easy to keep track of the preferences of a few people. There is no way in hell I am tracking what 100 people will and will not eat other than "Anyone have any allergies or ethical concerns I should know about?" 

It's still a dinner party (if you're serving dinner). If people can't handle hosting that many people appropriately then maybe they shouldn't. I think it's awesome that you are asking your guests if they have allergies or ethical reasons to not eat something. I just don't like the concept of making people have a doctors approval about what they feel is healthy or safe for them to consume.

STUCK AGAIN

But I don't think anyone said that though. People get to decide what is healthy or safe to eat, and absolutely no one should be shoving food into their mouths at any juncture. However, I decide what is served at my wedding. If those two things align, fuckin' great! But if they don't, I don't think that's on me to make sure that my hippy dippy aunt gets locally sourced twigs and berries or my brother's friend gets a special GF meal. I'm not asking anyone for a doctor's note to "approve" what they eat. I'm just saying that without one? You might have to deal with the fact that they thickened the sauce with flour. Whether you eat it or not is seriously not my concern.

And if you're my friend, you'd be concerned about my meal, IMO. I was concerned about hosting all of the guests at my wedding by providing food that they eat and made it happen. That is good hosting, IMO. If you aren't concerned about providing that, that's your prerogative.

haha I got out of the box!

There are some people out there with SERIOUS allergies that should be considered, and no where did the OP say they should not be. And do you know what those people do? They prepare. They ask questions. They figure out what they can eat. And they deal with it. If you are gluten free because you think that it may make you not feel your best- you can easily find some gluten free things to eat at pretty much every establishment on this green planet. So you have no reason to bitch about lack of options. Boo-hoo you have to skip the bread served with dinner. Boo-hoo you don't get cake. Deal with it. Not everyone should have to bend to your diet preferences. 

I was on a very selective diet for a while. I never once asked anyone to order anything special for me. I got by. If it meant I didn't eat- I didn't eat. It was my decision to have some unique way of eating, not someone else's, so it wasn't their responsibility to bend over backwards for me. I've also worked with a lot of people with special food preferences for legitimate reasons, i.e. a coworker who is on a very anti-inflammatory dies for her  rheumatoid arthritis. She figures it out without ever bothering anyone else about their food selection. You know why? Because she's used to dealing with her challenges and finding ways around them. 

If you want to be gluten free- be gluten free. But don't bash it over everyone's head and demand special treatment. If you don't get to eat everything that everyone else gets to eat it isn't the end of the world and that does NOT mean you weren't adequately hosted. 

AlexisA01

KatieinBkln said:

lc07 said:

KatieinBkln said:

lc07 said:

HaileyDancingbear said:

HaileyDancingbear said:

I give zero shits about other people's diets.  The way I see it, if I am serving a bunch of people free food, they have no right to complain.  Either eat it or don't.  Be as picky as you want with food you pay for on your own, but don't whine about a free meal.  It makes me not want to feed these people at all.

The only exceptions to that are if you actually have a medical reason (and by that I mean your doctor actually told you not to eat gluten ever.  I'm so sick of this "Well I used to feel funny but then I stopped eating gluten and now I feel great" crap- That is not a legitimate diagnosis for a gluten sensitivity.  Also that's totally a placebo effect.)  OR you have an ethical reason to not eat a food.  Don't want to support the way animals are raised and killed for meat?  Ok.  Can't blame you, I'll serve veggies.  Think cows are sacred?  Ok, no steak for you, I'll serve other options.  

For those two reasons I would work to accommodate a guest, absolutely.  If they legitimately CAN'T eat what I'm serving, I'll accommodate.  But if you technically CAN eat what I'm serving without health issues, and are simply CHOOSING to demand something else, then I am not going to accommodate you.  Don't eat then.  Or bring your own food.  

It's like I say to the kids at work when we serve snack- "You get what you get and you don't get upset."  

It's really this attitude that is off-putting to me. I mean, if you don't care about my diet, don't invite me over for dinner. Don't invite me to your wedding either because we clearly aren't that close.

I would NEVER invite people over to my home for dinner and serve them whatever I felt like and tough shit eat it or don't. That is such a shitty attitude. And in my circle of friends we have one who won't eat pork because pigs are cute, one who won't eat seafood because they don't like it, a vegetarian, 2 gluten free peeps, and a lactose intolerant person. If I want to host them, I provide something to their liking. Or I just don't invite them at all. A wedding is no different.

A wedding in most cases has a LOT more people on the guest list than a dinner party.  If I invite a few people over, of course I'll serve what they will like because it's easy to keep track of the preferences of a few people. There is no way in hell I am tracking what 100 people will and will not eat other than "Anyone have any allergies or ethical concerns I should know about?" 

It's still a dinner party (if you're serving dinner). If people can't handle hosting that many people appropriately then maybe they shouldn't. I think it's awesome that you are asking your guests if they have allergies or ethical reasons to not eat something. I just don't like the concept of making people have a doctors approval about what they feel is healthy or safe for them to consume.

STUCK AGAIN

But I don't think anyone said that though. People get to decide what is healthy or safe to eat, and absolutely no one should be shoving food into their mouths at any juncture. However, I decide what is served at my wedding. If those two things align, fuckin' great! But if they don't, I don't think that's on me to make sure that my hippy dippy aunt gets locally sourced twigs and berries or my brother's friend gets a special GF meal. I'm not asking anyone for a doctor's note to "approve" what they eat. I'm just saying that without one? You might have to deal with the fact that they thickened the sauce with flour. Whether you eat it or not is seriously not my concern.

And if you're my friend, you'd be concerned about my meal, IMO. I was concerned about hosting all of the guests at my wedding by providing food that they eat and made it happen. That is good hosting, IMO. If you aren't concerned about providing that, that's your prerogative.

Nope, not concerned about my guests in the slightest. FUCK 'EM, that's what I say! I'm serving only stinging nettles and puffer fish (got a deal on the chef--he's not "legal" to cook it but he totally swears that he's never killed anyone, so I'm down with it). 

But in all seriousness, I can agree to disagree on where the line is drawn for accommodating people. I think it's really nice of you to have gone out of your way to find a particularly accommodating caterer. I just don't want anyone to think I'm requiring a doctor's note for, like, general living. As I said originally, hooray for people eating whatever makes their poop pretty. 

I agree with your post and the concept of where to draw the line. I know too many people that claim to have an allergy and can't eat anything with gluten but are always eating things with gluten.

lc07

And if you're my friend, you'd be concerned about my meal, IMO. I was concerned about hosting all of the guests at my wedding by providing food that they eat and made it happen. That is good hosting, IMO. If you aren't concerned about providing that, that's your prerogative.

haha I got out of the box!

There are some people out there with SERIOUS allergies that should be considered, and no where did the OP say they should not be. And do you know what those people do? They prepare. They ask questions. They figure out what they can eat. And they deal with it. If you are gluten free because you think that it may make you not feel your best- you can easily find some gluten free things to eat at pretty much every establishment on this green planet. So you have no reason to bitch about lack of options. Boo-hoo you have to skip the bread served with dinner. Boo-hoo you don't get cake. Deal with it. Not everyone should have to bend to your diet preferences. 

I was on a very selective diet for a while. I never once asked anyone to order anything special for me. I got by. If it meant I didn't eat- I didn't eat. It was my decision to have some unique way of eating, not someone else's, so it wasn't their responsibility to bend over backwards for me. I've also worked with a lot of people with special food preferences for legitimate reasons, i.e. a coworker who is on a very anti-inflammatory dies for her  rheumatoid arthritis. She figures it out without ever bothering anyone else about their food selection. You know why? Because she's used to dealing with her challenges and finding ways around them. 

If you want to be gluten free- be gluten free. But don't bash it over everyone's head and demand special treatment. If you don't get to eat everything that everyone else gets to eat it isn't the end of the world and that does NOT mean you weren't adequately hosted. 

You sound pretty hostile and I'm not sure why.

I never bring up my dietary restrictions unless someone asks me. I deal with it. As a host, I always ask my guests for their dietary restrictions.