For those with certain dietary restrictions orallergies, it’s crucial that restaurant staff knows exactly what it is that they can’t consume. However, some places don’t care much unless it’s the latter scenario they’re dealing with.
That’s whythis redditordecided to lie about having severe allergies so they would be served something vegan. But vegan food was not the only outcome of their lie.
Seeking to learn more about the effect lying about allergies can have on customers who actually suffer from them,Bored Pandahas reached out to an award-winning dietitian, medical educator and researcher, and the British Dietetic Association Spokesperson,Dr. Duane Mellor, who was kind enough to share his insight on the matter. Scroll down to find his thoughts in the text below.
Many people can’t have certain foods for one reason or another
Image credits:Rawpixel (not the actual image)
This vegan person lied to restaurant staff about having severe allergies
Image credits:Yan Krukau (not the actual image)
Image credits:Loquacious-Box8284
Millions of people live with food allergies, many have experienced severe reactions because of them
“Although all dietary requirements need to be met, it is important that people do not lie about having a food allergy as this can lead to people with food allergies and related conditions such as coeliac disease not being taken seriously. That can mean that they are not provided the food they need to stay healthy and may not even feel safe to go out to eat and enjoy the social benefits of eating out,” Dr. Duane Mellor explained.
Needless to say, foodallergiesare no joke, as they can cause all sorts of reactions ranging from unpleasant to life-threatening. (Nowadays, theestimated numberof people dealing with allergies is 33 million in the US alone, roughly 5.6 million of which are children under 18.) Out of the adult population living with food allergies, more than half have experienced a severe allergic reaction.
The strong detrimental effects one might experience are why it’s important that people with allergies inform others about them in certain settings. For instance, when going out to eat, it’s crucial to not only make sure that the dish does not contain something they can’t consume but to let the staff know, too, so they take necessary precautions.
“We, as the food allergy community, have to be respectful of what the restaurant goes through and be thankful that they’re willing to slow down the entire machine on a busy Saturday night to address our needs,” theBoston Globecited the founder of AllergyEats, Paul Antico, saying, in addition to pointing out that some people fake allergies, “and that stinks”.
Image credits:Sam Lion (not the actual image)
Nowadays, vegans comprise roughly 1% of the global population
While people faking allergies is irresponsible at best, many restaurant workers have unfortunately witnessed customers lying (which is not difficult to spot when a person who just had a terrible gluten allergy realizes they don’t like any of their options and decides that a little glutenwon’t hurtall of a sudden).
Chances are, the person lying has certain dietary restrictions or food preferences—as well as unfortunate experiences in the past, as the OP did with the establishment—which result in them having to lie in order to be taken seriously. And while that in no way justifies the lying, some people do have to go to extreme lengths or give up visiting some places altogether if they want to stick to certain food-related practices.
Takevegans, for example. Nowadays, they reportedly compriseless than 1%of the global population; however, that translates to 79 million people worldwide, meaning that there are quite a few individuals who would hope to get their broccoli without butter and their iceberg lettuce salad without ranch.
Image credits:FitNish Media (not the actual image)
Many netizens considered the OP a jerk for lying about something that is life-threatening to others
Others weren’t as critical of the redditor
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