I went to a pot luck recently and we were all asked to lay out a list of the ingredients next to the dish. It is getting pretty crazy.
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I went to a pot luck recently and we were all asked to lay out a list of the ingredients next to the dish. It is getting pretty crazy.
None of that is required at any of our potlucks, be it church,quilt group, local, etc. Dont even see it in bake sales. We do mention nuts as an ingredient in bake sales.
I suspect if we did there would be even less participation.
Well, I'm skipping a potluck on Friday because I don't want to be seen as "difficult," even though I will become sick if I eat gluten. That's my sad way around it. :(
Well, there are people who really can't eat certain foods. I have a nephew who is very allergic to dairy, wheat and soy. I don't cook for him, ever. His parents (he's 13) are in complete charge of his food. And if someone has a peanut allergy, they have a peanut allergy. And there are gluten intolerances and gluten allergies and celiac disease. And I have a dear friend who is so allergic to fish that the smell can make her a little sick.Quote:
Originally Posted by awakenedsoul
While I may grumble a little under my breath about having to accommodate a medical issue, I'm not going to be the one to send a friend to the ER because I fed them the wrong food. It's the other people--the people who are just jumping on the current bandwagon of what to eat or not eat and those who follow diets that completely eliminate whole food groups because they think it is healthier but six months later have changed to a completely new, healthier diet, that make hosting so difficult. It seems that nearly everyone these days can't eat some normal, common foods. And since there is no way to tell if someone has a genuine allergy or is just following the latest health guru's teachings, I have to treat everyone's food needs equally.
I enjoy the challenge of coming up with a vegan meal that the meat-eaters among the guests will enjoy, or finding a good recipe for gluten-free bread for a friend who hates all the store-bought GF breads out there. Easy enough to eliminate peanuts or strawberries or chocolate from a meal. But when you have to eliminate soy and dairy and gluten and meat, but you have to include meat for some people, and avoid green peppers and all fat, well, I'm at the point where I'm going to plop a platter of raw veggies on the table and throw a slab of steak at the meat-eaters and point them to the grill.
I love to share meals with friends. There's something special about sitting down at a table and sharing a meal and talking long over dessert and coffee. But the current state of diets (diet as in a way of eating, not a weight loss program) in the US makes that very hard these days.
And people keep talking about about food. Not about how good the food is and how delicious, but how yet another food is "bad" and you shouldn't eat it. Or they are trying to lose weight and they go on and on about the calories or the carbs or whatever it is that they are currently counting. I get the feeling that they can't just sit down and enjoy the meal they are eating--they seem to need to justify every single bite they take. Or squeal "Oh, I'm being so bad, eating this single tiny bite of brownie!"
Boy, I'm grumpy tonight. But I don't like how I've moved from enjoying cooking a meal that people will sit down and enjoy to worrying over every single ingredient in every single dish and hoping that everyone will find enough food they can eat.
And awakenedsoul, you are welcome here anytime. Currently, I'm testing carrot cake recipes to find the perfect one. I could use another taste-tester.
When I was on Optifast (not ever recommended) many many years ago, I could eat nothing. I still went out with friends and did all the normal social activities. I just had my glass of tea with me and it was never a problem. I wanted and needed the social aspects of meals and simply accomodated my own needs and let others enjoy themselves. Since eating was "out", I just did not let it become the issue.
The "I dont want to eat" has almost drowned out the "I cannot eat" isues.
When we go to a potluck I take a main dish that I will want to eat, because I am somewhat picky and not a big fan of a lot of what I'll call 'traditional potluck fare.' But I don't ask that anyone else cook for my food preferences. As a former vegetarian, I usually bring something vegan because I know how limited the options are, and I do love colorful veggie fare. And because I have a mild wheat allergy, it's always gluten-free as well (often, there are fewer GF options than vegan, because pasta is a popular potluck item). I never complain about the food that's provided.
When we have people over, I always inquire about food sensitivities or preferences, and most people are up front about whether they avoid an ingredient or absolutely cannot eat it. There is a difference. Usually when we host, everyone is bringing something to contribute. But I can see how a potluck would be a real minefield for someone with a strong food allergy or intolerance, especially gluten, because it is in so many foods that people might not think about - soy sauce, all sorts of dressings and condiments, even some spice blends and commercial soups/broths.
I think the problem comes with someone with a genuine medical issue, like fidgiegirl. At a potluck, she'd have to ask about the ingredients in most, if not all of the food there, because gluten is so omni-present in processed foods today. And even if you cooked from scratch, there's gluten in soy sauce and a lot of salad dressings and a number of foods that you wouldn't suspect. And just the hassle of tracking down the contributor of a dish and then basically demanding their recipe is difficult, because some people don't like to give out their recipes and would not want to list their special "secret" ingredient, even if that's what might make the questioner ill.
And once you have to start asking about every single ingredient in every single dish, there's going to be someone who will label you "difficult" instead of realizing that you just don't want to get sick, again. And I can see how it wouldn't be fun to go out to eat and have people make derogatory comments about you all.the.time.
That's why I've heard of potluck hosts doing what Catherine describes--asking people to put a list of the ingredients next to their contribution. I'm not a huge fan of the idea, because somehow it seems to turn a private home into a restaurant or something, but it does save people with medical issues from having to ask about each and every ingredient, and it might also alert someone with an allergy to the presence of an allergen in a food that usually doesn't contain that ingredient. I'm thinking of an incident where someone made a home-made salad dressing that was really good, but one guest got violently ill, because the salad dressing had an artificial sweetener in it, and no one thought to ask "Hey, does this tart and tangy salad dressing have Equal in it?"
So now a recipe which might have been altered due to the pantry contents or even made by someone else has to be written out and analyzed with all brands stated prior to bringing to a potluck? So we also have to leave the containers on the table for each purchased item so the contents are available? What about the recipies made from other packaged products (bottled sauces, starches, etc.)?
I dont know anything about gluten, vegan, etc. I do know about nuts. I buy whatever sweetner is midrange in price and it changes. Would not even be able to tell someone what I am using unless I am at home. I use sweetner (instead of sugar) in my pasta salad dressing. I cannot even tell someone what type of oil is in my cabinet. I knew when I bought it but hubby may have purchased the last bottle.
My husband does not eat any meat from four legged animals. If he is not asked, he makes do and does not make an issue of it. He has had a lot of salad and veggies at barbeques. He has even brought his own food to grill. It is his issue.
I think I used to be more like this, eating certain ways for reasons of health or environment. I am vegetarian but I am relaxed. So if there is only meat somewhere I eat something. However dealing with families who do not have enough food on a regular basis and being on a tight budget myself makes me sometimes shake my head. At home I eat what we can afford to get, I struggle with my kids not eating regular meals because they are all teens/young adults so they really have their own schedules and lives. Right now I am seeing more of my kids saying there is nothing to eat and then going to get fast food and then I am throwing something away.
On the sensitivity, I got the reputation of us being difficult many many years ago with my daughter's peanut allergy and my other daugthers dairy issues. I invited people over and cooked a lot. For a pot luck I would bring a large main dish and a dessert, even if I wasn't asked to, just so I knew that I could safely serve my kids. Now I have a fructose intolerance. I don't eat with other people often so it is not a big deal, but high fructose corn syrup lurks in so many things like gluten often does. A very small amount will make me sick along with any grapes, apples, pears, etc. I know that none of us who have a food who makes us sick likes it, we would rather go happily along with other people eating, sigh
The thing that puzzles me is that growing up back in the 50s-70s, I don't recall anyone discussing issues with food other than occasional gas (and for that there was Alka-Seltzer). We ate whatever was put in front of us and a lot of so-called bad things like white bread, cakes, pasta etc without a second thought. I can only speculate that our food has somehow changed and in doing so is not well-tolerated by some people.