General Chat

As a follow up, I would write to the owner and ask that he/she ensures that the staff are aware that a nut allergy can be fatal. Not maybe in your case but you could also point out that in some people it can cause an extreme reaction. I don't know what your laws are but ours have tightened up a lot on restaurants informing people about the contents.
Actually it is far better for them to say 'may contain traces of nuts' than to say nothing. The poor man who died would proably have preferred they said something rather than nothing.

As you apologised to the birthday 'girl', I don't think you were rude. It depends how friendly you are I suppose, if she knows you well she maybe should be aware that you have allergies and either shouldn't have invited you or shoulld have checked with the restaurant beforehand if there was going to be anything you could eat. Out of interest LS what could you have eaten?

When friends and I go out, one of us usually picks a restaurant - then asks the others if they like the menu!
The last couple of times, we went to Pizza restaurants.
When I eat out, I refuse to have anything I usually cook for myself, I also don't like pizza, or pasta much, but always found a couple of things I'd like to try - but then I'm fortunate in that I don't have any health threatening dietary problems.

We won't be going back to the last restaurant. It was a bad start when a pile of glasses was knocked over near us - and I was covered in shards of glass - fortunately before the meal was ordered. It was an accident, true, but they gave us no deduction from the bill for the disruption.
The food was so-so too. :-(

I always ask when we go to a new restaurant, what ingredients they use. I do this quietly because many people get annoyed, they seem to think I'm making a fuss about nothing! Again, I'm not eating anything that will make me sick, just to make somebody else happy.

Peanuts aren't life threatening for me (but I do have a friend who carries an epi pen (?) and we all know we have to stab her if she falls over. I get "violently" ill and spent at least three days in the loo with a bucket at my feet. Not recommended as a way to lose weight.

What I find annoying (and stupid) is the list of contents on some foods "may contain traces of nuts"........ what sort of nuts? I know the machines are used to make lots of different things, but it would be nice to be more informed. If food can be labeled Halal, I should know if peanuts are used!!!

I certainly wouldn't risk anywhere I didn't trust 100% if I had a nut allergy, it has just been in the news here, someone died because the curry house owner decided to save money and swapped almond powder for a cheaper nut powder which contained peanuts.
:-(

We live in a very small town (less than 5,000 people), so there's not much around, a couple of pubs, the golf club, and a few restaurants in the next town over.

The restaurant we went to last night.... we've been there before, they've only been there about eight months, at first they were quite good, but have gone downhill very fast! When we walked in I could smell the cooking oil (eww, when was that last changed?)... and when I asked about peanuts & peanut oil, the waitress didn't know and she didn't offer to ask the chef! I'm not going to risk it. She never offered to get me something that suited.

The last time I ate there (I think it was in early December) I "settled" for a chicken schnitzel (breaded chicken breast) and it was awful.. the chicken was overcooked & dired out, and the crumbs were burned. If a chef can't cook a simple schnitzel he should try another profession.

I'm still shocked and a teeny bit upset at the birthday woman..... but not really surprised...... she can be very moody!!

I'm pleased you all agree with me..... I wasn't deliberately rude to anyone, just trying to look after my health.

and......... I've never "flounced" in my life lolol


I forgot to say............. my DH had a hamburger... because there wasn't much on the menu that he wanted.............. he's not a fan of tiny bits of food artistically arranged on a big white plate lol .... he likes his food.

I would have explained the situation to the staff because, if the chef has any skill at all, he could produce food you could eat.

I can understand the point of view of the lady who had the birthday to some extent though. Not for one moment would I expect you to flounce and seek attention but, if that was what you were intent on doing, that would have been a Godsend to you, on HER special day.

I think she should have said that she was sorry you couldn't have anything
from the menu and perhaps the two of you could to a restaurant of your choice at a later date.. :-) :-)

Is this lady really a friend?? I think she was unsympathetic towards you and very rude.

I don't eat out much, but there is usually something I can eat. Being vegetarian if I am going somewhere I usually check their menu out in advance as I did recently, that didn't quite work out as planned as the other person ( related) decided she wanted to go somewhere else lol, which turned out to be noisy, late service and indifferent food, so I settled for a jacket potato, and the satisfaction of knowing I was right and she was wrong ;-)

I think in your situation tbh I would have stayed at the table while they ate, had a drink and maybe a dessert or starter only if there was one suitable ?

But yes it was rude of her to ignore you, if I was with someone who couldn't order from the menu, as a friend I would have said ok lets go elsewhere instead :-)

certainly not you - they were extremely rude

if you went to a restaurant that had absolutely NOTHING on the menu that you could, or want to, eat??

Leave? Stay and eat something you hate?

Last night we went out with friends (someone's birthday), looked at the menu and there wasn't one thing listed that I could eat! Either because of allergies or the restricted diet I'm currently on (I'm not on a losing weight diet, I've been advised to cut certain foods out for a while, especially fatty things).

I said sorry to the birthday girl, said I'd wait at the bar (I really didn't want to sit and watch others eat).

When it was time to leave......... the birthday girl & her other half walked straight past me. They said goodnight to my DH, but ignored me completely!

Who was rude?

I don't think it was me.

I'm not eating something that could make me sick, just to keep somebody else happy!

:-(

Rant over.