Dear Bev,
I have been following this thread with interest, and it was your post
that I chose to respond to. Please do NOT take this as a criticism, but
here goes:
On Thu, 27 Mar 1997, Beverly Kurtin wrote:
>
> When served fat when I have asked for NO fat, I simply leave, refusing to
> pay for anything.
This is certainly your right as a consumer, although I have found that
educating the manager is usually more productive.
And if at a family or friend's place when I have
> deliberately been served something they know I don't eat, I say "thanks for
> having me over--I'm out of here."
This is an area that I have a problem with. While it is certainly wrong
to DELIBERATELY sabotage someone's eating plan, I am troubled by the
assumption that one's friends and family are under the burden to
accommodate dietary restrictions. Common courtesy should come into play,
but I hear a lot of hostility (not from you personally, Bev, but in
general) about eating with friends. I have carnivorous friends who hate
beans. I know this, and it would be rude OF ME to repeatedly serve them
beans. However, sharing a meal is not strictly about food. It is often
more effective to politely decline something "off limits." I feel that
my friends can learn about my eating habits when we are all out at a
restaurant, and that vocal opinions when you are a GUEST in someone's
HOME are inappropriate and often backfire.
There have been several occasions when I have had salad and wine for
dinner, and refused to make a big issue over it. My attitude is "I am
here to enjoy your company." As a result, my friends are if anything
overly conscious of serving veg-friendly meals, and I don't have the
reputation of being a huge pain in the ass. Also, GOD FORBID that a
vegetarian (or fatfree or whatever) "cheats" in front of the same
friends (or family) after making a huge stink earlier.
My $ .02 on sale,
Cyn
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