"But I'm ALLLEERRRGGGGIICCCCC!!1!1!"

[Marlowe]

That stuff pisses me off more than anything.

Side note about tomato allergies: One can actually be allergic to tomatoes but not react to ketchup or other forms of processed tomatoes. My doctor explained this to me at some point, though I forget all the details. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find a link.

Yeah, I've heard that too. I should specify though this was not bog-standard Heinz, this was homemade stuff that was thick and closer to a hybrid of puree and relish than what you'd expect ketchup to be. I mean, I loathe ketchup, but this stuff is NICE.

[sms001]

Yeah, I've heard that too. I should specify though this was not bog-standard

moot anyway, since She-beast 'fessed up when you tried to save her from herself.

[Pagan]

I get that you don't want a smoke-smelling room. But there's no such thing as a smoke allergy. Sensitivity, yes. Actual allergy, no. It's a minor piece of terminology, but it irks me a bit.

That's been irking me for years, too. There is no histamine in smoke to cause an allergic reaction.

[NorthernZel]

That stuff pisses me off more than anything.

Side note about tomato allergies: One can actually be allergic to tomatoes but not react to ketchup or other forms of processed tomatoes. My doctor explained this to me at some point, though I forget all the details. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find a link.

I agree to this; I'm actually one of those people. Ketchup and hot tomato sauce is fair game, but fresh raw tomatoes make me queasy (I guess it's the natural acidity that triggers something). Also, I tend to avoid big chunks of tomato even if processed/heated - not because I react to them, but I guess I have a bad habit of connecting big chunks of tomato with nausea. (To the point that I actually blend the salsa first if I want some nachos!)

However, I'd just ask the server "no tomatoes, please" without explanations. If asked for an explanation, I'd just say "because I would like no tomatoes in my dish", no demands for anti-allergy procedures or such.

[Marlowe]

I agree to this; I'm actually one of those people. Ketchup and hot tomato sauce is fair game, but fresh raw tomatoes make me queasy (I guess it's the natural acidity that triggers something). Also, I tend to avoid big chunks of tomato even if processed/heated - not because I react to them, but I guess I have a bad habit of connecting big chunks of tomato with nausea. (To the point that I actually blend the salsa first if I want some nachos!)

Maybe it's a psychological aversion? I have that problem with salami (no rude jokes Sheldon, I know you're out there...) I choked on the rind of a slice of it once when I was a kid, and even now the taste and smell of it makes me want to hurl. If it's the texture of raw tomato that makes you feel ill, maybe that's why.

However, I'd just ask the server "no tomatoes, please" without explanations. If asked for an explanation, I'd just say "because I would like no tomatoes in my dish", no demands for anti-allergy procedures or such.

You sir are the kind of customer I WISH I'd had. Come to my shitty cafe pub thing anytime. But make sure you have your vaccinations first. I have it on good authority that the old guy who hides in the corner bites.

[AccountingDrone]

Maybe it's a psychological aversion? I have that problem with salami (no rude jokes Sheldon, I know you're out there...) I choked on the rind of a slice of it once when I was a kid, and even now the taste and smell of it makes me want to hurl. If it's the texture of raw tomato that makes you feel ill, maybe that's why.

I knew someone who had issues with potato salad that were textural - he had gotten violently ill on a bad batch [someone left it out overnight then put it back in the fridge] and after that he couldn't manage to eat cooked potatoes or cooked onions or most anything in a creamy sauce that felt like potato salad.

I have occasional textural issues and forget how to swallow occasionally [I need to 'reboot' by drinking some water or some other liquid as long as it is not thick like a milkshake] but I refuse to say I am allergic to something when it is only the taste I don't like. I have enough issues with the stuff I am actually allergic or sensitive to.

[bhskittykatt]

Maybe it's a psychological aversion? I have that problem with salami (no rude jokes Sheldon, I know you're out there...) I choked on the rind of a slice of it once when I was a kid, and even now the taste and smell of it makes me want to hurl. If it's the texture of raw tomato that makes you feel ill, maybe that's why.

Other MOD can't stand mushrooms for this reason. As a kid, she once ate some and threw up, and her dad made her eat them again.

Hubs can't do spicy stuff for a similar reason. His dad decided the best way to get him to stop sucking his thumb as a kid was to smother it in hot sauce and shove it in his mouth.

[EricKei]

bhs - The mushroom thing (well the first part, no having to eat more...) is why most veggies turn me off. The scent of broccoli or brussels sprouts cooking is enough to make me nauseous. I can't even eat corn on the cob safely x.x

[Blue Ginger]

I always hear "Make sure it's a non-smoking room. I'm allergic to smoke!"

I get that you don't want a smoke-smelling room. But there's no such thing as a smoke allergy. Sensitivity, yes. Actual allergy, no. It's a minor piece of terminology, but it irks me a bit.

Hate to contradict you, but I am allergic to cigarette smoke. There are several things in the average cigarette that I am allergic to and several others that I am highly allergic to.

We still aren't sure about the actual tobacco plant/leaves. The doc thought I had been through enough with the reactions to the chemicals. And I can't be bothered going through the whole allergy test thingy again for one plant.

So yeah when I say non-smoking room, I need a non-smoking room. Getting hit with a massive screaming migraine and throwing up everywhere is not fun. Nor is the possibility of a trip to the ER.

[Marlowe]

Hate to contradict you, but I am allergic to cigarette smoke.

No, you're not. https://www.healthtap.com/#user_questions/44616


However, while it's not possible to be allergic to cigarette smoke, if you have existing allergies, it can make them worse by acting as an irritant. Depending on whether the smoke's aggravating your other allergies or triggering something called vasomotor rhinitis, it can be treated differently - in the first one, it's the irritant action of the smoke weakening your body so that a whole bunch of other underlying allergies that aren't usually a problem - eg dust, pollen - start causing trouble, whereas in the second the smoke itself is causing the reaction (but it's not an allergic one.)

So yes, you do react more strongly to secondhand cigarette smoke than some other people, but no, you're not allergic. Using an air purifier in hotel rooms might help though.


(Source: Pre-med who used to study a lot of medical journals for fun. )

[HawaiianShirts]

"I'm ALLLERRRRGGGGIIIICCCCC" or "OMG I'm so OFFFFFEEENNNNDDDEEDDDDD"

...

Why does EVERYONE have to be a victim now? Do you REALLY have such a desperate need to be somehow "speshul"?

I've never had to deal with false allergy claims. At least, not that I recall. I did have one restaurant server suddenly become very concerned when she realized that I had asked for "no tomato" on my burger but that the kitchen had put it on anyway. She started apologizing profusely and was about to have my whole plate redone, but I just pulled it off myself and said, "It's okay. Tomatoes and I just don't get along very well. I'm not allergic." She was visibly relieved.

It's the "I'm offended" thing that I see most often these days.

Earlier this week, I had to take an online training course about various workplace ethics (equality, harassment, etc.). The first section reminded me to be careful about what I say to others because, if they perceive it as offensive, then it is offensive. "Perception is reality." The very next section told me that, if someone offends me, they probably didn't mean it, and I shouldn't get upset about it. So, I guess, if I perceive it as offensive, then it's offensive, but I should try to perceive everything as non-offensive. Seems like a double-standard to me.

I could speculate causes, but I do think that some people can be overly sensitive about insignificant things. I'm just waiting for the day when someone at work sees one of my floral print Hawaiian shirts and tells me, "I perceive that shirt as offensive because I'm allergic to the kind of flower pictured on it."

[CoffeeMonkey]

I knew a girl in the no tomato can eat ketchup club. She was actually allergic/sensitive to vitamin C, so anything that had a lot of it she couldn't have, especially fresh. So definitely no citrus. She could handle super processed foods like ketchup, but not sauce on pizza. I rarely saw her actually EAT anything other than crazy bread, though. Pretty sure that for the most part she survived on coffee, red bull, cigarettes and pot.

I've also never had to deal with allergy fakers, and only a few times had to deal with real allergy problems. One was back in college, when a girl ordered a cookie, ate half of it, and then asked if there were nuts. Yes, it has walnuts. Oh. I'm allergic to nuts. Uhh, do you need medical attention? No, just a glass of water, please. so clearly she wasn't dangerously allergic.

While working at the Hoofed Mammal coffee, the most frustrating thing was how I seemed to be one of the only people that knew ANYTHING about dealing with allergies. Best evidenced by the time that I overheard a customer ask the idiot I was working with if there were nuts in the smoothie. So idiot reads off the box label, says no, rings the smoothie. Good thing I overheard. Cuz idiot didn't TELL me about the allergy. So I ask the guest if I heard right about a nut allergy, and how severe was it? Oh, really severe? Anaphylactic shock severe? Ok, I'm going to go WASH THE BLENDER. Cuz some of the blended drinks had peanuts in them, and the carafes were set right next to toppings that included tree nuts. And the blenders weren't washed with soap in between uses, just triple rinsed in hot water. Fine for regular drinks, not so fine when a micron of nut could kill someone.

Here's the kicker. As much as I hated idiot, and hated working with him, this particular bit of idiocy was not his fault. The company didn't train the staff on handling allergies. I knew about it because I have friends with dietary restrictions and am used to reading labels to make sure I'm feeding them properly. All he knew was that he got the box and saw no nuts.

[Catwoman2965]

Other MOD can't stand mushrooms for this reason. As a kid, she once ate some and threw up, and her dad made her eat them again.

Hubs can't do spicy stuff for a similar reason. His dad decided the best way to get him to stop sucking his thumb as a kid was to smother it in hot sauce and shove it in his mouth.

I can't eat bologna. Can't even look at it without gagging, let alone smell or touch it. Loved it as a kid, had it for lunch one day, and came down with stomach flu later in the afternoon. WHile IT didn't make me sick, I definitely associate the puking and feeling crappy with it. I can't even mention it without gagging.

[mathnerd]

I have that problem with tequila. Fortunately that's easy enough to avoid.

[stitchwitch]

I'm also sensitive to tomatoes but not ketchup, it's because I'm allergic to the acid in the seeds, and the sugar in most ketchups and sauces helps neutralize it.