When Sarah Dussault brought a vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pie to her mom’s Thanksgiving on the Cape last year, she was virtually the only person willing to brave the treat. “It was delicious,” says Dussault, 28, a healthy-living blogger, “but I think people couldn’t get past the chickpeas.”
This Thanksgiving, Dussault’s family will be scattered, and though she’ll miss them, being in charge of her own menu “is my dream come true,” she says, anticipating a feast of cauliflower mashed potatoes and stuffing made from sprouted-grain bread.
Comments
Aside from people with food allergies and dietary problems, we've turned into a nation of toddlers and expect a host to accommodate every quirk and quibble. What a nightmare. As someone who is lactose-intolerant, I always make sure I've got some Lactaid tablets on me. I mean, really, how hard can that be? For someone hosting a large holiday gathering, trying to feed everyone an appetizing meal this can be a huge headache and completely distract from what Thanksgiving is about. Vegetarian or vegan? Please bring a dish you can eat to share with everyone. Avoiding sugar? Then don't eat dessert. Don't like saturated fats? How about you eat a meal in your own home before you come and focusing your energy on helping the host/hostess.
People can be ridiculous. I agree totally with the comments by GrnMachine.
It's important to accomodate genuine food allergies but people with food preferences need to accomodate the host.
Some food intolerance is self-imposed. For instance, the most common reason for lactose intolerance is not giving young sufficient dairy products when they're going up. Nut allergies can be eliminated or lessened for most people with proper therapy. It's up to parents to protect their children's future. Studies of children raised on farms in Germany indicate that growing up in a less than sterile environment can make allergies rare.
There is something important to be said about family and good manners, though. Even if you avoid fat, gluten, sugar, or some other food most of the time, an exception once a year is not going to kill you.