In certain cultures, is it still rude for a guest to decline to eat the food because he is allergic to it? In a different culture, a person who welcomes a guest offers the guest some food and he said "no thanks, I am can't eat it and I am allergic to it". I don't think it's rude. People who offer food need to understand that some guests cannot eat certain food.
2006-09-02 18:26:00 · 18 answers · asked by caltam84 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Unless you are seriously allergic you could always take some if your host insists and just leave it untouched in a corner of your plate.
My son has a mother in law who comes from a culture like that. When we eat at her house she always insists i need to eat all of the things that she made even if I have always declined them . I just let her load my plate and then ignore the ones I can't deal with. She never notices them left over even though she notices whether you argued about wanting them.
2006-09-02 18:28:09 · answer #1 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I was actually reading an advice column about this in the paper a few weeks ago. The reader said they didn't like the food from another culture and didn't want to eat it when it was offered to them. The author of the advice column responded by saying that not liking it was an unacceptable excuse, but if they were allergic then it would be ok. So yes, being allergic is a reason to refuse food, and it is not rude to do so.
2006-09-02 20:00:06 · answer #2 · answered by above_periods 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm allergic to onions. I have had to turn down foods containing onions a lot. But I mostly just try to eat whatever seems to not have onions in it, if I am a guest, especially if there's an option of other foods. If pressed, I usually just say, "I can't eat as much as I'd like, it's very good" or something like that - I dont want to offend the host/hostess and make them think I needed a "special" menu. You can let them know of your allergies, or not, depending on the situation, but there's no point in being rude about it, you can let them know, if pressed why you arent (or cant) eat it.
2006-09-02 18:32:46 · answer #3 · answered by crane2watch 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not rude to refuse to put yourself in a life threatening situation. If you have a bad peanut allergy, for instance, it could kill you just to put that on your plate. I'm in a tricky spot myself, being vegetarian. A lot of people, particularly from other cultures, (including midwesterners, hah) just don't get that. I am told I could pick it out, or "there's not very MUCH meat. . . " It's been so long though, that I'm asking to be sick if I do that. If I'm in the house of someone who is from another country, I will take a little to not offend, but if it would literally put me in the hospital, I would not.
The best solution, I have found, is to call in advance and explain the things you can't have. If they load up your plate for you, THAT could be seen as rude. If the dinner is served buffet- style, problem solved. Don't take (and don't mention that you didn't take) what you can't have. Take slightly more of what you can, so that it's clear that you like their cooking just fine.
2006-09-03 05:02:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not rude but if you should let people know about your allergy in advance. In most cases if you explain that you will stop breathing and DIE, people will stop trying to feed you the item. Unfortunately, people make the excuse that they are allergic when they just don't like something or it upsets their stomach and so people don't realize how serious a true food allergy is.
2006-09-02 18:44:25 · answer #5 · answered by Kuji 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have relatives that if they were to have certain foods around them, they could end up in the emergency room. They just politely explain they cannot eat it as they are allergic to it and decline the food. No one has ever been upset when they explain it that way.
2006-09-02 18:32:28 · answer #6 · answered by Searcher 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Is it rude for your host to expect you to eat something that will make you physically ill? I think it is. I'm sorry, I have food allergies, and I don't care if that upsets you, but I am not eating anything I know will make me ill. If you explain that to someone in a polite way, I doubt many people would be upset. I find people are very understanding about it. I mean if someone likes you well enough to have you over for dinner, they probably don't want to mkae you ill.
2006-09-06 09:01:21 · answer #7 · answered by melouofs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it's rude. You can't help it if you're allergic and a proper host would understand that. A good host wouldn't want a guest to be uncomfortable and they certainly wouldn't want to endanger their life.
2006-09-02 20:40:47 · answer #8 · answered by Some Guy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No! Not rude! Certain food allergies can be life threatening, as I'm sure you know. It's never impolite to simply say, "No, I'm sorry, I can't." You can always add, "But it looks delicious" or "But it's a beautifully presented dish" or something like that if you are wanting to be sure you sound gracious.
2006-09-02 18:28:42 · answer #9 · answered by Rvn 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I would rather insult someone than have a sever reaction but on the other hand if the reaction isn't severe try some. Best thing to do if its possible: talk to your hosts about it.
2006-09-02 18:31:26 · answer #10 · answered by Brin 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋