Party Host Expects Guest To Eat Their Food In Their Car, Is Upset They Caused Drama By Leaving
Creating a menu for a party can be difficult when your friends have a wide variety of dietary preferences and allergies. But it’s definitely not impossible to accommodate most diets, especially when you’re aware of what ingredients to avoid.
Yet when one person attended a friend’s birthday party that was held in a vegan home, they were left with nothing that they could eat. And instead of being able to simply bring some allergy-free snacks in, they were told that anything with animal products had to stay outside. Below, you’ll find the full story that was posted on Reddit detailing the drama that went down at this birthday party, as well as some of the replies readers shared.
Due to their allergies, this person wasn’t able to eat any of the food served at a friend’s birthday party
Image credits: Veganleonora / reddit (not the actual photo)
But after being told they weren’t allowed to bring in their own snacks, they decided to simply go home
Image credits: NataKor5 / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Sea-Spray-2952
One in ten adults in the United States has a food allergy
If you’re lucky enough to be able to eat whatever you like without ever worrying about checking the ingredients, asking about cross contamination or keeping an epipen on your person just in case, count your blessings. According to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) one in ten adults in the United States has a food allergy, along with one in thirteen children.
And many of these allergies are quite dangerous, as over half of adults with food allergies have experienced a severe reaction at some point. When it comes to the most common foods people have to avoid, there are eight top allergens that are responsible for the vast majority of allergies: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. In fact, at least 90% of serious reactions to food allergies are caused by these top allergens.
Unfortunately, food allergies have also been on the rise for decades. FARE reports that food allergies among children rose by 50% between 1997 and 2011 and shot up another 50% between 2007 and 2021. American kids self-reporting peanut or tree nut allergies went up by a whopping 300% between 2001 and 2017 as well.
But despite how common food allergies are, it’s extremely important to take them seriously. 3.4 million people in the United States are sent to the emergency room every year due to an allergic reaction to food. And over 40% of kids with allergies to certain foods have experienced severe reactions, such as anaphylaxis.
It’s important to take food allergies seriously
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo)
If a friend of yours has a food allergy, it’s necessary to take that into consideration when preparing food for them or hosting them in your home. It’s not simply a dietary preference; it is necessary for their health that they avoid these foods.
However, dietary preferences should be respected as well. When someone chooses to live a vegan lifestyle, they make a choice to avoid purchasing or consuming any products that require harming, exploiting or killing animals. No leather, no wool sweaters, and of course, no eating meat, dairy, eggs or honey. It’s not all about food, but that is a major aspect of living a vegan lifestyle, as we all have to eat multiple times a day!
It’s estimated that, currently, about 1% of the global population is vegan. And as someone who has been vegan for about 8 years myself, I can say that it is incredibly easy once you’re used to it. However, it can take time to adjust to the lifestyle, figure out what you like to eat and explain to the people in your life why you’ve made the choice to live more compassionately towards animals.
While it’s understandable that vegans may not want any animal products in their homes, as those non-vegan items conflict with their ethics, vegans should also be empathetic towards others who can’t always eat what’s available at a gathering.
Accommodating a friend’s special diet shows that you care
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hangrily listened to my stomach grumble through a party or event because there were no vegan options available, even if I was told there would be ahead of time.
Every vegan knows the struggle of having to pack extra snacks, meal prep or have a protein bar as a backup meal, just in case there aren’t any options available without animal products. Given how universal this experience is for vegans, it is surprising that the host of this party had no empathy for her friend who couldn’t eat what she prepared.
In fact, it’s even more shocking that she didn’t ensure that there were plenty of soy-free options available, as it’s extremely easy to avoid soy on a vegan diet if you get a little creative and don’t rely on tofu and soy milk.
At the end of the day, it may not always be easy to accommodate our friends who have different dietary preferences or allergies than we do. But with a little research and effort, it’s possible. And it’s definitely worth it to show a friend that you care.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this person was wrong for leaving the party early? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece discussing dietary drama, look no further than right here!
Readers had plenty to say about the story, and the author chimed in to share even more details
Readers continued sharing their thoughts and calling out the host for refusing to accommodate her friend
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
If I had a friend with a food allergy l'd triple check which is their safe food. How can you not remember which is which? That was entirely on purpose.
The "friend" didn't remember which was which because she didn't care.
Load More Replies...Man, Kim is ridiculous. I'm vegetarian by choice and gluten free definitely not by choice and my friends have always been super accommodating. Maybe I just have good friends but, in my opinion, if friends aren't willing to support your needs when possible then they aren't friends.
I have IBD and my friends went a full year ordering food in such a manner that we could work out (faster) what I could and could not eat without flaring up. They are saints and my favourite people in the world.
Load More Replies...Whenever there are friends in my house I will make sure everybody is comfortable. It is not hard to prepare food without soy or tofu, you just have to be a little flexible. Pasta salad or potato salad without mayo. Bread with veggie dips. Tomato soup with roasted bread or rice or Pasta. Burritos or wraps. Some examples for not only soy free food, but also vegan. Surprise!
And it's not like there isn't vegan mayo.
Load More Replies...I can't get past the commenter who is vegan and won't allow her partner to cook any meat in their house. My wife is vegetarian, but if she would have ever suggested that was on the horizon, we would not be together. I try to keep our food separate (different shelves in the fridge/freezer, chopping boards, knives, spoons etc), but I damn well will cook what I want in my house. Same as my wife can cook anything she wants. She has cooked meat for me and I have cooked vegetarian food for her, but generally we each cook our own. Her right to not eat meat is ranked equal with my right to eat it.
Typical vegan behaviour. They go on and on about their ~~~choice~~~ while most of them have zero respect for nut and soy allergies which are NOT a choice. I'm speaking from the experience of hospital visits after being lied to.
You cut relations soonest possible with any fanatic of any kind, politics, religious, vegan, whatever.
If you host dinner you accommodate peoples allergies. I have always asked peoples food requirements and cooked accordingly. What a pos the "friend" is because she had something with Mayo.
And how many people in her "vegan house" were wearing leather shoes, belts etc? This sounds like preformative vegan powertripping. Asking you to eat outside was rude and unnecessary. It sounds like she's happy to eat at the same table as non-vegans in for sushi and pizza. "I can smell you have non-vegan mayo", when you can't be bothered to make one safe dish for someone with allergies is BS.
I maybe a no dairy or gluten vegan but I applaud OP for leaving cause I would've done the same exact thing. If you're that inconsiderate for my well being as only a friend/guest in your home than I feel beyond sorry for your partner, children or family in general.
WTF is wrong with vegans that makes them want to dictate to other people what they can and cannot eat? I am vegetarian, that is my choice but if I have guests over, I do buy things such as bacon and cooked meats because I know that that is what they like to eat. I would never stop anyone from eating anything they want in my house just because I choose not to eat it. The only exception to this is nuts or nut based products as I am extremely allergic to tree nuts and peanuts and I cannot risk having them in my house and causing a potentially fatal allergic reaction.
As a vegan, she should have more sympathy for dietary restrictions, not less. Also, it's just a party. You stayed for a while, then left. That's ok, doesn't really matter the reason. It's good people checked on you, but getting food is a great reason to leave. Everyone is overreacting. Kim is being an AH.
Telling you to eat in your car is telling you to leave imo. Bye Kim!!!
Kim suuuuuucks. I’d leave too and I’d likely not return. What an a*****e.
I have a friend who is allergic to soy & I was shocked at how many random things contain it but I was able to find lots of things that she could eat at my local health food store. This poor woman's friend is definitely the AH. There are still lots of soy free vegan things she could've made or bought if she cared enough to do so. Why let the vegan friend host a non-vegan's birthday anyway? I'm all for vegan food now & then but I want an actual cake with dairy & eggs on my birthday.
Kim couldn't even take care to label the food she made is labeled? I'd be double-checking for someone with allrergies!
Some " friend"! You weren't dramatic. The party had nothing for you to eat. It's obvious that she was not too worried about accommodating allergies. That's what a host is supposed to do. She's not supposed to leave ppl out. You don't make ppl eat outside at a party just because you don't like the smell of their food. I'm sorry but this is a reason why I don't like Vegan ppl. They are always trying to make ppl feel bad for not being like them or shoving their lifestyle down ppls throat
She could "smell" the mayo, so you have to eat in your car??? What a brat.
As a vegan, that girl is crazy. Yikes. I let friends eat anything here, but if I serve stuff myself I will only prepare vegan, as this is the only thing I cook. The only thing not allowed is to prepare meat in our cast iron ware, those things accumulate the stuff cooked in them. So a very hard, firm NTA.
Kim was just being a b*tch. She was mad that the OP brought something into her house that he could eat, after she PROMISED there would be at least one dish for him without soy, but then didn't care enough to remember which dish. She's not allergic to non vegan food, but the OP can't help being allergic to soy. My vegan BFF doesn't give a F about if I eat meat in front of her in her house when I visit, so Kim's just a b*tch.
Just another example of the difference between friends and coworkers.
Soy allergy, fresh onion allergy, artificial sweetener allergy. It's hard enough to figure out where to go and what is safe to eat in public eateries and grocery shelves but it's doable once you get the hang of it. My friends are so great that they order their food when we go out without onions so there's no accidental cross contamination. They know my routine and are 200% supportive.
Kim could have at least labeled which was safe n which wasnt....that wasnt good of her.
Her friend is very inconsiderate. Why would you want your friend to starve. I would have made a few options without soy. It's not hard. Mashed potatoes, butternut squash with olive oil. Beets, okra with olive oil. You can avoid animal and soy.
She's not your friend, friends don't treat you like less than zero! Why are vegans such controlling a******s? If they're so damn concerned about animals why are they only eating the animal's food?
Neither OP nor Kim should ever be hosting. Both have food restrictions that are incompatible with each other. So much so that even a slight error could be detrimental for the guest. I have my own thoughts (not positive) about Vegans and the idea of a Vegan Household, but I can respect where that comes from. If you can't allow a guest to bring in non-vegan food, then you shouldn't be hosting people who can't eat your vegan food. That's ridiculous and makes for a terrible host.
My best friend had some tummy surgery so she can't eat whatever and i made her write a list so i glued it inside my cupboard just in case i forget
Southern girls are taught from birth the importance of being a good hostess, Rule #1 is the comfort of your guests ALWAYS comes first! My mama would whip my behind if I ever asked a guest to eat in another ROOM, much less OUTSIDE! She also should have had several clearly marked dishes available without soy. What does she do at work if someone has mayo----tell them to eat outside? I'm sorry, she's a TERRIBLE hostess, and an even WORSE friend! You should never have been made to feel bad over an allergy! You're DEFINITELY NTA!!!
It's not that difficult to make a few accommodations. I had a teacher who is gluten free, so for our school breakfast I bought a box of gluten free Cheddar Bay biscuit mix. They were easy and turned out well.
It's sometimes difficult to distinguish the difference between friends and acquaintances.
I can't understand how a vegan meal doesn't contain any vegetable. I mean... why making 2 different mash potatoes first ? And why not make some ratatouille (because of winter, some tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis and pepper if you like that) ? Or even a simple vegetable salad (tomato/cucumber/corn with some red onion for example) ? With some good bread and a simple vinaigrette (wine vinegar, oil and some shallot), you don't need soy for that and I don't think it's not vegan. Sometimes I'm so glad I'm French :p
Why didn't she just use oat milk? That stuff is creamy deliciousness.
bro calm tf down "cut her off and everyone who thinks shes right" stfu like yea that was pretty inconsiderate and she was being an AH but y'all dont know this person 😭
If I had a friend with a food allergy l'd triple check which is their safe food. How can you not remember which is which? That was entirely on purpose.
The "friend" didn't remember which was which because she didn't care.
Load More Replies...Man, Kim is ridiculous. I'm vegetarian by choice and gluten free definitely not by choice and my friends have always been super accommodating. Maybe I just have good friends but, in my opinion, if friends aren't willing to support your needs when possible then they aren't friends.
I have IBD and my friends went a full year ordering food in such a manner that we could work out (faster) what I could and could not eat without flaring up. They are saints and my favourite people in the world.
Load More Replies...Whenever there are friends in my house I will make sure everybody is comfortable. It is not hard to prepare food without soy or tofu, you just have to be a little flexible. Pasta salad or potato salad without mayo. Bread with veggie dips. Tomato soup with roasted bread or rice or Pasta. Burritos or wraps. Some examples for not only soy free food, but also vegan. Surprise!
And it's not like there isn't vegan mayo.
Load More Replies...I can't get past the commenter who is vegan and won't allow her partner to cook any meat in their house. My wife is vegetarian, but if she would have ever suggested that was on the horizon, we would not be together. I try to keep our food separate (different shelves in the fridge/freezer, chopping boards, knives, spoons etc), but I damn well will cook what I want in my house. Same as my wife can cook anything she wants. She has cooked meat for me and I have cooked vegetarian food for her, but generally we each cook our own. Her right to not eat meat is ranked equal with my right to eat it.
Typical vegan behaviour. They go on and on about their ~~~choice~~~ while most of them have zero respect for nut and soy allergies which are NOT a choice. I'm speaking from the experience of hospital visits after being lied to.
You cut relations soonest possible with any fanatic of any kind, politics, religious, vegan, whatever.
If you host dinner you accommodate peoples allergies. I have always asked peoples food requirements and cooked accordingly. What a pos the "friend" is because she had something with Mayo.
And how many people in her "vegan house" were wearing leather shoes, belts etc? This sounds like preformative vegan powertripping. Asking you to eat outside was rude and unnecessary. It sounds like she's happy to eat at the same table as non-vegans in for sushi and pizza. "I can smell you have non-vegan mayo", when you can't be bothered to make one safe dish for someone with allergies is BS.
I maybe a no dairy or gluten vegan but I applaud OP for leaving cause I would've done the same exact thing. If you're that inconsiderate for my well being as only a friend/guest in your home than I feel beyond sorry for your partner, children or family in general.
WTF is wrong with vegans that makes them want to dictate to other people what they can and cannot eat? I am vegetarian, that is my choice but if I have guests over, I do buy things such as bacon and cooked meats because I know that that is what they like to eat. I would never stop anyone from eating anything they want in my house just because I choose not to eat it. The only exception to this is nuts or nut based products as I am extremely allergic to tree nuts and peanuts and I cannot risk having them in my house and causing a potentially fatal allergic reaction.
As a vegan, she should have more sympathy for dietary restrictions, not less. Also, it's just a party. You stayed for a while, then left. That's ok, doesn't really matter the reason. It's good people checked on you, but getting food is a great reason to leave. Everyone is overreacting. Kim is being an AH.
Telling you to eat in your car is telling you to leave imo. Bye Kim!!!
Kim suuuuuucks. I’d leave too and I’d likely not return. What an a*****e.
I have a friend who is allergic to soy & I was shocked at how many random things contain it but I was able to find lots of things that she could eat at my local health food store. This poor woman's friend is definitely the AH. There are still lots of soy free vegan things she could've made or bought if she cared enough to do so. Why let the vegan friend host a non-vegan's birthday anyway? I'm all for vegan food now & then but I want an actual cake with dairy & eggs on my birthday.
Kim couldn't even take care to label the food she made is labeled? I'd be double-checking for someone with allrergies!
Some " friend"! You weren't dramatic. The party had nothing for you to eat. It's obvious that she was not too worried about accommodating allergies. That's what a host is supposed to do. She's not supposed to leave ppl out. You don't make ppl eat outside at a party just because you don't like the smell of their food. I'm sorry but this is a reason why I don't like Vegan ppl. They are always trying to make ppl feel bad for not being like them or shoving their lifestyle down ppls throat
She could "smell" the mayo, so you have to eat in your car??? What a brat.
As a vegan, that girl is crazy. Yikes. I let friends eat anything here, but if I serve stuff myself I will only prepare vegan, as this is the only thing I cook. The only thing not allowed is to prepare meat in our cast iron ware, those things accumulate the stuff cooked in them. So a very hard, firm NTA.
Kim was just being a b*tch. She was mad that the OP brought something into her house that he could eat, after she PROMISED there would be at least one dish for him without soy, but then didn't care enough to remember which dish. She's not allergic to non vegan food, but the OP can't help being allergic to soy. My vegan BFF doesn't give a F about if I eat meat in front of her in her house when I visit, so Kim's just a b*tch.
Just another example of the difference between friends and coworkers.
Soy allergy, fresh onion allergy, artificial sweetener allergy. It's hard enough to figure out where to go and what is safe to eat in public eateries and grocery shelves but it's doable once you get the hang of it. My friends are so great that they order their food when we go out without onions so there's no accidental cross contamination. They know my routine and are 200% supportive.
Kim could have at least labeled which was safe n which wasnt....that wasnt good of her.
Her friend is very inconsiderate. Why would you want your friend to starve. I would have made a few options without soy. It's not hard. Mashed potatoes, butternut squash with olive oil. Beets, okra with olive oil. You can avoid animal and soy.
She's not your friend, friends don't treat you like less than zero! Why are vegans such controlling a******s? If they're so damn concerned about animals why are they only eating the animal's food?
Neither OP nor Kim should ever be hosting. Both have food restrictions that are incompatible with each other. So much so that even a slight error could be detrimental for the guest. I have my own thoughts (not positive) about Vegans and the idea of a Vegan Household, but I can respect where that comes from. If you can't allow a guest to bring in non-vegan food, then you shouldn't be hosting people who can't eat your vegan food. That's ridiculous and makes for a terrible host.
My best friend had some tummy surgery so she can't eat whatever and i made her write a list so i glued it inside my cupboard just in case i forget
Southern girls are taught from birth the importance of being a good hostess, Rule #1 is the comfort of your guests ALWAYS comes first! My mama would whip my behind if I ever asked a guest to eat in another ROOM, much less OUTSIDE! She also should have had several clearly marked dishes available without soy. What does she do at work if someone has mayo----tell them to eat outside? I'm sorry, she's a TERRIBLE hostess, and an even WORSE friend! You should never have been made to feel bad over an allergy! You're DEFINITELY NTA!!!
It's not that difficult to make a few accommodations. I had a teacher who is gluten free, so for our school breakfast I bought a box of gluten free Cheddar Bay biscuit mix. They were easy and turned out well.
It's sometimes difficult to distinguish the difference between friends and acquaintances.
I can't understand how a vegan meal doesn't contain any vegetable. I mean... why making 2 different mash potatoes first ? And why not make some ratatouille (because of winter, some tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis and pepper if you like that) ? Or even a simple vegetable salad (tomato/cucumber/corn with some red onion for example) ? With some good bread and a simple vinaigrette (wine vinegar, oil and some shallot), you don't need soy for that and I don't think it's not vegan. Sometimes I'm so glad I'm French :p
Why didn't she just use oat milk? That stuff is creamy deliciousness.
bro calm tf down "cut her off and everyone who thinks shes right" stfu like yea that was pretty inconsiderate and she was being an AH but y'all dont know this person 😭
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