Living with dietary requirements and food intolerances can be difficult — especially when dining out.
One woman shared her struggles with coeliac disease after she recently discovered she could no longer stomach food with gluten.
“I recently changed my diet and I had to go gluten-free due to a new health development,” the 18-year-old said in a Reddit thread.
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“My family has been relatively supportive, but it’s still a hard adjustment to make. I’m not deathly allergic, but I’m in a lot of pain whenever I eat something with gluten in it.”
However, the woman sparked a heated feud with her father after he suggested going to a restaurant nearby because he didn’t want to cook following a stressful day at work.
“I said I didn’t like the restaurant (he picked) because of its lack of gluten-free options and I suggested other places in town, about eight minutes away by car,” she explained.
“He said he didn’t want to go into town as he was tired, and didn’t want to make it into an ‘adventure’ to get me food.”
His response let her “upset” because she felt he wasn’t making any effort to accommodate her dietary requirements.
“I don’t feel like it’s that big of a deal to actually accommodate me, and becoming gluten free has been really hard on me,” she said.
Her father then said it “wasn’t an option to go to those places” and that he would just go with her brother to the nearby restaurant and “not take her.”
“After I got mad at this, he said that I don’t care about his stress and that’s fine, we’ll just go wherever I want,” she said.
The woman finished her post by saying she felt “really bad.”
“He’s been stressed with work, but also, I don’t feel as if it’s that hard to accommodate me, so I’m torn. Am I the a****** for being stubborn in wanting to go to a good gluten free restaurant?
“I feel like I am because I’m not being considerate of his stress levels.”
Her post was met with 20 comments — with many quick to label her “entitled”.
“Kindly, you’re the a*******. Your father offered to take you to a restaurant, you are being entitled in wanting them to accommodate your dietary restrictions — forcing them to drive to a place they don’t want to drive. If you want to get to choose the restaurant, then plan it yourself: don’t hijack other people’s plans,” one slammed.
Another suggested: “You’re an adult, get your own food. Your dad has enough on his plate.”
A third added: “’I will just make myself something’ is the correct answer. Cook for yourself, your dad didn’t want to cook and also didn’t want to make a trek.”
While another shared: “I have coeliac disease. The first rule of the gluten-free club is no one has to accommodate you. Your dad didn’t want to go into town. He’s stressed. That’s fair enough. You can cook something yourself or go to the restaurant by yourself. Yes, being gluten free sucks but it’s up to you to manage it yourself and not expect other people to.”
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