Community Chat

[TenderMercies]

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

Since it is unlikely that the remote hotel will have a firmer matress and blackout curtains sufficient to satisfy him, can you just tell him he has to make do with what he has?

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@Isobel Archer I would hope that my boss would recognize this sensibility and communicate it to him.  I don't think this person will ever be pleased, so he should probably be told to either adapt to his surroundings or resign.  

[Shorty2U]

Id tell them there's lots of veggies like someone else said. Yes this is business not family, so I pretty much I agree they have to eat what they can and live with it.

However, my daughter and 1 granddaughter are vegetarian now and 2 of my granddaughters are vegan.(for the past years) Its very hard to make something for vegans because they cant have meat, dairy or anything from an animal. But, when we all get together I make vegan/vegetarian dishes and regular food because (probably from being Italian. lol) I don't want anyone to go hungry and not have anything they can eat. But again this is family I am catering too, not work related like what you are talking about.

[lulu1]

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@Shorty2U wrote:

Id tell them there's lots of veggies like someone else said. Yes this is business not family, so I pretty much I agree they have to eat what they can and live with it.

However, my daughter and 1 granddaughter are vegetarian now and 2 of my granddaughters are vegan.(for the past years) Its very hard to make something for vegans because they cant have meat, dairy or anything from an animal. But, when we all get together I make vegan/vegetarian dishes and regular food because (probably from being Italian. lol) I don't want anyone to go hungry and not have anything they can eat. But again this is family I am catering too, not work related like what you are talking about.

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@Shorty2U

We almost always host Thanksgiving but if it were my daughter and her 2 daughters who did not eat turkey, I'd pass the holiday preparation off to her. Or, at the very least, ask her to bring a meal the 3 of them could eat.

[NycVixen]

In my culture, a host is supposed to cater to guests. 

If I invite someone to my home, I do everything I can to make sure they have a great time. If I can't ensure that, I won't invite them.

There seems to be a tone that the temporary workers should be happy they got an invitation like that is some sort of grand gesture. IMO it's not if there is no effort on the part of the host to make sure they don't go hungry. 

I also get the feeling since these are temporary workers the OP feels they don't deserve the same treatment as full-time staff. 

Instead, I would be thankful if a guest I invite to my home for dinner kindly lets me know ahead of time that they have a dietary preference or need. I think getting so upset over this like how dare they is completely mistaken. I think the OP has the wrong mindset. I don't understand why the OP is so offended. It doesn't make sense to me. The job of a host is to cater to their guests. 

Don't invite people unless you care enough to make sure they have a pleasant time. 

[Marienkaefer2]

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@Nightowlz wrote:

ITA. DH always goes thru the same thing with the guys at work every time they plan a dinner.

The boss just paid for dinner for Veteran's Day. Word got out & they all starting complaining about what & where DH was going to pick up food. DH told them that's why I was not going to say anything because I'm tired of all the arguing about what & where to get what when we try to plan a dinner. They all liked what he bought except the guy that does not eat meat. 

You can't please everyone & you can't be expected to make different meals for the those that don't eat a Traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

I would never reply back to an invitation like that. I would say something like I would like to come but I'm vegan or vegetarian is it ok if I bring my meal to eat.

I would reply back to those that have already replied plus those that have not to let them know it's a traditional dinner if that's how the board member wants you to handle it. That's a lot of work on it's own much less trying to cater to others.

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No, you can't be expected to to make different meals, but you CAN include options for people with different requests.

My mom has severe gluten allergies.  This is not a fad, or something she can turn on and off.

Gluten is hidden in many foods.  Just think if you had to ask the ingredients of every little thing, including if there is flour used to thicken gravy instead of corn starch, or how the salad dressing is made.

Fortunately, there is enough awareness in most places today that a few gluten free options can be made available.  And extra vegetable dish or gluten free rolls, or a dessert made without gluten, like a flourless chocolate cake or a mousse, for example.

The same goes for vegetarians.  I have several friends who are vegetarian for health reasons, not because they like to make other people's lives difficult.

If there are at least a couple of options, it goes a long way toward making people feel included.

Try looking at it that way, instead of the fact that YOU are being put out.

Isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?  OR should be...thinking of others.

[Marienkaefer2]

Additionally, I'd lke to emphasize that it is NOT difficult to accommodate certain dietary requests.

Generally speaking, it is quite normal nowadays and easy to include a few items that everyone can enjoy, whether they have dietary issues or not.  

As I mentioned in my previous post, a flourless cake (which is actually quite decadent) as a dessert option, or a flan or creme brulee or mousse.

An extra veggie dish.  You can make delicious gravies using corn starch as a thickener instead of flour.  Offering a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing as an option instead of only heavier ones that may contain gluten.

There are tons of great breads and rolls on the market right now that are gluten free.

I think it's sad that there are still people out there who can't think outside of themselves enough to want to make a few tweaks to their dinner to allow that.  A corporate company providing a dinner would surely find this easy to do with a catering service, or whoever they use for their provider.

[LTT1]

@Noel7

We ordered the whole Thanksgiving meal from CrackerBarrel.
Well, it had a very high beef bouillon flavor and that is something (besides gluten) that I cannot eat. I tried anyway because it took me awhile to identify the flavor.
I won’t try this as our source again.
Just an FYI for anyone trying to avoid bouillon.

[sunshine45]

@NycVixen

i was always taught the same and you wrote a great post. thank you.

i want my guests to feel like they are at home when i invite them, no matter if they are family, close friends, or virtual strangers.

[TenderMercies]

I can't believe this post has come back.  Once again I have to listen to people cheering on this former employee's bad behavior.  To recap, a temporary employee was invited to spend Thanksgiving dinner at the home of a board member of my company, and he responded to the invitation saying he needed options because he's gluten free and requested a specific vegetarian or fish meal.  He also demanded the staff at his hotel buy him a new mattress and hang better quality blackout curtains which led to him getting thrown out of the hotel.  He then told me that the host of the Thanksgiving dinner party needed to lock her pets in another room, because he is allergic.  This request along with further bad behavior ultimately led to him being fired.  The host inquired about dietary restrictions and allergies and was fully prepared to meet everyone's needs. The thread was never about a host complaining about the needs of their guests.  It was about the way one guest communicated his needs to the host.