Dealing with other people?

[Jules]

Hi Guys,

How do you deal with other people, and how do they deal with you when they know that you are dairy intolerant (or intolerant to anything else for that matter?)

I often use the 'Dogs Milk' Response, courtesy of and adapted from the Red Dwarf BBC Comedy series.

It usually works like this:

People often walk past my desk at work and see me putting my soya milk into cups of tea and make remarks like "What's wrong with our milk?"

So I say I am intolerant to Cows milk, and tell them that I am pouring dogs milk into my tea.

"Dogs MIlk?! - Ugh!!!" :o

"There's nothing wrong with Dog's Milk," I reply "It's full of minerals and vitamins, crammed full of meaty goodness and marrowbone jelly. Besides, Dog's milk is very long lasting, it lasts 7 times as long as normal Cows milk"

"Why?" they ask

"Because no other bugger will drink it." I say "And it has the benefit of tasting exactly the same when it has gone off, as it does when it's fresh."

At which point, people are usually doubled over laughing.:lol2:

Just my defence mechanism, thought I'd share as it works quite well.

Jules

[cnc]

People don't normally question me, but those that do, get a response along the lines of
'Feel free to feed me dairy as long as you're going to clean the vomit up later'. Is normally enough to get them to leave me alone/ make them believe me :)

[ellsie]

I like to make sure they know how to work an Epipen and at which point they need to call the ambulance, usully they believe me then!:D

[paranoidangel]

I pretty much go for the same thing as cnc. Once you mention vomit they tend to get the message!

[Nic]

I work in quite a pc environment, and tend to get asked not 'why are you drinking that' but 'oh no, if you're dairy-allergic what on earth do you eat?'. I've found that a very long list is the way to go with that one...:lol2:

Though someone today did ask me why I wasn't eating the clotted cream fudge, as it didn't have milk in!

Nic

[Lan]

Hi all,

My mechanism is to really aggrevate them. I have had people tutting behind me in the queue and will then deliberately go slower choosing food. I have also been known to list the symptoms and not nice when going to eat. Have had a few disgusted looks and all that.

The best way is to laugh it off. I know it's not funny but it seems other people's reactions are different when humour is added. I am also 100% honest with them and explain the situation. They either back off or are genuinely interested. Either way I have a winner.


Lan.

[matt]

depends on my mood if i'm honest. when ok will happily use honesty and humour but when in bad mood god help them. same with the idiots pointing out how tall i am....like i hadn't noticed.

then tend to go for the sarcastic attack. mr smokestoomuch scene from monty python.

[Copper]

Ooops I think I made a comment about your height when you visited. My excuse is that I am very very short and so your height is more noticeable to me. At least you can reach everything on the supermarket shelves.

[ellsie]

My daughter was luchy enough to meet Martin Johnstone at the weekend from the world of rugby. She was very impressed with his height.! But she was still :cool:

[matt]

it's only when the comedians crack the " is it cold up there?" gag that i start to get sense of humour failure. as they think it's the first time i've ever heard it.
or the " you're very tall aren't you?" am i? not noticed.:lol2:

used to drink in the same pub as the rugby team when they trained just outside of marlow. can't say i actually met them all though.

[ellsie]

They are a good drinking crowd I understand, but if you win the world cup you deserve a drink!:drunk:

[matt]

grand slam maybe this year....so far so good.:lol2:

[ellsie]

Let's see what happens today!

[Steve]

No grandslam for engand this year

[matt]

damn good game though. you don't mind loosing when it is down to a better side. it's when it's luck/bad ref or mistakes that you get annoyed.

such is life

[cnc]

A friend a few weeks ago was commenting how appaling Scotland were at Rugby and never won anything.... :D If only I could remember which friend I was speaking to, how much fun could I have?!

[Lou C]

My Hubby rang his Mum before the match (she's Scottish) pre-empting that England would win. I kept telling him not to count his chickens etc. He won't do that again!!!!

[Dylan's Mummy]

I have to admit, I do get some funny looks when pouring soya milk into my tea or coffee and more so at toddler groups when the biscuits get passed round and I reach for my little tub out of my bag - for Dylan's special stash, that I know he'll be ok with. I think sometimes people think I'm being snooty. We've recently had quite a discussion with some family members about what we can and can't have. It followed a conversation along the lines of - 'it's milk chocolate, why can't he eat that?' um, let me just think about that one!! Also after buying a 'dairy free' cake at xmas for him - which had egg in it, which he is also allergic to - I give up!

[Dylan's Mummy]

I have to admit I do get some funny looks when pouring soya milk into my tea or coffee. And more so when I take my 2yr old to toddler groups, when the biscuits are passed round and I reach for our stash of biscuits in my bag! I think they think I'm being snooty. We've also recently had quite a discussion with some family members after a conversation along the lines ' milk chocolate, well, why can't you both hace that?' - um, let me think about that one for a moment!! they also, in their wisdom, bought a 'dairy free' fruit cake - with egg in it, which Dylan also is allergic too. I give up!

[yvie]

Well, Ive had....'how the heck do you milk a BEAN?' from someone who thinks they are being funny...

ANd from my ex mother in law after her and her lovely son had 'poisened' my daughter.....'well, its was only ONE packet of orange poppets and she has been able to eat the PEPPERMINT ones so what the difference?' DOH!
WELL HAY FOR BRAINS (being nice and not swearing here) ...........

and for all those employees of companies that I call for dairy free lists, ..... 'NO, EGGS ARE NOT DAIRY, THEY COME FROM C H I C K E N S and not COW, GOAT OR SHEEP UDDERS OK'!!!!!!!!!!!! (lists......@NO)

Do people REALLY not realise that cheese and yoghurts are made from milk?
I think we are forgetting to educate our children in the basics. A lot of children don't even know that vegetables are GROWN they think they are just 'in tescos in the freezer dept'!!

Im ranting, lol sorry, we both have a virus, think my temperature is up a bit!

[Nic]

I have to say, my boyfriend (now husband) when we first started going out didn't know yoghurt was made from milk! And he's by no means stupid, got a First from Cambridge...

I do have to say, I find the whole thinking eggs are made from milk even sillier. But the best one is being told (several times!) in a pub that the pastry won't be OK for me because it has flour in it! I kept saying, 'I'm OK with flour, just not with dairy products like butter, cheese etc'. But I got very blank looks and repeated warnings about flour. You really have to wonder...

Nic

[cnc]

I had the same problem with being told that rolls contained flour!! Kept trying to explain it to them....

I seem to experience a lot of people not connecting dairyfree to things. I've been offered ice cream and pizza several times, and then you can see the little light go on when they realise they've suggested something stupid!!Or one of my other friends will belittle them and inform them of their stupidity!!

Dylans Mummy- I assume you've warned people at the toddler group about his allergies??

[Lan]

Hi all,

The best one I ever had was being offered a milkshake!! I went to MacDonalds and explained I was intolerant to dairy and stated anything containing milk products and allergic to caffeine and he then went on to offer me coffee. I mean MILKshake. Says it all, doesn't it?

Lan. :lol2::lol2::lol2:

[matt]

one nurse beat those....

at meal time brought me a sandwich. normal bread... couldn't i just eat the stuff in it??

well let me think, apart from the butter on the bread i think the cheese might not be dairy free.....:(

[Fozzybear]

I've been quite lucky that I haven't really had those kinds of experiences. When I visit my parents they only buy in food for me that I've specifically told them is ok and my friends and work mates have all been pretty good too, when I'm offered something and say "sorry, I can't have those" or "I'm not allowed it" they are fine about it, realising straight away that they've offered something that would make me ill. They saw how ill I got so they know that it's not just a show, plus I spent a lot of time when I went dairy-free talking to all of them about it so they understand the problem.

I've not had to deal with many people so have been quite lucky really, and I don't eat out much anyway (just the local Wetherspoons where I can go in armed with 'the list') or go on big holidays. If I do go on holiday this year it's likely to be self-catering in a cottage somewhere in the South-West or Wales - good photography down that way! :D