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Actually, chicken and pepper can be real allergens. One of my best friends is severely allergic to all kinds of poultry including eggs. It causes her lungs to contract almost like asthma. She is also mildly allergic to black pepper but white isn't as bad (has to do with the curing process). Anyway, I'm just saying that as a friend and as a server in restaurants, I take all allergies seriously, valid or otherwise. If you're too worried about offending a chef to say you simply don't like something, then fine. I don;t care so long as you're happy and enjoy your experience at my restaurant!

Hmmm.
Allergies can be serious and deadly...don't fake them. That is really messed up.
Feel free to tell us (your chefs and servers) you HATE some item or ingredient. Stress that if you see or taste said item you will be very unhappy. That should be good enough at any decent place to get you what you prefer. (Though I think most places don't even need that huge a hint.)

Allergies (real ones) can really toss a kitchen off it's game if it happens to be an ingredient that lots of things touch/might come in contact with, which freaks out chefs and staff in case your food may at some point even have been on the same counter as the allergen. No one wants you to have an allergic reaction. But if your fuss is not actually allergy related, just a dislike, then the fact that a cutting board or dish may have brushed past a chicken or a peanut etc. is not a death-threat, or a stress-issue for us, but just you being a picky.

Feel free to dislike as you want--we are there to serve your preferences as well as we can--but don't lie about an allergy. That is nasty, underhanded and sneaky, and makes more folks worry over many things, some they can't control, when in fact you just don't prefer mayo, or walnuts, or cheese...but you won't die of your plate touched them at some point, or came from a kitchen that serves them.

Don't be an ass...it is a mantra that should hold weight in many a place of business.

@dbcurrie--I once knew a girl like that. She brought all her own food to summer camp (actually, it was a music camp, lol...."And there was this one time, at band camp...), claiming to be allergic to just about everything they served. She swore she was allergic to gluten and would then fix herself a bowl of puffed wheat cereal for breakfast, which she would eat three bites of. By the end of the week I was convinced it was simply a cover-up for anorexia. She was a gymnast who weighed about 95 pounds at 5'8".

Lying about allergies is wrong and stupid.

That the question is seriously posed is distressing on it's own.

Take some personal responsibility, ask for what you want, speak up if you don't get it. But for god's sake, don't lie and make things up and obfuscate and make other people's lives more difficult simply because you don't like mayo.

It does hassle the server and/or cook and everyone else who has to adjust everything they're doing to accommodate your preference.

Further, when you're shown to be lying (and odds are, you will be at some point) it will be yet another instance of "crying wolf" and increase the likelihood of everyone taking allergies less seriously since everyone knows that they're not all real allergies all of the time.

It's not a "fake-out" its lying.

You can get the food you want, simply say what it is you want and stick to it. No need to lie and no need to pretend to have problems you don't.

Another person chiming in to say PLEASE don't fake an allergy. It just makes it that much harder for those of us who do have severe food allergies. I have one of the most common allergies (peanuts) but you would not believe how many people do not take it seriously, even when I explain that when eating just a small fraction of a peanut or touching one could send me to the emergency room in anaphylactic shock.

I am always so appreciative of anyone: waiters, cooks, friends, etc. who take my allergy seriously and act thoughtfully--especially my awesome roommates who have given up eating peanut products in the apartment!

I am super conscientious about genuine allergies to wheat, eggs, gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts and so on. I have a repertoire of recipes for every variation, but I have no tolerance for lying.

One of my daughter's French toast loving friends claims an egg allergy. When she comes over to play I ask her mother to pack her a snack or lunch. I'm not going to play into a lie.

Frankly a mayo allergy sounds suspicious. Is it the eggs? oil? lemon juice? Salt? Just tell the truth, and it will set your food free ;)

I don't see it making a difference one way or another. Once someone says they are allergic to an ingredient, it should be taken seriously.

While it is the diner's responsibility to inquire if every item has whatever allergen and a server's job to check, the server should be liable as well if they don't tell a patron something has said allergen, like onions in salsa. A dog doesn't know antifreeze or chocolate is bad for them. It tastes sweet so they lap it up. I guess there are people who would sit there and laugh thinking of the dog dying a few days later.

The problem with the restaurants where I've had issues, where it's either the server or the chef that's being a moron, is that they often treat NO nonchalantly. Sometimes people have to feign allergies just to get the @$@#$@#$ order right, and even then it's half-assed.

I'd have to say 1/3 of the time when I say "no onions" (cilantro, garlic, etc.) any where between 1 - 4 times while ordering, I will still get a pile of one or all. I always confirm whether it is even feasible, so I know to either order something else or walk out of the restaurant.

I always let the server and/or manager know when my order is wrong and return everything. I've returned plates when I can still taste them after one bite. Yes, I CAN taste them on ANY vegetable or fruit that's had them chopped previously and the knife has not been washed thoroughly.

At my work cafeteria Subway, I began to grow weary of getting god damned raw onions on my sandwich every time I said NO NO ONIONS, as they dip their hands in the god awful onion bin, that I now tell them "no onions, I am allergic to them." It's the only place I've had to go to that extreme.

One reaction has been the sandwich maker putting the onions back in the container or scraping off the onions WHICH I HATE because I can still taste it. It is totally insensitive (esp. since it's at a hospital) and I promptly tell them that I don't want that sandwich because it is unacceptable. The other reaction that I have gotten AND EXPECT is that they toss the entire sandwich AND gloves, apologize, and start the sandwich from scratch.

This is an isolated incident, but at a local Vietnamese restaurant, the cook was so angry that I sent an order back -- it was actually a totally wrong order on top of it having onions and cilantro -- he yelled at the server saying that he was "sick and tired of it," and I'd have to "eat it and like it." He even threw live bugs in my husband's dish which followed.

When we got up to leave, they yelled at us to pay. We threw the money at them. I can still see the bugs swimming in my husband's food.

So yeah, it's easy for people to say, "Oh, just say no... the cook will take care of it." Uhh, yeah, riiiight. Sometimes people are forced to take it a step further.

I have to go with the majority and say that faking an allergy isn't a good thing.

On the other hand, I have to disagree with the idea that servers and cooks should be trusted to get it right if a customer asks to have food prepared a certain way. Many get it wrong. The fear is in my belly that if I politely say "I asked for mayo on the side rather than on the sandwich," I will wind up with something gross in my food if I send it back and ask for the situation to be fixed. I guess I've seen too many hidden videos of cooks and servers gone rogue. I don't want a side of spit with my food. I've seen servers cop an attitude even with the most meek and polite customers. Faking an allergy, however, doesn't seem like a constructive way to deal with these types of concerns because 1) it's wrong and 2) it makes people take those with legitimate allergies less seriously.

I find it only appropriate to lie about tolerating vegetarians...
I say i do, but in reality...

I'm allergic to dairy in all forms, violently allergic. I find the best way to avoid problems is to order something without dairy, if you have a contact allergy, that is an entirely different story. However if there is a dish that has ingredients you are allergic to or simply do not like for whatever reason, ORDER SOMETHING ELSE!

I should add that, if I'm eating out at a restaurant, I simply ask if a dish I'm considering is milk or dairy-based, or has a creamy dressing or sauce; if it does, I just go with something else (or, if it's a question of a sauce or dressing, I'll ask if I can get it without).

buffy - Noted. :)

It's funny, I totally thought that my husband was lying about an allergy he has when I met him. I thought he was a picky eater when he said he couldn't have most raw fruits and veggies. Turns out, he IS allergic! He's got Oral Allergy Syndrome which prohibits him from eating a ton of stuff raw. It's a pain when we go out to eat and have to explain it to the waitstaff and I suspect they're thinking the same thing I thought when I met him. Lying about an allergy isn't really a good habit because it makes people like my husband look bad because people can suspect him of doing the same thing :(

Onions Vs Salsa

I have a severe allergy to an enzyme in RAW onions but not cooked, green bell peppers but not red bell peppers, the white part of green onions but not the green part, etc etc etc.

Tomato juice and lemon or lime will serviche the enzyme and as long as I'm just dipping into the juice - no allergy problem.

All that said - I don't eat salsa in resteraunts because I don't want a server to think they can slide on the allergy. I always ask the serve to make a note to the chef - no raw onions, and then I place my allergy pill bottle on the table.

I've also given up on eating anywhere that serves fajitas or onion blossoms or anything else that comes out "sizzling".

And when in doubt - I order chicken fingers and sour cream.

Erin, I am totally with your dad. Mayo is absolutely the most vile food product on the planet. Although being allergic to "mayo" itself is a tough sell, he should probably pick a component, like eggs, and say he's allergic to that. Makes it sound more legit.

NOT that I've ever done that...

To those who have very serious (i.e. anaphylactic) food allergies, do you ever try actually describing what happens to you when you eat the food? I might be a little extra cautious if someone said, "If there is a peanut near my plate my throat will close up," than if someone said, "I get a little tummy ache when I eat chicken."

I don't know about the main question asked, but I can agree with Dad. I hate mayo. It's vile, and ruins food.

I have had some well known tyrades over mayo while eating out. My friends and family fear my reaction at times, as it gets rather out of hand.

I go out of my way to make sure mayo is not on anything I order. Not only that, but I make sure that it isn't in any sauce that places like to ruin my food with. There is nothing worse than being told "no", then finding out otherwise. Even worse, is when I ask for Italian Dressing on my salad, only to find out the place uses a creamy mayo based Italian. Stuff like that should be made clear.

I also have a major problem with people or places that refuse to make a substitution. Kind of like the mother in the post above me. Shouldn't one be able to choose their condiments? Why does a place of business, or a mother, feel they have a right to make that choice, and even if we want it, shouldn't we be the ones putting it on? How do they know how much I like on my sandwich? I enjoy Ketsup on my burgers, but I always order them without, so I can choose the ammount I want. The condiment nazi's of the world can kiss my butt.

Cheers!!

I have to be honest, I don't think that people without allergies always have the right to ask for accommodations. I mean, dressing on the side or no cheese are fine, but if you're talking about the flavor profile of a dish at a decent restaurant, I think you are messing with things you don't know about.

There's no other type of sales transaction that this happens in. I've never seen someone at a record store saying "I'd love to buy that album but can you hold track 4? I really don't like it." or "This house looks beautiful. We'll take it, but we don't like the porch, so leave that off."

A better solution, as mentioned above, is to steer clear of food with ingredients you don't like. If you hate cilantro, don't order the salsa. A chef worked hard to come up with the recipe and make it taste good. If it's a reputable place with good food, you should defer to the chef's superior palate. If the food is no good, I'm sure there's a better place for you to spend your money.

Not to say that some people can't be picky eaters, but that's what cooking at home is for.

When I was a kid, I hated tomatoes, and would always specify "no tomato" when ordering anything likely to include them. Unfortunately, there were many times when the server either didn't write that down, or the person assembling my order didn't pay attention, and I would get stuck. I was shy, and would never send an order back.. so I would end up not eating any item that actually had tomato on it.. so I started saying "no tomato, please, I'm allergic" (had to have been 12 or so at the time, had been inspired by a friend who was allergic to everything, including pineapple) in the hopes of not having the evil tomato imposed upon me. I stopped fibbing about it when I was probably 14 or so, and less shy.

I think it's odd that an adult would do it, perhaps they really feel that the wait staff aren't listening, and they hope to avoid the hassle of having to send whatever it is they order back.

So I have a few food allergies, most fairly mild and one pretty severe: coconut. I won't die unless I ingest more than a mouthful or so (I haven't tried, but as soon as I taste coconut, I know I should stop), but it's severe insomuch that my face blows up and I have trouble eating because my tongue also swells up.
I've had people accuse me of faking this allergy (once on a date- a first date, no less, and on my blog) so I finally looked it up and apparently it's fairly uncommon. Fine. But don't accuse me of lying.
Actually, a week ago, I went to a Spanish restaurant and they put coconut in the cole slaw, and all over my dessert. Which someone at the table said I should have asked but why would I assume coconut would be on my flan? Seriously? I just pushed it all aside and ate what didn't have it, but I was kind of annoyed. At least if I had a normal allergy, it'd be more common for it to be noted somewhere or for me to ask.

My dad has always said he was allergic to bran. I eventually realized he just didn't like All Bran and other healthy cereals my mom bought, and just wanted to eat his sugary ones. I thought it was hilarious that a grown man would pull such a childish move.

That said, it's bad form to do that in a restaurant. Even though I understand the temptation: I've often told waiters I'm vegetarian, only to have my dish turn up garnished with bacon or somesuch, so I can see the temptation to plead deadly allergy.

i fake egg allergies to make sure certain things do not contain egg.

I'm allergic to raw tomatoes, potatoes, and peanuts. (evidently it has something to do with being allergic to grass.) Since almost all peanut and potato foods are cooked (or roasted) before eating, I generally have no problems with them (it just means I need to stay aware from all-natural peanut butter). But you'd think I was the biggest liar in the world when I tell wait-staff that I'm allergic to raw tomatoes only.

I regularly request a salad with no tomatoes then order an entree with red sauce. And almost invariably, the salad will come with tomatoes. If they're cherry or grape, I can just pick them off, no contamination, no problem. But sliced tomatoes mean that even if I pick out all the bits, the juices are still there, which means blisters in my mouth and itchy throat. The worst is when the salads are pre-made and the server just plucks the sliced tomato out before bringing it to the table. Then, I have no clue what's coming!

I know it sucks to try to explain that you just don't like something. I don't like Mayo - and I've learned to check my sandwich in the drive-through before leaving. But please don't lie about it being an allergy rather than a preference! On the other side, restaurant staff shouldn't assume that because you can eat a cooked version of something, you can also eat the raw version.

Problem with Mayo?

Is that a problem with oil, eggs, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, or mustard?

You see the problem why it's hard to take people seriously. I've never found anyone who disliked Mayo (or was "allergic") to have any problem with the ingredients (except one who exclaimed it MUST be the mustard, since he also hates mustard).