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Some restaurants are really good at it, even chains. If we go to Zizzi, which my youngest especially likes, then you get given a table marker, and all orders from that table are checked by the duty manager, who then makes sure the kitchen staff are aware of the dietary requirements and use a preparation area that's reserved for orders for customers with allergens. So it's possible to do it well.

I've been decaf for over thirty years, lost count of the amount of times I had to leave work ill because I'd been knobbled by a barista who swore blind they'd given me a decaf. Cunts.

That's impressive. And a lot of responsibility - I wonder if a duty manager at a chain restaurant is paid a sufficient amount for ensuring someone doesn't die.

You can't just ban people from eating out.

Don't think anyone has suggested that

Oh I am, but just people that don’t have an inside volume when they talk.

One of my old bandmates is vegan, by choice, animal by-products won't kill him or make him sick. Twenty years ago, whenever we played in France or Spain the salad would always come out with a garnish of duck gizzards, lardons or some kind of fish. He'd send it back, it would come back out with the offending flesh carefully picked off hoping he wouldn't notice.

Tony would then pull a tube of mushroom pate out of his suit pocket and have at the bread basket. Things are much improved these days but I felt so bad for him back then.

It's still bad in a lot of places. Japan and many places in the east, Malaysia, Thailand etc iny experience.

Also, I know it's being picky, but it's annoying that most places now have vegan choices replacing veggie. So I want don't want vegan cheese in my veggie burger, I want regular cheese for example.

I have a well-used spiel in French that boils down to 'wow, your menu looks great, I would particularly love the horse cheeks with foie gras, but I've got a serious condition and my doctor won't let me eat anything from an animal, not even cheese'. As long as they don't think you're vegan by choice, the French will usually try to help you out.

At least, that's the way it used to be - I'm going there tomorrow for the first time in a decade and will see if things have changed. We've got a place with a kitchen, and may spend most of the time sorting out our own meals.

Shouting in to mobile phones.

At least have both sides of the conversation.

And I don’t want a plant based burger, I want. Veggie burger!

I don’t think it’s economical to have a vegan, a gluten free, a veggie, and normal versions of similar dishes in most places.

A regular annoyance is cafes where the only brownie option is a vegan, gluten and nut free version. I understand why, but I miss the occasional chewy buttery heart attack inducing snack.

At least, that's the way it used to be - I'm going there tomorrow for the first time in a decade and will see if things have changed.

Where abouts are you going? Allergies have always been your safest bet to avoid things over here but it's way better than it was 10 years ago.

If you haven't already, check out the fork site, it's the best for finding restaurants here.

https://www.thefork.com/

Korea is getting better, but a non chain restaurant is still very likely to give you a tuna sandwich if you said you were vegetarian.
With the majority of soup stocks being made from dried anchovies, or meat, and kimchi containing fish/shellfish, truly vegetarian or vegan food is probably only guaranteed in specialist restaurants in big city centres.

Friends from France and Netherlands are massively impressed by how easy it is to cater for restrictive diets / allergies in the UK, both in food places and supermarkets.

Not a gluten free or vegan bread or pastry option to be seen in the local bakery where I am at the moment in Normandy. Pastry with nuts, peanuts, almonds etc happily displayed along with the rest.

From tiny acorns great coffee chains grow.

Mormon coffee chains?

How long til Pootin blames this on Ukraine.

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I ate an acorn once. It was fucking rank. Would not try acorn coffee.

I'm not a vegan nor have any allergies but have had to translate for friends who are when in France and, for the most part, I think that normal restaurants are no more unhappy than they are anywhere else. Sure, if you turn up to a restaurant in a tiny village, on a Monday lunchtime you get what you get but in a city or decent size town they'll have awareness as much as anywhere else.

I would say, though, that I've seen a restaurant in France decline to take an order when someone said they had allergies as they weren't sure they could guarantee that there was no chance of cross contamination. That said, that feels like a good thing, not a negative

I had that once at Yamabache on St Christopher's place, went for a new joiner lunch with work and they refused to serve me anything. I was fine with it but my workmates felt quite awkward sadly.

A regular annoyance is cafes where the only brownie option is a vegan, gluten and nut free version. I understand why, but I miss the occasional chewy buttery heart attack inducing snack.

Fuck me, the entitlement...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/18/i-never-liked-gails-but-thats-not-why-im-opposed-walthamstows-revolt-and-the-awkward-paradox-for-middle-class-london

I can't get my head around the furore about Gail's opening a branch in Walthamstow.

Yes, it's going to have a (miniscule) affect on the property market. But on the upside, at least you'll know where all the entitled middle class cunts are on a Saturday morning.

So swings and roundabouts, really.

I don't really understand why he attraction of Gail's, the food is both awful and massively overpriced.

It's Greggs for Persil mums.

Where abouts are you going? Allergies have always been your safest bet to avoid things over here but it's way better than it was 10 years ago.

If you haven't already, check out the fork site, it's the best for finding restaurants here.

Cote d'Azur - if that website is anything to go by, should be slim pickings - put in vegan, and for the first place the only vegan thing on the menu was the cocktail list. The only vegetarian thing was patatas bravas.

No, as we will not have stimulants!

Never heard the term persil mum before.