What? no condiments !

Goldiegirl

DUKE wrote: »

Couldn't you just eat at home?

Really?


Wouldn't my friends who invite me for a meal be more offended if I constantly declined their invitations?


Plus, having a chronic illness is bad enough - you want to carry on enjoying your life - and that includes, for most people, leaving the house from time to time and eating out.


Taking it even further, it'd mean never going out to restaurants and holidays, in case it inconvenienced the restaurant/hotel/cruise ship. That's no way to live!


I've found that if you explain politely why you need to eat a certain way due to an illness people are only too willing to help you.


But having read some of the comments on this thread, I wonder if people think I'm a nuisance!

Goldiegirl

VestanPance wrote: »

Can we please be clear on the fact that salt isn't bad for you. Too much salt is bad for you. Those are two very different scenarios.

In fact lack of salt in your diet can be dangerous in certain situations.

I think the problem is, people don't realise the amount of salt that is in processed foods and eat too much without even realising it.


A normal healthy adult's recommended intake is 6g. It's even less for children.

Indie_Kid

I went around my parents house last week and had dinner. I picked up what I thought was barbeque sauce. (dad has brown sauce) It was the one with chili in. Yuck!

I personally don't have salt and pepper at mine. That may change if I actually have people around for dinner though!

I do have sugar and coffee. Neither of which I normally take; but was advised to have just in case others wanted it.

penguingirl

Total aside, but I don't consider S&P to be condiments, but instead seasoning (like herbs and spices). To me condiments are things like ketchup, mayo, mustard etc

Anyway, I would find it offensive it you produced your own if you'd never asked me if there was any. It may be they have some in the cupboard and don't routinely put it out, and will be really embarrassed if you suddenly got out your own without having checked first.

I wouldn't buy them a salt and pepper set - they obvious won't use it. I would think it would be a bit like buying some nice wine for the person who doesn't drink so you can have it at their house.

Salt is quite an individual think and I think at times there are generational differences. My mum uses salt cooking everything, especially any boiled carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta) whereas I only use it cooking some meals and that's quite sparingly- I like it in tonatoey things as I think it brings out the flavour, as can a little sugar. My MIL recently made some meals for BIL after they had their baby and he said they could barely eat them as they were so salty, but they are like us and don't use much salt. There's ingredients I use more for flavour like spices, fresh herbs and ginger that my mum doesn't. But then my parents eat quite a lot of meat and two veg meals and casseroles that my partner describes as 'war food'. Salt and pepper is often required to brighten it up! And my dad has high blood pressure.

maman

penguingirl wrote: »

Total aside, but I don't consider S&P to be condiments, but instead seasoning (like herbs and spices). To me condiments are things like ketchup, mayo, mustard etc

Having scanned the thread it seems that most people are focusing on pepper and salt. I always have this on the table whether we have guests or not. Although there's seasoning in my cooking I think many foods are still enhanced with freshly ground pepper.


To me sauces are a different matter. I would put the conventional sauces out for various meals so horseradish for beef, mint with lamb, vinegar with chips and ketchup and HP perhaps for breakfast etc. However, I am aware that some people have unusual tastes like ketchup on a meal with gravy_pale_. I wouldn't anticipate that and if anyone wanted to eat that way they'd have to ask. I'd oblige but think them odd. If they brought their own I'd think them even odder;).

Frogletina

I have to suffer the salt police when I visit my daughter and her family. Even eating on holiday with them once I reached for the salt pot and was told ' you don't want to have that!'

Well I did and I don't need people to tell me I shouldn't want it. I don't use salt in cooking, but with certain foods I do like it - on eggs for example.

I myself don't drink tea or coffee but I buy both and make whatever my visitors want. I don't tell them that they shouldn't be taking caffeine.

Savvy_Sue

Peter333 wrote: »

People have different preferences and different tastes, and they may want just a touch more seasoning...

kerri_gt wrote: »

My OH likes HP sauce with everything bar cornflakes ever has since he's been a boy.

Has he ever tried it? When DS1 was about 2, he asked (and asked and asked) for tomato sauce on his cornflakes. I thought "he won't like it" and let him have some. It took about a year to wean him off again ...

jackomdj wrote: »

I haven't read through all the replies, but if it was me I would just ask the next time I am there. If you are told they don't have any I would just say "do you mind if I bring my own next time, as I do like a bit of Salt/pepper added to my food". Problem sorted!

I think I'd ask before going again just to see if it was going to cause any problems. Maybe if it's on the table, the one who shouldn't have it will use it anyway, and the other is trying to avoid that.

Personally, I hate pepper, and if people add it to food I find it quite unpalatable. I'll eat it, to be polite, but it's just one of those things I don't like. DH finds lettuce tastes very bitter, and I think coriander tastes of soap: these are genetic things. To say that you've produced a meal perfectly suited to your tastebuds means just that: your guests have different tastebuds and to them it may be improved by the judicious use of salt and pepper.

kerri_gt

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Has he ever tried it? When DS1 was about 2, he asked (and asked and asked) for tomato sauce on his cornflakes. I thought "he won't like it" and let him have some. It took about a year to wean him off again ...

Personally, I hate pepper, and if people add it to food I find it quite unpalatable. I'll eat it, to be polite, but it's just one of those things I don't like. DH finds lettuce tastes very bitter, and I think coriander tastes of soap: these are genetic things. To say that you've produced a meal perfectly suited to your tastebuds means just that: your guests have different tastebuds and to them it may be improved by the judicious use of salt and pepper.

he doesn't eat much cereal but I shan't encourage that he tries it just in case :rotfl:

I'm in the coriander camp with you, can't stand the stuff and can taste it a mile off. My friend is the same with dill, which I love.

In terms of condiments if we have guests, usual salt pepper, HP, mustard go on the table (the latter two being OH condiments of choice) and I'll usually ask guests if they would like anything else as we have quite a range...goodness knows why as I only stretch to ketchup in a bacon sarnie, vinegar on chips and red current jelly with meat. I usually offer in hope guests will help use some stuff up :rotfl:

Bogof_Babe

I have a lovely vision of a dinner guest pointing out the window and saying "ooh look at that huge bird... (or something)", then hastily whipping their own salt cellar out of their pocket for a quick shake! :rotfl:

I agree with the poster above who said the host might have a salt & pepper set in the sideboard that they bring out for guests, but have forgotten to put it out. We have basic everyday ones in the kitchen for our own meals, and "best" ones for visitors, and it's easy to forget when trying to co-ordinate a meal and make sure everyone has a drink etc.

My OH tends to avoid added salt as he thinks it's better for his health, but recently did the Coast to Coast walk (about 200 miles, over two weeks, and camping!), and he says he was craving salt and adding lots of it to his pub meal every night, so that was his body trying to replace a mineral that his exertions had depleted.

I'd look upon the OP's situation in the same way as I deal with situations where there's only wine on the table for a meal, when I don't drink... just ask if I could have a glass of tap water, and if there's any reason why not (never happened yet!) I'd produce my own bottle from my bag (I never go out without one!).

As an aside, I do wish British restaurants would automatically put a jug of iced water on the table, as they seem to in other countries, but I suppose they won't sell so many drinks that way.

LilElvis

kerri_gt wrote: »

Send them round to us, my OH loves things like that, currnetly have a jar of super hot habanero sauce he uses like ketchup. :eek:

Probably not a good idea - they make habenero sauces look like water. More in the realm of "world's hottest" with reference to Scoville scale of heat. To be used by adding a droplet with the end of a cocktail stick. "Suicide" and "Death" seem to feature in a lot of the names.