What to make for breakfast when no one can eat anything??

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Basil Fawlty

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We had two parties this weekend who, between the four of them, can't eat much.
the Party of the First Part can't eat any dairy
the Party of the Second Part can't eat any products containing gluten
between the two of them we cooked -
vegan frittata, fresh fruit and berry compote, house-made gluten free banana nut bread and table bread.
We offered soy milk and butter, and regular milk and butter.
The Party of the Third Part could eat anything.
We offer a buffet style breakfast so we cook to the common denominator, but we also try to be sensitive to individual needs. This week it meant eliminating almost EVERYthing!!
Suggestions welcome. Many thanks.
 
Cudos--here too-one no eggs the other no gluten the other two ANYTHING
yup one of those things....
 
Who said you are operating a restaurant? You can adapt somewhat, but you can't please everyone. Breakfast is COMP included in room rate. / Chef's Choice.
 
two boiled eggs (soft boiled) one with normal soldiers for dipping one with gluten free bread.
 
As my daughter would say, Fawlty, we are not running a hospital.
 
seriously ... with restrictions like that, i invited guests to bring along what they usually ate at home ... and told them i would heat up or chill whatever to help ... plus i would supply fresh fruit, etc.
one man brought some special bagels from vermont ... i don't know if he has celiac disease or what it was ... anyway, the bagels were awesome (he gave one to me) and cost the earth of course.
another woman brought spelt bread and flour ... i didn't care for it, but she was happy.
one little boy who was here a week was a delight ... i tried making him different things with the oat flour and almond dream i bought especially. he was happy so that worked out. for a week, for a sweet child, jeez. i made the banana and other fruit smiley faces on the oat pancakes and tried making fruit boats.
bottom line for me was i tried to be helpful and accommodating, but my resources (and pantry supplies) were limited which i kindly explained. if they still wanted to book with me, great. if not, i understood.
btw, i did not offer a 'discount' because they weren't having whatever basic breakfast i was making ... like eggs, sausages and bisquits or waffles, berries and whipped cream with side something, plus the always available optional hard boiled eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, cereals, fruits and muffins. breakfast was 'complimentary' and making other random things (and stressing about what those guests would eat and would they like it) was more work for me. most aggravating of all was to buy some special flour and try special recipes and then watch them eat the usual breakfast off their partner's plate or even ask for their own serving 'just for today'
 
It's an epidemic...just got a reso request and the woman needs gluten free, lactose free, AND low sugar! Eggs, bacon and fruit it is, I emailed to be sure that would be okay before confirming them and also said she was welcome to store anything in our fridge that they'd like to bring along.
What does this person eat for every other meal? I'm glad I personally don't have to deal with these restrictions (although it would probably be good for my waistline if I did)!
 
14 guests today no special requests, no rare diets, nothing. Every guest ate it all, and there were things in it that some may not have had, sweet potatoes, ham, greek yogurt, etc. If someone has a super strict diet then they can bring their own food, we try to accomodate things we can accomodate, I am done buying soy milk for people. I won't buy four diff types of milk either, whatever I buy I buy. I am not a health food store. Special foods cost way more and in my experience, those people tend to not eat it anyway!
I really think innkeepers need to stick to their guns, the more you ask the more special diets and I don't like this or that YOU WILL GET. "I will serve you and you can eat what you can, it won't hurt my feelings at all!"
I feel for you, I don't like you being a doormat and getting burned out for trying to do too much and letting guests walk over you, if you allow it BY GOLLY THEY SURELY WILL!
 
What my Grandmother would say - Sounds like Air Sauce and Wind Pudding for you! Miss her much!
 
14 guests today no special requests, no rare diets, nothing. Every guest ate it all, and there were things in it that some may not have had, sweet potatoes, ham, greek yogurt, etc. If someone has a super strict diet then they can bring their own food, we try to accomodate things we can accomodate, I am done buying soy milk for people. I won't buy four diff types of milk either, whatever I buy I buy. I am not a health food store. Special foods cost way more and in my experience, those people tend to not eat it anyway!
I really think innkeepers need to stick to their guns, the more you ask the more special diets and I don't like this or that YOU WILL GET. "I will serve you and you can eat what you can, it won't hurt my feelings at all!"
I feel for you, I don't like you being a doormat and getting burned out for trying to do too much and letting guests walk over you, if you allow it BY GOLLY THEY SURELY WILL!.
Ha! Point taken!
Basil
 
Many thanks! Got the message ! You're right, we try to do too much, and it's hard to admit, but yes, the guests do seem to mistake us for the welcome mat.
We did buy and bake extra foods to accommodate very stringent dietary requirements - not eating seems to be all the rage out here on the northwest coast -
when we opened in 04, we didn't encounter much of this sort of thing, but now its almost the norm.
My great grandmother used to say: You Eat What's That, I Give You Some More a Vile ago...
I'm going to put that up in the kitchen...
Basil
ps. I like a good steak and martini, myself. Not for breakfast. Yet.
 
Many thanks! Got the message ! You're right, we try to do too much, and it's hard to admit, but yes, the guests do seem to mistake us for the welcome mat.
We did buy and bake extra foods to accommodate very stringent dietary requirements - not eating seems to be all the rage out here on the northwest coast -
when we opened in 04, we didn't encounter much of this sort of thing, but now its almost the norm.
My great grandmother used to say: You Eat What's That, I Give You Some More a Vile ago...
I'm going to put that up in the kitchen...
Basil
ps. I like a good steak and martini, myself. Not for breakfast. Yet..
Dietary fads.
We innkeepers get to deal with them.
I know when I lived near you I went to the naturalpath and went off wheat. Then I went off dairy. The whole naturalist diet thing, it comes and goes in waves. If I went to a B&B during that time of "SUFFERING" you bet I couldn't eat anything you served. I would opt out of breakfast, maybe that is the next step - here is the menu a) yes, b) no - I opt out or I will have a plate of fruit and herbal tea.
chef.gif

Tell where to shove their Birks! (Just kidding, but thought I would say that)
oh and tell them "Trees are our friends we hug them we don't eat them!" Eat animals instead!
 
Protein shake of almond or rice milk and fruit could be the larger part of their menu.
 
I posted on an earlier thread about my perception that, when other things are going crazy in people's lives, they focus on diet as a thing they can control.
Based on recommendations from this forum, we changed our language regarding diet: "please let us know of any dietary restrictions you have, and we will attempt to accommodate them."
Since Breakfast is the one part of their stay they can "customize" (they can hardly demand hypo-allergenic oat-wheat-barley-husk stuffed mattresses), food is important.
And sometimes, the requests are legitimate. I have a good friend from my previous life who told me that he and his family rarely stayed at B&Bs because the breakfasts invariably were starch heavy (regardless of the dish the starch was in), and since both sides of the family suffered from celiac disease, trying to negotiate a suitable breakfast was just more trouble than it was worth.
So we take dietary requests seriously and attempt to accommodate them.
Last winter, we had a lesbian couple staying with us, one of whom had a long list of dietary no-nos. I bent over backwards to make a breakfast that she could eat. My first breakfast for her was a stuffed tomato with eggs and rice and other good things. When I brought it too the table, she turned white. "Oh," she said, "I guess I didn't tell you that I'm allergic to tomatoes."
"No, you didn't," I replied. "How about I fry you up a mess of of bacon and eggs?"
"That'll be fine," she said.
They became good friends, and we've laughed about that episode.
One of the things we have learned about people with dietary restrictions is that they fall into two camps: the demanding and the embarrassed.
We do our best to accommodate the former, and we bend over backwards to make the latter feel welcome.
 
Protein shake of almond or rice milk and fruit could be the larger part of their menu..
My only problem is people with a genuine problem tend to be more organised and helpful its the ones who are just making a fuss or dont' tell you till you put it infront of them so they can make an anouncement about it drive me mad!
 
I posted on an earlier thread about my perception that, when other things are going crazy in people's lives, they focus on diet as a thing they can control.
Based on recommendations from this forum, we changed our language regarding diet: "please let us know of any dietary restrictions you have, and we will attempt to accommodate them."
Since Breakfast is the one part of their stay they can "customize" (they can hardly demand hypo-allergenic oat-wheat-barley-husk stuffed mattresses), food is important.
And sometimes, the requests are legitimate. I have a good friend from my previous life who told me that he and his family rarely stayed at B&Bs because the breakfasts invariably were starch heavy (regardless of the dish the starch was in), and since both sides of the family suffered from celiac disease, trying to negotiate a suitable breakfast was just more trouble than it was worth.
So we take dietary requests seriously and attempt to accommodate them.
Last winter, we had a lesbian couple staying with us, one of whom had a long list of dietary no-nos. I bent over backwards to make a breakfast that she could eat. My first breakfast for her was a stuffed tomato with eggs and rice and other good things. When I brought it too the table, she turned white. "Oh," she said, "I guess I didn't tell you that I'm allergic to tomatoes."
"No, you didn't," I replied. "How about I fry you up a mess of of bacon and eggs?"
"That'll be fine," she said.
They became good friends, and we've laughed about that episode.
One of the things we have learned about people with dietary restrictions is that they fall into two camps: the demanding and the embarrassed.
We do our best to accommodate the former, and we bend over backwards to make the latter feel welcome..
I put it in three categories, the health, the choice and the demanding.
The health are those whos restrictions related to real health concerns. Gluten-free, lactoste-free, milk-free, peanut/nut free and diabetics. These are real health concerns, something that can affect their lives. These are the bend-over backwards people.
The choice are those whos restrictions are related to personal long term choice. Vegetarians, vegans, no pork. These are the accommodate as best as we can people. (Vegans are often the most difficult to accommodate, since you have to check all the labels for traces of egg or milk products and not all of them are called egg or milk in the ingredient list.)
The demanding are those who don't really have restrictions, just a long list of things that they don't like and/or they want something specific for breakfast. These are the accommodate if we can, but otherwise enjoy the cereal and toast people.
Where I object is when people are in the demanding group and try to make it sound as if they are part of the health group. The fake "I'm allergic to eggs" but eat egg products (or say they are allergic to eggs, which is mostly a childrens disease that most people grow out of, and can't tell you if they are only allergic to chicken eggs, but not duck eggs.)
I don't personally like chocolate. Am I going to tell the host? Probably not. I just won't eat items that are chocolate. It's a personal preference. You won't see me eating a chocolate croissant... but I will certainly find something on the table to eat. Doesn't mean that I have to tell the host or bother them. I'm pretty sure I won't walk away from the table starving.
 
Protein shake of almond or rice milk and fruit could be the larger part of their menu..
My only problem is people with a genuine problem tend to be more organised and helpful its the ones who are just making a fuss or dont' tell you till you put it infront of them so they can make an anouncement about it drive me mad!
.
My only problem is people with a genuine problem tend to be more organised and helpful its the ones who are just making a fuss or dont' tell you till you put it infront of them so they can make an anouncement about it drive me mad!
I tried the push back email the other day...'You will need to tell us exactly what you can eat as all of our breakfast dishes are made with eggs, including pancakes or waffles or muffins.'
Got a response back that eggs are ok cooked into the bread, not stand alone eggs.
 
I posted on an earlier thread about my perception that, when other things are going crazy in people's lives, they focus on diet as a thing they can control.
Based on recommendations from this forum, we changed our language regarding diet: "please let us know of any dietary restrictions you have, and we will attempt to accommodate them."
Since Breakfast is the one part of their stay they can "customize" (they can hardly demand hypo-allergenic oat-wheat-barley-husk stuffed mattresses), food is important.
And sometimes, the requests are legitimate. I have a good friend from my previous life who told me that he and his family rarely stayed at B&Bs because the breakfasts invariably were starch heavy (regardless of the dish the starch was in), and since both sides of the family suffered from celiac disease, trying to negotiate a suitable breakfast was just more trouble than it was worth.
So we take dietary requests seriously and attempt to accommodate them.
Last winter, we had a lesbian couple staying with us, one of whom had a long list of dietary no-nos. I bent over backwards to make a breakfast that she could eat. My first breakfast for her was a stuffed tomato with eggs and rice and other good things. When I brought it too the table, she turned white. "Oh," she said, "I guess I didn't tell you that I'm allergic to tomatoes."
"No, you didn't," I replied. "How about I fry you up a mess of of bacon and eggs?"
"That'll be fine," she said.
They became good friends, and we've laughed about that episode.
One of the things we have learned about people with dietary restrictions is that they fall into two camps: the demanding and the embarrassed.
We do our best to accommodate the former, and we bend over backwards to make the latter feel welcome..
I put it in three categories, the health, the choice and the demanding.
The health are those whos restrictions related to real health concerns. Gluten-free, lactoste-free, milk-free, peanut/nut free and diabetics. These are real health concerns, something that can affect their lives. These are the bend-over backwards people.
The choice are those whos restrictions are related to personal long term choice. Vegetarians, vegans, no pork. These are the accommodate as best as we can people. (Vegans are often the most difficult to accommodate, since you have to check all the labels for traces of egg or milk products and not all of them are called egg or milk in the ingredient list.)
The demanding are those who don't really have restrictions, just a long list of things that they don't like and/or they want something specific for breakfast. These are the accommodate if we can, but otherwise enjoy the cereal and toast people.
Where I object is when people are in the demanding group and try to make it sound as if they are part of the health group. The fake "I'm allergic to eggs" but eat egg products (or say they are allergic to eggs, which is mostly a childrens disease that most people grow out of, and can't tell you if they are only allergic to chicken eggs, but not duck eggs.)
I don't personally like chocolate. Am I going to tell the host? Probably not. I just won't eat items that are chocolate. It's a personal preference. You won't see me eating a chocolate croissant... but I will certainly find something on the table to eat. Doesn't mean that I have to tell the host or bother them. I'm pretty sure I won't walk away from the table starving.
.
I'll jump in with the egg allergy. My dad gets violently ill if he eats eggs. And he's long past a kid! He cannot get the flu shot that is 'hatched' in eggs. He wouldn't have a clue if he could eat a duck egg for many reasons...the most obvious is that he wouldn't even try to eat ANY kind of egg and no one in his life would ever have served him a duck egg.
It's really very difficult keeping up with the diets. Whether it's a fad, a serious illness or someone limiting certain foods for whatever reason (pregnant women are fed a whole line of hooey about what they should and shouldn't eat).
I want guests to let me know because I don't want to be scrambling (eggs or otherwise) at the last minute. We don't have a lot of food on hand, only what we're making that day.
And, please, if the guest has to turn something down, do not accompany that with 'the face'. 'Ewww.' THAT annoys me.
 
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