I like cheese

[Chyron8472]

Being unable to eat anything dairy means you can't have a regular pizza, garlic bread, mac and cheese, a loaded baked potato, a grilled cheese sandwich, pancakes, waffles, a cheeseburger, yogurt, a parfait, egg nog, cheesecake, ice cream, warm chewy cookies... and a lot more things.

Wow, that really sucks. My favorite food ever anywhere is a Meatbuster Pizza ["...mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, sausage, italian sausage and beef on the crust of your choice" (comes with marinara sauce)] from my local Mazzios Pizza. One of the best things about that place is you can order online and specify exactly what toppings/sauce/crust/meat-temperature you want.

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

Being unable to eat anything dairy means you can't have a regular pizza, garlic bread, mac and cheese, a loaded baked potato, a grilled cheese sandwich, pancakes, waffles, a cheeseburger, yogurt, a parfait, egg nog, cheesecake, ice cream, warm chewy cookies... and a lot more things.

Wow, that really sucks.

Well.
*cue character development music*
I'm allergic to penicillins and macrolides, and some other things the name of which I forget. In short, that means I can't have most antibiotics.
When I was younger, I had respiratory problems, mostly asthma. That means my lungs were pretty weak. Every time I had a cold or anything, there was the risk it would drop into my lungs, developing into a lung infection and potentially pneumonia, or get into my sinuses and turn into a sinus infection.
With basically no way to cure it apart from letting my immune system do it on its own. I'm simplifying, because I could have some treatments, but I usually had at least one lung infection and/or sinus infection every winter, for a month or two.

My allergy to milk, which wasn't diagnosed for over 20 years (mostly because dairy was never suspected as a possible allergen, and because I was having it daily, I never realised I felt worse after having it since it was constantly), was actually the source of my respiratory problems. Even more, it caused my immune system to weaken due to fighting against dairy constantly. It didn't fight as well against infection, neither did it against other potential allergens. My seasonal allergies for instance have almost vanished too now.

Since I've stopped dairy, I haven't had a single infection of anything. My asthma has pretty much vanished, and other allergies I had are much milder.

So, for me it's a fairly small sacrifice.

Plus, I can have anything made with margarine/shortening instead of butter, which includes many cookies at my local grocery store (including some fudge cookies that are delicious, and wafers). And there are many nondairy milks (coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, oats milk) most of which I can make myself.
Cheese is the big thing. While some things can recreate the taste to some extent, nothing gets stringy like cheese does.
Also, I have an ice-cream machine now (and I could always have sorbet, which I always liked better than ice-cream anyways. Although our local store doesn't carry any which sucks).

Basically, for packaged stuff I have to read the labels more carefully but there is a fair amount of things that exist in a milk-free version. For things I make at home it's not a problem since there is always a way to make it nondairy.
Honestly, when it was first suggested to me to stop dairy for a month and see if it helped my respiratory problems, I was almost hoping it wouldn't, so I could keep having dairy. But it turned out being easier than I thought going without it. It's been about a year only now, but it was my first winter (and it was winter in Western Canada, too!) without one infection or asthma attack since I was 12 or so.

So I'm happy

Also, and back on the main subject, I got the Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak, which was really helpful. It's not cheese, but it the closest you can get as far as nondairy goes.

[Little Writer]

It's like the TV movie of the week. "The girl under the milk carton" or something. Does Kellie Martin still act? (Oh, I used to have such a crush on her ...)

The kid of a colleague is allergic to eggs, so they're constantly having to watch out as well. He's sick a lot too, mostly because his friends at school share stuff that isn't safe for him, but he's still too young to be aware of the danger.

I was "allergic" to a particular type of medicine as well. Can't remember which. Not seriously, they just gave me stomach issues, nauseousness.

[Avistew]

Allergies seem pretty common these days. My brother-in-law is deadly allergic to nuts. My brother is allergic to lots of stuff, both food (celery, kiwi, formerly citrus and tomatoes) and not-food (cat/horse hair, dust mites, pollen...).

I wonder if as a species we're weaker due to some kind of vicious consequence of the progress of medicine (so "weaker" specimens reproduce and the whole species gets weaker) or if it's caused by our lifestyles (pollution, chemicals everywhere, bad food, etc).
Or option 3: people were allergic before but didn't realise it.

Could be a mix of all three of course.

[Little Writer]

They talked about this on the radio a few weeks ago. Due to the evolution in medical science, people that should die according to natural selection now survive - and so do their genes, which they then pass on to their offspring, which will almost automatically need medicines to stay alive as well. So the human immune system is actually following a downward spiral, and there's fear of a point when the medical world will no longer be able to provide for the demand, and a huge part of the population will succumb because of that.

Or it's just some more end-of-the-world banter everyone seems to be so fond of recently.

[Irishmile]

People have always been obsessed with end of the world banter its called eschatology

[tredlow]

Originally Posted by Avistew

I'm not lactose intolerant, I'm allergic to milk. I'm still allergic to lactose-free milk products.

Man, that's tough.

[Jenny]

Originally Posted by Avistew

Allergies seem pretty common these days. My brother-in-law is deadly allergic to nuts. My brother is allergic to lots of stuff, both food (celery, kiwi, formerly citrus and tomatoes) and not-food (cat/horse hair, dust mites, pollen...).

I wonder if as a species we're weaker due to some kind of vicious consequence of the progress of medicine (so "weaker" specimens reproduce and the whole species gets weaker) or if it's caused by our lifestyles (pollution, chemicals everywhere, bad food, etc).
Or option 3: people were allergic before but didn't realise it.

Could be a mix of all three of course.

We have most definitely become weaker as a species. If a woman had 12 children and 3 survived that was normal. Nomatter who you were, or where you came from you couldn't escape disease and general health problems. Many young children died before the age of 5. So the ones who survived were very strong. Better for the species, but far worse for the individual.

I have an odd allergy to dairy products as well. I can't really drink milk, but I can get away with eating cheeses and yogurt, on occasion. Although, I have found out that it is cheeses and milk from cows (in particular) that seem to be the worst culprits. Goat and Sheep cheeses and milk are less problematic for me personally.

[jp-30]

A cheeseboard my wife, friends and I were enjoying prior to a Motown 50th anniversary concert here in in New Zealand a couple of months back.

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Jenny

Although, I have found out that it is cheeses and milk from cows (in particular) that seem to be the worst culprits. Goat and Sheep cheeses and milk are less problematic for me personally.

I was told it might be the case so I tried goat cheese but it was just as bad

[Jenny]

Originally Posted by Avistew

I was told it might be the case so I tried goat cheese but it was just as bad

It's good though that you figured out what the problem was. And I agree, it really isn't that big of a sacrifice.

It's hard getting goat or sheep cheese where I live, so I end up abstaining from dairy products for the most part anyway.

There is this little cafe near my house that has amazing vegan cream cheese (I don't know how they get it to taste like cheese, but they do). They won't give me their secret recipe though.

I love coconut milk and rice milk! Very tasty. I eat a lot of rice ice cream too.

[jp-30]

Carbonated Milk sounds like a great idea.



Until you leave the cans out of the fridge and they explode.

[Fealiks]

Originally Posted by jp-30

Carbonated Milk sounds like a great idea.

I'll stop you there.

[doodo!]

[Chyron8472]

Isn't cheese just milk that's been necro'd?

[Darth Marsden]

I'd posit it's milk that's been mutated.

[Alcoremortis]

I think that inside every glass of milk, there is a bit of cheese waiting to come out.

Ew. I think I just grossed myself out.

[coolsome]

I like ham and cheese..I wana watch old Doctor who now.

[Jennifer]

I love Dubliner Irish Cheese. My love of said cheese won me a season pass for the PC version of Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures.

[Noname215]

This is one of the most random threads that I’ve ever seen.

Monterey Jack.