By Megan Ruge Asst. L&A editor
Since I was young, I was taught right from wrong. I was brought up with a set of values that allowed me to identify what was polite and what was rude. Throughout my lifetime, through different changes and complications, I have tried my hardest to uphold all of these values. It was easy for a while, but now I see that some rules have exceptions.
After college, my mother worked in retail. She took orders and answered to difficult people.
Because of the way she was treated by many of these people, my mother came to believe that asking someone if they have done their job correctly is rude.
My mother taught me that this was the way things were, which was something I did not challenge for a long time. To say that I do not value the lessons my mother taught me would not be the truth, but recently it has been hard for me to honor that specific value.
I have the unfortunate experience of having lactose intolerance. In our current society, lactose intolerance is taken lightly because there are much worse diagnoses out there, but a dietary complication should be taken seriously. They cause digestive problems that can seriously affect a person and cause an unexpected shift in their daily schedules.
Some dietary issues can do as little as cause an irritating amount of discomfort, but some people can experience sudden illness when their bodies are introduced to its intolerances.
It is more common than many might think to experience one or more dietary intolerances. Food and Drug Administration researchers estimate that 15 million Americans experience food or digestive allergies and intolerances.
Recently, it has come to my attention that dietary preferences in food orders have been chalked up to just that—a “dietary preference.” This is something that I find very dangerous, and I hope that my words can do something to change it.
Since my complication was discovered, I have had to make requests many times about what I am purchasing. I have had to ask for soy in my drinks, and inquire about what items on a given menu include dairy.
Many times, I have received annoyed looks and eye rolls from the person taking the order and have felt bad for asking them to alter something for me.
I have many qualms about asking; I never check to make sure my order is correct. That has become a problem for me. In the last year, I have received a drink three times on campus that was not adjusted to my specifications. Whether this was due to carelessness or utter lack of knowledge, the mistake left me suddenly ill and rendered me unable to attend many of my classes.
It took me a long time to understand that it is campus dining employees’ jobs to make sure that I receive my order the way I ask for it. This is not only because of my complication, but because an employee should respect customers and their orders in the same way they expect to be respected. Nobody should receive an item that doesn’t include his or her specifications.
QSR magazine performed a study in 2012 that had researchers making 2,000 visits to the world’s top fast food restaurants. In this study, researchers found that mistakes were made with orders more frequently than expected, and they discovered that specifically Wendy’s made errors on 11 percent of orders.
It happens everywhere, including in our favorite restaurants and coffee shops, and to sit idly by and allow such mistakes is not safe. People are affected daily by cross contamination of one ingredient or another and by the neglect of food industry employees.
It is not always polite to ask if the server put on that topping it usually comes with because you can’t taste it, but it is okay to ask about dietary preferences. Assuming that everything is the way it should be is dangerous and should not be acceptable. Ask the question and save yourself from a potential mistake.
The editorials of The Quill reflect the views of individual members of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire editorial board or of the university. The content of the Forum page is the responsibility of the editor in chief and the Forum editor.
