Eating meat is not for everybody. According to the 2023 Gallup survey, 4% of U.S. adults identify as vegetarians and 1% say they're vegan. Whatever their reasons – allergies, taste preferences, or ethical concerns – may be, every grown-up has the right to choose whatever diet they want, right?
Well, some people don't think so, as they try to play "Got ya!" with non-meat eaters and slip animal products into their meals. This "friend" put bone broth into a woman's soup, but he didn't know that the woman was actually allergic to meat. When her BF blew up on him, he learned why you don't mess with other people's food.
A woman with meat allergies had bone broth slipped into her soup while dining at a friend's
Image credits: bilahata / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Her BF went off on the friend who did it and caused a huge scene
Image credits: stockking / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: AITA_BoneBroth
Some people may have meat allergies caused by the tick-borne alpha-gal syndrome
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
The percentage of the population who don't eat meat in the U.S. is very small. But that doesn't mean that their dietary preferences shouldn't be respected, especially when there are medical reasons behind their meat-free lifestyle.
As some commenters already pointed out, meat allergies, or alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), is a real condition that might explain the GF's reaction to animal products. The CDC estimates that 96,000–450,000 people in the U.S. might be affected by AGS since 2010.
Having AGS usually means a person can't have meat of any kind of mammal: pork, beef, lamb, goat, even whale or seal. AGS causes rashes and nausea when any kind of mammal meat is consumed.
Some people may be allergic to one type of meat at one point in their lives and develop sensitivity to other types of meats later in life.
Even poultry, such as chicken, duck, and turkey, may cause allergic reactions. However, there's no alpha-gal in poultry, eggs, fish, seafood, or reptiles.
A meat allergy is not just about avoiding red meats
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
A meat allergy can develop at any time in a person's life, but it's often triggered by a bite from the Lone Star tick, as some netizens already pointed out in the comments. The biggest population of the ticks is in the Southeast, from Texas to Iowa and into New England.
What's more, it's not just red meat allergies that the tick bite causes. As allergy specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Dr. Scott Commins told NPR, some AGS patients can't have other animal-derived products as well.
"Anywhere between 30- to 50% of patients with AGS have to avoid dairy in all forms," he explained. Same goes for gelatin and even some medications that contain animal products, so a meat allergy is not just about avoiding red meat.
How can a person find out if they have this allergy? A blood test can usually confirm it. The presence of the alpha-gal sugar causes an allergic response in the blood, but the test may not be easy to conduct because of the delay between eating red meat and experiencing allergy symptoms. The effects of eating red meat might only start after 3-6 hours.
There's been an uptick in AGS cases in the last 20 years
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
AGS is not a common condition, but more and more people are getting diagnosed with it. Healthline reports that there were 24 cases of red meat allergies in 2005. In 2021, that number skyrocketed to 34,000.
Researchers aren't sure whether the syndrome goes away. However, there have been some reports where symptoms of AGS have subsided after a year or five years.
Dr. Scott Commins recommended that NPR listeners avoid tall grass if hiking in the Southeast region. There are also ways to treat your clothing to repel ticks. Healthline advises using products containing 0.5% permethrin and other Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents.
When returning from a walk or a hike in a grassy or bushy area, check your whole body. Ticks are really good at hiding in places like the belly button, armpits, behind the ears, knees, in hair, and around the pubic area. It's best to take a shower right after you return home and wash your outside clothes.
Some people sided with the vegetarians: "He poisoned your GF, for God's sake!'
However, others thought the BF's reaction was over-the-top: "Getting all screamy about it is childish"
