Most of us have food and taste preferences and will not eat certain foods because we don’t find them delicious. Others choose a diet based on moral principles, like the vegan diet and there are people who have dietary restrictions because of their religion and, for example, don’t eat certain meat.
Turns out, Mormons aren’t allowed to consume alcohol in any form and this chef on Reddit didn’t know that, so when his guests found out his recipe included a sauce with red wine, they got really mad and now the man is torn as to whether he should have researched their lifestyle before making anything for them.
More info: Reddit
Man just moved into the neighborhood and already made a bad impression on his neighbors who are Mormon by serving them a dish containing alcohol
Image source: young shanahan (not the actual photo)
The Original Poster (OP) is a classically trained French chef who has spent over a decade in France, moving from Seattle, USA to train and cook in various restaurants. 5 years ago, he met the love of his life in the most romantic country in the world, but funnily enough, she is also American and was visiting the country on vacation.
At first the two lived in France, but as the couple decided to have children, the wife thought it would be best to come back to the States where her family is as she believed their child should be close to their grandparents.
For a long time the OP lived in France, but after deciding to create a family with his wife, they moved back to the US where her family lives
Image credits: DisplacedChef
Image credits: DisplacedChef
The chef agreed to move and they just returned to the wife’s hometown, Salt Lake City in Utah. It was a big move, but thankfully, they had helpful neighbors who were really friendly and came to give a hand so everything took a lot less time than originally planned.
During the process they chatted about the house and the neighborhood, promising a happy life there. The OP was so grateful that he wanted to repay his neighbors for their efforts by organizing a feast and putting his cooking skills to work.
Image credits: DisplacedChef
Not everyone came, but the OP cooked a luxurious 4-course dinner for those who did and the guests loved the entree so much, they wanted to know the recipe. The entree was Gigot qui Pleure, which is a lamb meat dish usually eaten with potatoes, and the chef served it with a pan sauce.
That sauce included red wine and when his guests saw that, they were horrified as they were all Mormons and they are not allowed to consume alcohol as it is considered a harmful substance, according to the Word of Wisdom, their sacred text. They accused the OP of being disrespectful towards their beliefs and accused him of trying to corrupt them with alcohol.
The guests loved one of the dishes so much that they asked for the recipe but were horrified to learn the sauce was made with red wine
Image credits: DisplacedChef
The OP’s wife was also upset as she wanted to have a friendly relationship with her neighbors but it started with such a scandal. Other people in OP’s life had different reactions.
Some of them thought it was the chef’s responsibility to do his research before taking up the task to cook for people belonging to a religious group. Others put the responsibility of warning the chef about their dietary preferences on the guests and compared having food restrictions to having allergies.
Image credits: DisplacedChef
Furthermore, the OP did ask the Mormons to inform him about anything that they couldn’t eat 3 days before the dinner, but it seems that the guests thought knowing Mormons don’t consume alcohol is common knowledge.
The OP mentioned in the comments that he has never met a Mormon knowingly so he didn’t have experience with them. Also, his wife isn’t Mormon, so he wouldn’t know what their customs are.
The OP simply didn't know about this dietary restriction but some people in his life told him that he should have looked it up
Image credits: DisplacedChef
Image source: Jens Ohlig (not the actual photo)
As people in his life were telling him two different things, the chef took it to Reddit and asked people on the internet if he was to blame in this situation. And it seems that most people thought that the person who has specific things they don’t eat should be the one bringing it up.
Do you think the OP should have known Mormons don’t consume alcohol? Or that he should have looked it up? Or do you agree with other redditors who considered this to be an honest mistake that was made because the Mormons didn’t warn him about their customs? Voice your opinions in the comments!
However, people in the comments were of the opinion that it was the Mormons' responsibility to warn the chef about what they can't drink or eat
