pajarito eating

look up recipes (especially snack recipes) that are child/toddler/baby-friendly

I honestly only worked there because I was like, 19 or 20 and still never worked a job outside of babysitting and i was insecure about that and nobody else was hiring. I more did it for my resume.

this is a non-friendly reminder that if someone says, “i can’t eat [food/spice/seasoning],” it’s not a challenge. if you cannot/will not accomodate that (which is fine! i, and everyone else i know with a food allergy/intolerance, have no problem bringing our own food or just waiting), then just say it. i just saw a post about how someone’s dad has an allergy to black pepper, was told for their family thanksgiving “oh yeah we won’t use it,” and now has been violently ill for multiple days bc they did it anyway thinking he wouldn’t notice.

that’s not cute.

that’s not okay.

and yes! people can be intolerant/allergic to spices and seasonings! me saying, “hey, i can’t have onion/garlic/any pepper-based spice hotter than standard paprika (and sometimes not even that)” is not an invitation to go “sure okay” and then “sneak” it in to “teach” me. i’m actually a really good cook and used to fucking LOVE spicy food. i physically cannot eat it anymore. it’s not a matter of “oh she just doesn’t know better.” it’s a matter of “eating this will put my health at risk.” like i will absolutely bring my own food. i’ve done that before. i don’t mind doing that bc i know that cooking for my needs is a pain (i have to do it all the time, after all). but saying “sure okay!” and then putting it in there anyway does absolutely nothing but set me up to be in severe pain for several days unable to keep food and water down.

people have taken me saying, “i can’t eat [food i’m intolerant to]” as me expressing a preference (which on its own should be fine anyway), when no. yeah they’re weird foods to be unable to eat. i’m aware of that. but bodies are weird as fuck. just because something is a rarer intolerance doesn’t mean that someone is faking it. i’ve seen MULTIPLE tiktoks of people “sneaking” seasoning into something when no one is looking, and that’s fine! i don’t care about jokes! but if someone hasn’t added something, check before you do bc you don’t know WHY it’s not in there.

and if you didn’t know better/never thought of that, that’s fine! but now you know!

yes, it’s annoying to have to think about someone’s dietary needs. no one knows that more than the person WITH the dietary needs. and, once again, we can bring our own food! that’s totally fine!

Usually, since he’s also vegetarian, we say “no milk” for short. Unfortunately, people do not seem to associate milk with cheese or butter. Butter, while easier on many lactose free people, is the absolute worst for him. I cannot count the number of times he’s had a mouth full of something he’d been fully assured is safe, only to be told “oh and there’s lots of butter.” It’s not fun for him or any of us that have to take care of him while he’s dealing with migraines or double vision.

I, on the other hand, have a strong aversion to spices on the Scoville scale. I have no allergy, nor any provable intolerance beyond the burn that is supposed to come with spice. I have been egged into trying so many things beyond my spice tolerance because “it’s so good, you’ll love it!” And, yes, it is good and tasty! What little I can actually taste of it while my mouth and throat are on fire and my eyes are leaking like faucets. That doesn’t mean I can enjoy it. Or even suffer through eating a whole serving.

Preference is not necessary to abide by for health, but it’s still kind. And, perhaps it’s been hard to separate the two (my brother didn’t know he was allergic to coconut, he just knew he didn’t like it, it took years to realize), especially when people are so pushy about food that some people have to claim allergies to avoid food they can’t stand. But I guarantee, you’re not going to trick people into liking spice, you’re just going to trick them into no longer trusting any food you offer, or maybe even suggest.

Yeah I know that feeling ... I still try to eat with others when I can but when it's too stressful I do leave the situation.

tomorrow is ramadan. your eating disorder will not magically disappear in ramadan.

allah will not hate you if you relapse in ramadan. be it that you faint or you binge, if you need to break your fast because of your eating disorder THEN YOU BREAK YOUR FAST.

You are not supposed to fast when you are sick. YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO FAST WHEN YOU ARE SICK. IT IS HARAM TO FAST IF YOU ARE SICK BECAUSE IT BRINGS HARM TO YOUR BODY. If you start feeling horribly sick and you know, you haven’t had sufficient suhoor or iftar for a few days or anything of the sort, it is okay to break your fast and even go to the hospital if you need to.

habaybi that have eating disorders, PLEASE take care of yourself during ramadan. It is a month of cleansing and forgiveness, so forgive yourself if you relapse. You can always redo your fast after ramadan.