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Fed Up People With Food Allergies Reveal How People Snuck Food Into Their Meals to 'Test' Their Allergies

Fed Up People With Food Allergies Reveal How People Snuck Food Into Their Meals to 'Test' Their Allergies

Fed Up People With Food Allergies Reveal How People Snuck Food Into Their Meals to 'Test' Their Allergies

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If someone says they have a food allergy, just believe them. Don't test them. Don't try and prove you're smarter than their food allergy. You're not. As proven by when tcp-45 asked Reddit:

People with food allergy or intolerance, have you ever been 'tricked' by a friend or family member to see if you were lying about your condition? What happened?

Here are those infuriating stories.

Almond Lies

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My brother is allergic to tree nuts. My aunt thought he was lying because he'd eat things with peanuts in it.

Several times she brought foods with nuts in them to Christmas get togethers. Never bothered my brother much he just didn't eat them. This pissed her off, so once she make this big plate of chocolate chip cookies. My brother eats about 6 of them. About 20 minutes later he's hacking and coughing. Epipen benedryl and a trip to the hospital later my aunt finally tells us that she used almond flour because she knew he was making it up.

Cedar Closing!

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My "best friend" at the time didn't believe anyone could be allergic to cedar. It makes my eyes itch and burn then swell shut. She thought I was probably just being dramatic because I didn't like the smell or something. I was spending the night at her place and she brought me some blankets... as soon as I wrapped up in them I realized something was wrong, they reeked of cedar. Her mother kept them in a cedar chest and she thought it would be no big deal. She quickly changed her tune and then apologized profusely once my eyes started to swell shut and I had to call my folks to come take me to the ER in the middle of the damn night.

Disguised By Malice

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My mother in law, and not a food.

Fabuloso cleaner is the only thing IN MY LIFE i have been allergic to. My husband's b-tch mother finds out. I'm very pregnant and she brings me a TON of my husband's baby blankets, books, etc. All very well kept.

All cleaned in Fabuloso. Now, the issue is it's not cartoon-level insta-hives. It takes a while. Enough time that i have possibly eaten or touched my face.

To this day she isn't allowed to bring items into my house.

Lady Tremaine

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My mom didn't believe my little brother when he told her that he's developed an allergy to bell peppers. That night, she made salad and diced green bell peppers into the salad so that he couldn't see the tiny green cubes. Within minutes, his throat swelled and he developed hives all over his face and neck. My mom told him to stop being dramatic as he was coughing and gasping for air. I grabbed my epipen from my bag and injected him as he began to faint while my mom screamed at us for being ungrateful brats who refuse to appreciate the food she cooked for us. We are both no contact now.

Suffer The Consequences

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I'm lactose intolerant and my girlfriend's mum just assumed I'm a fussy eater (which I'm not - at all)

So she made a delicious leek and potato soup, with fresh cream.

I had 2 bowls it was so nice, 20 minutes later I'm bloated as hell. 20 minutes later I'm farting like a trooper.

She kept asking me to leave the living room, I politely refused.

She hasn't done it since.

Attempted Murder

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I have a couple of different major allergies. Two of them are...odd. As a result most people think I'm just pulling their leg. I have an allergy to Cocoa (aka chocolate) and the tobacco plant.

My mom's side of the family was brutal people. They fed me chocolate laced breakfast foods and candies without my knowledge, but since I was so small when they discovered by allergy...I hadn't had enough chocolate to know what it tasted like besides pain. I just knew my mouth would tingle, my throat would feel tight, and that I would throw up not soon afterwards.

My mom figured out these 'throwing up fits' would happen ONLY around her family, she asked them to stop.

...they didn't.

So one day my Aunt gives me a full-sized hunk of pure dark chocolate. I go into a full reaction and I still remember her freaking out when I dropped/started changing colors and calling an ambulance. No I don't remember the ride and apparently my oxygen went down so much by the time the ambulance got there that any longer and I would have suffocated. I was stomach pumped and traced and left in ICU for a couple of days because my lungs couldn't handle it and breathing was a nightmare.

Just Believe Your Friends

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Cilantro. I guess my reaction would classify as an intolerance and not an allergy (i.e. no anaphylactic reaction) however a friend thought I was lying and put some in a salsa she made to see if "I could tell". Oh, I could tell alright I could tell as soon as my stomach started to swell and I started to feel very nauseous. Showed her by throwing up all over her bathroom. Sucker.

How Now? No Cow?

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My parents, to an extent.

When I was a small child, I stopped breathing when my parents moved me from breast milk to baby milk (cow milk). I stopped breathing, and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors told my parents that I was 'likely' lactose intolerance, and to just be careful to dairy.

My parents continued to feed my dairy.

When I was around 18 I was eating so much dairy daily. I was also constantly on the toilet, and constantly vomitting. I didn't see the link.

Went to the doctors. They did some simple tests.

I now avoid dairy, and I am perfectly healthy. My parents still think I exaggerate.

Whoops!

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Not exactly tricked, but... I had a coworker with a severe dairy allergy (had to carry an epipen and everything). She was leaving the company, so on her last day I brought in a huge batch of vegan brownies. Typically when I make that recipe I use soy milk, but I had another coworker (B) who had a soy allergy, so I used almond milk instead. Coworker B took one of the brownies after confirming with me they were totally soy free, but came back about ten minutes later, asking if I was sure there was no soy in the brownies. She was clearly having a reaction, so I panicked and started listing off all the ingredients I used in the recipe. When I mentioned the almond milk she said, "Oh, okay. Yeah, I'm allergic to almonds, too." She ended up going home for the rest of the day, and I am still baffled that someone with allergies that severe wouldn't verify the food she was eating was free of all her allergens.

Rightful Punishment

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My own Father. I'm allergic to mushrooms, he didn't think that was possible.

One weekend day when I was 14 it was my turn to cook dinner. I made bolognese sauce and left it to simmer on the hob while I went out to play with the dogs. Whilst I was out he secretly cooked a few mushrooms, liquidised them, mixed them into the sauce, then hid all the evidence. You couldn't see them, smell them, or taste them. I ate the dinner, and when two hours later my guts began to protest I was so confused, I made the sauce myself! There was nothing bad in it! Everyone else is fine! It wasn't until the next morning (after everyone had to listen to me emptying my entire digestive system all damn night) that he finally admitted what he had done. It felt good listening to my mum shouting at him for hours, and she made him scrub the entire bathroom with a toothbrush once I was finally out of there.

Mexican Come-Up

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I'm allergic to avocado. A lot of people think I'm lying because I don't like it. Guacamole is delicious, but unfortunately makes me violently ill. My sister in law thought I would "change my mind" if I had avocado in the right context. She gave me a burrito with guac which I stupidly ate by the campfire so the green avocado color looked like queso. I vomited. A lot. For a long time.

"Vanilla"

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I'm allergic to coconut. None of my friends believed me and thought I was just bullshitting them and that I just didn't like coconuts. They bought a chocolate cake and a "vanilla" cake for my friends birthday. We all got to chowing down and when I bit into the "vanilla cake" I immediately recognized it as having coconut. I spit out what I hadn't swallowed but it was too late. Throat started closing, mouth started burning and tingling and my saliva became extremely thick and stringy. My friends reactions were just "Oh. I guess you're not lying". I flipped them off then slowly sipped water for 2 hours while I waited for my face to stop itching.

At Least He Wasn't Tricked

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My wife, who is an otherwise supportive and wonderful partner, refused to believe I have an allergy to pistachios. She said it's because I am too nonchalant about diving into a bowl of nuts then later asking if there are pistachios but at this point I kinda just know from glance if there are.

Anyhow, we were at a nice place for lunch with her family and ordered a meat and cheese board. I didn't even consider that a pate would have pistachios until my second bite and I saw them. My wife, slightly "justified", said "see, you aren't allergic!"

Thirty minutes later I was in the emergency center, my entire body broken out and trouble breathing and swallowing and she was crying. I was trying to calm her down while attempting to swallow and not die, feeling if I did pass I didn't want her thinking it was her fault. One giant shot in my buttcheek and a very calming nurse helped out.

She later got mad that I didn't carry an EpiPen with me but, she forgets, I am a dummy when it comes to that stuff.

Skin Contact

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I have a strange allergy that most people don't believe. I'm allergic to mint/menthol. Anything that is supposed to give you that nice "cooling" sensation just feels like burning fire and makes me swell and itch (no anaphylaxis, but just really uncomfortable). Its in toothpaste, facewashes, deodorant, candy, hair products.

I had a friend, and as young teens do, she decided to wash my hair and give me a sleepover "spa day" sort of thing. We washed each others hair in the kitchen sink, cucumbers on the eyes, candles going. She has heard me many times say I was allergic, so I decided to trust her. But, without telling me, She decides to use her mom's fancy peppermint shampoo thinking it wouldn't be bad.

Suddenly, relaxing spa day turned into a Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial. Next thing I know I'm writhing around trying not to tear my scalp off while I'm screaming at her "what did you do?! What's in this?!"

She kept telling me that is was good stuff and her mom uses it all the time! Moms never had a problem.

The remainder of spa day was spent with my head running under cold water until the benadryl kicked in. I also get adverse reactions to benadryl so instead of sleepy I get HYPED. The rest of that sleepover was me sitting like a 16 year old on cocaine trying to watch a movie by pacing back and forth behind the couch patting my thighs to the beat of everything that was happening in the movie.

Not a fun sleepover

Take Us Seriously

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I know it's popular to hate "gluten free" people right now, but I legitimately cant consume gluten because I have celiac disease. There's definitely a threshold for my allergy but I'm not totally sure where the line is. I'm usually fine eating, for example, fries from the same fryer as onion rings, but if I eat an actual piece of bread I'll get headaches, stomach aches, and probably throw it up.

Anyways, the summer after high school my friend got me a job at this Mexican restaurant she worked at. Everything came in bagged/frozen except the green chili which we made in house. Every time I start at a new restaurant I make it a habit to learn what allergens are in what dishes because I take that shit seriously, and I also want to know what I can eat safely. This restaurant had all ingredients and allergens for everything listed in a binder so I read through it and saw that the chili was actually gluten free.

Every day at work I would get a plate of rolled chicken enchiladas on corn tortillas smothered in green chili, but after a few days I started feeling sick. It started with headaches, then stomach cramps so bad I had trouble focusing at work. I messed up orders, had to constantly take breaks, and generally was miserable. In the middle of the night or in the mornings I would wake up throwing up, but this being the restaurant industry no one would let me call in sick. Eventually I threw up in the bathroom while at work and they sent me home. I was out for two days, but I couldn't figure out what had made me sick because I'm careful about my groceries and everything I had eaten at the restaurant was supposed to be gluten free.

When I got back I was talking to my friend (who by the way had not checked up on me at all) about how confused I was with the whole thing and she starts f-cking laughing. Turns out she didn't believe I had a real allergy and thought it would be funny to prove I was faking it, so she got the cooks to add flour to the chili. Obviously I was f-cking pissed, she had essentially poisoned me and who knows how many other people by adding the flour. What is wrong with people?

They Can Also Develop

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With me I didn't develop any allergies until I hit 21. I can remember grabbing a bag of peanut m&ms and within a min I knew something was wrong. I had never had a reaction so it was really scary and unexpected. I was tested and did in fact develop peanut allergy on top of a few others. My family and bf didn't understand that it is possible to develop allergies later and life. So they would push peanuts on me as if I was lying. I loved peanuts wtf would I lie. Just a few months ago am idiot coworker made brownies. Said no peanuts. Yup there were peanuts. It's scary and people shouldn't take it lightly

Believe. Us.

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I have some pretty wacky allergies when it comes to mold and fungus, so I can't eat mushrooms. Because of this I'd never been exposed to green bean casserole, which uses cream of mushroom. My roommate asked me one day if I liked mushrooms, to which I replied I was allergic. She asked me if I was just saying that because I didn't like mushrooms, and I told her I wasn't. People with food allergies get that question a lot, so I didn't think anything of it.

This b-tch proceeds to serve me green bean casserole, and long story short I wind up in the ER with my entire body feeling like it's being bitten by bloodthirsty mosquitoes. Needless to say, I moved out, and didn't pay her a dime for rent or utilities. I told her she was lucky I didn't sue her or call the police. Looking back, what she did was tantamount to attempted murder.

Exotic Doesn't Mean Unallergic

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I am allergic to a couple of exotic fruits from my home country and to some cleaning products. There is a housemaid who has worked for many years for my family and I adore her she's pretty much like family now buuuut she never believed that I was allergic to these things.

She thought it was just me being complicated, so more than once she didn't bother to tell me the juice she made had the fruits I was allergic to. Luckily my allergy to those fruits it's rather mild and aside from a red face and a burning sensation on my face nothing happened but still.

What annoyed me the most is that more than once my mom gave her the money to buy specific products that we knew wouldn't give me allergies and she refused to buy them claiming that other products were cheaper and that she was just helping us to save money. At this point she was just being a stubborn! My allergy to cleaning products is heavier than the one to the fruits. I normally sneeze and cough a lot, get red, feel a burning sensation, get itchy and my eyes get extremely blurry but she still thought I was playing. Eventually my mom had to tell her off and she started buying what we told her to buy.

It's Not A Joke

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I'm celiac, so I can't digest gluten. This causes hives, eczema, vomiting, bloating, acne, alternate sh-tting my brains out and painful constipation, and being in a mental fog for up to several weeks after exposure, because basically my small intestine is eating itself and all of my antibodies are attacking everything. Because it's currently trendy to eat a gluten-free diet but the majority of those people don't have a gluten allergy or intolerance, a lot of people don't take it seriously. People think they're doing a favor by lying to me about whether something has gluten in it or not, or saying "just a bite won't hurt!" but it really f-cking will. I can't even count the number of times people have glutened me because they think I'm on a trend diet. It's not a f-cking joke.

Raise Hell

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I'm allergic to limes. Other citrus doesn't bother me- just limes. I'm a bartender and so things suck sometimes but I'm usually okay. My allergy developed after I had started bartending. At first it was just a mild skin allergy but I could still drink it. Then it started getting worse. I'm at a point now where even a small sip of a drink with lime will set off a reaction in my throat. It burns- very badly. And the hives. My god, the hives.

I usually have to remind friends and family when they're trying to make me drinks because it's not a common allergy and I'm almost always okay.

I can't have my favorite drinks anymore when I go out because most places don't have the ability to make me a margarita with lemon instead of lime. (Most pre mix their juices or whatever, maybe they're lazy and just don't want to do it) Fine, it's not a big deal, but I always ask anyways on the off chance that they can.

It's not really just that though- I can't trust people at other restaurants and bars anymore. This one told me she could make a margarita with only lemon- I super stressed I can't have sour mix or anything- it MUST only be lemon. She said it was no problem because they had fresh squeezed juices and it was easy to accommodate me. She f-cking used sweet and sour mix and when I started drinking it, I took a big sip and could tell immediately when it hit my tongue. She had a smug look on her face until I started reacting right there. My boyfriend raised f-cking hell while I was trying to get the reaction to stop.

I should have pressed charges but didn't because I was younger then and felt like her being fired was enough. I still wonder every so often whether or not she learned her f-cking lesson.

Infamous Internet Rumors That Ended Up Being True

Reddit user strakerak asked: 'What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?'

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Photo by Ludovic Toinel on Unsplash

In 2017, I returned to my office after my lunch break to hear my supervisors discussing Tom Petty. This seemed like a random topic to me until one of my supervisors told me Tom Petty had passed away. He was a huge fan of Petty and spent the next hour or so combing through the internet to get more information.

He came back into the room my other supervisor and I were working in and announced that Tom Petty wasn't dead after all. News outlets had jumped the gun to announce his death, but he was actually still alive.

The next day, I came in to find out that Tom Petty was dead; the news may have been premature, but true.

This is a classic example of the rumor being started on the internet. Sometimes, like with the news of Tom Petty's death, the rumor can run wild and appear everywhere. Other times, the rumor can be seen by just a few people and dismissed. However, a lot of times, these rumors turn out to be true.

Redditors know a lot of internet rumors that turned out to be true, and are eager to share.

It all started when Redditor strakerak asked:

"What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?"

The King Of Pop

"Michael Jackson writing the music for Sonic 3."

"He actually did, but was never credited on the game because it would breach his contract with his record label."

– -WigglyLine-

"He did the same when he appeared on The Simpsons. He appeared under a pseudonym, and the Producers said it was an impersonator."

"Only years later they confirmed it really was Michael."

"His singing voice was actually done by an impersonator, though."

– given2fly_

The Truth Comes Out

"In 1998, US Men’s National Team captain John Harkes was shockingly cut from the team right before the World Cup. The coach claimed it was because Harkes wouldn’t fit into his new preferred formation, but rumors flew on the early internet that it was actually because he had slept with his teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife. The rumor was so well-known in soccer circles that Harkes expressly denied it in his autobiography the next year."

"Fast forward 12 years to 2010 and Wynalda admits it’s true. The coach then came out and admitted it was why he dropped Harkes, but that he’d planned to keep the secret as long as Wynalda did."

– guyfromsoccer

Video Evidence

"The Tim Burton Hansel and Gretel that aired once on halloween in the 80's."

"I heard for years that it was fake but I knew it was real because my dad recorded everything in the 80s and he recorded that. We let a good friend of ours borrow it and switch it over from VHS to DVD and soon after that it made its way on to the internet , and there it is now. I know it's our copy because the tracking in the beginning is screwed up. Still have the VHS."

– Frozenthickness

"There was a similar story with a Nickelodeon movie called Cry Baby Lane. It was supposed to be so scary that Nickelodeon got complaints and denied its existence for years. Someone uploaded a taped copy to youtube about a decade ago."

– PattiAllen

The Movie Business

"That North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because of The Interview movie."

"I worked in the movie business at the time and the account managers at Sony all basically needed to get new identities as all of their personal information got leaked online."

OldMastodon5363

"My partner worked on that movie and the production bought all the crew 1 year of an identity theft tracking service."

CMV_Viremia

Keep Away From The Ears Of Kids

"Some banned episodes or scenes of cartoons."

"For example, I remember there was a Dexter’s Lab cartoon where he clones evil versions of DeDe and himself and they swear like every other word (censored of course), and people debated whether it even existed cause they only aired it like once. Now it’s pretty accessible online."

– Spledidlife

Yes, It's True

"Echelon, a massive electronic espionage system by the US and allies to intercept all electronic messages, especially emails."

"In the mid-nineties it was a topic on conspiracy BBS boards. A lot of people in my bubble at the time (mainly uni students in Europe) were including fake threats to the US in the their email signatures as a way to "protest" and "fill the system with false alarms" (obviously useless)."

"Then, in 1999-2000 came out to be true and a lot of security service agencies from UK and other US allies started to admit they were part of the espionage network."

– latflickr

How The Mighty Fell

"John Edward’s love child."

– ACam574

"A reminder that he was cheating on his wife while she was hospitalized for cancer treatment."

– Fanclock314

Ugh...

"Carrie Fisher's heart attack. Some a**hole who was on the same flight was livetweeting the whole medical emergency and justified it by insisting she was just making sure the family was informed."

– everylastlight

It Actually Happened

"Every year around her birthday there was a rumor that Betty White died. When I heard she died, I scoffed, saying that dumb rumor is back.... then saw it on the news. I was in shock."

– Known-Committee8679

"The fact that Betty died literally right before she turned 100 is such a Betty White way to go out."

– Paganigsegg

Big Actor, Small Roles

"I distinctly remember some rumors about the reason why Bruce Willis was taking so many roles in sh*tty movies before it was announced he has dementia."

– KampferMann

"RedLetterMedia did a deep dive on his recent movie activity to try and work out why exactly he was taking part in basically scam-movies. They noticed he had an earpiece in one of the scenes and joked that the director was feeding him lines. I remember they even disclaimed over the rumours at the time, and possible made a follow-up vid when it was revealed to the public."

– CardinalCreepia

What To Do Next?

"That the writer of LOST were making it up as they went."

"Turned out to be absolutely true."

– homarjr

That last one was kind of obvious!

Do you have any to add? Let us know in the comment below.

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Photo by Jay Lamm on Unsplash

Whether you're naturally interested in fun facts and trivia or not, it's always nice to know a few that you can pull out of your pocket at a moment's notice as a nice conversation starter.

But there are some fun facts out there that are so weird, people become more preoccupied with how the teller found out that information rather than the information itself.

Redditor Dry_Bus_935 asked:

"What is your 'don't ask me how I know' random fact?"

Nuclear Fail Safe

"You have quite a lot of time, certainly more than ten seconds, to turn back on the main pumps of a nuclear reactor once you have accidentally turned them off."

- egorf

"I'm not surprised. The amount of fail safes, redundancies, and emergency scenario planning for nuclear power plants is insane."

"I toured a nuclear plant and wrote my high school senior thesis on the plans put in place to ensure the Fukushima disaster would not happen at that plant."

"I'm sure the secondary pumps are plenty capable of handling the reactor until the main pumps are repaired or just turned back on."

- Borderlandsman

Happy Cat

"If your cat chews on fresh eucalyptus, they might start hallucinating and fall over repeatedly, leading to a $400 emergency vet bill just to be told she’s just kinda high."

- oddidealstronghold

"And, that's part of why koalas love it. Little stoners."

- littlebluefoxy

Archaeology: Do Not Lick

"Old human bones are very porous, so if you lick them, they’ll stick to your tongue."

- clanculcarius

Sharing is Caring

"A pigeon will only eat a Starburst if you chew it up a little bit first. Just to clarify: chew the Starburst, not the pigeon."

- OhTheHueManatee

"Instructions unclear. Pigeon unhappy."

- Wild-Lychee-3312

Intriguing Anatomy

"Everyone is here with the creepy crime stuff, and I'm just like, 'A soft fur rat has 22 nipples.'"

- horroscoblue

"Okay, so either they have really small nipples, their nipples overlap, or they have nipples in places where there shouldn't be nipples."

"(I've never written the word 'nipples' so many times in a singular sentence before.)"

- GdeGraaf

'Don't Ask Me,' Indeed!

"Turmeric can be used as clothes dye. It is capable of permanently dyeing cotton cloth even after it has passed through the digestive tract of an adult male."

- SlefeMcDichael

"You s**t your pants, didn't you?"

- PMmecrossstitch

"I'd prefer not to answer that question."

- SlefeMcDichael

High-Risk Survival Skills

"If you ever trying to survive in the Arctic, don’t eat polar bear liver. It is so high in vitamin A, it will kill you."

- WrongWayCorrigan-361

"It's also surrounded by a lethal amount of angry polar bear."

- horanc2

Real-Life Spies

"TV shows and movies go out of their way to make military/intelligence officers look bada**."

"But real-life 'spies,' by design and training, are boring. They have regular houses and standard second-hand cars, they dress down, and they have vague, boring job titles (accounts receivable) as cover, and they do not draw attention to themselves. Most come from specialized academia."

- Ok_Worth_1093

Haunting Reality

"Your muscles can keep twitching for several hours after you die."

- JustDave62

"Also, beards can appear to grow. This is however not because the beard itself grows but because the skin shrinks."

- RRautamaa

"I worked at a morgue for over eight years. If you grasp the hand of a dead body to move the arm, the hand will grasp back, but that's just muscles and tendons reacting to the tension."

- goneferalinid

The Sneakiness of Drowning

"When a drowning victim is revived, get them to a hospital as soon as possible. Drowning is the leading cause of death of kids from the age of one to seven and is ruled as accidental drowning when it comes to secondary drowning or dry drowning."

"Basically, your lungs are full of water despite being revived. Your lungs will absorb the liquid, but not before your body acidifies from high levels of carbon dioxide. The only chance to survive is to have the lungs pumped with oxygen via CPAP machine and time."

"Also, drowning is extremely quiet. You don’t hear the victim go under. And if you see flailing, do not attempt to save the victim otherwise you’ll become another drowning victim. Throw them a lifeline and hope their amygdala realizes that a rope or something is floating near them and grabs on it."

- Dfiggsmeister

Not Everyone's Favorite Chocolate

"Hershey’s chocolate has the strong smell of vomit or feces to some people (me), and that’s because they use butyric acid as a preservative. Butyric acid is the compound that makes vomit smell so bad."

"Edit: Digging further into it, there are some claims that they may not be “adding” the butyric acid, but rather it is occurring from essentially spoiling the milk in their milk chocolate. Either way, the butyric acid and putrid smell remains a part of their product."

- hefewiseman1

"That explains the weird aftertaste I always get! I don’t smell it but their chocolate always has this super unpleasant sharp/acidic aftertaste that I find repulsive. I assume this is why!!"

- PomegranateNo975

Do Not Lick the Asbestos

"Asbestos tastes like chalk. And if you lick it, it has the texture of extremely gritty sandpaper. Which is actually the feeling of microscopic asbestos needles piercing your flesh!"

- TooYoungToBeThisOld1

Mapping Out the War

"Beginning in 1911 in anticipation of the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, two statesmen, one from England and one from France, began visiting locations in France that they believed would be the settings for a number of major battles that would occur during the great war."

"Long bike rides through these future battle zones in the countryside and weeks spent building a foundation for a French-Anglo codebook that would later prove important in helping win the war."

- fjordperfect123

Avoiding Lawsuits > Protecting Patients

"Doctors, or surgeons more specifically, that make too many mistakes during surgery, ie, leaving instruments in patients, frequently gets ‘quietly traded’ to other hospitals where they continue their path of destruction with the patients not being aware of their past record. Hospitals tend to keep quiet about the matter to avoid lawsuits."

- Kittytigris

Bonus Points: Do This While Having Lunch in Your Car

"If you overfill a fast food gravy cup and then put a lid on, it will create a pressurized gravy stream that sprays all over your face and uniform while your coworker looks on in horror."

- thechaosjester776

This subReddit thread was so a roller-coaster of random facts, we've surely all walked away learning something.

But the biggest takeaway might just be: Maybe don't lick so many things.

Shocked woman covering her mouth
vaitheeswaran Nataraj/Unsplash

When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.

But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.

Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.

It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.

Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:

"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"

These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.

Bleeding Out

"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."

"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."

– DongLaiCha

Tragic News

"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."

– accountnameredacted

Bottom Of The Barrel

"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."

– Crotch-Monster

A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.

Like Father, Like Son

"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."

– psycospaz

Busted

"Flashing blue lights."

– FiddleOfGold

"This sobered me up just thinking about it."

– redmaple_syrup

Losing Sight

"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."

– MissHibernia

Quitting The Bottle

"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."

– omgtater

These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.

Unplanned House Guests

"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."

– Oneinsevenbillion75

Serious Health Warning

"Elevated liver enzymes."

"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."

"So I opted for recovery, instead."

"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."

– Far_Meal8674

The Joyride

"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."

– foxfood9116

The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?

How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.

But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.

Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.

Woman holding multiple shopping bags
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.

Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.

These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.

From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.

Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:

"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"

"Tale As Old As Time..."

"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","

"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."

"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."

"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."

"Lol!"

"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom

"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."

"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."

"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."

"I think he was a germaphobe."

"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."

"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."

"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.

"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."

"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."

"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000

Money Burn GIF by nog Giphy

Who Wore It Better?

"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."

"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."

"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."

"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'

"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"

"No."- mertsey627

Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...

"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."

"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."

"It was very low key."

"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."

"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."

"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."

"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."

"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa

south park wedding GIF Giphy

See You In Court!

"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."

'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."

"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."

"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."

"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."

"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin

It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!

"I work in a public library."

"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."

"A popular book that just came out."

"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."

"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten

A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!

"My own."

"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"

"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."

"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"

"Unacceptable!"

"This shall not stand!"

"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."

"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."

"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."

"I got over it."- DeathGrover

homer simpson episode 23 GIF Giphy

Holy Matrimony!

"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."

"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."

"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."

"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."

"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."

"It's just a party."

"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree

When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...

"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore

In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...

"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."

"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."

"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."

"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."

"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."

"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."

"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."

"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."

"We don’t offer wrapping services."

"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."

'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae

Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso Giphy

Happiest Place On Earth!

"I used to work for Disney."

"That in itself should tell you everything."

"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."

"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."

"Suddenly got worse huh?"

"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."

"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."

"I'm not kidding."

"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."

"My wife worked booking."

"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."

"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."

"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."

"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."

"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."

"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong

Disney World GIF Giphy

The horror!

Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!

It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...

Said absolutely no one.