The person next to you has an allergy to the food you are eating. Do you move?

Everyone keeps mentioning standing in the aisle to eat the sandwich... but on all the flights I've been on, you are DEFINITELY not allowed to be just hanging out in the aisles for ANY reason. Walking to and from the bathroom is pretty much it.

 

The person with the allergy should be the one that moves.

I might be inlined to move if the airline is willing to bump me up to business class, but really, the person with the allergy is the one that has the issue, not the 100+ other people on the plane.

 

Cinna, what on earth? Don't know what kinda flights you were on, but on 99% of all of my flights people would randomly get up and simply walk up and down the aisle. The Emirates airline actually strongly recommends passengers to walk a few minutes to prevent pain in the legs.

If you can do that, then you can definitely hang out with the cool kids in the aisle while munching a sandwich.

 

If somebody drops something in the street you also dont have a moral obligation to pick it up, but if you are walking passed most people would help.

I dont think that the argument here is that the person eating sandwich should be forced to stop, its that most people as human beings simply wouldnt eat the sandwich if it was upsetting someone or causing them a problem. Is a walnut sandwich really so much to give up?

 

Reading this thread is like watching a fucked up game of telephone.
And, the act of taking air in and expelling it via the lungs is "b-r-e-a-t-h-e".
Not breath. I can't even follow the conversation because three pages later the original story is so convoluted that's nothing makes sense. Whatever. Pointless announcement.
You're eating something that could possibly cause someone significant physical distress.
If you can't wait to eat it until you can avoid the possibility of killing your seatmate, then talk to the flight attendant to see if other arrangements can be made.

 

I do agree that the person with the allergy should be willing to inconvenience him/herself before inconveniencing others due to the allergy...

However, I know I wouldn't want to be standing around in the aisle of a plane eating, so why would I make somebody else stand around in the aisle waiting for me to finish that terribly important sandwich I just couldn't wait to eat.

Seriously, it's a fucking sandwich. This is not a big deal...

 

I am surprised however that she did speak to the flight attendant and the flight attendant really didn't take control of the situation. She should have assumed he wanted to eat and offered him some options other than to not eat while sitting next to her.

 

No one took note and made the obvious jokes about :

You people are really slipping.
I was seated once to a young lady who, midflight, whipped out a tube of the most heavily perfumed hand lotion I'd ever come across. I began coughing and wheezing for a full 20 minutes as I am sensitive to floral scents ( I won't say allergic, however. I get to coughing, nose starts to burn and a headache comes about whenever floral scents come my way). No sooner had I finished my coughing bout than she took out the tube again. That is when I spoke up: "excuse me, but in case you hadn't noticed, I am allergic to floral scented things like that lotion." Note, I told HER I was allergic-it got my point across, she apologized and put the tube away.
As for the sandwich guy, he was trying to be accommodating, but I seriously doubt that nuts contained in a chicken salad (mayo, etc) would pose a life threatening situation. I am also curious as to why he just didn't remain in his seat and keep the wrapper on, lowering it as he ate. Oh well...

 

I'm flooded with shame. That's what I get for being my own spell-checker.

I think the nuts were in the bread, set for take-off.

 

Were it me, I'd move simply because I like walking during long hour flights. There's only so much sleep to be had on an uncomfortable chair. But that's just me.

In this matter, the lady should have done a lap around the airplane and came back 10 minutes after the gentleman was done eating. I understand that she had an affliction, but it's only decent to let people who are eating have priority so they can be comfortable for 10 minutes so they don't choke. He should never have had to go to the bathroom for that.

Manners notwithstanding, it sounds like the lady made a big huff over it by calling the flight attendant instead of simply telling the man sitting next to her and come to a workaround of sorts.

 

Some people just seem to think the world should revolve around them. It's not limited to just people with allergies.

 

Food Allergy | Food Allergies For Dummies | Dr. Robert Wood | Assessing the Real Risk of Airborne Peanut

Did he have to move or even stop eating? As long as he didn't speak to her while eating? It sounds as if he was hungry enough to virtually inhale his sandwich which tells me there was little likelihood for air contamination.

These were walnuts, not peanuts. I don't know if there's a difference. Are there airborne walnut allergies or allergies to any and all nuts despite their very diverse properties?

I'm sorry, but I definitely suspect a bit of preciousness here. Trouble is, there is no way of knowing for sure. The precious folk must always be given the benefit of the doubt.

Hopefully, they will eventually be weeded out of the gene pool.

 

*stifles a giggle in the middle of all this serious discussion*

 

No dear Baraka, it's the preciousness, the "I refuse to accept that I am not special, that I am as unbelievably ordinary as the rest of you". I would hope to see this mindset left behind in the ongoing evolution of humanity. A bit of a joke, in any event.

No, I think I stated quite clearly that, in instances such as these, one must always give the special case the benefit of the doubt that what they claim will happen, may indeed happen. No second guessing, just distance yourself from the problem for everyone's sake.

 

Let's just say that if this woman did not have an allergy to walnuts severe enough to throw her into into anaphylactic shock or even a bad rash, simply by it being in the air, I harbor a small hope that she will not produce offspring to carry this special brand of narcissism forward into generations to come. It's a low thing to do - to draw attention to oneself and inconvenience others for the sole purpose of drawing attention to oneself.

The article does not provide enough detail to determine whether or not this was the case with this woman so I would have to assume, if I was in this guy's place, that she was on the up and up.

But there are plenty of people who are afflicted with this personality disorder. I know a few and they drive me to insanity.

You have obviously not run across any or are far more tolerant of them than I am.

 

Here's one thing I am sure of... I would not be eating my dinner in an airplane toilet. That's more than nasty.

If I have pulled a sandwich out of my bag that is somehow offensive or death threatening to the person next to me... I would likely put it away. However, if the airline serves me (along with the rest of the plane) food that is going to kill the person next to me... how is that my problem?

The airline should either move me or the afflicted person to a new seat (preferably an upgrade).

 

Do you fake illnesses which inconvenience others just the sake of attention-seeking? I don't believe you do, so what on earth on you talking about?