When I was little I hated to attend birthday parties. I was the weird friend that didn’t like cake or ice cream, but cake and ice cream were part of the cultural meaning and social norm of a birthday party. These two foods always made me so sick when I ate them, but regardless of knowing that I would get sick I still ate them because I felt rude to turn them down. Now however, I know that I am lactose intolerant and allergic to egg yolks due to this I have to be cautious of my food choices. Now when I attend birthday parties I bring my own special cake that way I can partake in the celebration without having to get sick or feel rude for turning down the cake provided by the host.

Due to being lactose intolerant and allergic to egg yolks my food choices are different from many others. I often get asked if I’m vegetarian when my friends see me buying almond milk. However, I am not vegetarian. I still eat meat. I just do not consume dairy or eggs. I feel like the social norm should be to eat what ever makes someone happy and there should be no judgement based on their decision. If someone wants to be a vegetarian or vegan then they can, and if someone wants to eat meat let them eat meat. My diet is restricted due to medical reasons and because of that my food choices are different than other people’s but that shouldn’t be considered a bad thing, it should just be part of the social norm that I choose to eat what makes me happy and what makes me feel good.