What's the worst meal you've been served? Especially but not limited to those with restricted diets?

[CrapGoat]

I mean if you're coeliac/gluten free/vegan/allergies or anything like? But others as well.

I went to a well-known Fish and Chip restaurant with family recently.I cannot remember how the vegan option was described, but what I got was a small lasagne dish containing some gloopy tomato sauce, inset with three or 4 slimy aubergine slices. A side of new potatoes (about 6, which in fairness were at least quite nice).

Completely tasteless and I was straight in the cupboard for snacks when I got home as I was so hungry. Vegan doesn't equal-no appetite/doesn't like food/is happy with a tiny dish of slop.

I suppose I should be grateful for anything at all with that type of restaurant, but vegans/other people who don't eat certain things aren't hermits-we often go to places with/for other people!

T'was the best part of £20, too.

I made vegan burritos once which were horrifying.

sheep's head complete with visible teeth, tripe and intestines.

At a wedding, my dsis was served 3 boiled potatoes because she is gluten free. It was a vegetarian meal as bride and groom are vegetarian. Chef said that the only thing they could give my sister was boiled potatoes before they were roasted.
She got none of the starter or pudding either.
We ended up going to a local shop for her to get a pre-made salad.
Poor bride and groom were very apologetic but it wasn't their fault. The hotel had been informed of allergies.

At a works dinner dance, I was served a banoffee pie despite telling them that I am severely allergic to bananas. I asked 3 times as it was handed to me was this an alternative to the banoffee because I am allergic. The waitress said yes and rolled her eyes.
I could smell the banana and didn't eat it. Spoke to a manager who said they cater for real allergies not just fussy pathetic adults.
We got a half apology from their head office when we complained but it was pretty terrible from a big hotel chain.

Also 1970s, a French child I looked after had to have brains twice a week. I was told to simmer it in plain water. He hated it. I tried it and he was right, it was revolting in both texture and (lack of) flavour. I looked up cooking cerveaux and, back then, the recipes mostly entailed sautéing in butter. His mother said no, that's not food for children

I ended up doing a deal with the kid, that I'd mash it with potato and about half a bottle of tomato ketchup. He still disliked it, but feigned enough enthusiasm to get his mother's approval. Poor boy; I hope he grew up super-intelligent after all that!

. edited spelling

I have got so many questions about this dish! First, what on earth were they thinking!? Did they serve it with anything else? Was it a main or dessert? What did it taste like? 🤣

Oh, I have so many of these. Fifty years as a vegetarian has given me a long list. Many of which share a theme with several PPs' stories.

Hospital: not a worst meal but a compete lack of meals. Monday admitted for surgery, nil by mouth; Tuesday, in surgery so missed the menu rounds and all meals; Wednesday, having not filled in the menu choices the previous day I was presented with whatever random bits discharged patients had ordered - but could eat none of them, given menu choices for Thursday and they had nothing suitable. I wasn't allowed to leave until I'd eaten something, but fortunately they went by self report otherwise I'd still be there.

Planes: British Airways transatlantic flight gave me the fruit platter with side of fruit salad mentioned by a PP. Breakfast was the same fruit salad again. Which was at least better than Delta transatlantic, which gave me dinner of a packet of chicken crisps (made with actual chicken) and a dry bread roll. No breakfast. A Bulgarian airline provided plain white rice and frozen peas - with a side of food poisoning.

Russia: everyone else had meat pierogi, I was given a raw papper sliced in half and filled to the brim with unsalted butter. And a meat pierogi.

Greece: told them I was vegetarian, double checked the cheese pizza was suitable. It arrived with a layer of ham under the cheese, and they were unable to comprehend the problem.

Bulgaria: vegetable soup that was 1 slice of raw tomato and 4 slices of raw carrot in the bottom of a bowl, barely covered with hot stock, then filled to the brim with hot sunflower oil.

France: fancy, multicourse, catered dinner. As is common in France each item was served as a separate course, so when it came to the meat course there were no side vegetables - those were to follow as the next stage. Everyone else had a piece of meat with mushroom sauce and a parsely garnish. I had a plate with a tablespoon of sauce and a sprig of parsley.

Spain: cold garlic soup, which was just slightly diluted garlic puree.

Austria: fried cheese served with a cottage cheese dip, followed by cheese spätzle, followed by cheesecake, finishing with a cheeseboard. Doesn't entirely fit in the list of 'worst meals' because it was all really good food, but a badly planned overall meal because it was Too Much Cheese.

UK: too many to list, but a particularly memorable one was a restaurant with the tagine "healthy food doesn't have to be boring" and prided itself on a wide selection of vegetarian options. The 'spicy beanburger' was red kidney beans. Just red kidney beans, squashed together - no binders, spices, not so much as a pinch of salt. It came avocado beautifully presented in artful spirals. Which looked very pretty, but if you can slice avocado with a vegetable peeler and then curl the slices, that's a sign it's at least a week away from being ripe. Healthy food doesn't have to be boring, but theirs certainly was.