AIBU at this dietary request in RSVP?

[craxmum]

Hello everyone,

I sent a standard birthday invitation to my son's class (reception). RSVP by [today], state dietary needs etc. I am planning a great party (magician, animators etc), but for the first time am doing it so formally. DS is a popular child, after struggling with extreme shyness, and a lot of kids want to come.
I received today a reply from one mum stating "[Childs name] can have only organic products. Please no refined sugar either. Please check with me if in doubt".
I was already surprised by other requests - namely, halal, gluten free (x2), soy free and vegetarian (x2, one helpfully points out that eggs are not vegetarian). Happy to accommodate (but definitely will outsource to a professional caterer now).

AIBU to think that's a bit too much? Or is it normal? Of course, I can afford organic ingredients, it's not a money issue, but isn't it a little bit cheeky to ask for it?

This is hilarious, please continue to update on Peachzilla.
(Is Peachzilla the same as Organic Mum?)

Between the organic twat and crazy peach-fuzz lady, may I suggest you consider moving?

And pizza is a good choice for kids parties, as most children like it, and it can cover most dietary requirements. Even GF, I was pleased to discover last year!

You can get organic ones too. But I doubt that mother would allow her pfb to eat pizza.

Lol. I know a couple like this. They talk about sugar like it's the devil and only allow their daughter to eat chocolate with 70% cocoa. The mum told me "you can eat anything you want during pregnancy as long as it's organic". However they have no problem smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and taking drugs.

Make lunch boxes, I have family that are gf and as long as you make theirs first with new ingredients you're fine. Remember pre-grated cheese is often coated in flour to prevent it sticking to itself. No party bags, just buy bags of haribo, you can buy halal which I imagine uses vege-gel? So would be fine for the veggie. The organic, no refined sugar child (that is probably going to end up on a 'my child is addicted to McDonald's documentary in their teenage years) can have a packet of organic celery and go home with a banana. Job done.

KingLooieCat DD

My DD hates pizza, but asks to go to Pizza hut for the salad and spag bol. Tbf she would have happily eaten goujons though.

I liked the ball idea better, like giant hamsters or one of those enrichment thingies you get for cats 😂😂

Crazy. We eat halal. I have never requested halal at a friends party. Ever! The kids know what is ok to eator not t9 eat. They just stick to veggie things. Or avoid the cocktail sausage and sausage roll and gummy sweets. People are very precious. If you have a dietry need by choice then you must accomodate this your self not request that every one caters for you

Ask those who want something different for their kids to provide their own. That's too much hassle lol.

What on earth has happened in the last 30 years?! When I was going to kids parties, it was a choice of jam or cheese sandwiches, cheap sausage rolls, crisps, party rings and a slice of cake, all washed down with cola. No one was ever rushed to hospital or died from one night of eating this crap, so either kids have become a lot more fragile/sickly, or (more likely) parents have become more spoilt and precious.

It also strikes me that the OP said she comes from a third world country, where I would guess she’s seen/been aware of poverty and starvation. These parents don’t realise how spoilt they are.

@craxmum to answer your question, I have no idea about the laws of halal, but for Jews who keep kosher very strictly, it’s to do with the kitchen and utensils used to prepare it. It’s nothing to do with being prepared by a non-Jewish person. It’s to do with the risk of cross contamination (however bonkers that might sound). I suspect that halal is much like kosher though that there are many, many interpretations.

I’m Jewish (though no longer keep kosher, I decided I liked chorizo too much). I have friends who simply don’t eat pork or shellfish. I have friends who go further and don’t eat dairy and meat together. Some won’t even eat them several hours apart. Others keep kosher at home (with different utensils for meat and dairy meals), but not out of it (so they can eat at restaurants). Others are super strict and don’t eat anything anywhere that’s no certified kosher in a kitchen overseen by a rabbi. Some like me eat everything and practice kashrut in more subtle ways, like being ecologically conscious, buying free range and humane meat, eating sustainable fish, etc. So it’s hard to pin down any one way. When in doubt, just ask. No one with a genuine religious diet (or allergy) would be offended by having to explain it. It’s just these nutters with anxiety about their kids eating some chocolate who do (poor things).

laughs.*

😂😂😂😂

Can I suggest you serve ice cubes? Fully organic ones, of course

I'd say all those requiring dietary restrictions please provide picnic for your child.

Go on say you are in Chiswick 😂? Then just tell my SIL not to be so silly!
In future just lay out party food and don’t discuss it or even better wait a few years and they will all happily eat pizza and the parents will be calmer about food.

Let me guess, Garden House? :)

I work for a catering company. There is usually a surcharge applied when such requests are made (i.e. organic and vegan dishes). If not, they can supply the food themselves and we serve.

Things like gluten, nut, dairy intolerances, etc, we provide a menu specifying what has what and they can simply avoid whatever they're intolerant to.

Its hard enough organising a party. Tell em to bugger off. Bring their own if they want something special. Thats what my celiac friend does. No fuss, just brings her own stuff along and munches merrily away

It's some years since we did kids parties but the only requirement we got was from a Muslim family who said could we give their DC veggie food and no gelatine based sweets which was no problem. We did also at an earlier party have 2 other kids who turned up and said 'we're vegetarian'. Nothing said by parents at all! We were serving burgers and sausages, so I had to offer them just cheese in a burger bun - thankfully they were happy with that.

I couldn't be doing with parents asking for no refined sugar. The highlight of our parties was a huge pinata. Every child used to go home with several fistfulls of sweets