Alan Carr - stuffs herb into mouth of team member who says she is allergic to it

[cakeorwine]

‘I used to say awful things’: Alan Carr on divorce, dating and the skit that haunts him | Alan Carr | The Guardian

Idiot. There is so much to say about this - power, control and a total lack of understanding of allergies.

"We’re in a big echoing loft with wood floors and he’s talking to his team as if they are all on stage and I – sitting in the corner – am the audience. He wants to know why one of them is picking bits out of her salad. He doesn’t accept that she’s allergic to coriander. Whoever heard of being allergic to coriander?"

There are six of us in this photo studio, including Carr’s manager, makeup, wardrobe and a publicist from ITV. He picks up the coriander and stuffs it into the mouth of the woman who said she was allergic. “See!” he declares, triumphant. “You’re not really allergic. If you were, you’d be dead by now.” He cackles. Everyone else cackles. It’s like the canned laughter of witches"

I just don't know what to say about this. Some allergies are less well known but still cause allergic reactions. And should be taken seriously.

As you can see on here, people take allergies seriously and never serve food that contains food that someone has said they are allergic to.

I would like to get the reaction of the person he did this to. Then, I would measure Carr's actions.

This is just outrage over something, contents of which are abstract. Just my opinion.

So did she tell the chef she was allergic to coriander?

What a wierd reaction

I take it you dont think people should donate to food banks then unless they are physically starving

Or the police shouldnt investigate assault unless they are physically assaulted

Loads of people care about loads of things that dont physically affect them and the world is a better place for it.

Only caring about things that physically affect you is an incredibly selfish view point

This is just outrage over something, contents of which are abstract. Just my opinion

It would be interesting to hear from Alan Carr.

1. Did he repeatedly ask someone if they were allergic as he has never heard of coriander allergy?

"He wants to know why one of them is picking bits out of her salad. He doesn’t accept that she’s allergic to coriander. Whoever heard of being allergic to coriander"

2. Did he stuff coriander into her mouth and then say in front of the other people and say "you're not allergic, you'd be dead by now!"

"He picks up the coriander and stuffs it into the mouth of the woman who said she was allergic. “See!” he declares, triumphant. “You’re not really allergic. If you were, you’d be dead by now.” He cackles. Everyone else cackles. It’s like the canned laughter of witches

3. Did the other people laugh? If so, why? What were they really thinking?

1. Did the person with the allergy tell the chef about it?

Who knows?

But what do we know from the article?

1. He didn't believe the woman had an allergy as he had never heard of coriander allergy

2. He stuffed it into her mouth

3. He said she did not have an allergy or else she would be dead by now

4. Other people laughed

So, as someone with an allergy, I can easily imagine a senario like this

Woman asks what's in the salad, she's told all the ingredients

Salad comes out and the server has forgotten that a couple of sprigs of coriander were placed on top

Woman picks them off and puts them to the side

Tbh though I don't even understand why people are debating whether or not she's allergic like they know things about her personal allergies and intolerance.

She may have forgotten to ask. My cousin has just developed an onion allergy within the last 6 months and has forgotten to ask a couple of times because it's still new to her and she's so used to not having to worry about what to eat. It happens.

Whether or not she's allergic isn't really the point of the issue anyway.

@Artycrafts

I genuinely can't understand why you have an issue with someone thinking that a person shoving food into someone's mouth against their will is completely unacceptable, whether they're allergic to it or not.

It's truly bizarre that you're defending that behaviour.

How does it personally affect you for someone to think it's unacceptable, horrible behaviour? After all, if it doesn't personally affect you, you shouldn't have an opinion on it.

Exactly this.

Some of the replies here are appalling.

Exactly, who knows. I would say no, given the seriousness of the situation. Which is why I think this article is just another attempt at satire, light heartedness. She may have said she doesn't like coriander and joked about being allergic to it. She wouldn't have even accepted the dish at the sight of coriander on her plate.

You have asked if your reaction is unreasonable. I have voted yes.

Who cares if she did or didn’t? Presumably she’s able to manage what food goes into her mouth from the plate - until some knob comes along and just shoves it into her month for her anyway.

So if you have an allergy, you would eat the dish, on which the allergic produce was on?

If you read the thread, you will see how some people with allergies manage them.

If it’s a mild allergy, yes. Some allergies are only a problem when you directly eat the contaminant. This means it can be picked out.

My MIL ends up getting a bit of tingling and swelling from some particular herbs. It’s not life threatening. If they are visible on her plate she can remove them and just not eat them. It’s not a big deal.

Until of course some twat decides to come along and shove them in her mouth.

@Artycrafts so can I randomly shove food in your mouth?

You have asked if your reaction is unreasonable. I have voted yes.

What specific bits of her reaction do you think are unreasonable?

You seem determined to find fault with the woman here, rather than the man who shoved something into her mouth.

The extent of her allergy and how she chooses to manage it is not important here. That's her business. She has the right to decline to eat something without being assaulted over it.

So if you have an allergy, you would eat the dish, on which the allergic produce was on?

Multiple people on the thread with allergies have said they would do this.

I really do think you're clutching at straws over something that wasn't meant to be taken seriously. The only way you manage your allergy is to make sure you avoid the produce. Not pick at a plate. As I say, I'd like to hear her take on this. The stuffing of food into her mouth was knobish, if you don't see the funny side. She may have done. It's the allergy, itself I'm arguing about because I'm not seeing it. It may have been the case but looking at this article, I'm not seeing it as a serious allergy.

Then I question whether that person really has an allergy because that's bizarre.

@Artycrafts - just fyi you're coming across as really ignorant

It may have been the case but looking at this article, I'm not seeing it as a serious allergy

So it's ok then to do this as you don't think it's a serious allergy?

DS has allergies to various things including some spices. He has reactions, skin upsets, hives plus other reactions. I don't think some people that's a serious allergy either.

adds several posters to the list of "people @Artycrafts can confidently disbelieve without any foundation....'

It is NOT about the allergy but that makes the assault potentially more serious. But if you are going to pick that apart then posters are going to challenge you - yes as has been said not ever allergy is life threatening and not every allergy needs to be managed by being nowhere near the contaminants. As has been said repeatedly.

What this is actually about is about the fact that a man in a powerful position shoved food into his employers mouth against her will (she had actively chosen not to eat something).

YOU are the one clutching at straws to minimise the behaviour.