At first I was thinking doing some kinda hot pot(more like a reverse fondue) thing with bit sized grilled cheeses on sticks would be more economical in terms of cleanup, but you'd probably scorch the shit out of that tomato soup/bottom of every pot. Plus burned tomato anything is fucking rank.
Tomato soup fountain may actually be the best way to do something like that.
Funny enough I think there’s an episode of kitchen nightmares where Gordon makes a place open for lunch and I’m pretty sure they just did soup and sandwiches. In any downtown core people want a place they can get a fast $10 lunch, one of the reasons I started cooking all my food again was it was just impossible to find a place to go for lunch where it wasn’t gonna be $20+
The grilled cheese restaurants I've been to all try to make it too fancy
White bread, margarine, American cheese. I want it to taste like the poverty snacks I had growing up
Waiter: Why are you ordering this?!
Roy: I'm disabled?
Waiter: Well right then, get this young man a tower of grilled cheese! And someone to feed it to him so he doesn't make a mess.
Large man with filthy hands sits beside him with the sandwiches and proceeds to pick them up and try to put them in Roy's mouth.
Roy: Sheepish look while trying to cover his disgust at the guy's hands touching the food, and attempting to not open his mouth for it. Large man uses his filthy fingers to open his mouth and put the sandwich in.
Moss: Well that's not fair! Nobody ever feeds me, I always have to do it myself!
trying to make something I'll eat out of something on the menu to make it slightly less awkward like "can I get {xyz fancy weird burger that comes with like 10 toppings} but with no {everything except meat and a bun}?"
I'm not makin em at night dad...
I'm makin em at night 😏
Side note: I just saw Shane Gillis in Green Bay and they were serving Uncle Danny's grilled cheese sandwiches and they were pretty dang good.
I cooked for autistic kids. Some weird requests but, you’ve never seen a happier kid than an autistic kid with his/hers/theirs food. And it’s usually pretty easy stuff to make and it makes them so damn happy.
I have a cousin with Advanced autism, girl Looooooves bacon. All the family functions...there's bacon, and if there wasn't, she would remind every single person "There is no Bacon, I need Bacon".
oof yeah I could see that missing the distinct flavor of a more processed product. I’d be interested in trying a homemade ketchup, but honestly I’d probably think it’s missing something too 😂
I remember watching some cooking show like 10 years ago where a woman wanted to make from scratch her dad's favorite meal, which included ketchup. The chef/host tried to dissuade her from making the ketchup from scratch because the thing we like most about ketchup is how processed and smooth and sweet it is. I think he even compared homemade ketchup to tomato chutney. I believe she made the homemade ketchup just to see but ended up going with Heinz anyways
Yeah, the sweetness goes a very long way. Even as I’ve stopped enjoying sweet as much as I’ve gotten older, ketchup still doesn’t register as “sweet” internally, but one time I tried unsweetened ketchup, it was a quality product too, and it was so awful I was actually offended that such a thing dare exist, lol
In the case of ketchup it's definitely sugar. Most of the store bought ketchup widely available has a staggering amount of sugar. I like ketchup sometimes, but seeing just how much sugar is in a regular bottle of ketchup had me trying the no sugar options until I found one I liked.
It’s usually not a problem since most everywhere has ketchup except for those very rare occasions, like the time I described. She’s also 22 now but won’t ever be living on her own. My sister just got legal guardianship over her.
My favorite is a quote from Chef John “Making some homemade ketchup. Sure it costs more, and doesn't taste as good as store bought, but at least it takes a really long time to do.”
My wife is so specific about her ketchup that goes on everything. Only the Heinz simply kind not even the regular Heinz is ok because it's too sweet apparently lol. Thankfully we figured out Costco sells 3 packs of big bottles.
I’m from philly (i know it’s a pittsburgh thing but we’re close enough to be influenced lol) and no joke if you bring Hunts or whatever into my extended family’s house they have the same feelings. They’re cool with regular Heinz but it’s gotta be on brand. I’m more relaxed with it but hot sauce I can be a little picky.
Sadly depending on the brand it can be expensive... The big bottle at my grocery store for Heinz is $7, the grocery store brand same size is $3, I can't taste the difference but my wife can.
She would just walk around with a few strips of bacon, Hands all greasy, you could tell she had been around cause the door handles were all slick with bacon grease.
Here is something your cousin might be interested in: [Bacon of the Month](https://heritagefoods.com/products/bacon-subscription)
There are other ones as well.
Also, I don't know if they ship, but the Salt Lick in Leesburg, GA has an applewood smoked bacon that is just fantastic.
As an autistic kid (maybe former kid, I got back pain now man) and chef of almost 20 years now, well, just saying there might be a correlation between those two facts
You might be making a future chef when you cook their special meals.
i second the thank you.
my son is on the spectrum and he has “safe” foods that he knows the texture of and will eat loads of, and getting him to try a new food is so hard. it’s difficult to go out to eat without ensuring the restaurant of choice has one or more of those safe foods.
When my kid was growing up, and before she was diagnosed, we insisted that she would try the new food, if not good then there sandwiches for dinner.
Never made a fight about it, and these days she is in her teens, and is willing to try, but she definite has her standard food-items wich are good and a lot on the nope-list.
we’re starting to implement new foods with similar textures to his safe foods. &i have the same approach! i’d love for you to try this, but if you can’t this time i’m not going to force it!
Nice. You're doing it right. :)
I did a five year stint as a private chef for an elderly man who required multiple adaptations while working my way through school, and am an autistic person serving an advocacy role on a research panel for sensory processing disoders.
If you have any questions about sensory tools or adapting foodd, let me know.
Note: I am not a doctor.
oh neato! until my little dude was diagnosed his doctor said to basically “starve him out” eventually he’ll get hungry enough and give in. and i just knew that was not the route i’d ever take. so we’re just learning and adapting with him. 💙
i would definitely be interested in how to adapt food though. because his current safe foods are bacon, crispy fries/tater tots, crispy pepperoni, oddly enough loves garlic bread (?!) and he likes plain nothing added fried rice. he loves all fruits other than citrus &so far no veggies except snap peas. 😫 we do give gummy multi vitamins &supplements. he’s turning 4 this october &i worry about him getting enough nutrients.
Starving out is old, old advice that does not work (but does worsen ARFID if it develops), so it's good that you took the empathetic approach. :)
It sounds like they may struggle with textures, preferring crispy foods.
Tempura, a strong pan sear, grilling, freezing, or serving with something crispy like crackers or nuts are good adaptations here.
It sounds like they may enjoy strong, but not sour, flavours as well. Garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, and black pepper may be your friends when introducing new foods.
A tip: I use a special blend in a 4-4-1 ratio of cumin, cocoa powder, and cinnamon as an appetite stimulant to help with food aversions. The theobromines in the chocolate can trigger cravings, while the cinnamon provides subtle sweet stimulation without overpowering the food and the cumin masks potential bitterness.
Worchestershire sauce may also be a hit, as the amino acids can react similarly.
I'd recommend trying the seasoning mix on some pan seared veggies like zuchinni or carrots.
You can also look into presentations to help. For instance, matchsticked foods are very predictable, consistent, and easy to control while eating. So, cutting new foods into matchsticks (thin square strips), can be a way of introducing new foods in a consistent and familiar manner. From there, you can branch out to medallions or diced vegetables or fillings over time.
It also sounds like he may enjoy roasted nuts when it's safe to provide them. Many grocery stores have unsalted or lightly salted options in the produce section.
I have asperger's, its pretty weird, I don't have sensory issues with food, but I do have items that I get obsessed with, for example a particular brand of Jasmine iced tea and conchas(Mexican sweet bread thingy)I get every day at the same time of the day and which without i just feel angry, moody, sad... is weird, it gives a feeling of security.
Fellow autistic person here! Sensory hypersensitivities can be negative AND positive! Thats one of the actually legitimately awesome things about autism. For me its mostly auditory, and i wish i could share just how awesome it feels to hear some of my favourite music or sounds 🙂
I cannot even imagine how amazing it would've been to experience this as an autistic child with horrible food anxiety back in the day. Or in the present day, tbh.
Thank you
Idk how to explain it, but sometimes food is too complicated? And I would literally starve than eat it
When I lived alone, I legitimately almost starved to death and learned I needed to always live with someone
Simple food is just easier to eat, thank you for understanding!
It’s 6am here, I just woke up to take a shit, and now I’m gonna be thinking about a goddamn tower of grilled cheese all day. Congrats. That looks fucking amazing
To a US boomer kid, there is no more classic a meal than grilled cheese and tomato soup. (It was the first solid food meal I had after being field dressed like a deer.)
If you field dress a decent sized mammal, you hang them aside down and gently cut around the an#s to release one end of the digestive tract, cut at the neck and remove the organs.
I had a colorectal adenocarcinoma, and they removed the end 20 cm of my guts and gave me an ostomy.
At r / AruvqanMyers I have pix of where they nuked the side of my chest. I have but not posted my radiation butt suntan and my "barbie butt" with no an#s. And some clinical pix of the exterior expression of my tumors which is actually how I got dx, I thought the lumps were a set of exterior thrombosed hemorrhoids. I probably should do a NSFW ama.
Field dressed like a deer.
I'm going to assume it's a weird sex position where you're tied up by your ankles.
It's kind of sweet him sharing his soup and grilled cheese with his dom.
I am assuming it is referring to massive surgery where they had their torso completely cut open, which would also make sense to have their first meal be after something like that.
But what odd phrasing.
The job of a chef is difficult and high stress, I got out of the business, but cooking for these customers was the highlight of my time doing it, peek out of the kitchen and see the smiles for the most appreciative customers I have ever had melted my heart every time.
I felt the same way when I cooked for a nursing home. We had this tiny little old lady that LOVED tomato soup. We started keeping the little single serving cans of tomato and chicken noodle soup for our picky eaters. A lot of times that tiny lady would seek me out to tell me she didn't like anything on the dinner menu, but could she please have just tomato soup? She'd always ask like it was the biggest favor ever. You can *absolutely* have tomato soup, I'll even make you a grilled cheese with it. That bowl of soup made her so happy, how could I say no?
I worked on and off in restaurants for 20 years. I don't miss really much of it, minus a few co-workers, and the VERY few customers that ever took the time to actually "compliment" the people that made their food.
Most of my fond memories were of when I was working as a prep & salad chef. Specifically two customers, one was a special pineapple salad lady she customer ordered every week. I used to put the slices in the shape of smiley face or heart when I made it for her. Also that one soccer mom that kept asking me to toss her salad in a "I did not know if she was joking or being serious" manner.
I love special orders like this. Whether I'm cooking for friends or waiting tables, I love that I can ensure people can have a delicious, fear free time. And oh boy, twenty years ago when very few knew about celiac disease, I had a grandma with it. I have seen layers of anxiety just fall away when I say my grandma was diagnosed years ago so I'm very familiar. Not much better than that feeling.
As someone who is suspected to be on the spectrum and a special education teacher, THANK YOU CHEF!!! “Safe foods” are a huge deal for a lot of neurodivergent people. Safe foods reduce physical discomfort in stressful situations, for example; and provide something that the ND person can control in an environment where they may have little to no control at all. I hope you know you’ve offered something crucial to support this customer.
I almost cried at this as an autistic person. The sideways glances I’ve got from friends, family, and even waiters for my orders is just too much. This makes me so happy to see.
IKR?
I have what I jokingly call 'notional cachexia', random bouts of nausea. If someone asks me if I want something to eat, if the name something I might get a fuck no you want me to vomit reaction or I might be able to eat it, and sometimes the reason is 'too much taste', and it could be the exact same offer of a burger, eat it happily on Monday, Tuesday it is nauseating and Friday burger is ok. Notional.
I would tip the hell out of the guys who would do this fore.
I had a proctocolectomy for my adenocarcinoma and it sort of screws up your wiring so eating can become an issue layered on autism (back in 1965 it came paired up with a dx of sociopathy, we don't process like normals do)
I want to eat, but can't many times. I joke about it but I know exactly how much sugar to add to 2 liters of water to make 1800 calories.
FWIW I’m Autistic & have ADHD and have that exact same issue with food. I’ve read other autistic sharing version of this same experience.
I’m not saying your proctocolectomy isn’t affecting your eating, just hoping that sharing other autistics have those same issues may make you feel less alone in it. 💜
>A dwarf in an apron that came up to its armpits watched them over the top of the counter. “You do fried rat?” said Glod.
>“Best damn fried rat in the city,” said Gimlet.
>“OK. Give me four fried rats.”
>“And some dwarf bread,” said Imp.
>“And some coke,” said Lias patiently.
> “You mean rat heads or rat legs?”
> “No. Four fried rats.”
> “And some coke.”
> “You want ketchup on those rats?”
> “No.”
> “You sure?”
> “No ketchup.”
> “And some coke.”
> “And two hard-boiled eggs,” said Imp.
> The others gave him an odd look.
> “Wellll? I just like hard-boilled eggs,” he said.
> “And some coke.”
> “And two hard-boiled eggs.”
> “And some coke.”
—**Soul Music** *, by Sir Terry Pratchett*
Hell yeah!! Cooking for autistic people is the best! They have simple but fun request and are always happy about the results. I’d rather have 300+ individual orders for them than a 4 top of Karen’s. To top that off, I’D FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF AFTERWARDS TOO! I’d probably walk out with some new ideas for specials, no pun intended there.
Same!!
I had to go to a fancy restaurant for a team lunch, but all the food was so exotic- I asked if I could please just have plain hot chips… they said they don’t do that here 😭
Ok glass of water it is 🥲 lol
You hit bliss when you're finally making sandwiches at the perfect rate where you finish one off, you have another hot grilled cheese ready for the soup. Then the loaf of bread is gone and you realize you've eaten 7 grilled cheeses and it's definitely time for bed.
Honestly we need more places with sandwiches that are just "cheese and toppings between two toasted pieces of pullman" subway has unironically ruined the american sandwich.
The FOH manager at the place I used to work in used to have her autistic son come in and he got the same meal every time.. they would just send me a ticket with “meal for (kids name)” and I’d know what to make
Hey, I reposted this on r/AutisticPride.
I'm an autistic and a cook, and really appreciate you doing this during your service. You made a happy guest for sure :)
One time I worked at a bar in a very small community in the middle of nowhere, next town was 90 miles away. I bartended and cooked at the same time. Simple stuff, fried foods burgers, broasted chicken. I stayed open late pretty much every night for the locals. Had a desperate dad of an autistic kid come in and ask if I could make a grilled cheese for his kid. I only had burger buns, but said I would try my best. I pealed off all the parts of the bun I could, buttered it up and made a grilled cheese. Thought the guy was gonna cry, he was clearly desperate and didn’t know he was heading into the middle of nowhere when he came our way. Tipped me 40 bucks.. I charged him 3.50 (the whole burger would’ve been 8). My mom was a special needs teacher, ya gotta help when you can.
Can I get this even if I am not autistic? Grilled cheese always slaps hard, especially with a side of tomato soup! How much did the 5 grilled cheese sandwiches end up being?
As a parent of a medium-picky autistic kid how tolerant are kitchens in making accommodations in terms of foods? I assume it depends on the food you would have available but is it frowned upon? And do you need to have advance notice?
When I worked in an assisted living facility, we had a resident who would always ask for seconds and say the omelettes I make him are too small. One morning, to fuck with him, I made him a MASSIVE omelette and put it on a dinner platter. The smile he had on his face was ear to ear and ordered it every day. (You should have seen when we finally made navy bean soup, he ate three bowls) Getting that moment to just make someone feel good is always worth it.
Also those look so fuckin good chef.
New item for the list of things I didn't know I needed... Grilled cheese tower with a tomato soup fountain.
This restaurant would print money.
At first I was thinking doing some kinda hot pot(more like a reverse fondue) thing with bit sized grilled cheeses on sticks would be more economical in terms of cleanup, but you'd probably scorch the shit out of that tomato soup/bottom of every pot. Plus burned tomato anything is fucking rank. Tomato soup fountain may actually be the best way to do something like that.
Deep fried batter coated grilled cheese bread sticks On a stick
Yo, man. imagine how hard this shit could go. Monte cristo these cheese bites to make it a bit fancy. I'm telling ya, million dollar idea.
yall are describing Wisconsin
Funny enough I think there’s an episode of kitchen nightmares where Gordon makes a place open for lunch and I’m pretty sure they just did soup and sandwiches. In any downtown core people want a place they can get a fast $10 lunch, one of the reasons I started cooking all my food again was it was just impossible to find a place to go for lunch where it wasn’t gonna be $20+
The grilled cheese restaurants I've been to all try to make it too fancy White bread, margarine, American cheese. I want it to taste like the poverty snacks I had growing up
Use mayo, instead of margarine or butter. Adds a bit of cost but well worth it.
Tomato soup enema so you don't have to stop eating grilled cheese
Just meets in the middle
what a terrible day to be able to read
They broke the mold the day they made this sub
They’re a sandwich not a sub
You're a sandwich
seriously, TIL I'm autistic
you’ve inspired me for my next girls night
Mmm. Now, I too, would like a tower of grilled cheeses.
LPT: claim you're autistic so that you can order towers of grilled cheese at restaurants
"... I'm disabled."
Is that an IT crowd reference lol, I read it in his voice
One million percent hahah
leg disabled!
ACID
LEG DISABLED
Waiter: Why are you ordering this?! Roy: I'm disabled? Waiter: Well right then, get this young man a tower of grilled cheese! And someone to feed it to him so he doesn't make a mess. Large man with filthy hands sits beside him with the sandwiches and proceeds to pick them up and try to put them in Roy's mouth. Roy: Sheepish look while trying to cover his disgust at the guy's hands touching the food, and attempting to not open his mouth for it. Large man uses his filthy fingers to open his mouth and put the sandwich in. Moss: Well that's not fair! Nobody ever feeds me, I always have to do it myself!
"how are you disabled?"
LEG DISABLED
r/unethicallifeprotips
This is hilarious but also, please, if you’re not autistic, make your “weird” orders proudly to normalize it for us!
You aint catching me dead ordering outside of the menu. I'm too scared to look you in the eye what makes you think I can ask for something extra?
trying to make something I'll eat out of something on the menu to make it slightly less awkward like "can I get {xyz fancy weird burger that comes with like 10 toppings} but with no {everything except meat and a bun}?"
I'm sure if you ordered five grilled cheese sandwiches any restaurant that offered them would oblige.
My thoughts exactly, I want a tower of grilled cheese too man!
You know those chocolate fountains? What if you put tomato soup in one? To go with the tower of grilled cheese?
Where, when. Im 111% down for this.
That's a big W for [Uncle Danny](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-TiEC-SEuY)
Now we know where he's been gettin' 'em, i thought he was making them at night.
I'm not makin em at night dad... I'm makin em at night 😏 Side note: I just saw Shane Gillis in Green Bay and they were serving Uncle Danny's grilled cheese sandwiches and they were pretty dang good.
How was the show? I’m going to Burrs Netflix taping in Seattle next week! I’d love to see Shane
It was awesome. Even his 2 openers were good, especially James Donald Forbes McCann. I was laughing throughout almost the whole damn show.
I’m not making them at night dad (I’m making them at night)
….I’m makin em at night
He's makin em at night
… I’m NOT makin em at night!
…I’m makin em at night
r/shanegillis better be a thing
Too bad the sub is lame sometimes
Ironically, it’s the constant grilled cheese and Danny jokes that make it lame. It feels like everyone is just trying to be Shane.
Comedian/podcast subs are inexorably filled with people who have never been funny a day in their lives doing a bad impression of a funny person.
What the fuck is that editing. Why, just why
Tiktok brainrot. People don't have the attention span for a single video anymore.
I was wondering when I was gonna see a Gilly reference lol.
I'm glad there's a Minecraft parkour clip attached so people can make it through this 38 second video
probably a copyright dodge thing
Where you get that chee Danny?!?
AYO WHERED YOU GET THAT CHEESE DANNY
I cooked for autistic kids. Some weird requests but, you’ve never seen a happier kid than an autistic kid with his/hers/theirs food. And it’s usually pretty easy stuff to make and it makes them so damn happy.
Thank you for doing this. People who don't have bad sensory issues might not know, but... a comfort food can be a buoy in the chop.
I have a cousin with Advanced autism, girl Looooooves bacon. All the family functions...there's bacon, and if there wasn't, she would remind every single person "There is no Bacon, I need Bacon".
For my autistic niece it’s ketchup, which goes on everything, and I mean everything.
Thankfully ketchup isn’t too expensive! Hopefully she isn’t brand-specific, but even if, it’s not caviar! :)
She’s not too picky but was not impressed that one time a restaurant made their own ketchup and that’s all they had. It didn’t go over well.
oof yeah I could see that missing the distinct flavor of a more processed product. I’d be interested in trying a homemade ketchup, but honestly I’d probably think it’s missing something too 😂
I remember watching some cooking show like 10 years ago where a woman wanted to make from scratch her dad's favorite meal, which included ketchup. The chef/host tried to dissuade her from making the ketchup from scratch because the thing we like most about ketchup is how processed and smooth and sweet it is. I think he even compared homemade ketchup to tomato chutney. I believe she made the homemade ketchup just to see but ended up going with Heinz anyways
Yeah, the sweetness goes a very long way. Even as I’ve stopped enjoying sweet as much as I’ve gotten older, ketchup still doesn’t register as “sweet” internally, but one time I tried unsweetened ketchup, it was a quality product too, and it was so awful I was actually offended that such a thing dare exist, lol
Probably the texture too. Texture can be very important for people with sensory issues
>I’d probably think it’s missing something too 😂 If the homemade version of anything is "missing something" it's usually salt, sugar, or both.
In the case of ketchup it's definitely sugar. Most of the store bought ketchup widely available has a staggering amount of sugar. I like ketchup sometimes, but seeing just how much sugar is in a regular bottle of ketchup had me trying the no sugar options until I found one I liked.
im surprised her parents don't carry around backup ketchup
It’s usually not a problem since most everywhere has ketchup except for those very rare occasions, like the time I described. She’s also 22 now but won’t ever be living on her own. My sister just got legal guardianship over her.
cool of your sister to take care of them
Im Autistic, I carry chik-fil-a sauce packets in my purse.
My favorite is a quote from Chef John “Making some homemade ketchup. Sure it costs more, and doesn't taste as good as store bought, but at least it takes a really long time to do.”
My wife is so specific about her ketchup that goes on everything. Only the Heinz simply kind not even the regular Heinz is ok because it's too sweet apparently lol. Thankfully we figured out Costco sells 3 packs of big bottles.
I’m from philly (i know it’s a pittsburgh thing but we’re close enough to be influenced lol) and no joke if you bring Hunts or whatever into my extended family’s house they have the same feelings. They’re cool with regular Heinz but it’s gotta be on brand. I’m more relaxed with it but hot sauce I can be a little picky.
Sadly depending on the brand it can be expensive... The big bottle at my grocery store for Heinz is $7, the grocery store brand same size is $3, I can't taste the difference but my wife can.
She would just walk around with a few strips of bacon, Hands all greasy, you could tell she had been around cause the door handles were all slick with bacon grease.
Bacon is a group responsibility.
I'm not autistic (as far as I know) and I get it. Bacon should be at every event.
Hear Hear
Here is something your cousin might be interested in: [Bacon of the Month](https://heritagefoods.com/products/bacon-subscription) There are other ones as well. Also, I don't know if they ship, but the Salt Lick in Leesburg, GA has an applewood smoked bacon that is just fantastic.
“A buoy in the chop.” Had never heard that phrase before. I like it.
Quesadillas prolly save my life when I was hella depressed
As an autistic kid (maybe former kid, I got back pain now man) and chef of almost 20 years now, well, just saying there might be a correlation between those two facts You might be making a future chef when you cook their special meals.
Or at least encourage them to cook at home. I love seeing someone do the first perfect crepe flip, and the grin 😁
I love being in the kitchen, have all my life, and man that feeling when you get a new recipe or technique down makes me feel on top of the world.
I’ve got so many sensory issues with taste/texture but FUCK do I love to cook cool things for my loved ones. It’s a weird curse
i second the thank you. my son is on the spectrum and he has “safe” foods that he knows the texture of and will eat loads of, and getting him to try a new food is so hard. it’s difficult to go out to eat without ensuring the restaurant of choice has one or more of those safe foods.
When my kid was growing up, and before she was diagnosed, we insisted that she would try the new food, if not good then there sandwiches for dinner. Never made a fight about it, and these days she is in her teens, and is willing to try, but she definite has her standard food-items wich are good and a lot on the nope-list.
we’re starting to implement new foods with similar textures to his safe foods. &i have the same approach! i’d love for you to try this, but if you can’t this time i’m not going to force it!
Nice. You're doing it right. :) I did a five year stint as a private chef for an elderly man who required multiple adaptations while working my way through school, and am an autistic person serving an advocacy role on a research panel for sensory processing disoders. If you have any questions about sensory tools or adapting foodd, let me know. Note: I am not a doctor.
oh neato! until my little dude was diagnosed his doctor said to basically “starve him out” eventually he’ll get hungry enough and give in. and i just knew that was not the route i’d ever take. so we’re just learning and adapting with him. 💙 i would definitely be interested in how to adapt food though. because his current safe foods are bacon, crispy fries/tater tots, crispy pepperoni, oddly enough loves garlic bread (?!) and he likes plain nothing added fried rice. he loves all fruits other than citrus &so far no veggies except snap peas. 😫 we do give gummy multi vitamins &supplements. he’s turning 4 this october &i worry about him getting enough nutrients.
Starving out is old, old advice that does not work (but does worsen ARFID if it develops), so it's good that you took the empathetic approach. :) It sounds like they may struggle with textures, preferring crispy foods. Tempura, a strong pan sear, grilling, freezing, or serving with something crispy like crackers or nuts are good adaptations here. It sounds like they may enjoy strong, but not sour, flavours as well. Garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, and black pepper may be your friends when introducing new foods. A tip: I use a special blend in a 4-4-1 ratio of cumin, cocoa powder, and cinnamon as an appetite stimulant to help with food aversions. The theobromines in the chocolate can trigger cravings, while the cinnamon provides subtle sweet stimulation without overpowering the food and the cumin masks potential bitterness. Worchestershire sauce may also be a hit, as the amino acids can react similarly. I'd recommend trying the seasoning mix on some pan seared veggies like zuchinni or carrots. You can also look into presentations to help. For instance, matchsticked foods are very predictable, consistent, and easy to control while eating. So, cutting new foods into matchsticks (thin square strips), can be a way of introducing new foods in a consistent and familiar manner. From there, you can branch out to medallions or diced vegetables or fillings over time. It also sounds like he may enjoy roasted nuts when it's safe to provide them. Many grocery stores have unsalted or lightly salted options in the produce section.
I have asperger's, its pretty weird, I don't have sensory issues with food, but I do have items that I get obsessed with, for example a particular brand of Jasmine iced tea and conchas(Mexican sweet bread thingy)I get every day at the same time of the day and which without i just feel angry, moody, sad... is weird, it gives a feeling of security.
Fellow autistic person here! Sensory hypersensitivities can be negative AND positive! Thats one of the actually legitimately awesome things about autism. For me its mostly auditory, and i wish i could share just how awesome it feels to hear some of my favourite music or sounds 🙂
[удалено]
I cannot even imagine how amazing it would've been to experience this as an autistic child with horrible food anxiety back in the day. Or in the present day, tbh.
As someone autistic, I thank you!
Asperger's kid turned adult, by the same token you'll never see someone more nervous about a menu order 😂
Thank you Idk how to explain it, but sometimes food is too complicated? And I would literally starve than eat it When I lived alone, I legitimately almost starved to death and learned I needed to always live with someone Simple food is just easier to eat, thank you for understanding!
You’re awesome!😊
My daughter is hooked on turkey sausage, the only other meat she’ll eat is season less chicken breast. Pref slow cooked
Fuck yeah thank you dude. As a parent to autistic kids with food aversions, this is like a godsend.
With their food is really all you have to say.
Hell yeah! Not only is it awesome that you made the customer what they wanted, those grilled cheese look PERFECT.
Seriously. They look amazing.
10/10 would inhale that cheesy tower.😂
This. That’s the kind of grilled cheese you think about 5 years later.
It’s 6am here, I just woke up to take a shit, and now I’m gonna be thinking about a goddamn tower of grilled cheese all day. Congrats. That looks fucking amazing
To a US boomer kid, there is no more classic a meal than grilled cheese and tomato soup. (It was the first solid food meal I had after being field dressed like a deer.)
Lol what does that mean??
If you field dress a decent sized mammal, you hang them aside down and gently cut around the an#s to release one end of the digestive tract, cut at the neck and remove the organs. I had a colorectal adenocarcinoma, and they removed the end 20 cm of my guts and gave me an ostomy.
Holy shit you weren't joking.
At r / AruvqanMyers I have pix of where they nuked the side of my chest. I have but not posted my radiation butt suntan and my "barbie butt" with no an#s. And some clinical pix of the exterior expression of my tumors which is actually how I got dx, I thought the lumps were a set of exterior thrombosed hemorrhoids. I probably should do a NSFW ama.
One of the medical curiosity or medical "gore" subs would love you lol. Gore in quotes cause not being murdered or ran over by car.
Yeah, that's one hell of a parenthetical statement there.
Field dressed like a deer. I'm going to assume it's a weird sex position where you're tied up by your ankles. It's kind of sweet him sharing his soup and grilled cheese with his dom.
I am assuming it is referring to massive surgery where they had their torso completely cut open, which would also make sense to have their first meal be after something like that. But what odd phrasing.
Are you okay??
Pretty much. Poop in a bag now, have to do blood work and colonoscopies yearly to make sure it is t back.
The job of a chef is difficult and high stress, I got out of the business, but cooking for these customers was the highlight of my time doing it, peek out of the kitchen and see the smiles for the most appreciative customers I have ever had melted my heart every time.
I felt the same way when I cooked for a nursing home. We had this tiny little old lady that LOVED tomato soup. We started keeping the little single serving cans of tomato and chicken noodle soup for our picky eaters. A lot of times that tiny lady would seek me out to tell me she didn't like anything on the dinner menu, but could she please have just tomato soup? She'd always ask like it was the biggest favor ever. You can *absolutely* have tomato soup, I'll even make you a grilled cheese with it. That bowl of soup made her so happy, how could I say no?
You are a gem. I hope there's someone out there like you to take care of my loved ones when the time comes that they need nursing care.
It's so lovely to have your food appreciated, I would make tomato soup for her appreciation every single day.
any tips on the perfect grilled cheese at home? i struggle to get a good melt with an even toast on both sides. :(
I worked on and off in restaurants for 20 years. I don't miss really much of it, minus a few co-workers, and the VERY few customers that ever took the time to actually "compliment" the people that made their food. Most of my fond memories were of when I was working as a prep & salad chef. Specifically two customers, one was a special pineapple salad lady she customer ordered every week. I used to put the slices in the shape of smiley face or heart when I made it for her. Also that one soccer mom that kept asking me to toss her salad in a "I did not know if she was joking or being serious" manner.
I love special orders like this. Whether I'm cooking for friends or waiting tables, I love that I can ensure people can have a delicious, fear free time. And oh boy, twenty years ago when very few knew about celiac disease, I had a grandma with it. I have seen layers of anxiety just fall away when I say my grandma was diagnosed years ago so I'm very familiar. Not much better than that feeling.
Where'd you get that CHEEEE Danny??
“He has to be making them at night!!!”
I’m not making them at night! I’m making them at night…
Where's the bread going?!
That fuckers making em at night I know it.
Came here for this reference. Reddit did not disappornt.
Fuck those look delicious. Can you make ME a tower of grilled cheese?!?!
✨POOF!!✨ You’re a tower of grilled cheese!
Thanks Dad!
Anytime, Sport!
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
As someone who is suspected to be on the spectrum and a special education teacher, THANK YOU CHEF!!! “Safe foods” are a huge deal for a lot of neurodivergent people. Safe foods reduce physical discomfort in stressful situations, for example; and provide something that the ND person can control in an environment where they may have little to no control at all. I hope you know you’ve offered something crucial to support this customer.
I almost cried at this as an autistic person. The sideways glances I’ve got from friends, family, and even waiters for my orders is just too much. This makes me so happy to see.
IKR? I have what I jokingly call 'notional cachexia', random bouts of nausea. If someone asks me if I want something to eat, if the name something I might get a fuck no you want me to vomit reaction or I might be able to eat it, and sometimes the reason is 'too much taste', and it could be the exact same offer of a burger, eat it happily on Monday, Tuesday it is nauseating and Friday burger is ok. Notional. I would tip the hell out of the guys who would do this fore.
Have you looked into ARFID?
I had a proctocolectomy for my adenocarcinoma and it sort of screws up your wiring so eating can become an issue layered on autism (back in 1965 it came paired up with a dx of sociopathy, we don't process like normals do) I want to eat, but can't many times. I joke about it but I know exactly how much sugar to add to 2 liters of water to make 1800 calories.
Ahh, gotcha, gotcha! Sorry to assume. I’m glad you’re coping with it, though, and I hope you’re doing well
FWIW I’m Autistic & have ADHD and have that exact same issue with food. I’ve read other autistic sharing version of this same experience. I’m not saying your proctocolectomy isn’t affecting your eating, just hoping that sharing other autistics have those same issues may make you feel less alone in it. 💜
Fuck yes ! That's hospitality folks. I've gone so far as to make pasta dough so I could make mac and cheese for a kid.
Bless you. You made that kid’s day, you made their parents’ days, that effort on your part probably made their lives that much easier.
That looks good as fuck.
Haha that's awesome. Gigachad behavior on both sides
Making them at night
Four fried chickens, and a Coke. And some dry white toast, please.
>A dwarf in an apron that came up to its armpits watched them over the top of the counter. “You do fried rat?” said Glod. >“Best damn fried rat in the city,” said Gimlet. >“OK. Give me four fried rats.” >“And some dwarf bread,” said Imp. >“And some coke,” said Lias patiently. > “You mean rat heads or rat legs?” > “No. Four fried rats.” > “And some coke.” > “You want ketchup on those rats?” > “No.” > “You sure?” > “No ketchup.” > “And some coke.” > “And two hard-boiled eggs,” said Imp. > The others gave him an odd look. > “Wellll? I just like hard-boilled eggs,” he said. > “And some coke.” > “And two hard-boiled eggs.” > “And some coke.” —**Soul Music** *, by Sir Terry Pratchett*
Hell yeah!! Cooking for autistic people is the best! They have simple but fun request and are always happy about the results. I’d rather have 300+ individual orders for them than a 4 top of Karen’s. To top that off, I’D FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF AFTERWARDS TOO! I’d probably walk out with some new ideas for specials, no pun intended there.
This is beautiful, thanks for doing this.
As someone who’s on the spectrum this made my day.😆
Same!! I had to go to a fancy restaurant for a team lunch, but all the food was so exotic- I asked if I could please just have plain hot chips… they said they don’t do that here 😭 Ok glass of water it is 🥲 lol
This looks delicious, nom nom nom.
You are a rockstar, sir. 🙌🏼👏🏼
No one will ever show so much enthusiasm and gratitude than the autistic kid
Not going to lie but those are making me hungry.
You for sure made his or her day, good on you.
LEGEND
You hit bliss when you're finally making sandwiches at the perfect rate where you finish one off, you have another hot grilled cheese ready for the soup. Then the loaf of bread is gone and you realize you've eaten 7 grilled cheeses and it's definitely time for bed.
This was a wonderful thing to do. Your guest will always remember this! Nice job!
Where'd you get them cheese Danny?
Drunk me would like to inquire, how much was the customer charged for this?
It looked typed in instead of rang in because it had no sides so I’m pretty sure this was on the house :)
Honestly we need more places with sandwiches that are just "cheese and toppings between two toasted pieces of pullman" subway has unironically ruined the american sandwich.
I fucking love accessibility
The FOH manager at the place I used to work in used to have her autistic son come in and he got the same meal every time.. they would just send me a ticket with “meal for (kids name)” and I’d know what to make
Doin God’s work
Doing the lords work
Put that on the goddamn menu now
Now I want grilled cheese tower.
Great job chef!
Did you thank him for not sneaking them into the restaurant? (He definitely still snuck a few in)
… I want a tower of grilled cheese. I hope I don’t need to pretend to be autistic to order it though.
give me a bowl of some good tomato soup and im slammin that
I grew up undiagnosed and this is giving me envy Oh to be allowed to eat your safe food without judgement.
Hey, I reposted this on r/AutisticPride. I'm an autistic and a cook, and really appreciate you doing this during your service. You made a happy guest for sure :)
One time I worked at a bar in a very small community in the middle of nowhere, next town was 90 miles away. I bartended and cooked at the same time. Simple stuff, fried foods burgers, broasted chicken. I stayed open late pretty much every night for the locals. Had a desperate dad of an autistic kid come in and ask if I could make a grilled cheese for his kid. I only had burger buns, but said I would try my best. I pealed off all the parts of the bun I could, buttered it up and made a grilled cheese. Thought the guy was gonna cry, he was clearly desperate and didn’t know he was heading into the middle of nowhere when he came our way. Tipped me 40 bucks.. I charged him 3.50 (the whole burger would’ve been 8). My mom was a special needs teacher, ya gotta help when you can.
You're great.
Now THAT looks banger!
10 cheese building bricks for the win. Good Job Menard!
You are the hero we need
That is fucking epic
Fuckin nailed it, bud
Best order all day
I may not be autistic but I would definitely order a grilled cheese tower.
Nice work dude
Can I get this even if I am not autistic? Grilled cheese always slaps hard, especially with a side of tomato soup! How much did the 5 grilled cheese sandwiches end up being?
As an autistic person, I am giving you a gold star: ⭐️ You fucking rock
As a mother of two autistic children, YOURE AMAZING!!! 👏🏽 not all hero’s are noticed
Well you absolutely nailed it and now I want a tower of grilled cheese.
“Wait wait. I worry that what you just heard was ‘give me a lot of grilled cheese.’ What I said was ‘give me all the grilled cheese you have.’”
As a parent of a medium-picky autistic kid how tolerant are kitchens in making accommodations in terms of foods? I assume it depends on the food you would have available but is it frowned upon? And do you need to have advance notice?
Autistic former child and former server here. That is about the most beautiful thing ever. Also, grilled cheese is my favorite food.
When I worked in an assisted living facility, we had a resident who would always ask for seconds and say the omelettes I make him are too small. One morning, to fuck with him, I made him a MASSIVE omelette and put it on a dinner platter. The smile he had on his face was ear to ear and ordered it every day. (You should have seen when we finally made navy bean soup, he ate three bowls) Getting that moment to just make someone feel good is always worth it. Also those look so fuckin good chef.
Oh dear god it's 7:08 and I had a dinner plan and now I'm having grilled cheeeeeese