Random Thought

[debka_notion]

I just realized that I've almost never seen anyone deal with food allergies or particular diets in SF/F literature... One wonders how people would get by...

Comments

[shala.livejournal.com]

I have, but not often. However, main characters in two of my SF TV shows (well, both of them are Stargate shows) have allergies. Of course, they're set in present day. But one of the characters has a fairly serious citrus allergy, and he's almost always asking before he eats unknown stuff whether it has citrus or not. So there's a good chunk of fanfiction for that one that involves allergies and how to deal with them.

I've definitely seen stuff in both genres that deals with the issue, but I couldn't for the life of me say what. Plus, one figures that in most SF worlds, they've advanced in the future far enough to deal with food allergies and the like to the point that nobody makes a note of it.

[doctor-nine.livejournal.com]

What about Klingons and their preference for food that's still lively enough to bite back?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Esmay Suiza, in Elizabeth Moon's Serrano/Suiza books, comes from a planet where there are religious restrictions on diet, although she abandons those restrictions when she leaves home and joins the military.

What'shername, the black Intelligence officer in Thendara House, is vegan, also for religious reasons.

I can't remember any specific food allergies anywhere, though. This seems odd, especially since one would expect humans to develop allergies to the kinds of synthetic foods that people eat, say, in the poorer worlds of the Firefly 'verse.

[carnilius.livejournal.com]

Vampires definitely have food restrictions.

Only blood, must be living, depending on your world you have the garlic issue...

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

Forget food allergies. How do all those SF/F characters go for months or years without going to the bathroom?!

(That aside, good point. Hmm.)