Man allegedly recovers from peanut allergy, but choses to still call himself allergic. Then a missing pie complicates everything: ‘selfish’

A 22-year-old man recently found himself at the center of a social blowout after a comment about his medical history reportedly caused a stir at a birthday party, according to a Reddit post by u/Royal_Celebration494 in r/AmItheAsshole. The incident apparently took place at a gathering for a friend named “Sally,” which was hosted by an acquaintance named “Trish.”

The event’s theme was drinks and desserts, and trouble started with the food menu. The man has reportedly dealt with a severe peanut allergy for his entire life. According to the poster, two summers ago, he underwent a medical challenge where doctors fed him increasing amounts of peanut butter over three hours.

He passed the test and was told he had supposedly outgrown the peanut allergy. That same evening, he reportedly fell quite ill and vomited eight times in four hours, though he maintains this was likely due to a virus his sister had earlier that week rather than the peanuts.

He says it was simply easier to tell people he was still allergic

Regardless, the experience apparently left him with a strong aversion to the smell and taste of peanut butter, so he continues to avoid it. According to the poster, he often tells people he still has a peanut allergy, as it is easier to explain than the complicated reality of his medical history.

When Trish was organizing the food for the party, a friend apparently mentioned the peanut allergy in a group chat. However, the man reportedly told Trish not to restrict what people brought, but she apparently took it upon herself to ban peanut-based desserts anyway. During the party, he reportedly noticed that a specific chocolate peanut butter pie was missing.

When he discovered Trish had reportedly banned the dish because of his peanut allergy, he clarified that he had specifically asked her not to change the menu on his account. At that moment, a close friend allegedly chimed in and asked, “aren’t you not even allergic technically?”

According to the poster, Trish overheard the comment and loudly reacted in disbelief. The man said he tried to explain his situation in a half-jokey tone, hoping to de-escalate things. However, Trish allegedly accused him of being “selfish” and attention-seeking for telling her about an allergy she believed he did not have.

The argument reportedly caused a scene, and the man left the party early. He says he woke up to a flurry of messages from other guests. Some checked on his well-being, but many others apparently insisted he owed Trish an apology for what they saw as lying. 

Outgrowing a peanut allergy is less common than it may seem, as only about 20% of children with the condition lose it, according to NPR. Doctors typically confirm this with an oral food challenge, the standard way to rule out an allergy. However, the test is not risk-free, as about 14% of patients in one large study reportedly had mild or moderate reactions. 

One commenter argued that he could have explained he was allergic to peanuts as a child, apparently outgrew it, and now just dislikes them. Another questioned whether his vomiting episode was actually a reaction, noting that their own pepper allergy causes vomiting rather than anaphylaxis.

Others defended him, “NTA – you’re not even the one who mentioned the allergy.” However, another person argued that Trish’s reaction made sense, as people take allergies seriously, saying, “Of course she decided to avoid peanuts at all cost because you freaking told her you were allergic.”