What's for dinner?

I remember a time when eating was enjoyable and having friends
over for lunch or dinner was a simple pleasure.  While having
friends and family over is no less a pleasure, it sure can get
complicated.  When I was young, seemingly no one had food allergies.
There might have been the 1 or maybe 2 kids that were allergic
to peanuts but that was it.  And everyone could breath…I don’t
remember kids running around with inhalers or going to the nurses
for asthma medication.  (But that’s for another post)

So many people now have so many different food restrictions due to
disease, allergies or weight loss regiments, that it becomes
virtually impossible to have more than a couple people over for
a meal and meet all dietary needs.  Lets say you have a couple over
with lactose intolerance and another with Crohnes disease allergic
to shade plants, and another whose following the eat for your blood
type diet and wants everything organic…..what do you serve?  That
doesn’t even address the pickiness factor of any children involved.
My child for example as far as cheese goes, only eats Kraft
individually sliced American cheese.  I tried getting the same
cheese sliced fresh at the counter and she could taste the difference.
I even tried the individually sliced organic version and she tasted
the difference. What difference you might ask?  She could actually
taste the absence of certain preservatives present in that horrible
pre wrapped cheese.
Honestly, I don’t entertain often.  But have any of you ever felt
the added pressure when entertaining to meet everyone’s dietary
needs or do you just take it in stride?  Are the days of dinner
parties over and potluck gatherings becoming the norm where
everyone knows there will be at least one dish they will be able
to eat?