reminder: sick people are annoying

and that's okay

The Hypochondriac, Thomas Rowlandson

This letter to Dear Prudence is almost a week old now, but I’m still thinking about it:

I like to host gatherings at my house a few times a year—think, BBQs in the spring/summer and informal dinners in the colder months. My long-time friend “Erin” almost always attends. About one-and-a-half years ago, Erin, following a doctor’s advice, went on a slightly restrictive diet to see if it helped with some medical issues she was having. I had plans to host a dinner a few weeks after she began this, but I was happy to make accommodations. Then, in the weeks and months that followed, she began modifying this diet—adding back certain things and taking away others. I learned that this was not on the advice of the doctor, but rather, her own internet research.

I have had two more parties since, and for each one, I had to check with Erin to see what her latest “diet” was. Now, I plan to host again for a couple of weeks, and Erin, of course, has new restrictions—t…