This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Notre Dame chapter.
After spending so much time this semester devouring gelato, I have decided that it’s time for a tribute. Dairy products form a huge part of both my diet and my life, and it hit me today while debating between a mozzarella and a Gruyere in the cheese aisle at Whole Foods that, for some people, these greatest of God’s gifts are a permanent no-no.
So this article right here? This goes out to all the lactose intolerant ladies and gents toughin’ it out every day.
You people know and you live the struggle. At the end of a long day of classes and school stress or at the beginning of a “long night of serious studying,” you can never know the comfort of a pint of Ben & Jerry’s as your only friend.
You can never, as I have this semester, know the mysterious thrill of ordering pizzas labeled only “four cheese” in the native tongue of whatever country you find yourself in. Of course, you are not always the one facing a disadvantage in this case, but you’re missing out on a thrill nonetheless.
On Fridays during Lent, I’m not entirely sure how you live.
From the prep lines of South Dining Hall to the kitchens of the world’s most Trip Advisor-recommended restaurants, lactose-heavy products comprise the bulk of my caloric intake when meat is not an option – and the fact that you struggle through those Lenten days without it makes you worthy of a type of praise I will never deserve. Show me a full-time vegetarian who’s lactose intolerant, though, and I’ll show you a liar.
(“What about vegans,” you ask? Well, questioner, vegans are crazy.)
And what do you people put on your cereal in the morning? I’ve seen soymilk before, and I won’t lie – it scares me.
In all honesty, though, the steadfastness of the lactose-free is enough to earn its bearers a medal. At this very moment, I am watching my lactose intolerant roommate cook herself a dairy-free dinner and struggling to keep from yelling out, “GIRL, I’M HERE FO’ YOU.”
Her dinner involves peppers or something else suspiciously green-looking. The injustice of it all brings tears to my eyes.
Of course, there are a few bad things related to dairy that the lactose-intolerant crowd gets the privilege of missing out on. You’ve never had to open a carton of expired milk and found yourself forever terrified of expiration dates less than 10 days from any given day of purchase.
When you see a small child lose her ice cream as it falls off the cone on a hot summer’s day, you have a justifiable free pass to laugh as much as you like. You don’t get to experience the joy of that ice cream cone, so no one thinks you’re cruel when you chuckle at another’s loss of such a happiness.
But for the most part, your dairy-free existence is a hard one, and I have nothing but respect for the lives you all lead.
People of earth and HerCampus, you may consider this article a virtual pouring one out – one glass of milk, that is – for the lactose intolerant homies. They’re working hard out there. Never forget.