DEAR HARRIETTE: I believe my friend, "Anna," is making up a dairy allergy. When we are at restaurants, she makes a scene about how nothing can be cooked in butter or coated with cheese. However, if we go out for ice cream or desserts, she has no problem eating soft serve and chocolate crepes! I would never call her out in a public situation, but I think she is just embarrassing herself by claiming to have a dairy allergy and not actually knowing what that entails. Should I let her in on what ice cream is actually made of or let this embarrassment play itself out? -- Attention Hog, Boston
DEAR ATTENTION HOG: By all means, pull your friend aside in private, and ask her if you can give her some feedback. It's good to get permission before you go in on folks so that they know some kind of criticism is on the way. Tell her that you have noticed how she dramatically points out the dairy products she cannot eat at restaurants, while she also eats other dairy items. Suggest that she figure out more specifically what her allergies are so that she can honor her body at all times. You can also recommend that she make a little card that lists her food allergies to give to the waiter when she goes to a restaurant so that the message gets across without the need to include members of your dining party in on her eating limitations.