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When I find something I like to eat, I tend to sick with it.
So, as I’ve discussed before, I tend to get identified with what I eat at
certain places.
The Noodle Man at the Chinese place near my wife.
Mr No Time at the Chinese place near where I work as I always get my food
to go.
The Muffin Nazi by my wife for saying “Ve Must Haf More Blueberries in the
Muffins!”
I don’t really mind.
I find it funny.

Today, however, was strange.
On Thursday it is my habit to go to the Whole Foods market for lunch as
well as getting something nice for dinner to bring home in the evening.
My favorite of their lunch foods is their panini sandwiches. As they
always have ones with cheese, I ask for the cheese to be taken off.
(Sometimes there is so much cheese this is impossible. But, often it is
just peeling it off before they grill it.)
Often the same few people are working the deli counter there when I go and
know I will ask for the cheese to be taken off.
Today, a new young man was there.
“Hi, can I have one of your pannini of the day with the cheese taken off?”
I asked.
“You’re him!” he said. “You’re mister no cheese!
“The others told me about you, but I didn’t believe it. They said ‘how can
you not know him, he’s in here all the time?’”
“I come in Thursdays at lunch,” I said. “I don’t think that counts as all
the time.”
“I didn’t think mister no cheese was real!”
“So, can I have one?” I asked.
“Yes, of course!” he said. “I’ll take the cheese off.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I only ask became I am allergic.”
“Pannini no cheese for mister no cheese!” he said.
“I’m going to wait down by the sushi,” said and walked off until I saw it
come out of the grill.

Is it really that hard to believe there is a regular customer allergic to
milk? I don’t mind being Mister no cheese. But, I do mind a bit when
people fail to believe in my existence.

It seems like such a strange thing not to believe.
If he was told “that 48 year old fat guy is a sword fighter on weekends”,
OK, I’d get that.
Or, “he plays with fire too!”
Or “that guy who’s guidance counselor said he wasn’t smart enough to be a
garbage man is the head of mechanical engineering for a giant robot freezer
development project”, I’d get that too.

But, “once a week a guy comes in here and asks for a sandwich without
cheese.”
“No way!”
Is that really difficult?