Mum-to-be sparks debate online after exposing restaurant’s ‘messed up’ mistake: ‘It's not right'

A Perth mum-to-be has sparked debate online after exposing a Fremantle restaurant’s “messed up” mistake when assuming her dietary needs as a pregnant woman. Brittany Terenowski, 31, took to TikTok to explain the misstep and implored her followers for opinions on whether her anger was warranted or if she was “taking it the wrong way”.

“I am 23 weeks pregnant,” Terenowski said in the opening of the video, which has now been viewed more than 44,000 times. “I went out to dinner to an Italian restaurant with my sister last Friday night … I ordered a side of these chips that came with crispy prosciutto on top. So the chips came out and there was no prosciutto.”

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After asking a waiter about the missing ingredient, she was shocked at the response.

“This young male waiter goes ‘yes usually they do but we made a change because’ – and he rubbed his belly and looked at me,” explained Terenowski. “So we decided that you shouldn’t eat that and we just took it off the item that you ordered without telling you, asking you, discussing anything with you."

Doctor gives green light for prosciutto consumption

The TikToker explained that her obstetrician and doctor had deemed the cured meat safe for her consumption.

“(I’ve been) making safe choices with those professionals, who are professionally qualified to do so,” she said. “I’ve been eating prosciutto and cheese and poached eggs because it’s actually fine.”

Terenowski added that at the end of her dining experience, the restaurant – which she did not name – charged her the full price for the chips, despite the removal of the “expensive” prosciutto.

Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle Australia, she said the incident made her feel "uncomfortable and a little frustrated".

"Looking back now I wish I had said something to the manager as I would hate for another woman to experience that," Terenowski said. "I think restaurant staff are not qualified to do this ... it's controlling.

"I would maybe understand if I was ordering raw fish in a sushi restaurant but even then, I would expect a conversation first, not just them making the decision and removing particular items without telling me and then charging me full price. It's not right."

Restaurant misstep sparks debate online

The incident fuelled an array of differing opinions in the video’s comment section, where followers were seemingly divided on the subject.

“That’s really sweet he was thinking of your baby,” one follower wrote.

“Maybe they’re protecting themselves from a lawsuit,” a second commenter suggested, while another said, “I think they’re just being considerate”.

But several followers agreed with Terenowski’s description of the event as “messed up” and shared similar stories.

“I saw a post in a girls group yesterday that a Maccas worker refused to sell soft serve to a pregnant woman,” another shared, while a third commented that the restaurant “had no right”.

“I had something similar happen to me at a steakhouse, they questioned me when I wanted steak cooked medium,” said another follower.

“I had a lady at the pub refuse to put salt on my chips because I was pregnant,” someone else chimed in.

Fertility specialist weighs in on cured meat debate

Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle Australia, Women’s Health Melbourne gynaecologist and fertility specialist Dr Rebecca Mackenzie-Proctor weighed in on the topic, explaining that food safety in pregnancy was something to be discussed with a lead maternity carer at the beginning of pregnancy.

“Different foods will have different effects at different times in the pregnancy,” Dr Mackenzie-Proctor explained. “Cured or deli meats are thought to have some potential risks in pregnancy if they are considered ‘raw’ or unpasteurised. Most of these risks are mitigated by good food hygiene and heating food above 75 degrees.”

She continued to explain that the reason for caution was based on the potential for raw meat to carry bacteria such as listeria or salmonella which could cause infections in mothers as their immune systems were altered in pregnancy. There is also the potential for exposure to the parasite toxoplasmosis gondii, which can pass to a growing baby through the placenta while failing to show symptoms in the mother.

“But cooking at high temperatures reduces this risk,” Dr Mackenzie-Proctor said. “There has always been a lot of discussion regarding health and safety for women in pregnancy and a lot of fear around doing the right thing. It is important to be well-informed but also have common sense.

“Pregnancy and the neonatal time can be hard for women, without the added pressures of society making judgements. If you are concerned, then it is important to see help in a supportive manner. If you have family members in this situation – never assume. They have a pregnancy, not an illness.”

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Dr Mackenzie-Proctor added that while heating cured meat almost completely mitigated the risks of transmission of bacteria and parasites, it was important to ensure meticulous food hygiene was maintained throughout pregnancy, regardless of eating out or at home.

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