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I've asked for no "white sauce" (I'm lactose intolerant) on shawarma multiple times at multiple different shawarma places, and the reaction every time is a variety of "What!? Are you sure!? Do you know what you're doing?! Are you out of your mind!?" Is white sauce just considered integral to the shawarma experience, or is there something mysterious going on behind the scenes?

This is in Southern Ontario, Canada by the way.

jpdh
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    The "White Sauce" is called Tzatziki sauce, and in the Mediterranean setting (for which Shawarma and Gyro are common), it's made with from a yogurt base that was formed from either goat or sheep milk. You may not have the same reaction to this as you would with a cow dairy product. - as to why people are confused with your request, I don't know. Perhaps they feel the sauce is part of the flavor profile that is expected from a shawarma or gyro (I do, at least). But to each their own. – SnakeDoc Jun 24 '22 at 19:05
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    And not all are dairy based. The Halal Guys is Mayo, no dairy: http://secret-sauce.net/halal-guys-white-sauce/ – Joe Jun 24 '22 at 19:20
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    Are you sure it’s not tehini which is sesame and does not contain dairy (a little off white/ beige)? As @SnakeDoc said there is tziziki which is yogurt based. Disclaimer: I only eat schwarma at kosher places, so no dairy with meat. – Damila Jun 24 '22 at 19:37
  • @Damila Tzatziki usually is made with cucumber, dill and citrus zest (and some juice). The Halal Guys sauce sounds tasty, but does appear to be a different kind of sauce. Although these days, a Halal food shop/grocer that serves shawarma, gryo, kabobs and other things might have a variety of sauces available to accommodate everyone. Might be worth asking next time OP is at once of these shops. – SnakeDoc Jun 24 '22 at 19:41
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    Is there something you're asking here besides "why do lots of other people like this thing that I can't have?" People have food preferences, and I'm not sure what we can really tell you besides that. – Cascabel Jun 24 '22 at 20:04
  • @Cascabel Has a point. If you're just uncomfortable explaining or asking for no sauce each time, maybe just ask for the sauce on the side. Few would question that... then you can sample it if you want, or toss it if you don't. – SnakeDoc Jun 24 '22 at 20:10
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    OK, I'm in a different country, but the only thing I'd think was odd is you calling it "white sauce". "No yoghurt sauce" would be a perfectly reasonable request – Chris H Jun 24 '22 at 20:21
  • I don't see any way for us to answer this question. Short of someone coming along with you to watch you interact with the schwarma vendors, we can't know what's going on. – FuzzyChef Jun 24 '22 at 22:32

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There is nothing mysterious; the sauce does not hold the food together or keep it warm or some other such magic. Instead, the reaction you are getting is some combination of:

  • The people serving know how they believe shawarma should taste, and whatever this sauce is is an integral part of that (likely in texture as well as flavour; the shawarma I've had would be very dry without sauce).
  • Especially for food associated with a minority culture (this is shawarma being served in Canada), people can be resistant to changes.
  • The specific flavour is also tied to the identity of the food: shawarma, gyros, souvlaki and a doner kebab are all superficially very similar food items (roasted meat in a flatbread with some sauce and salad) but the specific details are what make them what they are.
  • They probably constantly serve people who ask for changes and then complain that the food is bland or tastes wrong, which means they want to make sure that you really mean it.
  • As with many non-corporate-chain fast food places, they are probably used to a fairly relaxed, jokey style of banter with customers. "Are you out of your mind!" might sound more extreme if you're not expecting that, but is likely just teasing.

Analogous requests (from the respective servers' perspectives) might be asking for no 'red sauce' on a pizza, no 'yellow sauce' on a hot dog, or no 'green sauce' with nachos.

dbmag9
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  • If the servers are middle-eastern, then that form of over-dramatic arguing with customers might be normal culture where they come from, even if you're not used to it. – Esther Jun 28 '22 at 19:02