Well, Jill got to the blog first, so she had the most to say on this topic, and rightly so.  It is her field.  However, that won't keep me from pointing out that a very familiar food intolerance is lactose intolerance, one which may be more familiar in this country than in Bulgaria because of our more diverse population many of whom have lactose intolerance.  If you have it, digesting a number of dairy products range from very uncomfortable to extreme discomfort.  Intolerance like lactose intolerance may not be life threatening but they can make you extremely unhappy for a while. Often food intolerance leads you to a distaste for the food.  It's also conceivable that a low cultural tolerance to "not liking" foods – a common idea in previous decades in this country, lead people to keep quiet about food intolerance and food allergies.  The topic is more acceptable here now.  Is there a cultural acceptance of food problems in Bulgaria?  Food dislike or avoidance was not an acceptable attitude some years ago when I lived in Germany.  War food shortages translated to a virtual requirement to eat every last shred of everything you were offered. Food intolerance existed, but you tended to hide it.