Makes me quite ill, has always been the case although I can eat cured meat such as salami, bacon and ham.
It is frustrating when we go to a BBQ and they have smoked ribs and all I get is a salad because almost everyone does pork ribs (we do beef but hard to find beef ribs with some meat on them).
Anyone else suffer from this, and I often get asked if I am jewish.
Not a lot of helpful posts so far, just folks talking about how they love "the pig" and how they think it is so wonderful. To those that suffer your symptoms, it is no laughing matter to be made light of at all.
In answer to your question:
Yes I would not say that it is common but it certainly is not uncommon either.
I am rather surprised that you can eat cured pig as you have described.
I am a lucky person in that my stomach tends to have what I call violent rejection of contents if I consume pig. (Think Linda Blair in the movie the "Exorcist" and the special effect they created with the split pea soup scene)
I have met several folks that have a much more severe reaction. Bloody mucosal diarrhea that can last for days. I have only had that one time when I accidentally got some bacon that was in a pureed paste form that I guess was absorbed quicker than my stomach could get rid of it (less than 1 teaspoon total). When I first discovered the anomaly, I would suffer intense stomach aches that would last for 2 hours or so and then the vomiting. As I got older the vomit was much quicker 15-20 minutes if I accidentally consumed pig. Since it is such a common meat and is put into so many products and dishes, one has to be very careful eating out and or ordering food as it amazes me how often bacon or some other form of pig is put in a dish. (clam chowder, green beans, turkey dressing, etc.)
Bottom line it is no laughing matter despite the comments that you probably get from folks. Unfortunately many people are just not aware of and have no understanding of the serious nature of what it does to some people.
There are many responses if people feel like being nosy. Pick the one that fits your personality.
If they push it then give them the "blow-by-blow" with vivid description as they are eating their pork sandwich or whatever. That normally stops it pretty cold.
