When Gal Tshnieder returned to Saba Surf and Coffee, the West L.A. café he co-owns, he was greeted by fans filming TikTok videos and customers treating a neighborhood coffee run like a celebrity sighting.

"Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an allergy to mammalian meat (e.g., pork, beef, and lamb), dairy, and by-products; most cases result from lone star tick bites. … In 2022, up to 450,000 persons in the United States were estimated to be affected. … Based on … blood donor samples collected during 2024–2025 from 10 states, the estimated alpha-gal IgE seroprevalence was 24.0% in the five states with the highest seroprevalence (Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia).”