3. Lie about allergies
Speaking of allergies, there’s no need to invent one when you want something removed. It sounds like it’s fake but some people would actually lie instead of just saying they do not want bell peppers in their dish.
The anxiety of thinking you are going to be refused is nothing to laugh at, but at the same time, there’s no problem in saying you want an ingredient out of a dish. Just tell your waiter and they are going to tell the kitchen, most places will accommodate your wishes as long as it’s not something outrageous like basically changing the whole recipe.