Food allergy vent
Jul. 22nd, 2004 03:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rootofnewtPeople who think most restaurants will (or even *can*) accomodate most food allergies amuse me. Mostly, I pity their ignorance.
High class (and highly expensive) restaurants which use the freshest, purest ingredients can sometimes be safe, if one calls ahead and speaks to the executive chef. I've had luck with pricey places, but I can't afford to eat there.
Your run of the mill chain or family restaurant? Good luck getting served if you have soy allergies or gluten intolerance. You might be able to settle for an undressed salad if you have a soy allergy, but if they don't have lemon juice, your salad will be mighty boring. Many places don't make their own dressings--they buy in bulk, and bulk dressings are almost always full of soy. Places which do make their own dressings often use salad oil or vegetable oil (soy-based) to extend their olive oil, if they use olive oil at all. If you're really lucky, you can get some unadulterated olive oil and some vinegar for your salad. Breads often have soybean added as oil, filler, or emulsifier--even if they make it from scratch in-house. And bread, of course, is not wheat-free or gluten-free, in most cases.
Meat? Sure, if you're willing to take the chance that it has no fillers and that the grill has no grill seasoning/oil on it. No marinade, no meat tenderizer (for the papaya allergic).
And what about those with severe peanut or tree nut allergies? Chances are, if a place has a secret recipe for their pizza sauce, they might not reveal that the pizza sauce contains peanut butter. They might not think about almonds being in the spinach salad. They might not have nut-free workspaces. It's possible a kitchen worker grabs bites of a PBJ sandwich in between salad prep.
Allergic to dairy? Cheese and milk sometimes show up in unexpected places.
Allergic to seafood? Better make sure your french fries weren't fried in the same vat as the shrimp tempura.
Allergic to natural rubber latex? If you live in a state where glove use is mandated by the state board of health, chances are pretty damn good you'll have a difficult time finding a safe place to eat. Latex gloves are cheap, plentiful, and easier to wear than plastic. So what if the workers are put at a higher risk of developing latex allergy? A lot of people don't make the connection. I wish I could convince VA to follow a few other states' example and discourage (or hell, this is my LIFE, how about BANNING) the use of natural rubber latex gloves in food prep. Yeah, it might make food costs go up, but I'd rather we have strict hand-washing rules or strict anti-rubber rules in place.
It's hard enough being vegetarian, but one makes allowances that there will be mistakes, mostly due to clueless folks who perpetuate the myth that vegetarians eat poultry, fish, bacon (bits), and other living creatures. We know that, and we expect it. I never claimed to have pork allergies when pre-food allergy... I knew that if I were given pork and didn't react, I could seriously endanger someone with food allergies. (Heck, she didn't react, maybe the next one won't, either.) Food allergies are often a life or death situation.
I've had more reactions than I care to remember due to careless or clueless servers and kitchen staff. I'm smarter now. If someone can't tell me exactly what is in a dish (and have it corroborated by another person), I don't eat. I have no qualms about pulling out safe food and eating it in a restaurant. If you can't feed me safely, I'm not going to sit out in the car and wait while my husband eats (He has to eat. He has hypoglycemia issues.). Relax, I'll probably order a drink and I'll even tip you for being honest with me. I'm sorry you have to wait on someone who's not order a huge meal, but that's just tough and the blame lies with your menumakers and kitchen supply person. I realize you can't recoup lost wages there, and I'm sorry for that. I've had friends try to kill me often enough, I don't need to pay for the favor.
High class (and highly expensive) restaurants which use the freshest, purest ingredients can sometimes be safe, if one calls ahead and speaks to the executive chef. I've had luck with pricey places, but I can't afford to eat there.
Your run of the mill chain or family restaurant? Good luck getting served if you have soy allergies or gluten intolerance. You might be able to settle for an undressed salad if you have a soy allergy, but if they don't have lemon juice, your salad will be mighty boring. Many places don't make their own dressings--they buy in bulk, and bulk dressings are almost always full of soy. Places which do make their own dressings often use salad oil or vegetable oil (soy-based) to extend their olive oil, if they use olive oil at all. If you're really lucky, you can get some unadulterated olive oil and some vinegar for your salad. Breads often have soybean added as oil, filler, or emulsifier--even if they make it from scratch in-house. And bread, of course, is not wheat-free or gluten-free, in most cases.
Meat? Sure, if you're willing to take the chance that it has no fillers and that the grill has no grill seasoning/oil on it. No marinade, no meat tenderizer (for the papaya allergic).
And what about those with severe peanut or tree nut allergies? Chances are, if a place has a secret recipe for their pizza sauce, they might not reveal that the pizza sauce contains peanut butter. They might not think about almonds being in the spinach salad. They might not have nut-free workspaces. It's possible a kitchen worker grabs bites of a PBJ sandwich in between salad prep.
Allergic to dairy? Cheese and milk sometimes show up in unexpected places.
Allergic to seafood? Better make sure your french fries weren't fried in the same vat as the shrimp tempura.
Allergic to natural rubber latex? If you live in a state where glove use is mandated by the state board of health, chances are pretty damn good you'll have a difficult time finding a safe place to eat. Latex gloves are cheap, plentiful, and easier to wear than plastic. So what if the workers are put at a higher risk of developing latex allergy? A lot of people don't make the connection. I wish I could convince VA to follow a few other states' example and discourage (or hell, this is my LIFE, how about BANNING) the use of natural rubber latex gloves in food prep. Yeah, it might make food costs go up, but I'd rather we have strict hand-washing rules or strict anti-rubber rules in place.
It's hard enough being vegetarian, but one makes allowances that there will be mistakes, mostly due to clueless folks who perpetuate the myth that vegetarians eat poultry, fish, bacon (bits), and other living creatures. We know that, and we expect it. I never claimed to have pork allergies when pre-food allergy... I knew that if I were given pork and didn't react, I could seriously endanger someone with food allergies. (Heck, she didn't react, maybe the next one won't, either.) Food allergies are often a life or death situation.
I've had more reactions than I care to remember due to careless or clueless servers and kitchen staff. I'm smarter now. If someone can't tell me exactly what is in a dish (and have it corroborated by another person), I don't eat. I have no qualms about pulling out safe food and eating it in a restaurant. If you can't feed me safely, I'm not going to sit out in the car and wait while my husband eats (He has to eat. He has hypoglycemia issues.). Relax, I'll probably order a drink and I'll even tip you for being honest with me. I'm sorry you have to wait on someone who's not order a huge meal, but that's just tough and the blame lies with your menumakers and kitchen supply person. I realize you can't recoup lost wages there, and I'm sorry for that. I've had friends try to kill me often enough, I don't need to pay for the favor.
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 01:03 pm (UTC)As for vegetarians... I've met vegetarians who turned out to eat more meat than I do. Now that I've see "Coupling" I am reminded of Jane, who says that vegetarianism isn't about saying no to things, it's about saying yes to things. Like meat.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 01:09 pm (UTC)I sure wouldn't put cheese on calimari and I'd think that would be menu-worthy.
I'm quite eager for FALCPA (http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-NG.asp?id=53664) to go into effect. I hope Bush signs it. It sucks that corn isn't included, but most corn allergic people know that just about everything pre-packaged is not safe. This should at least make it easier for restaurants to check their bulk products, although they often discard the labels, anyhow. *sigh*
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 01:16 pm (UTC)I'd noticed that. :) I just distinguish lest people think that I'm going to keel over if I eat the stuff.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 03:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 01:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 02:29 pm (UTC)And no one REALLY cares.
And then I get incredibly sick.
So, bleh on them.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 02:31 pm (UTC)Did I mention how bad seafood smells? And crustaceans smell the worst.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 02:35 pm (UTC)Thinking about that helps, actually.
*grin*
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 03:18 pm (UTC)The big stopper to fixing these kind of gaps, I think, isn't that of lack of concern (restaurant owners LIKE having more customers), or lack of knowlege per se, but the facility of managing the level of information involved, for a wide variety of possible allergies, is a not-small task. Basically, I think they'd need a full-on materials management program to do it, with basically day-by-day updating, since a restaurants suppliers will substitute at brand, product, and formulation levels, often without much notice. Order a five gallon carboy of "salad oil" and what comes may be anything from Wesson, to "Sysco Classic Brand" to generic rapeseed oil.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 03:44 pm (UTC)Have you ever thought about offering up your services as a consultant to the food-service industry? I'm only half-kidding--you've got quite a bit of knowledge on these subjects.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 08:45 pm (UTC)I was thinking the same thing, actually. A nice small chain of restaurants with decent pricing that were knowledgable about such things would be lovely.
Also, let me know if you're ever in my area so I can sic you on the emergency room folks at my local hospital. Damn latex gloves hanging on the walls next to my bed while I was already suffering breathing problems.. *mutter*
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 11:54 pm (UTC)I hear ya, though I usually do this:
"I can't have meat, dairy or eggs, do you have anything I can eat?"
server: "uhm... we can fix you a quesadilla without cheese or chicken... or the sour cream and bacon bits... if you want."
me: "yes please."
This mostly applies when at the chain restaurants my family favors, I like little hole-in-the-wall places that, at least around here, have pretty extensive vegetarian options - not the same with allergies, though.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-23 06:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-23 02:55 pm (UTC)And restaraurants are the worst. They won't tell you little things like "that vinegar and oil dressing has soy in it." Who would have thought??? Until they got sick, that is... Added sugar is another problem with eating out; you'll find sugar in all sorts of places where it doesn't belong... (spice rubs for meat, etc...) Just because the restaurant owner hasn't heard of a particular food allergy doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.