Back to the U.S.

Here I am back in the U.S. again! I haven't been back in seven months, and I have noticed some food changes since I've been gone. For example, at Starbucks there used to be Madeline cookies that I could eat. They were the only possible eating option at Starbucks. Now the package says that they are manufactured near Almonds. Disappointing! :(

Have any favorite foods of yours or your child's changed recently?

French Experiences!

On a recent family vacation to France, there were a few food encounters that I found interesting. I tried to write down my daily food encounters on the trip. Here are my notes:

The first night I arrived in Cannes with my family, we decided to go out for dinner. It was already pretty late, and not a lot of restaurants were still serving. We found a few places in the same area that were still serving pizza, so we chose one and sat down. The server came over and I handed him my list of allergies. He went back to the kitchen to find out if I could eat there. He came back and said that they used peanut oil in everything, and there was nothing there that I could eat. That decided it. We had to find another restaurant to eat at.

We walked down to a restaurant a few doors down. I showed them my card and they said that I wouldn’t have a problem because they used olive oil. They said it was common to use peanut oil in this area though, so that was important to discover. I was able to get pizza with no problem.

Sometimes it takes a bit of patience, but eventually you can usually find somewhere that will be able to serve you. In Italy I have had a lot of good luck eating out. Since food is such a significant part of the Italian culture, it seems extra important to people at restaurants to find something to eat that pleases you. With my allergies, people have been wonderful. I have had very few if any places turn me down. Everyone seems to want to help me find something good to eat.

My parents wanted to take my sister and I out for a nice dinner at a highly recommended, award-winning restaurant that was right in the neighborhood that we were staying. We dressed up and headed out to the restaurant. We had made a reservation the previous day to sit outside on the patio, and had checked on my allergies. They were very nice and said that it would be fine.

July 10, 2010

Today I had a frustrating experience. I went out to lunch in Nimes, France with my family. We sat down at a pizzeria and looked at the menu. I was considering a mixed salad and a small dish of pasta. When the server came over to take our orders, he looked at my list and said something in French about how he could not serve me and that I couldn’t eat. He was so incredibly rude and not like anyone I had recently encountered in Europe. When I asked if I could talk with the chef, he said that he was the chef, which clearly he was not! His bad attitude and unwillingness to help me, took me by surprise.

In contrast, for dinner last night, we walked up to a restaurant and Avignon to look at the menu and the server was extremely warm and friendly. I showed him my card. He looked at it carefully and then said that it wouldn’t be a problem. We sat down at a table and had wonderful service. No one laughed when they looked at my chef card.

July 11, 2010

For lunchtime today, we went a restaurant with a fabulous view of the ocher cliffs in the background. I showed the server my allergy card before sitting down. He looked at it, laughed, then showed it to another man who also had a smirk on his face. They told me there was no way I could eat there. Another rude experience. We did find another restaurant that would serve me though, and had no problem with my allergies.

Tonight we went out to a restaurant that was aesthetically pleasing, but had terrible food. It also broke my dad’s rule of the nicer the restaurant, the higher the risk, since this restaurant was not incredibly upscale, but used peanut oil in everything. We ended up getting plain green salads and steak, since they didn’t need to use oil for either one. The steak was chewy, and I found a bug in my salad. The best part of the meal was the wine we got, a rose wine called Tavel, which is fantastic.

Traveling with Food Allergies

As I stand in the airport store, not one package is recognizable to me. My flight has been delayed ten hours, and I am stranded at the Rome airport ill prepared with nothing to eat. I scour the few shelves of packaged food and find nothing. They have no fresh food, and I end up with a Coke, water, and a sad looking apple with bruises and bumps included for a hefty price of almost 10 euros. This is not a good beginning to a trip as I quickly learn, and after this experience, I find myself more and more prepared as I continue my weekend and weeklong travels over the course of the year.

I have always been a traveler. I’ve had many opportunities to strategize and perfect the art of traveling with anaphylactic allergies. I’ve lived and traveled in both English speaking and non-English speaking countries. I have learned how to accommodate for what I may or may not find to eat, wherever I may go.

Since living in Italy this past year, I’ve become even better at deciding what I must do before leaving my apartment for a trip. I know exactly what to pack and how to pack it. I know what food will last and for how long. It is a matter of being prepared I have found.

Checklist for Travel:

o Pack extra of all medicines (especially Benedryl and Epinephrine)

o If overseas, make sure to carry a doctors note stating that you need all of your medications, giving you permission, incase you are stopped at the airport

o If flying, call ahead to ask for a peanut free flight

o Pack hand wipes to clean hands before eating and to wash off the seat on the plane.

o Pack snacks to get through the travel period

o Pack multiple copies of your Chef Card

Part of traveling is never knowing exactly what will happen. For Allergic Reactors like myself, this can pose as a very tricky situation. No matter how prepared, there have been many times where I have not been as prepared as I believed that I was. Sometimes I feel like I can be overcautious with what I pack and the amounts to which I pack (mostly medicine and food), but more often than not, is better to be over prepared than under.

I also don’t like to limit my travel experiences. I try to go where interests me, and figure how to go about getting there and staying there safely. When I was living on the east coast of Australia, I decided to do some traveling to the Whitsunday Islands over a holiday. My friend and I booked a three night, four day excursion sailing around magnificent islands. It was an incredible experience sailing and visiting mostly uninhabited beaches for those days. It was also a bit nerve racking for me with my allergies. I brought some food, but it was a fairly small boat, and only about ten of us on board. The cook on the boat was happy to keep my food for me, and to tell me every ingredient without fail. He was very careful with cross contamination, and seemed to understand any concerns I had. It was not an easy experience for me though. Every time it came to eating, I was a bit more tense, but it was an outstanding trip, which I can’t imagine having missed because of my allergies.

Whenever I go hiking, I feel that same tenseness. Sometimes it is easy to let your mind wander to “What if…” scenarios. “What if I have an allergic reaction on top of this mountain and no one can help me and my epi runs out and I die.” In reality, I am just as safe, if not safer than the average person going hiking. You could fall and break your leg or get a snakebite and be in danger too. If someone has an allergic reaction, and doesn’t know they are allergic, they won’t have epinephrine. I carry multiple epi pens, I bring my own water and food and hand wipes. I am careful, but I can enjoy myself.

No matter where you go or what you do, there is always some risk attached. As an Allergic Reactor, the best way to avoid as much risk as possible when traveling, is to come prepared.

All By Myself

There is a time when every parent has to let go, and allow their child to go out on their own. A few days ago I went out on my own without any friend or roommate. I was craving some gelato on a beautiful, warm and sunny day, with no friends around.

I walked down to my neighborhood gelateria. I gave the woman my allergy card and then explained in Italian and hand motions to wash the scoop. I wasn't sure about the word for 'under' in Italian, to explain to scoop from underneath to make sure there is no cross-contamination. When I went for a run that morning, I remembered noticing a sign for an underpass, and hoped I had understood the sign correctly. "Sotto" I said, hoping it meant under. I was correct!

I successfully bought my second gelato all by myself! :)

Another Day Trip, Another Experience

I spent the day in Austria on Sunday. As awesome as it is to say that I can spend the day there, it is also just as difficult to deal with another countries language and food differences. Of course, as always, I packed myself a mini-picnic of snacks. I did not anticipate eating anything there, since I didn't have a way to print out a copy of my German chef card (and the decision to go was made about an hour before leaving). I made sure my meds were in my bag, then headed out to meet my friends in the car to drive to Austria.

The drive only took us two hours out of our dirty, air-polluted city, and into some fresh Austrian air! There was a considerable difference when we opened our doors and breathed in fresh, breathable, healthy lung, smoke free air. It was amazing!

The air in my Italian city has been really bothering my environmental allergies and asthma lately. I am an avid runner, and when I go out for my run in the city, I can feel my lungs just trying to find fresh air to breathe. It is terrible!


Something that really stood out to me, was that I didn't see anyone smoking! Where I live, it is more difficult to find a person that isn't smoking, than that is!

Even as we walked by cafes, I didn't have to pass through any clouds of smoke!

When my friends were finally hungry, we found a restaurant for dinner. All I ordered was a drink, but I didn't mind because I had been snacking all day!

Even with a spontaneous day trip outside the country that I live, I can still figure out ways to make my allergies work, and not stop me from doing what I want!

Out to dinner!

Last night I went out to dinner at a restaurant called Rosso Pomodoro (Red Tomato) for one of my friend's birthdays. I had been to the restaurant once before when it was extremely busy. That night they were afraid of cross contamination, so they told me I could order this massive ball of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. It was good (one of my favorite salads), but it was expensive, and not what I was in the mood for, especially when I heard the pizza was excellent there!

The restaurant is actually a chain in Italy, kind of like Olive Garden in the U.S., except classier, with real, fresh Italian food. I was hoping that when I went back this time, they would be able to figure out pizza or pasta for me. I found out though, when I tried to order pizza last night, that they use vegatale olio, which is not okay in Italy for people with nut allergies. The vegtable oil here, sometimes has nut oils in it, so you can never tell if it is okay or not, which is why I always have to avoid it.

I ended up getting a salad with chicken breast in it, which was good, but double the price of the pizza, and not what I wanted. This hasn't happened too often though, so now I know I just can't get pizza or pasta there! Lesson learned.

Severe Allergies Are A Disability?

I just finished reading this article on Capenews.net about a school that banned all nut products. The school has already taken precautions of 'nut free classrooms and lunch tables.' I am curious to know what parents think about this?

The ban was very controversial in the article. One parent believed that she was speaking for the majority by asking why her child couldn't bring a peanut butter sandwich to school. Others also agreed that it gives a false sense of security, because ensuring that it is nut free is impossible. I agree with this. I think it certainly does give people a false sense of security. No where will you find a definitely 100 percent guarantee that a place is allergen free. I think it takes away the responsibility from the child, and helps them to believe that in life they will always be in environments where no allergens exist.

Since I have always been the minority, having allergies since I was a baby, and not knowing anyone else with them, I was never raised in an environment with this false sense of security. If my children some day have allergies, I will also want to raise them in an environment where there is no false sense of security, and where they must learn to take responsibility. It is truly up to the parents to empower their children to learn how to take responsibility for themselves. If parents do that, then no matter where their child is, they will be safer knowing how to keep themselves safe, and by knowing what they need to do. Whereas if children are raised thinking they are always safe when they are not, and are not shown how to take care of themselves, then how will they be able to go out in the world one day on their own? Parents can not always be by their child's side every step of the way. They also need to learn to let go.

Educating people about allergies is important, and taking precautions is certainly significant. I think which precautions are taken is what is most important. Education is really the key to helping your child. It is the way to empower them!

One of the woman that was quoted in the article, also commented after another woman commented, how that woman in the article didn't understand. The woman in the article commented back saying, "I learned so much about these disabled kids and the lives they have to live. But I am just a normal person with normal kids, so it took a little bit of time." I have to admit I was extremely offended by this woman. Normal? Am I not 'normal' because I have allergies? These kids are 'disabled?' It doesn't sound like she has learned much since! She is someone who truly needs to be educated about allergies!

When I read this article, I was truly startled by the word 'disability.' I don't feel like I have a disability. Sure, I have something that I have had to learn to cope with, but never once have I felt like I am disabled in some way. I feel very lucky for what I can eat and do. I would never say that I have a disability though! I just don't think that is the right word, because I can still do everything I want to do for the most part. I don't feel any inhibition to do anything. I travel, I live in other countries, I work, I live a 'normal' life. Yes, I can't eat anything I see, but I don't feel disabled by that. Certainly I feel disappointed sometimes, but not disabled, because I know how to take care of myself, and I was given the tools that empowered me to believe that I can do what I want to do, allergies or not!