Allergies & Restaurants

[SAMIAM]

I have posted in my kitchen a newspaper account of a woman who went for lunch with her daughter at an Italian restauant in Mass.She told the waitress that she was allergic to pine nuts and were there any in the sauce.She inquired with the cook,the answer was "no" so she ate the special and choked to death in front of her daughter.The cook was mistaken. I'm sure,by now,the lawyers are flying in lazy circles over that restaurant.
We often have people with allergies asking about the ingredients in certain items and in a busy restaurant it is almost impossible to track down a recipe and the person who made it (they may be part of the prep crew and already left) We frantically tried to accommodate a woman,the other day who was allergic to egg products and after checking,I thought....what if a cook used the same knife to cut something with eggs in it....or what if some egg product remained on a cutting board ....or the gloves of a line cook?
This all happened at a very busy time and was pretty disruptive,as well as risky for us.
What if you had a shellfish allergy and a cook happened to cook your french fries in the same fryer that had been used for clams? The possibilities are endless.The point of this post is this...if you have any serious allergies,don't put your health or your life at risk in a busy restaurant.My advice is to bring in a dish that that can be baked or microwaved in it's own container and you'll find that most restaurants will be glad to accommodate you.

[Newbiesaukee]

Unfortunately, what adds to the difficulty is the great number of people who are not truly allergic to an ingredient but just don't like it. For too many the easiest way to deal with it is to say "I'm allergic to ....." These individuals know they are not allergic and they make it more difficult for the truly allergic as the restaurants have to cater to their wishes rather than their needs.

[twoplustwo]

Peanuts, pine nuts, wheat, eggs, shellfish-free, gluten-free, the requests are numerous; it's hard to cook for people without killing them anymore

I wonder when they'll figure out what is behind the enormous increase in anaphylactic responses to certain foods.

[vmartino26]

Our grand daughter is four years old and has a peanut allergy. She's up with us in NH quite a bit, and eating out is really a difficult problem. We tend to go to "mom and pop" type eateries where an owner may be present. Restaurants of this type usually can answer questions factually because the owner in fact may be involved with the food preparation. We do have the needle with us just in case, however. It's also difficult when we travel to craft fairs and the like where food is often times on display and available for tasting. That can be quite a challenge. Likewise with ice cream. The Dairy Queen in Laconia is about the only place we've had success purchasing some pre-packaged ice cream for her. Other places are a gamble. Often times the ice cream may be okay, but the scoop will have been in contact with ice cream that contained peanuts or nuts, and then it's a problem. I suppose bringing pre-packaged food is one answer, but I'm not sure it's a good long term answer.

[BeaverIslandGuy]

Originally Posted by vmartino26

Our grand daughter is four years old and has a peanut allergy. She's up with us in NH quite a bit, and eating out is really a difficult problem. We tend to go to "mom and pop" type eateries where an owner may be present. Restaurants of this type usually can answer questions factually because the owner in fact may be involved with the food preparation. We do have the needle with us just in case, however. It's also difficult when we travel to craft fairs and the like where food is often times on display and available for tasting. That can be quite a challenge. Likewise with ice cream. The Dairy Queen in Laconia is about the only place we've had success purchasing some pre-packaged ice cream for her. Other places are a gamble. Often times the ice cream may be okay, but the scoop will have been in contact with ice cream that contained peanuts or nuts, and then it's a problem. I suppose bringing pre-packaged food is one answer, but I'm not sure it's a good long term answer.

Our son has a treenut allergy, and has been diagnosed for about 4 years. We eat out quite a bit and have not had any issues, but we are careful. My recommendations are as follows:

1) Stick to restaurants that are smaller and more in control (as vmartino suggested). You can generally feel better about their answers. That said, SIA is correct that kitchens are busy places and you cannot always be sure to get a correct answer.

2) Think about how what you are ordering is prepared. When out, we stick to more basic foods (pasta with butter, plain cheeseburgers, etc) to avoid the cross contamination issue that SAI is MOST CORRECTLY worried about.

3) for icecream, we warn the server about the nut allergy and ask that the scoop be washed before it is served. Stick to toppings that cannot be easily contaminated (whipcream, cherry, etc). No mix-ins Not foolproof, but an extra precaution. I like the pre-packaged suggestion.

4) Most importantly, we know how sensitive our child is to the various allergens and adjust our ordering accordingly based on what we see on the menu. We don't even allow treenuts on our foods (like walnuts on salads) to avoid cross-contamination.

5) Never introduce a new food at a restaurant to a child. for our daughter, even once she was three, we waited an extra 4 weeks until we returned home to try peanut butter in our controlled environment where we could observe for about 2 hours after the introduction.

6) We always carry an epi-pen and all adults we are know we have it (in case one of us is in a bathroom, etc). That pen can give us the time between incident and paramedics.

7) Finally, starting at about in his late threes, we taught out son about his allergy, what to watch for and tell us (severe itch and/or difficulty breathing) and not to eat foods that have not been checked or verified. He is really good about it.

knock on wood, we have not had an incident. That said, we owe a debt to SIA for bringing this up and noting that restaurants cannot be expected to be perfect. If allergies are severe, extra precautions need to be taken. I agree that most restaurants would be willing to heat up a dish or make a very basic dish (like pasta with butter, assuming pasta is on the menu).

[AKADQ]

Originally Posted by vmartino26

Likewise with ice cream. The Dairy Queen in Laconia is about the only place we've had success purchasing some pre-packaged ice cream for her. Other places are a gamble. Often times the ice cream may be okay, but the scoop will have been in contact with ice cream that contained peanuts or nuts, and then it's a problem. I suppose bringing pre-packaged food is one answer, but I'm not sure it's a good long term answer.

Thanks vmartino, we can also make your grandchild her favorite ice cream treat at DQ that doesn't have to be pre-packaged .
All our employees are trained for food allergies and we will take extra precautions when making ice cream, especially if someone has a nut allergy. There are other specific allergens other than nuts we can also check for if we have prior knowledge when placing your order.
Some customers ask for a manager or owner at our place when placing their order to be reassured proper care is given, which we encourage because we know how serious of an issue this is.
So enjoy your favorite ice cream treat and don't feel you have to limit yourself to just pre-packaged items. We do care at DQ !!

[michael c]

Originally Posted by BeaverIslandGuy

Our son has a treenut allergy, and has been diagnosed for about 4 years. We eat out quite a bit and have not had any issues, but we are careful. My recommendations are as follows:

1) Stick to restaurants that are smaller and more in control (as vmartino suggested). You can generally feel better about their answers. That said, SIA is correct that kitchens are busy places and you cannot always be sure to get a correct answer.

2) Think about how what you are ordering is prepared. When out, we stick to more basic foods (pasta with butter, plain cheeseburgers, etc) to avoid the cross contamination issue that SAI is MOST CORRECTLY worried about.

3) for icecream, we warn the server about the nut allergy and ask that the scoop be washed before it is served. Stick to toppings that cannot be easily contaminated (whipcream, cherry, etc). No mix-ins Not foolproof, but an extra precaution. I like the pre-packaged suggestion.

4) Most importantly, we know how sensitive our child is to the various allergens and adjust our ordering accordingly based on what we see on the menu. We don't even allow treenuts on our foods (like walnuts on salads) to avoid cross-contamination.

5) Never introduce a new food at a restaurant to a child. for our daughter, even once she was three, we waited an extra 4 weeks until we returned home to try peanut butter in our controlled environment where we could observe for about 2 hours after the introduction.

6) We always carry an epi-pen and all adults we are know we have it (in case one of us is in a bathroom, etc). That pen can give us the time between incident and paramedics.

7) Finally, starting at about in his late threes, we taught out son about his allergy, what to watch for and tell us (severe itch and/or difficulty breathing) and not to eat foods that have not been checked or verified. He is really good about it.

knock on wood, we have not had an incident. That said, we owe a debt to SIA for bringing this up and noting that restaurants cannot be expected to be perfect. If allergies are severe, extra precautions need to be taken. I agree that most restaurants would be willing to heat up a dish or make a very basic dish (like pasta with butter, assuming pasta is on the menu).

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I too have food allergies. It always amazes me the number of people who claim to be allergic to a certain food or a certain category of food , when after listening to them ,I know they are 100 per cent completly clueless !
Many people claim to have allergic reactions to certain foods simply because they don't like them . I hate mayonaise...It doesn't mean I am allergic to it, but many people ,for different reasons claim to have have allergies to food they are not TRULY allergic to .
while I believe that the United States is overflowing with idiots, I wish these people would simply go to a doctor and get an allergy test. I know they won't and the rest of us will simply have to put up with " THEM " . I have found that most ,not all, but most of the people who claim to be allergic to certain foods also could not name one other food in the "Group of foods " that they are allergic to .Many use this "answer" as a crutch or for attention...
When you are taking allergy shots 3-4 or 5 days a week to treat your allergies please tell me about it . until then I wish you would get some education as you are an insult to the many people who truly do have food allergies and make it that much more difficult for those of us when we visit a restaurant and to be taken seriously. There are not many things that would upset the ebb and flow of a restaurant than for someone to have to pull out an EPI-PEN and stab it into your own leg or one of your childrens legs.If you've seen it done you will know what I am saying .
thanks for listening.
your mileage may vary
Mike

[beagle]

My friend's son had a peanut allergy, and whenever they planned to go out to eat, she would call ahead at least the day before to ask about their ingredients and practices. That way, if the restaraunt isn't sure, they have time to check into it carefully. Saves time ordering once you get there too!
Thankfully, this boy outgrew his allergy once he entered high school and can now enjoy his reese's!

[donnamatrix]

Samiam: This happened to a friend of mine at a Legal Seafood in Boston about 1980. Really, going to a seafood restaurant was not the best choice as she is allergic to shellfish, but our client wanted to go to Legal. I don't remember what everyone ordered, but nobody ordered any kind of shellfish. However, my friend, after eating maybe two bites of her Dover sole (or similar) just keeled over. She ended up being taken by ambulance to Mass General, where she had to stay for a couple days. They were giving her shots of Compazine to stop her vomiting ... food allergies are terribly serious. I don't think the Epi-Pen existed back in "those days" almost 30 years ago. We think that someone in the kitchen had used a knife or utensil on scallops or other shellfish, and probably wiped it not washed it, before moving on to their next task.

I am also curious to know about the explosion of kids who are allergic to nuts in the last few years. What's that all about?

I am allergic to antibiotics ... let's not even go there!

[Irish mist]

I had an allergic reaction to jalapeno peppers several years ago. I had no idea I was allergic to them having not eaten them too much over the years. I ate a lot of jalapeno poppers one evening over several beers at a bar, and when the evening ended my right arm was itching like crazy. My whole arm had broken out in hives, Weird thing was it was just my right arm that broke out....no where else on my body.

No more poppers for me I'm afraid
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LOAN PROTECTION INSURANCE ADVICE

[hazmatmedic]

One of the first things someone is taught in the medical field, is when someone says they are allergic to something, is to ask, "What happens to you?"

Being allergic means many things. Anaphylaxis is the most dire form of an allergy and that basically means a life threatening emergency. Some have criticized others for lying about being allergic to certain substances. They may be but not to the point of anaphylaxis.

To have an allergic response, you must have been exposed to that antigen before. AT that point your immune response was primed and the next time you are exposed it triggers the exagerated immune response.

People have thought they were allergic to an antigen, but find out later it was something else. Case in point, a boy stung by a bee has a reaction after never showing one before. He gets stung a year later and nothing. It was deduced that the first bee had pollen which was introduced into the boy's system and it wasn't the venom or vector that caused it.

The moral of the story, test yourself. Michael c is right. Your life might depend on it.

[SAMIAM]

Scary story,DM.Shellfish allergy seems to be one of the worst.Had a customer once who's son cracked a lobster open at the table.....one single drop of juice hit his eye and it swelled up and closed his eye...can only imagine what would happen if he'd swallowed some instead.

[chipj29]

Thumbs up to this whole thread. Lots of good information regarding food allergies.
I do have the same question that twoplustwo asked earlier...why the sudden increase in food allergies, particularly among children? What has happened in the past 10-15 years to cause that?

[hazmatmedic]

Doctors and scientists have their theories, but no one can prove who is right.

Pollution, increased awareness, increased antibiotic use, decreased symbiotic parasites, food processing. The list goes on and on, but those are the highlights.