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I was reading Pete Wells’s comment from the per se kitchen during the Keller-Achatz dinner that when sent to inquire as to food allergies, captains reported that the first 8 tables, of 16 I believe, requested that the kitchen amend the menu for them in some way due to food allergies (I trust not simply preferences). The ninth table was probably a deuce. Pete didn’t expand on further requests. One of the requests came from the editor of a prominent food magazine.
One of my dearest friends got angry with me for sending him an article noting that so-called MSG allergies have been thoroughly debunked. He is insistent. What causes this irrational and senseless belief that our bodies react violently to any number of fruits and vegetables and livestock?
My favorite stories are from servers who tell of customers who claim to be allergic to dairy—so no milk, cream, or butter—and then order the cheese at the end of the meal.
People allergic to grapefruit? Or sweet peppers? Please. Fennel? Come on.
As Harold McGee writes in On Food and Cooking, an estimated 2% of the adult population have food allergies. I ate a handful of hazel and brazil nuts at a Christmas party last year and my arm grew hives, my head swelled up and I looked like a boiled lobster.
Seeds and nuts are common sources of allergies and can be serious, of course. Some people are allergic to gluten. Another common allergy is to egg white. And of course many have shellfish allergies.
When you have a food allergy it means that your body believes that something is attacking it and launches a response that results in everything from discomfort to shock.
But again, 2%. All other "allergies," my guess is, stem from ignorance and fear and a generally food-neurotic culture. I wonder if the French and Italians and Spanish, who tend to be so sensible about how and when to eat, report a similar incidence. Any servers reading this? I’d love to hear the best “I’m allergic to” story.
UPDATE: In comments, Anthony notes that people on statins shouldn't have grapefruit. I'll give him that–my dad was on statins and had the grapefruit issue. Another commenter notes it's possible to be lactose intolerant and still enjoy cheese; lactose intolerance isn't an allergy, though, and it's my understanding that it's usually kids who have milk allergies, though, as I'm sure is clear from my ranty little post, I'm no nutritionist.
ONE LAST THING: Many commenters are noting personal uncommon alergies (papaya, carrots)–if you do so, and know the actual substance with in the food causing the reaction, please note it.
I have a severe buckwheat allergy – there are several proteins that cause a reaction. If I eat buckwheat I end up unable to breathe. Each time I have a reaction it is more severe. This is fairly common in Japan but almost unheard of in the US.
I have to be careful with breads, pancakes, desserts, and pizza crusts. Usually I ask if the recipe includes any buckwheat or buckwheat flour – ‘multigrain’ flours are most often the cause of a reaction. I can’t sleep on buckwheat husk pillows or eat buckwheat sprouts either.
I don’t ask for substitutions. I just choose something else.
The last time this happened, I ate three bites of a pizza before feeling the reaction begin. The dough had been rolled out in a flour that contained buckwheat. It is scary. I don’t wish an allergy like this upon anyone.
I am surprised by the tone of this article Michael. Perhaps too many people are using the excuse of “allergic” for “don’t want” but that doesn’t mean that allergies are not a real issue.
I am not a sissy when it comes to food. But I have real allergies. Now, I admit, I will never have the opportunity to eat at Per Se, but my shellfish allergy is real, and potentially fatal. Yea, I have an epi-pen in my bag, but I reserve the right to eat out and not be served shellfish. The few tasting menus that I have had the pleasure of enjoying seemed happy to swap out the course [with advance notice.]
I am considerate otherwise. I don’t order anything that has shellfish as an obvious ingredient, but I do ask the server to confirm that there is no shellfish in sauces.
The only time that my inquiries didn’t help was when I ordered a special fish that only runs past Boston for two weeks a year. One bite and I knew I had made a mistake. Turns out this fish lived near the shore and ate, yup, shrimp. Obviously, the epi-pen and a very expensive emergency room visit mean that I am still here.
As much as I love grapefruit, I can’t eat it since it negates my anti-cancer drugs.
These are real issues and should not be belittled by someone like yourself who has a tremendous amount of influence throughout the food industry.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say “I’m allergic to that.” And then when you ask them what happens when they eat it, they make up some long-winded excuse about “Oh, well I’ve never tried it before, but…” In many cases (98%!) allergies are just an excuse for not wanting to try something!
It was great to see the comments by MessyONE about aspects of lactose intolerance and Kristi about Oral Allergy Syndrome.
On the one hand, we will always have to deal with the fact that humans aren’t so great at understanding cause and effect (as so often seen in fears of MSG, or in food poisoning claims — usually with the assumption that it was the most recent meal). On the other hand, if you have an unusual, genuine, allergy or intolerance (and the statistics indicate not many people do, all being relative), it’s difficult to convince people that yes, watermelon, chicken meat, uncooked tomatoes and avocado and apples (and more) all form part of one allergy (Oral Allergy Syndrome).
Allergies come in various degrees. I had a casein allergy for many years, but it was never to the point where I’d go into shock. Eating dairy would cause me symptoms similar to the sinus congestion a person feels with a really bad cold, and while I generally avoided dairy, there were times when I’d deem a dish to be worth the discomfort and have a bit of cheese or cheesecake anyway. I’d pay for it for days afterwards, though.
Like Lea above, I never got a lot of reactions from traditional scratch tests, and I’ve been exposed to something that caused my milk allergy along with a nice dose of chemical sensitivity that can affect the reaction to the food if I’m exposed to something else (perfume is a bad, BAD thing). As there’s no treatment for food allergies (unlike something such as dust or mold) “avoidance” is the only option.
I was at a tasting dinner the other day with other food writers from my city and two fairly prominent people at my table of 10 made special requests because of allergies – and one of these was an acclaimed local restaurant critic.
Are there people out there who lie to avoid something they think is yukky? Sure. But there’s also lots of people with genuine allergies of varying degrees.
Michael, you’ve obviously never had to sit helpless while your wife had a severe reaction because she didn’t know that something she’d eaten was cooked in fish sauce, haven’t had the feeling of being helpless while her entire face swelled, and watched her suddenly have difficulty breathing.
Trust me, have that experience once, and you’ll take allergies and sensitivities deadly serious.
I was a server in a Mexican restaurant several years back and was YELLED at by a diner for not informing her that there were onions in the refried beans… Allergic to onions? Please.
Freya, are you seriously saying that glucose is the same as lactose? Really? So you have never had a fruit or vegetable in your life? Never eaten any green plants? Seriously?
Glucose is the main product of photosynthesis. It is in every plant on the planet that has green leaves or stems. All animals have to consume it in one form or another to survive. You’d have died of starvation by now if you couldn’t have any glucose in your diet.
Food sissies, indeed.
I see I’m one of the few people here with no allergies, and for that I’m thankful. I used to be lactose intolerant, but that’s why God made Lactaid. Now it seems that the pain medication I take has reversed it. (It’s the only plausible explanation I can come up with. So…yay for heavy duty pain meds that have also ruined my short term memory?)
It never occurred to me that I could claim to be allergic to sauerkraut. Maybe I would have been spared all those years of people insisting that I just hadn’t had the good stuff. (Seriously, not liking sauerkraut when you grow up in Central PA is like being a communist.)
When I have a small dinner party (4-6 people), I ask about allergies and if there’s anything my guests will not eat. Why serve chicken if someone hates it? But when I was hosting a monthly dinner club, which included about a dozen people, I made it clear that allergies only would be taken into account. The same goes for Thanksgiving. Suck it up. If you don’t like something, there’s plenty of other food. I won’t make special provisions based on the dislikes of 15-20 people. For a guest to expect that, even if the guest is a good friend, is the height of rudeness. Lucky for me, my friends will eat almost anything.
I’ve long been suspect of the proliferation of allergies in this country. I’m convinced it’s a combination of people being culinary sissies and having legitimate allergies caused by the crap that’s in so much of our food.
An internship year of chopping, mixing and cooking at Hilton Harrisburg (4 restaurants, 200k banquet space) ended with me making two new apps a night for the sous chef.
Hey Pat. I’m originally from Harrisburg. Don’t you write for the Patriot News?
This appeared in one of my favorite blogs and I’m surprised it hasn’t come up yet here – it’s about how Israeli children who are fed Bamba, a peanut snack, as one of their first solid foods have far fewer peanut allergies than American children.
http://volokh.com/posts/1226381193.shtml
I have a little bit of sympathy for patrons who use “allergic” as a blanket explanation for avoiding certain foods. I enjoy eating adventurously but have “sensitivities”–meaning that during a scratch test, salmon won’t raise a welt, but if I’m served beef teriyaki marinated in nam pla, it will not be a pleasurable dining experience for my server, the other patrons, or me.
A visit to the allergist was a disappointment, as it’s not the type of histamine reaction they treat. I’ll leave out the graphic details, but eating the wrong thing won’t block my airway (so far), but will leave me abruptly unable to swallow, often swollen, and achy, lethargic and physically depressed for days afterward.
I wasn’t offered any medical advice by the allergist other than vigilance and avoidance. I don’t have the financial resources to pursue more treatment with specialists (or, honestly, the money for any drugs they’d prescribe).
Without any real medical guidance, it’s up to me to manage my intake responsibly for my own benefit and to avoid bringing unwanted drama into a restaurant staff’s evening. “Allergic” is easier to explain to a server than “I was overexposed to industrial solvents as a teenager and now have strange reactions to a lot of different chemicals/foods (fish & sulfites being the big ones). Their severity varies depending on other allergen/chemical exposure–so if there’s a high mold or pollen count or I’ve been sitting next to a woman with too much perfume, I may react to very small amounts that previously didn’t bother me in a big, embarrassing way.”
I love good food and have no urge to live in a sanitized bubble. I’ll eat anything I don’t think will make me react (although I’ll go slowly with new foods), but it can be difficult to track the ingredients list of every component of a recipe–I can’t use most siracha, canned/powdered coconut milk or basalmic vinegar and even most organic wines are out.
Most of what I know about my body’s tolerance has to be learned by braille: I can eat steamers (Ipswich clams to the non-New Englanders), but regular clams will make my face and throat swell a little and I’ve no urge to find out if I that reaction will increase in severity through repeated exposure. I can tolerate the level of naturally occurring sulfites in olives, but not the level in “no added sulfites” wine (“no detectable sulfites works ok”).
I might be able to eat shrimp, but they taste “funny” to me and I don’t want to find out that’s a warning sign rather than a personal preference–I thought I just “didn’t like” fish until several orders of very good tuna sushi caused a small reaction. Now, every time I’m exposed, it gets more severe. Is it fish oil? Is it mercury levels? Some specific protein? Who knows?
Believe me, I would love to be more specific about what chemical compounds cause me to react, but without a test to tell me or a pile of money to wade through the health care system until I can find the right test, it’s trial-and-error.
So when I tell waitstaff that I’m “allergic” to sulfites and fish, it’s usually by way of explaining that I’d love to order a dish, but need to know if it has things I shouldn’t eat in it, or a hope that they’ll catch something I didn’t–like the nam pla in their beef terriyaki.
I suspect, based only on my own experience and acquaintances’, that at least some of the people telling restaurants they have “allergies” have “sensitivities” and don’t just hold green peppers in contempt. Please cut us a little slack for being outside of convenient medical categories or unable to afford to pursue more specific cures. I want dim sum even if I have to try and dissect each recipe in my head: Jellyfish–ok. Chili sauce–probably not. Take one bite and wait. Slight flushing. Leave jellyfish to husband & friends and take refuge in another cha siu bao…
…but if I’m laying out a lot of money for a special dinner out, you can bet your sweet bippy I don’t want the experience ruined along with the restaurant’s tablecloth and I’m going to say “allergic” so they take it seriously.
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According to Jeffrey Steingarten’s “Salad the Silent Killer” in “The Man Who Ate Everything,” vegetables (not fruits) developed defenses that poison, inhibit growth, and prevent nutrient assimilation in those who eat them raw.
So cooked veggies are best.
Especially avoid raw broad beans, alfalfa sprouts & chick peas
Actually, this is reminding me that I haven’t been out for a Tasting Menu for a long time and I think I need to remedy that!
Put me in the column who say that I feel for anyone with a legitimate food allergy BUT stay home or order something you are not allergic to. I think that asking for a menu to be redone or dishes to be reworked to accomodate you is ridiculous. There is a reason restaurants don’t just publish a three page list of ingreients and say pick what you want and we’ll make a dish for you.
As a private chef with food allergies (diagnosed by a medical doctor) and who works specifically with folks with food allergies, I can tell you, they are very real. Some of the allergies I have come across seem very weird – potassium, avocados, quinoa, pinto beans – but, in our cases, blood tests have been done that prove that they are real.
Now, I will agree that many folks will use this excuse simply to avoid foods they don’t like. For example, one of my clients is “allergic” to mayo but not allergic to oil or eggs. Hmm…
But, the fact that some people say they are allergic when in fact they just don’t like something doesn’t mean that these strange allergies don’t exist and that they aren’t becoming more and more prevalent. I’ve seen and felt the reactions myself, and I’m willing to bet that that 2% number is waaaay off. Maybe only 2% go into shock but my understanding is that MOST people have mild food allergies to one thing or another.
So, yes, food sissies do fill tables everyday in restaurants, but so do us allergy-riddled folks.
Call me an asshole, but I spend most of my life as a personal chef carefully meeting my clients requirements, needs, and sensitivities. That’s my job and I do it without complaint.
But when I cook for friends and family they get what I make, if they have an allergy to shellfish they can simply not eat the Gamba de Pils Pils, if they’re lactose intolerant then skip the Pastitsio. And as for MSG, if you can eat tomatoes, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese then you don’t have an allergy.
I was a waitress for years and would never have assumed to know better than the customer about what they are allergic too. When you dine out you are paying for the experience and I would expect the wait-staff to look out for the customer.
My son has several life-threatening food allergies, so much so that one restaurant asked that we get him something from the health food store a block over, because they were uncomfortable about feeding him. I respected that choice and thanked the waitress, because she was honest. She would rather be safe and prevent my son from vomiting all over the place or from going into shock. We don’t eat out often (because it’s really not much fun), but when we do we expect the staff to honor our requests as they would honor anyone else’s. People don’t choose to have allergies. I find it sad that customer service is so poor that people would be so condescending.
And for all of you conspiracy theorists, get a life. Food allergies have been around for a long time and none of the pharma companies have a magic pill out yet. If you had any idea how difficult it is to deal with these allergies you wouldn’t make such naïve comments.
That Marco Polo thing blows my mind. I heard it from so many places over the years I just assumed it must be true – (and you know what they say about assumtions!!!!).
Now I have to go back and research the history of Italian (particularly northern Italian) cuisine and try to figure out how/why so many Italians have trouble digesting wheat.
Thanks for the info, BarbaraB!!!!
I am plagued with food issues (celiac, dairy intolerant, nuts=anaphlaxis=death), and have dealt with them by following a wholefood/gluten-free/organic/grassfed protocol at home, and the results have been amazing: After taking wheat out of my diet, for instance, my asthma and osteoarthritis disappeared in TWO WEEKS. Just disappeared. It blew my mind. Nearly all my inflammatory and autoimmune issues disappeared.
Here’s the thing, though: It’s so banal, boring, and RUDE to discuss bodily functions in mixed company. Just, ugh, RUDE. You don’t want to hear about my experiences with wheat gluten and explosive diarrhea, because that’s just gross. I don’t want to hear about what carrots do to your complexion. I especially don’t want to hear about it while sitting in a nice restaurant, about to blow a Benjamin on dinner.
It’s rude to make the rest of the world dance around our personal idiosyncracies. If a food item causes us or our children problems, even deadly risk, don’t bore the world with it, JUST DON’T RISK IT. Ask polite questions if we must, but don’t try to make the world spin in the opposite direction for our convenience. We are not the center of the universe.
There. Problem solved! I love solving problems. Next?
Joe LookatMe summed it up best. In a nutshell.
My wife is allergic to soy, mustard, tomatoes, rye (and many more). When she eats any of these things, she breaks out and throws up. Food allergies are no joke and at times I have to insist that she tell our server about them because she’s embarrassed about being perceived as “picky”. We have never had any push-back, looks of disdain by the restaurant because of this and I’m glad that they are so accepting, it makes the after meal experience all the better for us.
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It’s worthwhile to remember that most food studies are funded by companies that have a stake in the culinary (I use that term loosely) status quo.
I share Jared’s allergy to the urushiol in mangoes and poison ivy. Repeated exposures to poison ivy have made me more and more sensitive to it over time. After a particularly bad bout (my doctor said it was the worse case he had ever seen) I found that eating mangoes causes my lips to swell up. I love mangoes, I wish I could eat them, but it’s just not worth it.
I have a regular customer who swears she can’t have white flour, that she is severely allergic to it and can only have whole wheat flour. I haven’t broken the news to her that the wheat bread she eats has a blend of whole grain and white bread flour. Maybe I should rename it PlaceboLoaf.
“What causes this irrational and senseless belief that our bodies react violently to any number of fruits and vegetables and livestock?”
In my case, eating a bell peppers and vomiting 15-20 minutes after is a clear indication that enforces a belief that my body is reacting violently, because, well, it is. It sucks because I love gumbo and all manners of things that use bell peppers.
The problem is with communication. If I tell a waiter that I have a sensitivity to a food or that I have an intolerance, nine times out of ten said food gets included anyway because ‘a little won’t hurt’. They know the word allergy and they don’t like to get sued. I’ve learned to ask a lot of questions instead and examine menu items.
I don’t have a problem with spicy peppers, but bells and very mild other varieties make for a very unpleasant evening. And no, it’s not just ‘embarrassing gas’ it’s ‘oh fuck, are we going to make it home before he shits himself in the car?’
I think I’m allergic to beer. After a couple, I start to feel giddy. Then after a couple more, I start to feel bloated, and my nose starts to turn red. But you know what? I’m going to give it another chance.
)
Great topic.
An internship year of chopping, mixing and cooking at Hilton Harrisburg (4 restaurants, 200k banquet space) ended with me making two new apps a night for the sous chef. Great, except I had a hell of a time finding tasters … never imagined so many cooks allergic to this or that, who didn’t like tomatoes or mushrooms, wouldn’t touch cabbage (even in non-slaw form) or wouldn’t combine sweet and savory elements. Food Sissy Nation goes way beyond the dining room.
I have a serious anaphylactic allergy to mushrooms. I don’t like fish.
I ate once at Per Se, and not only was it the best meal of my life, everyone went out of their way to ensure there were no mushrooms anywhere near my food, including the chef coming out and explaining that he cleaned the grill and would cook my food on one part of the grill only.
I told them I didn’t like fish, had never tried oysters. They convinced me to try the oysters and simply substituted something else for any fish course.
I don’t mind telling a waiter when I don’t like something, but please don’t assume I just don’t like mushrooms. I could die because of that assumption.
If I eat broccoli, zucchini, summer squash, or spaghetti squash, I become so nauseous and gassy that I have to go to bed. A gas pill helps a little. So I avoid these vegetables, even though I love them. So how do I explain to a server that those foods make me sick? I just say I’m allergic to avoid all the discussion, but I know everyone thinks I just don’t like those vegetables. Like I have the palate of a 2 year old. It’s very frustrating.
If I eat broccoli, zucchini, summer squash, or spaghetti squash, I become so nauseous and gassy that I have to go to bed. A gas pill helps a little. So I avoid these vegetables, even though I love them. So how do I explain to a server that those foods make me sick? I just say I’m allergic to avoid all the discussion, but I know everyone thinks I just don’t like those vegetables. Like I have the palate of a 2 year old. It’s very frustrating.
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correction:
I meant to say in my previous post, “I don’t *dwell* on it.”
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There seem to be “real allergies”, “convenient allergies” and everything in between.
In my case, my one allergy is to either the antibiotics or the growth hormone in non-organic beef and non-organic cow milk. My allergy only occurs with beef. I have no reaction to eating non-organic pork, chicken, etc.
My reaction occurs after about 15 minutes and is rapid heart beat, sheer anxiety, and yet at the same time, an overwhelming desire to go to sleep. It feels like my body/mind is at war with itself. Once I’m asleep, it’s almost impossible to wake me up.
The last fast-food hamburger I had 15 years ago (brought home for lunch), resulted in sheer panic and my sleeping on the couch for 16 hours. I had finally pinpointed my problem. This allergy had developed over about 4 years. Prior to that, I could pig out at McD and BKing.
Has anyone heard of this before?
Rhonda, in her post, touched on this: “I think this all comes back to how our food is grown and what chemicals the farmers use. If the fruit/vegetable is covered in pesticide, or the meat is filled with antibiotics, etc., one would realistically develop an allergy to the poison and think that they are allergic to the actual food.”
It has not a problem for me to avoid eating non-organic beef and milk. I buy beef and milk labeled organic from Whole Foods or from local farms where I know the farmers and trust their word that they do not use hormones and antibiotics. I can get away with eating dishes with a little non-organic milk in it, but I can’t drink a whole glass.
My friends and family now serve me organic beef/milk *or* anything else (pork, chicken, fish, vegetarian, etc.). If a new host is serving me dinner, if I’m not sure of the beef, I can always eat other things. At first, I thought this would be an awkward time for the host and for me – - – that I would be embrassed and certainly did not want my host to feel badly, but it’s never really been an issue. No one has made a big deal about it. I don’t deal on it.
Last year, my husband and I ate at Alinea – - divine!!!! The waitperson said the beef might be non-organic, so they substituted something else.
More and more restaurants, although gradually, are serving humanely-raised, “organic” (in the logical sense, if not in the bureaucratic, legal sense), grass-fed beef. Yea for all of us!!!!
I am actually very grateful, in a way, for my allergy, because I now don’t put the antibiotics and/or beef growth hormones into my body or the bodies of my family and friends. It can’t be good for anyone, can it? Maybe I’m the canary in the coal mine.
However, after reading the other posts, I am now sorely tempted to proclaim I have an allergy to Brussels sprouts!!!! Who knew!?!
Dear Chefs Keller and Achatz:
I am grateful for the opportunity to attend your twenty course meal, but I am allergic to several foods. Could you please fax a list of all the ingredients to my attorney and doctor for review? After all, you are in the hospitality business and need to cater to me, me, me.
By the way, my daughter only eats macaroni and cheese. I trust this will not be a problem.
Kindest years, Joe Lookatme.
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It certainly appears to me that a lot of these allergies have become more prominent in the last few years. Perhaps they will all disappear after January 20? I keed, I keed.
I try to avoid bell peppers whenever I dine at any restaurant. While they are not a true “allergy”, they give me incredibly bad acid reflux that make the after-dining experience less than pleasurable and more painful than anyone would like.
@ Abra: I’ll say what you tried to imply ever so diplomatically: this is an American problem.
As an American and former celiac child myself, I think I understand both of those perspectives, and yet I still have to see this insistence upon recipe control (outside of true allergies) as another manifestation of the “customer is always right” power struggle that, here in Amsterdam, is pretty unheard of. Except from American tourists.
My point? I agree with the title of the post, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
I’m severely allergic to Chocolate. For me, and my mother, it’s the cocoa butter that does it to us. We go into anaphylatic shock if ingested or get horrid rashes/hives if touched. I also have an intolerance (note, different than allergy) to MSG – I get horrid migranes from MSG, which is a well known trigger.
I have had a number of people who think I’m just ‘pretending’ about my allergy and have tried to feed me chocolate because they think I’m faking or just ‘don’t like it’ – yea – I enjoy having my throat and airways completely close up !!
And I hate it when people pretend to have an allergy just because they don’t like a certain food – my FIL does that. I don’t like eggs or green beans -and you know what… I DON’T EAT THEM! It’s my choice! And I don’t make a big deal out of it. Even with my real food allergy I refuse to make a big deal out of it – a quiet comment to a waiter/waitress is all I’ve ever needed to do! I’ve seldom had an issue (a cheesecake coming sitting on a bed of chocolate syrup) and I’ve just learned to ask and explain and waiters have been more than accommodating for me! It’s all about approach!
Just to chime in… I agree with the skeptics. However anaphylaxis is no joke.
I have a anaphylatic reaction to Sunflower Seeds and Sunflower Oil. It is an adult onset allergy (hit in my early 30’s) and the allergist who confirmed the diagnosis said it was a new one on him. They didn’t even have a test for it, I had brought in the container of seeds that I thought had caused the reaction and they had to grind them up in a mortar and pestle to make a prick test.
I have never asked for a change to be made to food, I simply inquire weather or not there is Sunflower seeds/oil in something. This is particularly important and possibly frustrating for some waitrons/kitchens when I insist on knowing exactly what “vegetables” are in the “vegetable oil”. Usually the response I get is: “It isn’t Peanut”. If they cannot tell me what is in their oil, I make sure not to get anything with oil. As someone else has pointed out, it is our (the allergy ridden) duty to take responsibility for ourselves.
And to Kate in the NW, Marco Polo made the whole thing about noodles up. It is one of the oldest urban legends. There are pasta/noodle recipes/references in manuscripts from ancient Rome. If you are interested in the simultaneous evolution of Pasta in both the Italian and Chinese cultures I highly recommend the book Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food, by Serventi & Sabban.
A final little strange tidbit about allergies related to the same allergens found in disparate foods. The protein in peanuts that causes most peanut allergies is also present in Fava Beans. Many people who have reactions to one will have the same to the other.
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Me, I’m allergic to anything containing “mojo” or “voodoo.”
And also Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We Touch.”
Sometimes the honesty really is just too much.
hello?, cooking is personal. Been saying it for several blogs…now.
Nice if someone out there would gimme a wee bit of credit for that…. I know you do. Just joshing. Personal food vs Tribal food.
Other than that I just don’t know what’s going on around here any more??????
It’s all good guys…..But I sense crisis…no need to speculate… just that things are all off what passes for normal anymore…. Back when I can see clearly in an OBM future society/ or lack there off….
Some folks are talking that there is a puppetmaster out there cloaked in OBAMATION…shenannigan’s….
Heh. I work in a very hectic kitchen, and we get all manner of bizarre allergy claims brought to us, but my favorite by far was a recent claim by a diner of an allergy to salt. You mean the stuff that the cells in your body use to regulate water content? Must be a rough existence…
If you don’t want something, just say you don’t want it or order something else. It’s a bit dramatic to claim an allergy when it’s really just a matter of preference.
Personally, I have lamented my inability to enjoy grapefruit since being diagnosed with epilepsy and being prescribed medication that prevents me from eating it. However, if there’s something on a menu containing grapefruit, I don’t put in a special request, I just don’t order that item. Is that really so hard?
I got really, really sick after drinking a bunch of White Russians when I was 18. I think that means I’m allergic to Kahlua.
I think this all comes back to how our food is grown and what chemicals the farmers use. If the fruit/vegetable is covered in pesticide, or the meat is filled with antibiotics, etc., one would realistically develop an allergy to the poison and think that they are allergic to the actual food. I also agree with a previous poster about psychological association.
I used to be allergic to all types of food and now I am not.
Being allergic to chemicals is normal and prevents us from dying. If, however, you have a child that can only be within a 6 mile radius of anyone who has eaten peanuts within the last six hours, they are not going to make it within natural selection process and you should just let them go now before you get too attached.
I am only half kidding.
Guilty! I always say I am allergic
to bananas, kiwis, and mangoes. I’m
really not. They just make my stomach feel like I ate poison. I don’t break out, I don’t turn red. My throat doesn’t close. It’s just easier to say I’m allergic. Go ahead
and scold me, I can take it.
My wife developed a sudden allergy to oranges a couple of years ago. They had always been her favorite fruit, but one day, her face swelled up and turned red and scaly. We couldn’t figure out what happened, and it went away in a couple of hours, but then the next day she ate another orange, and it happened again, and then we realized it was the oranges. Strangely, limes and lemons don’t bother her, nor does not-from-concentrate orange juice from the grocery store, but it was shocking to see the sudden reaction she had to oranges after eating them her whole life with no problems.
Michael, Michael, Michael. I cringed when I read your opening paragraph, anticipating the onslaught of all kinds of negative comments from people. You are brave. I wrote a post on my own food blog, in discussing umami, about MSG and how every study has totally found it to be safe. I know people who will never listen to science and facts. They insist MSG makes them feel sick. The funny thing is, food manufacturers are basically still putting it in food all the time – under various other names. People eat it all the time and don’t know it and just feel fine. So much stuff is psychological. Enjoyed your post. Thanks for having the guts to write it!
I have Celiac Disease as well as several allergies and intolerances. I’ve found that with the CD it’s just easiest to explain it as an allergy. It’s simply beyond many people’s scope of understanding what an auto-immune disorder is. Telling servers it’s a severe allergy is simply easier. And yes, any gluten will have me in the ER.
I have an epi-pen for the allergies, and just try to avoid the stuff I’m intolerant to. Now, I also know that with my list, I almost always call ahead to the restaurant (at least 2-3 days ahead) to see if they can accommodate me. I almost never go out during peak times. I also have cards that can go back to the chef. I know I’m a pain to cook for with my list, so I try to make it easier for the chefs when I go out.
One of the best meals I’ve ever had was at a higher end place. I told the chef he could make whatever he felt like, so long as it fit my allergy list. He said he really enjoyed the challenge and a chance to be totally creative.
Nobody’s taken the sissy role so far? Then let’s confess: I was (and still am to a large degree) a sissy. At one point in my life I ate: no cheese, no vegetables (except potatoes and raw carrots and raw peas), no fruits (expect apples, pears and bananas), no salad, no acid, no sauces, no mushrooms, no ground meat, no bacon, almost no sort of sausage etc. Simply because I didn’t like it. And I had to endure endless variations of the dialogue:
“Why don’t you eat the beans? they are delicious!”
“I don’t like beans.”
“Are you allergic?”
“No. I simply don’t like.”
“Have you tried?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you at least try? How can you know that you don’t like something if you haven’t tried?”
“I can’t eat them.”
“What does it mean you can’t?”
“It means it makes me nauseous just to think of eating beans.”
“Ehm, what DO you eat then?”
I can understand everyone who takes the easy way out of such conversations by pretending an allergy. I never did. 15 years of sitting at tables and gnawing at a piece of bread (or eating pasta with butter) while explaining your eating habits and answering the same questions again and again.
Even worse is having to dissappoint and hurt your host who put all the effort in preparing a wonderful meal and now has a guest neglecting this for no other reason than “I don’t like”.
Pretending an allergy is probably more polite.
PS: I am eating beans now (and a lot of other things). They are delicious
I have an intolerance to high fructose corn syrup. It’s not an allergy, but it does screw my system up something fierce.
Thankfully this isn’t much of a problem with restaurants that prepare everything in house. It’s just a problem everywhere else.
I love broccoli but unfortunately, broccoli doesn’t love me. Is it an allergy? I’m not sure. All I know is if I get even a speck of the stuff, I feel like I’ve committed seppuku. Literally writhing around in a ball of agonizing pain. So I avoid it. A shame really, because I love a good Cream of Broccoli soup.
I only have one real allergy and that is to Escolar/butter fish. Believe me I wouldn’t have it if I could help it. That fish tastes so darn delicious and has the most horrifying side effects.
Cucumber – I like it but sometimes it gives me terrible indigestion. Most times I don’t care and eat it anyway, but sometimes I am just not in a resilient enough mood to put up with after effects and so would give it a miss.
The Frenchman I am close to doesn’t have any allergies I know of. But then neither does he have any qualms stating what he doesn’t like, which is a quite a few of the things you mentioned, funnily enough…
As a NYC chef, changes and substitutions don’t bother me too much. You are paying for my skills and expertise – you should get what you pay for. I do have one favor to ask – please come at a slower time. I will always try to accommodate special requests, but in the heat of a rush it’s nigh impossible sometimes. If you know you have food allergies, or even severe dislikes – letting your server know at the beginning of service is a huge help to all. If we are not slammed in the kitchen I will bend over backward to wow you – hey, maybe you’ll become a regular, but early knowledge and good timing are important.
Ok I get it.
I cook for a living, I’ve jumped thru every hoop on every ticket that has come in with FOOD ALLERGY printed on it. Is it sometimes a big pain in the ass? yeah, quite often in a scratch kitchen it is. It’s not as simple as leaving out a dash of kikkomans or worchestershire, because chances are, there isn’t any.
The truth of the matter is that it is definitely inconvenient to make these last minute changes, but, A) It’s what we do
B) I don’t want to do that trick with the bic pen on someone’s trachea, during a busy Saturday night service.
For those who suggested just taking a lactase pill for the purposes of solving the issue of lactose intolerance, please consider the other ingredients in those pills. I am lactose intolerant (congenitally so) but under stress, I also become protease deficient and sucrase deficient, so I have a multi-enzyme pill. The problem is that most enzyme pills contain glucose. So if I am under stress, I shouldn’t eat the yummy icecream because the sugar in it will have the same stinky effects as the lactose. Doesn’t stop me, on occasion, but I eat it knowing that I will suffer the effects (although I really don’t want to suffer the effects while on holiday and, for example, sharing a room… It’s not pleasant)
Michael,
Thank you for raising the allergy issue. I’m not a medical expert, but this is my understanding of allergies and sensitivities. A food allergy provokes an IgE reaction, which usually is immediate and can cause hives, swelling, and, ultimately, anaphylaxis. A food allergy can rarely be overcome. A food sensitivity provokes an IgG reaction, which typically is not immediate, and can occur up to 4 days after eating the offending food. An IgG reaction “usually” is less severe (usually no anaphylaxis), but can still be very harmful (migraines, vomiting, etc.). People can sometimes overcome IgG sensitivities by removing the offending food and then bringing it back it by rotating it (only eating it every 4-5 days). IgE and IgG responses are determined by blood tests.
Some people are not only allergic or sensitive to a particular food, they also are allergic/sensitive to the entire food family. The following link gives a good list of food families: http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/English/botanical.htm
So, if you have a problem with endive, sesame seeds may also be an issue because they are in the composite family (aster).
God help you if you have an allergy/sensitivity to corn because it is in everything. http://www.cornallergens.com/list/corn-allergen-list.php
Table salt has dextrose (look on the label of Morton’s), which is derived from corn–yet another reason for using Kosher salt or sea salt!
I speak from personal experience and no longer am able to eat out. I would never inflict my list of food sensitivities on the food industry. I do go into anaphylaxis over sensitivities. Last year, I was down to only 14 foods that I COULD eat. We have finally discovered that Lyme Disease is the reason for all of my food sensitivities, and I slowly am getting better. I have promised myself a trip to the French Laundry when I defeat this (it’s in the neighborhood), but it may be awhile. I hope that I will not have a list of prohibited foods when I finally get to visit the French Laundry, but I know that I will be in good hands if I do.
It is a rare privilege to dine out with severe allergies/sensitivities. We literally are putting our lives in the hands of others. Please don’t abuse that trust. This means that people who don’t have an allergy/sensitivity should stop claiming that they do. This also means that people who have allergies/sensitivities should not be “tested” by others. Yes, I might not have an immediate reaction to a food, but 3 days later I could break out into hives because of what you did.
I know that it is an inconvenience for the food industry or friends or family to have to deal with a person with allergies/sensitivities, but what is an inconvenience to you, is a lifelong situation for the other person. Imagine living a life without dairy, or gluten, or corn–some of the basis building blocks of the foods that we eat. And most of our entertainment is based on eating.
A few points.
I suspect that the point of Michael’s entry was not to call everyone who has legit food allergies “sissies.” So relax a bit. In his original post, he recognizes the fact that people do suffer… but his point(sorry to words in your mouth, Michael) was that 8 out of 16 tables requested amendments to the menu because of supposed allergies which is statistically improbable according to the stat he provided. Think about all the examples given by the readers… its one or two people that you/they know… not half of your/their friends… which would probably agree with the statistic. Personally, I can’t think of anyone I know who has food allergies.
In my humble opinion, if you have the privilege to eat at an event like that, you suck it up unless you have a serious allergy. Most, if not all, of my initial food aversions have disappeared in the past couple years due to me giving it another try.
On lactose intolerance… People actually lose tolerance as they age. Children typically don’t have trouble with lactose, but they can lose the ability to digest lactose (caused by a deficiency in the lactase enzyme) by young adulthood. And as most people know, people of Asian, African, Southern European etc decent are more susceptible to lactose intolerance. While Northern Europeans as less likely to develop it.
Unless a scientist happens to stumble upon a new finding, I doubt we’ll see much more about MSG and allergies. There has been very little published about the subject in the recent history mostly because the previous studies have shown no link between MSG and allergic reactions. Not calling those who believe they are allergic liars… just saying.
OKay, I don’t have time to read all the comments so I’ll just relate my specific cases – all of which, I think, deserve respect from kitchens and servers.
HOWEVER – these allergies and sensitivities are OUR responsibilities, and I’d never dream of asking a professional kitchen to alter their recipe to suit me, other than being open about what ingredients they use and, if they’re amenable, perhaps omitting or changing one ingredient (i.e., subbing chicken for shrimp) – and then only if it’s really no problem. Otherwise, we just try to order in a way that suits us.
I am mildly allergic to shrimp. I do not go into shock, but my face breaks out in oozing zits. Thus, I try to avoid it.
My father is deathly allergic to alcohol (long story involving exposure to weird chemicals over the course of a scientific career). Cooking the alcohol “off” doesn’t always work. He has been hospitalized several times by careless or sceptical kitchens.
My aunt – no joke – had some severe brain trauma (car accident) that screwed with her body chemistry and she is now VIOLENTLY allergic to tarragon. Just tarragon. No one knows why, but there it is.
My daughter is sensitive to gluten. We bring special bread for her when we go out to eat so she can still have a burger or sandwich or whatever. Yet I’d need more digits to count the number of times we’d ask a server “is there wheat in that sauce/cornbread/etc?” and s/he would reply “no – there’s some flour, but no wheat.”
Come ON, PEOPLE!!!! It’s a sad f-ing thing when you find out just how many people – people working IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY – do not know that FLOUR is made from WHEAT (and as a result my poor kid gets sick).
There does have to be a balance.
And by the way – Celiac (or other types of wheat sensitivity) is incredibly common in Italy (thus my daughter’s issue – her father’s family is Italian-American). Remember – noodles didn’t arrive there until Marco Polo – well beyond the period of evolutionary relavence for the indigenous Italian genome. In fact, celiac disease is so common in Italy that all children are screened by age 6 so that even asymptomatic disease is caught early.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/l41974513115v4v2/
I can understand a chef’s frustration with special requests, and people with food issues (whatever they are) should be respectful. You’d never consider asking a conductor to remove the violin from his orchestra just because you don’t happen to like violin. Nevertheless – people have to put the chef’s product in their BODIES, so they do have a right to at least ask. The chef can always say no.
Somehow, even with all these things in our family, we manage to eat at restaurants all the time and I don’t think we’re pains in the posterior for the chefs or kitchens. We ask about the wheat is all, and otherwise very seldom have to make a special request. Most menus are varied enough that we can all find something good on there. But we sure do spend more $$$$ at places that are well-informed and flexible about the gluten thing.
-
Every restaurant’s website should have a button to click called “Allergies & Reactions.”
Make a rez, click and complete.
BTW, Chris Rock is a comedian, what with the jokes and all.
So true. There’s a big difference between a real allergy and a personal preference.
If you want to make some knitters rabid, say you have a wool allergy.
How did people survive 100 years ago when you had to eat what was there and wear what you could? Did they all suffer in silence or just drop dead or mental anaphylactic shock?
If you want something special, just own up to it.
my last job i was working at one of the top kitchens in cleveland and on more than one occasion we had guest come in and actually say that they were allergic to any thing that was green. no kidding. we also had people that didnt like it when their food was touching. come on!
I know I’m allergic to MSG – the effects are immediate. First off, I go very hyperactive, almost like I’m an energetic drunk – very hyper, very argumentative. Then I end up running a fever – it’s like very extreme ‘flu symptoms – fever, aches and pains all over, sore, swollen throat, and a paranoid, neurotic mind which just won’t rest, so I’m very insomniac that night. The next day I’m fine. I know it’s MSG – I suspected it was, and whenever this has happened to me (more often than I would like) it’s always after I’ve eaten out somewhere and eaten MSG by mistake. Anyway, it’s not fun, especially for someone who spends so much time working in the Caribbean – seeing those little white packets of seasoning everywhere is like a red rag to a bull!
I’m allergic to mangoes, because mangoes contain a chemical similar to urushiol in poison ivy. This isn’t a big deal for most people, but if you’re sensitive to poison ivy (like me), you may have adverse effects from eating mangoes.
While allergy-free myself, I have 2 friends with very definite allergies.
One spends several DAYS vomiting if she eats ANY kind of seafood. It hit her 4 or 5 times in a row before she realized it wasn’t bad seafood she was getting — it was just the fact that it’s seafood.
Another friend gets those blinding 6-hour long migraines from MSG. He takes VERY seriously and not only won’t eat anything with “msg” on the label, but anything that says “other spices” or “hydrolyzed soy protein”, etc. )Who knew that every single brand of Tuna has added MSG except for Geish brand? Or that every single Heinz product adds flavor enhancers. Say goodbye to pretty much every bottled salad dressing.)
How do know this is a real reaction? Twice I’ve seen him get these headaches. Both times were within 2 hours of a meal and in each meal we tracked down an overlooked ingredient (once in salad dressing the restaurant swore was homemade but actually came from Sysco and once pretty much the same but with seasoned crawfish.)
Peter
http://www.FlashlightWorthyBooks.com
Recommending books so good, they’ll keep you up past your bedtime.
Glad to see that msg myth is mostly debunked. I don’t use it right now but I know it makes a huge difference to the flavor of food.Hmmn…maybe I can sneak it back into the food without the hubby knowing.
I have absolutely no allergies to anything at all and so admittedly have very little sympathy for those who do (except for the genuinely allergic).
I’ve also never sent anything back to a kitchen (including an absolutely inedible dish I had at a supposedly high end Chinese restaurant in Vegas).
The only time I ask for something to be changed from the way its been prepared it is if I’m going be in very close quarters with people for a while (and they haven’t “cancelled out” my onions & garlic by likewise eating it), or, I have to speak to a group – then I skip the onions & garlic (which I adore).
Oh, just found this on the World’s Healthiest Foods website (whfoods.com):
“Like avocados and bananas, papayas contain substances called chitinases that are associated with the latex-fruit allergy syndrome. There is strong evidence of the cross-reaction between latex and these foods. If you have a latex allergy, you may very likely be allergic to these foods as well. Processing the fruit with ethylene gas increases these enzymes; organic produce not treated with gas will have fewer allergy-causing compounds. In addition, cooking the food may deactivate the enzymes.”
I’m allergic to shellfish but I still eat it. I used to have some itchiness and swelling around my mouth and throat but now it’s very mild.
While some are very serious I think that a lot of people can build a tolerance if it’s non-fatal.
So I’m not the only one that uses this trick. I have been using the “I’m Allergic” ploy for years when it comes to Cucumbers and Coconut.
If you tell people you hate Coconut, they give you shit and act like you’re just and idiot, but if you tell them you are allergic, they get all sympathetic and just say “that is such a shame”
Works every time…..
At the risk of misquoting Chris Rock:
“No one in Rwanda is lactose intolerant.”
Let that sink in.
My Dad didn’t know he was allergic to papaya until he visited Hawaii and developed hives after eating it. He was told that papaya contains a chemical compound similar to turpentine and that some people react negatively to it. (My brief research on the WWWs proved inconclusive.) My dad is definitely in the “clean your plate, you sissy” category, so it was shocking for him to learn there was something he couldn’t eat. He later found out that there’s a component of gumbo file that gives him heart palpitations. Turns out that sassafras is the culprit. I’ve also read that it is now illegal to add sassafras to rootbeer because there are enough people who suffer severe reactions that it became a problem. Seems like maybe they could just not drink rootbeer.
As a child, I was diagnosed with multiple allergies to animals, food, etc, including wheat, eggs, and milk. My parents and I did not change my eating habits and today I can happily consume all of the above. Maybe the doctors overreacted. Maybe I just built up a tolerance through repeated exposure. Maybe I still suffer allergic reactions but I’ve gotten used to living with them.
I feel very strongly though that if you are going to pay $1500 for a dinner, why in God’s name would you dictate the ingredients? Isn’t the point of that dinner to experience the artistic creations of two masters? It would be like purchasing a painting from Picasso and asking him to use a little less blue. And if more blue would kill you, maybe you should go with Ansel Adams instead and not pay for the Picasso.
Marilyn,
I’m glad to read about the chicken allergy. My husband also has a severe allergy to all poultry, but can eat eggs. Like you, he carries an epi pen and must inquire about the components of a dish when eating out, especially soups and gravies that do not list chicken as an ingredient.
Weirdly, catfish causes the same symptoms.
He enjoys many foods and is not otherwise a picky eater. I cringed at the first comment by Kate F. I know my husband hates to make special accomodations, and though he is a devoted carnivore, he’ll often order vegetarian to avoid making a special request.
Does anyone out there know what is it in poultry that causes a reaction?
Sorry – but I am a pro chef and Bell Peppers make my mouth itch, break out in blisters and cuts off my airway. I typically use gloves when I cut them with gloves and do have a skin reatoin if I don’t wash them if I don’t – I take them a little serious. I worked at a hospital and was the communications guy and took pictures for docs that were wanting to learn more or publish – so I have seen some terrible reactions – the seafood ones were always very bad – MSGs never saw one, or documneted one – but do wonder about the ladies that eat at my club – one has bad reactions to fruit she says – but today she orders blueberry pancakes!
I have a sensitivity to taurine – which has comdemned my to a duck and goose free purgatory. I was unfortunate enough to discover this not long after I was introduced to the joy of foie gras – something I dearly love but for the fact that it makes me vomit violently and repeatedly. Apparently the taurine concentrations are higher in duck, goose and gamebirds. So, to keep a long story short I’m allergic.
After suffering for years with chronic bronchitis, I was diagnosed with asthma and was sent to an allergist who tested me for allergies. It turned out that I am allergic to chicken, though I can eat eggs. As I was eating chicken almost every day, I was having asthma attacks constantly. I stopped eating chicken a year ago and have had very few asthma attacks (still have other triggers) since then.
It is difficult to dine out as chicken and chicken stock is often used in cooking many dishes. As such, I have learned to ask questions and I always have an epipen with me. I miss my chicken, but it’s not worth having an asthma attack.
I can’t claim any allergies, but I do have huge problems with most kinds of fish. I simply get dry heaves, and on occasion vomit a little, when I try to eat anything from cod to salmon to swordfish.
I haven’t found any cause, but after trying and failing I’ve simply given up on eating fish.
Unfortunately this means I frequently have to ask for menu replacements or just forgo some dishes.
As a mother to a child allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and sesame, not too mention put on a strict diet by a doctor to avoid fish, shellfish and limited soy – I have to tell you I was dumbfounded when I read your article. For a man who is usually so knowledgable and aware – it was infuriorating to read about food allergies being belittled.
I nursed my daughter for over 16 months and so I had to keep to her strict diet as well. I often chose not to eat out because of the complications and demands it puts on the kitchen. However, at times, there is no avoiding it – as restaurants are at the center of many business meetings and social gatherings these days. As a nursing mother, I was allowed to cheat so to speak on a nibble of cheese her or there – but the goal was zero intake. Would I die if I ate that nibble of cheese at the end of the meal? No. Could it impact my daugther? possibly but no likely because I was so darn careful ALL the time.
Now, I agree that there are plenty of people out there claiming allergies when it is simply a preference and that is not such a good thing for those of us actually dealing with allergies – but I’d rather you take that bend on the issue rather than berating those of us who deal with life and death situations every time we venture out of our homes.
Wouldn’t it be nice if chef’s took it up on themselves to make ingredient lists available to patrons so we can choose from what is already on the menu based on what we can eat rather than having to ask for concessions?
My dad love mangoes, but he swears that he’s allergic to the sulfur in their peels. His friends suspect that it’s just a ploy to get someone else to do the dirty work for him.
http://www.teaandfood.blogspot.com
@Brad,
A couple of years ago, a 16-year-old in my area died after her boyfriend kissed her 4 hours after eating a PB sandwich. He knew she was allergic. He had brushed his teeth twice.
Those peanut-free zones may actually save kids’ lives.
It absolutely sucks, but at least the existence of peanut-free zones means that other kids can still have a PB&J for lunch.
On lactose intolerance…
I have been lactose intolerant since birth, which led my mother to some fairly creative cooking to get the calcium into me when I was a kid. Here are the rules:
1. Cooked milk is always safe. If you are lactose intolerant, a properly heated latte will not make you sick. Period. Neither will chocolate pudding, cakes, cookies, sauces, or any dish where milk is cooked. This is not fiction, and anyone who tells you that it’s not true is telling porkies.
2. Unripened cheeses will make you sick. This includes cottage cheese, mascarpone, some goat cheeses, mozzarella, etc. Aged cheeses are all right, as was pointed out by several posters.
3. Yogurt cannot make you sick. The lactose is “digested” in the souring process.
4. Lactose intolerance is a matter of degree. We all have different tolerances for it. For example, I can have milk on my cornflakes in the morning, but if I have a milkshake later in the day, I will be punished. Some people can’t even have cream in their coffee or milk in their tea. Go figure.
All of this is utterly meaningless, by the way. If you are lactose intolerant, go to the drug store and spend a couple of bucks on some Lactaid pills (no prescription necessary) and take a couple before you eat something that can make you ill. If you do this all the time, you will never get sick from milk again.
It’s that simple.
As to celiac disease – it’s not an allergy to gluten. It’s an intolerance like lactose intolerance but with generally nastier consequences. Right this red-hot minute, there is a supplement that works just like Lactaid (but for celiac sufferers) that should be on the market without a prescription in the next 18 months.
For those that get gaseous from raw veg, beans, etc., there’s been a product called Beano that’s been on the market for a couple of decades that works beautifully.
As an aside, I was at a restaurant in Canada’s capital lo these many years ago when a couple made so many changes and stupid demands to the server that the chef told them to leave. I have to agree. If you’re going to a restaurant to eat, stick to the menu and don’t whine if you don’t like what you see. It is the diner’s responsibility to ensure that the menu is safe for them, NOT the restaurants.
Sissies. You’re right.
There is something single people can do to help rid society of this problem once and for all. Don’t sleep with people who have food allergies. If we all stick to this simple rule, selective breeding may rid us of food allergies after a few generations.
On a more serious note, I don’t date women with food allergies. I also don’t date vegetarians or vegans. One should not limit the food they love because of the people they love.
GREAT post, Ruhlman.
My mom is a school nurse, and they have peanut-free zones at her school. Kids who eat peanut butter sandwiches have to sit in their own special section. Some schools have simply outlawed peanut products. This is the rare of the case of the tyranny of the minority. What is the world coming to?
@Chris
Your drink order at Starbucks does not make you picky. Far from it. A picky person would only get a hot chocolate, tea, or equipment from Starbucks as their drinks are mediocre at best.
@Darcy
Yes Starbucks is happy to cater to your needs and wants. So is Burger King and Subway. The point is I’m not asking for special orders at a good restaurant or a good coffee house. I understand you can’t have dairy, but I’d much rather have good coffee or a good espresso then the drink you ordered. Soy milk + sugar free syrup = I’ll have something else.
Amen
When I was a personal chef in the US I seldom had a client that didn’t claim to have food sensitivities and/or allergies, which is probably why they sought out a personal chef.
But since I’ve been living in France I’ve been amazed to see the difference. I always ask guests, before planning the menu, whether there are foods they can’t or won’t eat. I’ve almost never had a French person make any special requests, and mostly they look at me like I’m slightly nuts to even ask. In my experience the French eat everything, and they clean their plates with enthusiasm.
And sometimes I think for people who have certain diets for religious reasons, it is sometimes easier to say they are allergic to pork/shellfish/etc. to make it very clear that they can’t have any, even if it’s a hidden ingredient, such as biscuits made with lard or something like that.
My mother claims she is allergic to lettuce. I think it is all in her head. It is quite embarrassing when eating out with her as she is quick to point this out to waiters when ordering a meal.
I think her problem with lettuce stems from the fact she has crapped her pants a few times after eating it, and instead of risking another incident, she sidesteps the issue by claiming an allergy. I think she needs to see a doctor specializing in digestive issues.
My husband has a sensitivity to papain. Not an anaphylactic-level allergic reaction, but it’s bad enough that we have to make sure his contact cleaning fluids don’t use it as part of their enzyme structure or his eyes get red and watery and itch horribly. He also can’t eat papaya without feeling ill and having his joints ache as compensation for his time.
I also have friends who have sensitivites/allergies to various fruits. They are not lying about them. Some can’t eat raw fruit but can eat cooked. Some are so bad that cooked fruit will still cause their lips, tongue, and throat to swell. I remember one friend who discovered that raw strawberries had started causing her problems when they hadn’t prior to that moment, but she figured out the shortest length of time she needed to microwave them to break up the substance causing her reaction by trial and error.
Agreed. A lot of people say “allergy” when they mean “I don’t like it” or “some article I read said some people might be sensitive”.
Nevertheless, I am also amazed at how some people’s bodies do respond positively to changes in diet. In ways that are not, precisely, allergic reactions. One friend of mine discovered that her arthritis basically goes away when she avoids wheat – and accidental and unknown ingestion of wheat has caused reversals in her condition.
Me? I’m absolutely allergic to maple syrup, which I consider a curse. The stuff tastes great. But I get hives, headaches and otherwise.
And, I came down with heart disease in my 20s. The same sort of stuff that happens to some old folks in their 70s. Research has shown that people like me DO respond well to dietary changes.
So: I am an unwilling vegetarian, and on a non-fat diet. Following that slowed and reversed my heart disease. Failure to follow that causes heart disease to progress in me.
It isn’t an allergy, and if it weren’t for the medical stuff, I’d eat whatever I could reach.
On two quick asides: When I read Elements of Cooking, I dreamt of veal stock for TWO DAYS. Really.
And if you see Michael Symon, tell him he has my permission to gut the producers of Dinner: Impossible if they deny him pork again.
(Also, no blog entry on your most recent visit to Iron Chef America? Bummer.)
Many fruits, vegetables and nuts make me itch and swell – I wasn’t born with it, they’ve all developed in the last 5 years or so. Once something is cooked (e.g. pineapple, or nuts in baked goods), I have no problems.
So, yes, I’m allergic to avocado and watermelon, among other things. And I LOVE avocado and watermelon.
I’m slightly offended at being called a sissy, when in fact I do have a genuine physiological reaction to certain foods.
However, I do see your point regarding “allergic” vs “don’t like”, my mother says she’s allergic to mushrooms, when in fact she just doesn’t care for them.
please note that the grapefruit reaction is not with all statins. It is not an issue with Crestor. Another thing, just as lactose intolerance is not an allergy, neither is gluten intolerance. The big difference is that there are no remedies for gluten intolerance (coeliac disease). Coeliac’s must avoid all wheat, rye and barley products, and oats should be limited to less than 2 oz. daily (oats does not contain glutem, but does have a similar protein that can be tolerated in small amounts) Of course people with lactose intolerance can usually enjoy dairy simply by taking lactase enzymes with the lactose and can enjoy cheese, yogurt and goat/sheep milk products. There are however a small number of people with true casein allerhies (the protein in cow’s milk) and they cannot have dairy in any form.
Other than that nut, peanut and shellfish allergies are truly the ones to be concerned about, most other unprocessed food allergies are rare, or minimal in their symptoms (and most are simply people deciding they are allergic to things they don’t like). It should be noted that certain artificial red and yellow dyes can produce allergies, particularly tartrazine (FDA yellow 7 if my memory serves correctly)
Grant Kinsley
But I do wonder about people who spend 1500 on dinner, knowing menu and the raison d’etre of these two cooking styles, and still requesting substitutions. Isn’t the idea of such an evening to give in to the chefs and their every dish? As a diabetic it would never occur to me to ask the kitchen for a replacement dessert – in all the years I have been eating my philosophy has always been ‘if I cannot eat it I will not order it’
The thing I’ve been told my my allergist that causes the papaya reaction is papain — a natural protease in the fruit. A lot of raw food allergies, I’m also told by my doctor, are cross-pollination-related, and that many are tied into being allergic to birch pollen. So, it’s more of an allergy to birch pollen (or other forms of environmental pollen), so that after cross-pollination, the fruit or veg becomes a vehicle and a trigger.
I think it almost goes without saying (but I will, anyway) that the more our environment changes, and the way food is grown and harvested changes, the more sensitivities, allergies, intolerances, and reactions we’ll likely see.
I’m allergic to mangoes. Loved them as a kid, didn’t eat them for about ten years and then had one that made various glands swell up, including in my throat, blocking breathing.
I’m not faking! I wish I could eat mangoes!
When I was growing up, my best friend thought I was making the fact that I’m allergic to most raw fruits and vegetables to avoid eating vegetables.
Which would have been really clever, had I thought of it, but it’s an allergy I share with my brother and mother to varying extents. Of the three of us, I’m probably the least sensitive (to eat a raw peach makes me feel as though I have hives on the inside of my mouth and throat) of the three of us.
I’d love to know _what_ it is that we react to. It’s not berries or leafy vegetables, but pretty much everything else – and I’m most allergic to the skin and flesh near the skin of raw fruits. We have no reaction to cooked fruits and vegetables. (My brother is probably the only person in the world who will microwave and then freeze a banana so he can have a banana smoothie).
It won’t kill me, but it sure takes any pleasure out of eating fresh fruit.
Oh, and I do like onions so this is not a case of me simply not liking the food and being averse to trying it again.
Flying the red eye home from Atlantic City I had the regulate peanuts on the plane and 5.2 minutes after arriving hubby was snoring soundly. Still being hungry i grabbed a banana and also fell asleep. Within 1 hour my itchy palms woke me up, and then the itchiness proceeded up my hands and all over my body. Barely able to contain my angst I taxied over to the hospital and by the time the triage nurse saw me I could barely breathe. It was not the peanuts.
After forty years of loving bananas I developed an allergy to raw bananas : however I could eat them cooked, or dried. Not only did I become allergic to Bananas but the tests also showed me allergic to Latex which is where the banana skin and tree is somehow related.
I, however, have never showed any reactions to anything latex which includes just about any and everything ie band-aid, condoms, gloves etc
every 6 months I test myself and it is like the roll of a dice: one time allergy one time not…
@Beth
Perhaps you’ve been misinformed. A lobster is most decidedly a crustacean. If you can eat lobster you are not allergic to crustaceans as you say or have been told. Also a squid is not a crustacean, and would not be included in your allergy. Perhaps you should find a new doctor who knows the difference between the things you supposedly have reactions to.
I do know the science about MSG, and in fact do eat MSG-containing foods with relative impunity most of the time, but there’s definitely something that gives me that “face buzzing” sensation in the maybe 20% of MSG-containing dishes that triggers it. High dose? Contaminants among the MSG powder? I dunno. (Out of curiosity, do the scientific experiments debunking MSG effects use the cheaper commercial brands or a more laboratory-pure substance?)
Like many commenters above, I developed a reaction to a certain food (onions) in my late 30s’. I do not tell anyone I am allergic to onions as I do not have a deadly reaction to onions, more of a reaction that makes me sick with gastrointestinal issues, a fever and pain for 2-3 days after I accidently ingest onions. Not allergic but I do need to avoid them. I’m always tempted, however, to tell servers in a restaurant that I am allergic just so I can be sure I’m not being served something with onion in the sauce or base and the server lied about it in order to avoid dealing with me.
And, I too use more than 3 words to order my latte at Starbucks but that’s just because I want it extra-hot and non fat. I don’t think that qualifies as picky, especially at Starbucks!
Eating should be pleasurable. If a type of food would make the diner unhappy – why wouldn’t you (as a chef) want to know that in advanced? Cilantro turns my wife’s stomach. The taste makes her gag and she can pick out a tiny leaf in a big bowl of whatever. We often tell the waiter at a restaurant that she’s alergic. She’s not, but she might as well be. If the staff thinks they could kill her, they’re usually very careful – either making sure that no one adds cilantro or telling her if there is cilantro in a dish.
If we simply say that she “doesn’t like” cilantro, people are less concerned. I think the “sissy” logic kicks in here. People think “She just didn’t like it when she had it before, but she’ll like it when I make it”.
I’m just not sure what’s gained by forcing people to eat food they won’t like.