That’s what we’re becoming.
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.
Anthony Geller
You should know that people on statins, not an uncommon class of drugs, can not have grapefruit. There are serious side effeccts from combining the two.
Kate F.
Ugh, seriously. And I say this as someone with what I call a "sensitivity," since I hate to claim an allergy when in fact instead of a histamine reaction, shellfish makes me very, very ill. It only emerged after eating a dodgy lobster salad when I was 20, but my dad has always been very, very sensitive (2 days in bed sensitive) to both bivalves and crustaceans, so I count myself lucky to have only inherited the crustacean side. And actually, after 8 years of being really careful following a series of nasty incidents, I accidentally ate a shrimp california roll a few months ago and felt no ill effects. Time to try a careful trial?
Ahem. Anyway. I have a friend who has such a long list of "allergies" (including cooked fruit. COME ON.) that I had to keep a list in my planner for a while to make sure I didn't accidentally give her carrots or tomatoes or tree nuts or....chicken. Though she cooks chicken, so I'm not sure when it's off-limits. Perhaps with cooked fruit?
The shellfish thing breaks my heart; I am a journalist and used to dream of being a restaurant critic. Oh well, I can still be a food writer!
Phil
This is about as dead-on-the-nose as you can get, Michael. Our entire nation has been sissified. And as a home cook, it's a real pain in the ass when we're having dinner company, then find out that one of our guests has an aversion to onions, or bell peppers, or "anything with garlic."
Guess who's not coming to dinner next time?
David Dadekian
I could not agree with you more Mr. Ruhlman. I don't comment much, but this I had to chime in on. I was pretty amazed by those allergy needs when I read that same NYT blog entry. I can't imagine having the privilege to be at that Keller/Achatz event and then asking for changes. Unless you're going into anaphylactic shock, eat the food.
The TriniGourmet
I think at the end of the day each person has to genuinely listen to the reactions of their body. My mother after 70+ years on the planet suddenly developed a severe gluten allery . She wasn't being a sissy after weeks of toxic reaction that affected her liver and has removed many of her favorite foods from her plate for the rest of her life. I have had a series of of 'odd' allergies all my life, in part because being autistic supposedly increases the sensitivity of my body's reactions to perceived toxins, one of which is indeed MSG. I'd love to rely on external studies, but when I lose several hours of a day to explosive migraines, muscle weakness I kinda have to say studies be damned and just avoid the triggers. I have a friend who is allergic to pineapples, her face swells up and she gets red spots, should she wait on a study to decide if she is a sissy or not? My bf after his bypass can literally not stomach foods that his palate genuinely loves. He will hurl almost immediately. One of these dishes is salmon. Although not an 'allergy' it is an unfortunate physiological reaction and he will at times use the allergy response when asking for certain omissions. Not a 100% honest but at the same time he doesn't always feel the need to get into his medical history every time he wants to order a meal. It really isn't anyone's business to presume or judge why people are making the omissions that they are making, not to determine that they are sissies because of those omissions.
Tricia
I'm guessing some people claim an allergy to sweet peppers because they don't want to say to the Per Se server that they give them painfully, embarrassingly excessive gas. Ditto the lactose intolerant. So, have a heart.
I know a handful of people with real, documented, dangerous allergies. I don't know anyone who claims an allergy when they have an aversion.
Jason
W.R.T. lactose intolerance: Those who cannot eat dairy products can still eat many types of cheese because the lactose is broken down by the aging process.
In general, however, you're right.
Brian
Couldnt agree more. I would much prefer someone tell me that they just dont want to try something on mine, at least that gives me an opportuntity to explain the process and/or food better. With the ole "allergy" you've got no where to go..which is likely the point.
So I guess I'm thinking anyone who uses the "allergy" route..well you probably dont want to waste your good stuff on them anyhow 😉
Cheers!
Brian
Megan
I generally agree with you, but I wanted to speak up and provide a bit of a counterpoint.
I am genuinely allergic to carrots and parsnips. They probably won't kill me, but in fairly small amounts, they give me a rash, make my eyes watery and red, and make my mouth and throat feel like they're coated in ants. I am by no means a picky eater. I don't even bother to order salad dressing on the side. And I understand that my allergies are very weird (especially in the US). But it'd be nice if more waiters gave me the benefit of the doubt, rather than insisting that I can pick around the carrots or rolling their eyes at me.
I'm just glad we've found some better restaurants in town that are not so lazy as to use pre-mixed salad greens (with carrots).
justin
Actually, I've lied about having a food allergy. I have a horrible, visceral aversion to tomatoes. It's awful, and probably my biggest failing as a person, but after years of getting over every other food issue (and I was a VERY picky child), I still cannot eat any sort of tomato product besides pizza and barbecue sauce. I had to claim to be allergic to tomatoes once when, in college, a friend's godfather took us to a super traditional homestyle red sauce Italian restaurant, where every single option (of which there were only a dozen or so) came with tomato sauce. I felt horrible about it, but I was not about to say that I just really don't like tomatoes. So, there, claimed an allergy when it was actually just an aversion. Feels good to admit.
Jen
A key issue here is people interchanging "allergic" and "don't like".
My brother is a chef at a high-end Italian restaurant in Boston that features a tasting menu. Guests ordering the tasting menu are always asked about allergies and preferences, and he has told me that many people tell their servers they are allergic to onions - at which point the chef must go to the table and explain that almost every dish in the restaurant (ok, not dessert) probably has onion in it. Most guests will then admit they don't like raw onion.
You don't have to tell your server you are allergic to it to not eat it.
I find the use of the term "allergy" to mean "dislike" very irritating. My son is allergic - as in possible death could occur - to peanuts. This doesn't mean he's a "picky eater", it means he is trying to stay alive.
The incidence of food allergies in kids is growing at an alarming rate, and it does need to be taken seriously.
Mike
Certainly not on the same culinary level, but I worked at a McDonald's many years ago. I remember one customer who ordered a Big Mac with extra sauce and no onion. He repeated several times that there couldn't be any onion on it because he was "deathly allergic" to it. Can you guess what's in Big Mac sauce? Onion.
DJK
I'm sure Pfizer will have a new anti-food allergy pill out any day now, and we'll all be cured.
For years my father has claimed that he's allergic to chocolate, because he believed that eating chocolate is what caused his acne decades ago. My father is insane.
Kristi
I guess I'm upset on both sides of this issue.
I have an uncommon food allergy (carrots), which, despite your apparent disbelief because it's not in the big 8 allergens, does result in anaphylactic shock, for which I carry epipens.
I used to work as a catering chef -- and I don't think of myself as a culinary sissy. I had to have others taste my food for me if it had carrots and had to wear gloves to work with them or my hands would swell.
However, I do know that there are people who claim to be allergic to something and are not, and it is exactly your reaction that makes me loathe that people do this.
Also, supposedly allergies are on the rise, and are not necessarily that well understood, so McGee's claim of 2% may be outdated.
If you are at all interested, which I'm sensing you're not, you might want to take a look at information on what is called Oral Allergy Syndrome, for which there are many cross-reactions ... fennel is on the list for those with a problem with birch pollen! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome.
Schlake
I have a long list of allergies, though I know, and if pressed will admit and explain, that not all are allergies.
I'm allergic to salt. Not actually to salt, to iodine. I break out in hives, so it is a real allergy. I've spent my entire life not eating salt because it wasn't until I was 27 that a doctor made the connection for me about my aversion to seafood, salt, and my iodine allergy. I have a strong taste aversion to salt though, and salted foods are unpalatable to me. I've been learning to eat salt though, by avoiding iodized salt. It is a long and slow process.
I say that I'm allergic to soft dairy. I know I'm not actually allergic, what I have is an enzyme problem. Soft dairy makes my intestines bleed and causes such intense pain that I can't walk; I leave puddles of blood on chairs. From a social standpoint, it is just better to say that I'm allergic to soft dairy. Hard dairy, such as grano cheeses are fine, and daily consumption of them actually helps if I do ingest soft dairy. Buttermilk is fine, but sour cream has to be boiled to make it safe to eat. Yogurt is fine as well. The merest hint of milk taste causes my body to violently vomit, but I grew up eating goat-milk ice cream and the taste of ice-cream doesn't make me vomit, so the vomiting appears to be learned. Milk doesn't tear up my intestines they way soft dairy does, so I can consume it if the taste is covered up enough to avoid the vomit reflex. I love soft dairy by the way.
I'm allergic to almost all tropical fruits, but I'm only afraid of pineapple. If someone asks if something mysterious in a dish is pineapple I can usually tell them just by touching it.
I'm allergic to sulfur. It impacts me the most in some egg preparations and antibiotics (I'm also allergic to penicillin). Mayonnaise and hard boiled are the two main offenders.
I don't often eat shrimp because the sight of them makes me want to vomit. Shrimp sometimes taste good (the iodine thing I suspect).
Amelia
My mother made her meatloaf with MSG so up until the first time I had a bad reaction, it didn't disagree with me. First bout came in 1977, before restaurants, mostly, stopped using MSG. It was after a dinner at a Chinese restaurant in NYC just BEFORE going to a late show at a rock club. Both my friend and I ate the same thing. He had no adverse effects. I was struck almost blind by a migraine (had never had one before) followed by much nausea. Incapacitated for about an hour but made it to the show!
Most recent incident kind of funny. New boyfriend, trying to impress me, made jambalaya for dinner. In the middle of the night I woke with splitting head followed by nausea. Asked if he'd made the meal from scratch, he confessed to help from Zatarain's. Dig the box out of the trash. Oops! Featured ingredient (back then, don't know if they've changed) was MSG. So I don't buy that MSG is a head allergy. Perhaps both were high doses? All I know is that the reaction was very real.
If I don't like something I'm not shy about asking to have it omitted. But I also like to think I'm a little adventurous. Eating at Chez Panisse last year (dream come true) the menu included roasted beet (eewww!) salad. What can I say? I tried them. I love them!
krysta
my dad decided to introduce us to his soon-to-be new wife and my new step sister(16). so we had a huge family getting-to-know-you dinner. when they arrive i offer my new family something to drink and they are all up in arms that there is no diet soda because they are both deathly allergic to corn (which was news to me, my dad had never mentioned it before this dinner). i told them that i have jones soda which doesn't contain any corn syrup... blah, blah, blah. i then spouted off and told them i thought it was funny that for being allergic to all things corn they should know about jones soda and maybe they shouldn't have eaten the tortilla chips and salsa a few minutes before because the torilla chips were made out of corn and i was sorry i didn't have a epi-pen ready. needless to say, it was a very uncomfortable night and my new step-mom and sister hate me because i called them out on their supposed deathly corn allergy.
next time just say you want a diet soda instead of making up a crazy lie.
Chris Ward
I'm a professional cook working in a restaurant in France, have worked here and in private service for five years. The French are not nearly as bad as the English/Americans I've worked for when it comes to 'allergies' - the word has now replaced the phrase 'I don't like'. So when a group sits down to herb-crusted cod, one diner says she's 'allergic to cod' but would like another fish instead. Like Monkfish which is twice the price.
English people are much worse. Women are 'allergic' to just about anything you can think of. No one, ever ever ever, just says 'I don't like that, can I have something else please?' It's attention-seeking behaviour. 'Look at me, I'm special, I've got a MEDICAL condition, if I eat cod I could DIE, pity me!'
Now my wife and I have our first child, Scarlett, we get the same sort of rubbish in advice - don't give her this food or that, don't use those baby wipes, plastic baby bottles will kill her!
All nonsense. As Mr McGee says, 2% are really allergic, the rest are attention seekers, nothing more.
Alison
In my experience most people claiming allergies really just have aversions, however, there is often a conflation of a food allergy and a food intolerance. Food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance is more common than allergies, and is another way food can make people sick -- however it is a digestive system response -- cramps, heartburn, stomach ache, etc. Allergies, on the other hand, affect the immune system -- thus the hives, chest pain, anaphylaxis...
Megan
@Kristi,
Thanks for pointing out that link. I have actually had small reactions to practically everything in the birch list (but I figure that if all that happens is my mouth itches, and I like the taste, it's okay as long as it doesn't escalate). I am EXTREMELY allergic to birches. I'm just lucky that my allergies manifest in the non-deadly form.
I can't imagine being a professional cook dealing with the carrot allergy. I can stand very, very cooked carrots in things like stock, but I have to wear gloves to cut/peel/etc.
Jason
Ultimately this is an issue of saying one is allergic to something being the easiest way out of eating that thing. If one says "I don't like onions" then scorn and incredulity are sure to come (at least from some people). However, if one says "I am allergic to onions" then others may bend over backwards for fear of making one sick (and, perhaps, being liable for hospital bills).
There are two things that come out of this:
1) People need to buck up and just say that they don't like something. Certainly at Per Se or Alinea the chefs will gladly accommodate a preference even if it isn't to avoid a visit to the E.R.
2) More importantly we need to recognize that eating can be an adventure. Sure, you don't like something when it's prepared one way but give the chefs (again, especially at a place like Per Se or Alinea) the benefit of the doubt and _try_ what they prepare. If you don't like it, again, they will surely be accommodating - but try it first!
Beth
I'm horribly allergic to unmodified soy & bean proteins. I can eat tofu, but any other soy or high-protein bean is right out. Cooking generally isn't enough to denature the protein to make it safe for me. I was literally born this way.
I've developed an allergy to crustaceans. You notice, NOT seafood. I can eat lobster & bivalves, but I can't eat calamari, shrimp or crab without having the beginnings of a serious allergic reaction.
After spending a night in a hotel bathroom drinking Benadryl every two hours, thanks to discovering that the combination of a white beans & calamari in an otherwise luscious soup had given me an allergic reaction that left my tongue purple and my lips blue and me having to work hard to breathe, I now carry an EpiPen and avoid either beans or crustaceans.
Fork n Knives
Yay its my 26 Birthday today!!!
Woo Whooo!!!
Fork n Knives
Yay its my 26 Birthday today!!!
Woo Whooo!!!
Louise
It's worth noting that there's a physiological reaction that the body has: if you've eaten something and then are sick shortly afterwards, your body will associate the one with the other, even if it was not the cause. This is the body's way of protecting you from poisonous things you might have eaten. However, what it means is that things that you are not 'allergic' to can make you sick, just from the psychological association. The brain is a powerful thing...
Amy D
We dine out with a couple where the wife is allergic to a great many things. As I knew them when she went into the hospital for an extended period of times when they found these issues I can't fault her for being unwilling to take any life and death risks.
When we go out with them we get around this very simply, we go to places that are local, chef driven and know every component that goes into every dish. We in turn, since we are getting them to some of our favorite places, make sure that we make a reservation in person and send a full printed list back to the kitchen(during a slow period of course) to validate that the kitchen will be able to accommodate her allergies.
We have done 7+course chef's table meals with this couple with only minor issues (in part because a printed copy of the allergies is given to the kitchen when we arrive for reference).
What I don't understand about this dinner was if these people had all of these allergies why didn't they send a polite heads up to the chefs in writing, before they got to the restaurant. Anything else seems sort of rude to me, but I am probably being insanely practical again.
claudia (cook eat FRET)
well, i am deathly allergic to raw papaya. certain other raw fruits and nuts make me itchy and sneezy and swell up but it goes away in 20 minutes or so. but cooked fruit or roasted nuts? no problem.
but raw papaya? just get me to the emergency room... first i get giddy, then sneezy, then i turn into the elephant man and can't breathe. lovely...
ruhlman
far be it from me to call cookeatfret a culinary sissy, as I know for a fact she is not!
but claudia, what in papaya are you allergic to?
Tea
I spent my entire childhood claiming to be allergic to eggplant, because I couldn't stand the bitter soggy sponge-like things I found in the hippy stirfrys people made (Northern California in the 1970s, what can I say? The food sucked).
A summer in Greece "cured" me of it, however. Hallelujah!
The more I live and learn about food and health, the more I realize that everyone has an entirely different operating system. I've seen serious reactions to MSG; just because I don't get them doesn't mean they're not true. I've been tested as "intolerant" to dairy, sugar, eggs, and beans. Can I eat these things? Yes (and do, in small amounts). But I feel better when I don't.
That said, I'd eat whatever the hell Keller-Achatz wanted to put in front of me. Those with serious allergies/intolerances need to call ahead and make sure they can be accommodated. You can't make requests like that on the spot and expect to be taken care of. Whether it's true or not, it's just poor form.
Judith in Umbria
I am mostly on your side in this, except lactose intolerance is real but lactose disappears as cheese ages. Hurrah for cheese eaters!
Melon and it's relatives can cause some embarrassment and nightshades as well.
McAuliflower
While indeed the incidence of food allergies is increasing,
-I'll bet the common customer's use of the word "allergic" is a response to their food preferences not being taken seriously by restaurant staff.
When one is paying for the service of having food prepared, one would assume that their food preference would be honored. When that doesn't hold true the trump card of "I'm allergic" can be procured.
Unfortunately, calling 'wolf' with allergies has brought about this reaction evoked by your post: other allergies are not real, except the ones I have.
Brenden
I know many people with very serious allergies, but I can't imagine any of them going to Per Se. Let alone going to Per Se during the Keller-Aschatz dinner. That seems to me to be incredibly selfish. Like you, I'm fairly skeptical about whether those people really have the allergies they claim. I think a quick test would be to take them to Starbucks and see what they order (I'd rather go support my local coffee shop, but Starbucks works better for the test). If it takes them more then 3 words to order their drink then their just being jerks who feel entitled to always have things their way. If you don't like what's on the menu go somewhere else or make it yourself. You're annoying the workers, the people in line behind you, and in this case the people who would have loved to take your place at the table.
Derek
@Ruhlman
Your blog post mentions your hope that people at the dinner did not request changes to the menu simply due to preferences. If I'm reading you correctly, I kind of see your point, but at the same time, if I paid $1,500.00 for a dinner, I think I've got a pretty good argument that I should be able to avoid raw coconut just because I hate it.
Annette
Giving my grandmother food with MSG in it was like getting her drunk. We avoided it for the most part, but occasionally some would slip through and she'd be really disoriented.
Unfortunately the prevalence of people claiming allergies when they really don't like the food, means that occasionally people don't take your word for it when you have a legitimate allergy. I know people with legitimate allergies - my aunt has so many severe (possibly fatal) allergies that she has to carry around one of those giant adrenaline shots so that she can make it to the hospital in case she has a reaction.
I absolutely despise coconut, both flavor and texture. I have a few times lied about being allergic to coconut, but in each case I was offered a food with coconut, declined, and had the food practically pushed upon me. After repeated refusals, I finally said I was allergic just so that they would stop.
Derek
Of course, if Keller offered me something with raw coconut, I'd give it a shot. I'm not a culinary sissy. 😉 But I think I still would have to decline the tobacco-infused cream. Just reading that they broke up a cigar and soaked it in cream made me want to throw up. Nasty.
Darcey
I, like a few others on here, am lactose intolerant - my digestive issues mostly manifest when I've consumed milk or cream. However, most cheeses don't have the ill effect, so I have no problem ordering it for dessert when I want to indulge.
As for the Starbucks "test," yes, it does take me more than 3 words to order my drink (tall sugar-free vanilla soymilk latte -- OMG a whole six words), but Starbucks provides this service and these options to me, and they are happy to charge a fee to do so.
Byna
My mother always swore she was allergic to canned tuna, even took pride in the fact, but could eat it if it was well-washed under the tap first before going into a salad. Ick.
So when I made the tuna salad, I made sure that no one noticed that I didn't wash the tuna. Guess what? She never got sick from it! And she liked my salad the best.
Then one day my dad caught me and boy, did I get in trouble. It didn't matter that I had proven that she wasn't allergic. I had been "disrespectful of my elders"! Oh, the shame.
Sam
While I generally agree with you about this, I think that often servers are unprepared to answer important questions that people have about food allergies. A dear friend of mine has a severe gluten "allergy." I put allergy in quotes because it is actually an auto-immune reaction during which the body's immune system begins to attack the small intestines because of the gluten. This usually results in a day or two in bed and sometimes a hospital visit.
She cannot consume even small quantities of anything that contains wheat, barely, oats, or rye. Sauces are thickened with flour, and braised meats are often dusted with flour. Most servers seem to think that Pot roast served with potatoes and carrots does not contain any flour, but it often does.
I simply think its worth noting that servers need to be more aware of the cooking process to better answer customers questions.
Matt
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.
Chris
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!
tommy boy
@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.
ArC
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?)
Natalie Sztern
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...
Chris
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.
Jack Cheng
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!
Heather
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.
Alinea at Home
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.
Natalie Sztern
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'
grant kinsley
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
Vicki
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.
Mark S
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.)
Lysana
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.
Dick Black
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.
meghan
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.
Abra
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.
Amy
Amen
Kansas City rube
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?
Brenden
@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.
Brad L.
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.
MessyONE
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.
Aaron Kagan
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
Megan
@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.
BLH
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?
RasmusF
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.
Marilyn
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.
doxie mama
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.
Guy Anderson
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!
Diana
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?
Mantonat
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.
Matt
At the risk of misquoting Chris Rock:
"No one in Rwanda is lactose intolerant."
Let that sink in.
FoodPuta
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.....
Gael
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.
Mantonat
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."
veron
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.
Jennie Cesario is Jennie Tikka
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).
Peter
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. 😉
Catherine
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!
Jared
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.
Lara Fabans
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.
ClevelandChef
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!
Tags
-
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.
Kate in the NW
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.
MissingCleveland
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.
Kim
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.
Freya
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)
bob
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.
dkny
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.
Cari
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.
Jessie
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.
sam
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...
SomeRandomEuropean
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 😉
Beth
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.
The Italian Dish
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!
pbk
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.
cb
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.
Shelley
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.
Rhonda
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.
BarbaraB
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.
Tags
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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.
luis
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....
Paul Griffin
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?
Chris
Just to chime in... I agree with the skeptics. However anaphylaxis is no joke.
ZotlarsWife
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!
marianne
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.
Mark
@ 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.
Laurence
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.
crystal
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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!?!
crystal
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correction:
I meant to say in my previous post, "I don't *dwell* on it."
Sue
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.
Sue
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.
Marlene
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.
Frank M
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. :o)
Great topic.
Pat Carroll
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.
Todd
"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?'
Kevin Shinn
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.
craig
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.
Tommy
Joe LookatMe summed it up best. In a nutshell.
kidnix
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.
Tags
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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.
Kate in the NW
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!!!!
The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker
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?
Meredith
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.
kevin
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.
KT
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.
Rachel
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.
Tags
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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
Jennie Cesario is Jennie Tikka
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! 🙂
emily
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
Lea
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.
Maura
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?
Victor Infante
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.
Emily
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.
MessyONE
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.
Sheryl
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.
Sues
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!
Duncan | Syrup&Tang
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).
jennepenne
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.
*susan*
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.
Gina
Last year on MRs book tour - I had him sign my copy of Elements for my son who has many severe food allergies. Knowing how to cook is going to help him not only at home but also for what (typically) goes into dishes.
I'm saddened and disappointed by this post, Ruhlman. It gave voice and credence who don't take those of us seriously when we ask for help as if lives depended on it - because they do. I'm frustrated with those who use allergy as an excuse as it makes the journey for those of us with family with true life-threatening alleriges even more difficult.
To the rest, enough of the venom and "helpful" diagnoses via secretly introducing the corn and the tuna. Get educated.
http://www.foodallergy.org/
http://www.aanma.org/farmersmarket/fm_anaphylaxisguide.htm?gclid=CJyMzJnV-JYCFQJNagodUgzVZA
Finally, look at Seattle chef Tom Douglas. All his staff (at restaurants and his catering) have gone through training regarding food allergies. One can go there and talk with the kitchen and be treated with the utmost of respect and not like a social paraiah who has committed the sin of asking the chef for an alteration. I hold him as what all chef/owners should strive for as serious food allergies are here to stay - and increasing in children.
Debbie Franco
I am allergic to crustaceans. I found that out 6 or 7 years ago, when I had a severe reaction to crab. I had eaten crab legs and fresh strawberries for lunch. A little while later, my hands and feet started itching intensely. Then I broke out in large purple hives, and my skin turned bright red. My throat did not swell shut, but my tongue did swell up, as did the rest of my body.
I was taken by ambulance to the emergency room, where the nurses took bets on whether I had reacted to the crab or the strawberries as both are in the top 10 for food allergies. After having allergy testing I found out it was the crab. I was told I was also allergic to lobster. I had no reaction to shrimp, but since it's in the same group, I was told not to eat it anymore, as the reaction can come on suddenly. I dearly love shrimp, but after what I went through with the crab, I have not touched it. I had wondered previously if I was allergic to crab, because when I would eat it, my hands and the inside of my mouth would start itching. I loved it though so, I kept eating it. After the severe reaction though, no more.
Anaphalactic shock is real, and no food is really worth dying for. As for people saying they're allergic to something when in fact they really just don't like it, it's ridiculous. Either tell the truth or stay home.
Deege
@Tommy-boy
Unfortunately, you are misinformed about crustacean vs. mollusk allergies. When one has a shellfish allergy they should avoid both. Squid also is to be avoided in those with shellfish allergies.
From the Cleveland Clinic:
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/shellfish_allergies/hic_shellfish_allergies.aspx
Anyone allergic to shellfish should avoid the following ingredients and foods:
Abalone
Clams (such as cherrystone, littleneck, pismo, quahog)
Cockle
Conch
Crab
Crawfish and crayfish
Lobster
Mollusks
Mussels
Octopus
Oysters
Scallops
Shrimp and prawns
Snails
Squid (calamari)
I'm allergic to shellfish and the last reaction I had to crab sent me to the ER where the doctor, after pushing the required IV meds, yelled at me. He loudly said "Do NOT eat shellfish again, or next time you may not make it to the ER!" How dramatic!
For me, this is a curse! I love shellfish, and I live in New England. You can't imagine the torture watching beautiful platters of lobsters and steamers being carried by my table.
Asian cuisine, however, can be dangerous. Even after explaining my shellfish allergy I've been served "vegetarian spring rolls" that contained shrimp.
To me, it seems unfortunate that people must tell someone they are allergic to something so it won't be served. My guess is that this is the reason for the perception of "culinary sissies." It also has the potential for those of us with such allergies to be served the offending food anyway, because we're really not allergic at all.
Claire
@DJK You're post was absolutely hilarious. Thanks for the laugh!
carri
wow, you have a knack for hot topics! the food allergy thing is so convoluted and crazy that we will never be the same...not ever. is it because they fuck with our food to the point that it we don't know whats really in it anymore? bleached white flour, high fructose corn syrup,freshness enhancers (nice blanket term for chemicals that would sound unappealing on an ingredients list) As those of us who have been in the food service industry for a long time can attest, these are remarkable times. I have some not-so-funny stories of customers coming to my bakery and demanding wheat free baked goods. Easy to say, hard to do...how does an event like Keller's and Atchatz's pull that off with so many restrictions...where do you draw the line?
Rhonda
Hi Susan & Gina:
I cannot of course speak for Michael, but I have a hard time believing that his intent was to belittle ANYONE. That is not his style. He stated his (possible) allergy to nuts and opened a discussion. I, personally, think it was his hair gel that caused the hives but what can you say...
This is what we do. Discuss, argue, tell each other to FO and then go about our lives.
Allergies are very real. What causes them? This is what we all want to know and none of us have the answers.
I have certain theories myself which will never be proven or unproven but the bottom line is that people are actually suffering.
It is an unfortunate yet fascinating glimpse as to where we are as a society.
luis
Again I am proven right!!!, Not a toot nor a boast, but I have been saying all along that food is a personal thing. What you eat and what you cook is your own. Simple as that!.
For what these folks pay at Per Se or any other swanky joint they should bring their own recipes and have the chef's wow them and even assist them improve upon them. THAT WOULD BE WORTH all that money. All the other fancy trappings everyone is so dependent on like presentation and this and that is b.s.
A great Meal, A cooking lesson and a great Restaurant Ambience to have it all in. That is WORTH THA MONEY!.
Everything else is b.s. because it comes down to regional/available ingredients and tribal cookie cutter food. And the more we learn about food and the more we pay for it the MORE we expect from it!. Ultimatelly if you read between the lines folks want food that really makes them feel right, and does them some good and most important tastes good and makes them happy.
luis
Speaking of making folks happy... yesterday I made a spaghetti/pizza sauce from scratch and thru it on some bow tie pasta... long story short it wasn't great... this morning I made and eggMcmuffin using my cute tiny non-stick egg/sauce pan and I reached for the same sauce. KABOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM! the heavens openned up and I was soooo happy!.
All the sauce needed was time for the ingredients to reach culinary equilibrium and make friends with each other...
Who KNEW?????????
baby steps....and training wheels... Rome wasn't built in ONE DAY!....
Now DO I EXPECT PER SE or anyone else to cook me a sauce and serve it inside 45 min? and it be worth tha price? or live up to tha hype???
Think about it folks??? It can't be done!.
JR Prospal
OK how about potatoes. I have an acute allergy to potatoes that leads to either full body hives or a more anaphalactic reaction where I stop breathing. This includes the steam, starch and even touching them which pretty much rules out culinary school for me. My allergy doesn't keep me from eating out at fine restaurants or even fast food, however I do often have to endure often paying more because of substitutions, which I still can't figure out. Yeah some "allergies" are discomforts, other are life threatening. I don't think someone should pay more to keep from dying. i also don't think I should just order something that doesn't have potatoes. I'm glad to read that Chef Keller accommodates without complaint.
Steve O.
I have only read a few comments, so I apologize if this has been addressed.
My wife works with pre-k and kindergarten classes. In the lunchrooms (containing only a couple hundred children), there are specific (full) tables for peanut allergies, wheat/gluten allergies, and dairy allergies. There are even warning posters on classroom doors with children allergic to peanuts.
It was only 22 years ago that I was this age and none of these allergies were known to myself or my classmates (albeit we were only four or five). I think, ultimately, that there must be a progressing environmental cause for the rise in allergies, not unlike that growth in autism and asperger's syndrome. The trouble is that the cause could be almost anything, environmental or genetic, and is likely something that will take decades to identify.
Holland
There's good evidence that what people call allergies have alot to do with thier gut. Intestines that is. More specifically the bacteria that live there and the balance between the good ones and the bad ones. Speaking from my own experience,I was sensitive to shellfish for 25 years. Touching it with my bare hands would cause them to itch, like fire, for hours. To even touch stone crab meat to my tounge would cause a burning sensation and my throat would begin to itch and burn. Then I underwent treatment for candida overgrowth (the bad bacteria) and have enjoyed, shelling and eating stone crab claws by the dozen ever since. Check out health-truth.com ,Dr. Biamonte knows his stuff.
Steve O.
I should also mentioned that, for adults, anyway, allergies are a great way to remain polite. For instance, I detest seafood. Instead of telling a host that I can't stand seafood and it is only for for cats, I claim to be allergic and tend not to offend anyone.
Megan
I normally enjoy your writing, but this irritated me to the point of seeing red.
In response to your statement that 2% of the population has food allergies: if you are going to spout medical numbers, there are two very good things to keep in mind. First, make sure they are from a medical source. Second, make sure that the data is in date. Giving McGee as a reference is pretty shoddy, as his work is 25 years old.
I think that the word "allergy" does get used in the wrong place at times, but a lot of people understand "I have a wheat allergy" much better than "I have an auto-immune disorder that rejects wheat". It's a "falsity" that I think can be forgiven for those that use it. I know nobody who uses the term "allergy" to get out of eating the stuff they don't like, although a few here have admitted to it.
Personally, I have a dairy allergy. It seems to be focused more on cow than sheep or goat, which means I don't have to entirely give up cheese. I was 29 when we realized it, but it actually has been a life-long allergy. When I went totally cow-dairy free, what a huge difference it made! I could breathe better, less tightening of the chest and asthema issues. I could give up my allergy meds altogether, except during periods of heavy pollen activity. Sinus headaches were no longer the norm. Does this mean I'm a wuss for trying to avoid it? I am a lucky one - I'm not anaphalctic, I don't need to carry an epipen. I do try to order food that seems to avoid the dairy issue, and happily ask for no cheese/sauce/dressing on items. I ask about if there is butter. If I ingest some, it's not the end of the world, but I am uncomfortable. More so if I've been totally cow-milk free for a week or two or more.
The fact is that food allergies are becoming more prevalent. Peanut allergies are the most well known, but more and more we see kids with other allergies too. While "The Big Eight" (milk, egg, peanut, tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.) account for 90% of those allergies, there are a lot of other that pop up as well. I have a good friend who is very allergic to cinnamon, and several people here mention papaya. With the way the current food packaging stands, allergens can hide, and you never know they were there until the allergy rears it's ugly head. Same goes for eating out - the menu certainly doesn't list every item in a dish, and even when you think something should be safe based on description, it's not always. I cannot count the number of times I've received a dish that has a cream sauce on it, when no cream sauce has been mentioned! I do try to keep my demands to a minimum, though, so as to not inconvience people. I tend to eat a lot of salads with no cheese or croutons. I can ask for information from waitstaff, and more often then not, they don't have an answer, and are not interested in getting one. My best experience was one waitress who got the bottle of bbq sauce they used and showed me the ingredients list, because she wasn't sure if I'd see something there that she wouldn't realize was milk.
I *think* the huge outbreak of allergies comes, in part, from all of the mutating of food we do these days. If you take a look at the "Big Eight" list, you'll see some of the most heavily genetically modified foods there. Soy, wheat, and eggs are all very commonly modified. Milk has all sorts of wacky extra hormones in it, due to all the stuff they give the cows to produce more. Fish and Shellfish commonly have funky stuff in them from everything dumped into our water. Odd coincidence? I can't imagine so. Whenever you play with something like that, you literally create new protiens - proteins that the body is not familiar with, and that have never been tested on the human body before. That's kind of a scary thought.
Should I, as somebody with an allergy, expect everybody to cater to me? No. However, I think that a little respect should be in order when I say "I can't eat that - I'm allergic". I also agree with the idea of going in during off-peak hours with the requests that somebody with an allergy is likely to have. I think it shows the restaurant and chef the respect that they deserve.
Oh, and most medicines do not work well in the presence of grapfruit juice.
escapee
You know, my in-laws didn't believe in food allergies when I was first married. They would slip in a little tea here (tannin), some chocolate there (cocoa), maybe some grapefruit juice there (medication problems).
I never knew they were doing this, so when I ended up in the ER, I couldn't tell what was the problem.
They stopped doing it after the third Thanksgiving in a row interrupted by ambulances.
I wish not believing in allergies made them go away. Nobody wishes it more than I do.
Charlotte
2 more anecdotes as part of the endless stream of comments (I have to add that I agree with your article, Michael, and that I thought you did a good job of prefacing it by "I'm NOT talking about legitimate allergies..."):
- irony #1: I read in TONY about a week ago a piece of advice by your friend Donatella to claim being allergic to dairy to avoid "unnecessary butter and cream" in restaurants (to stay thin, and apparently "it doesn't really change the taste anyway"). The timing in relation to your article's was amusing.
- irony #2: I have a sister-in-law who, in a family of food sissies, is genuinely allergic to a LOT of things (severe latex-fruit allergy syndrome, which means that she has to avoid almost all exotic fruits, bananas, bell peppers, avocados and worst of all, tomatoes... I can't even imagine living without EVER being able to taste all those wonderful red sauce Italian dishes). Now guess what? She is the most adventurous eater in her family -- I guess you have to compensate a little when nature decided to deprive you of lasagna and guacamole for life! Some commenters above suggested she stays home and eats Mac'n'Cheese, but she goes out and orders whatever is on the menu that she can eat (I've never seen her asking for a substitution, but she checks every dish with the waiter). That makes her a pleasure to go to restaurants with!
jscirish27
As a cook working in NYC, we get a lot of requests, some strange, some understandable. It does seem people are using the term "allergy" as an excuse to alter the menu more and more however.
While I do feel there are many with legitimate allergies, I think that most diners that make special requests do so for two reasons: they are paying for the meal and feel entitled to "have it their way" or; they honestly don't understand how inconvenient it can be for the kitchen to accommodate their preferences. Also, while I would never belittle or minimize the severity of some people's allergies, sometimes I have to question their judgement. I work in a restaurant that is exclusively seafood, and we often get diners who claim to have "severe" shellfish allergies. Since we handle shellfish on both stations, I always try and ensure that I sanitize everything to avoid cross-contamination, but I always worry anyway; it does make me wonder, however, why someone with severe shellfish allergies would come to a restaurant that largely specializes in shellfish.
Tim
I think I find it most interesting that you would accuse Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin of lying about a food allergy. In reading Pete Wells' piece, she was the one allergic to peppers.
Anne C.
Interesting post, MR.
From reading all these comments, it seems that there were examples from all four types of "allergic" eaters: those who are truly allergic and would die, those who have extremely painful reactions but will not die, those who have unpleasant reactions and will partake if the situation warrants, and those who do not like or want to try something. That's a lot of variation under one descriptor. It's impolite, in my opinion, to claim a life-threatening allergy when you don't have one, as it diminishes the credibility for those who do. It would be much better if you could say the truth: "I don't like it," or "it doesn't agree with me," and people took your word for it and didn't press for details or try and convince you otherwise. You know if you're willing to try something new -- being bullied doesn't help. (I know, I know. The real world doesn't always work like that.)
I think jscirish27 above hit it right when he references peoples' feeling of entitlement. People either feel entitled to badger others about their food preferences or people feel entitled to have the food changed to suit their preferences. Whether or not this entitlement is valid or not is up for debate.
I have a friend who has a severe latex allergy and she is very pleasant to dine with. She has figured out a) what are the specific triggers for herself and b) how to ask the waitstaff about the food without being overbearing. It also makes her particularly sensitive to others with food allergies. She will always go out of her way to make sure her guests have at least a couple food choices, as having nothing to eat at a dinner has happened to her several times.
So, in a nut(ha ha)shell, if you treat everyone's preferences with respect (and not induce them to lie) and if they treat you with respect (not expect you to change everything, particularly if there are dishes they can eat), the world will be a better place.
No Name
MSG comes from corn, and my daughter does indeed have a corn allergy so it is possible to be allergic to MSG.
Kate F.
@ Diana--my confusion w/ my friend was that she claims chicken as one of her allergies, but she cooks chicken and eats it at home, so I've never quite understood the problem! (My mother-in-law has celiac and thanks to my shellfish...problem...I fully understand the frustration of Non-Picky Eaters with true food sensitivities!)
Rhonda
I just watched a very informative documentary entitled "The Future of Food" by Deborah Koons Garcia (Jerry Garcia's widow).
This was a looooong haul and covered ground that we all have been over thousands of times. Not the greatest pieces of work but informative.
What I did find interesting was the explanation of wheat and gluten allergies. There is a real explanation for this.
So, in summation, allergies are real because we have fiddled with the food and there is not an economic way back.
Lorelei Armstrong
Eggplant makes my mouth burn for a couple of hours afterward. No problem-- I can avoid that.
Foods high in magnesium give me migraines. Beans are the worst offenders. So I apologize if I come off as a ninny in a restaurant. I'll take a waiter's and chef's contemptuous scorn over a migraine any day. I have yet to encounter anyone working in a restaurant who has a medical degree.
In fact, I think I'll just go to restaurants where I can be served cheerfully, with no eye-rolling, thanks all the same.
Shannon
I agree with the basic point that patrons in restaurants do seem to confuse "allergies" and "preferences"- but do remember to be sympathetic to those of us with true allergies- and love food. For me it is shellfish- I am so sensitive that even the smell can get to me- I carry not only an epipen but an inhaler so that I can eat in restaurants that serve large quantities of seafood. (Sometimes it isn't enough, more than one time I have had to pull my family out of a restaurant because of the hives) I can't eat fried food anywhere that also fries shellfish in the deep fryer- blah, blah, blah. I often feel guilty because I have to quiz servers to make sure food is safe for me to eat- but I would NOT enjoy a repeat of the time there was seafood stock in a corn chowder and I ended up in the emergency room. Remember for some of us it is life or death- and while we might be annoying- dead is not fun. We suffer for our allergies more than you can know. After all- I can never visit Maryland properly!
By the way- I also hate broccoli- never got over that from childhood- but I just don't order things that have broccoli in them- I never ask anyone to take it out.
James Hyde
Keep in mind it was a 20 course meal and I assume there was more than 10 people per table, so I am not sure it would be surprising a large number of tables have a sensitivity to at least one of the ingredients in one of the courses.
Like Diana's husband and Marilyn, I too have developed an allergy to poultry, of all types (duck, goose, chicken, turkey, etc..). I've tried a bunch of "organic" poultry too, but same effect.
I can tell from the moment I take a bite (usually) and feel minor irritation in my mouth, but if it gets serious, it is a full traditional allergic reaction.
As to the overall discussion, I try not to make a fuss, but usually my wife will speak up before me.
By the way, when a restaurant goes out of the way to ask if there are any allergies, I would assume they are prepared to deal with it.
Have to admit, I really, really miss KFC (let alone finer dishes).
Jaye
I went through chemo a little over 2 years ago. Before chemo, I had no allergies other than cedar and ragweed.
One day after I'd gone through chemo, I was munching on some baby carrots while watching TV. My lips started swelling up and my mouth itched. Am I allergic to carrots? I don't think so because I've had them in soups and salads and such and been fine, but I think when I eat a bunch in a sitting, it's probably not smart.
I also have weird little reactions to tomatoes that haven't been cooked/peeled, as well as raw lettuce in big amounts (like in a salad). A few pieces on a sandwich or something are fine, but a salad tastes great, it doesn't feel great at all.
But I'm not allergic dammit. I still eat all of these things and just deal.
I have a good friend with a deadly egg allergy and another with a deadly nut allergy. The nut allergy developed in her 30s and I'm now schooled in epi-pen use.
Marlene
I forgot to note where my doctor thinks the mushroom allergy comes from. I am also anaphalatic alleric to penicillin and to a lesser reaction extent to blue cheese. I can eat blue cheese in very small amounts, but I still pay for it later.
I'm pretty careful about all molds now. But my doctor thinks it's a fungi/mold thing.
NMC
I'm with you on much of the tirade about food allergies, although I'll say this: I'm allergic to crawfish. And that's it. If I eat anything with crawfish in it, I throw up and have even ended up at the hospital over it. I love crawfish,and would eat them given the opportunity (actually, I have-- that's how I got sensitized to them). When I had heart surgery, it turned out this mattered because of a die used in some cath processes.
That said, I eat in New Orleans a lot and just am a little careful-- I was bothered when the availability of Chinese crawfish caused it to be added to gumbo, which is totally nontraditional, but all I have to do is ask about the stock and order something else.
That said, I really wonder how set menus work with folks like me. I've not eaten in Per Se or Allinea, etc. So I'm not unsympathetic to the people who reported allergies. But you're right that the Wells article made no sense.
If I could eat crawfish without barfing, I'd do it in a minute.
Carrie
Corn and Soy. Allergy not intolerance. Ain't that a bitch? Corn's in everything.
anita
That 2% number for food allergies is too low. I don't know where he got that, but my allergest estimates 10%.
It is sad that people who don't "like" foods claim allergies as it sets people up to not beleive those of us with actual allergies, like the boy who cried wolf.
And those sweet peppers? If they're roasted, they can close up my throat and I can die. Not a good way to end an evening.
some guy
http://calorielab.com/news/2005/10/09/fake-food-allergy-epidemic-raging-among-kids/
2% is about right. McGee is correct about something that involves food? Color me surprised.
I'm a line cook. I bend over backwards on a daily basis to make sure diners leave the restaurant satisfied. I do it with a smile on my face.
When you tell my server that you're allergic to onions, garlic, or cilantro, yet leeks, shallots, and corriander seed are OK, I'm a little insulted. I am, in fact, very insulted - you think I would disregard your preference for certain foods enough to feign a deadly allergy. If you're just not into eating certain things, you should probably just pick a different item from the menu, or better yet, keep your food snobbery at home and cook for yourself. The chef has constructed the dishes to be experienced a certain way. Just because you can't understand the effect cilantro has on your dish, does not mean it isn't vital to the overall taste the chef is trying to set forth. When I have to plate the dish without it, I'm not giving you my best, and that does not sit well with me. I can't stand to know that the dish that just left my window isn't as good as it should be.
For those with legitimate allergies, the whole 2% of you, I will do everything I can to make your experience enjoyable. I'll switch cutting boards, toss on the gloves, switch knives - you're comfort is worth it to me. However, 2% means I should get roughly 4-5 tickets a day with notes on them, not over a dozen - day in, day out.
It's severely obvious that the margin between the 2% and the 8% actually reporting allergies to my waiters do so because they simply love the attention. Working in an open kitchen allows me to see your dining partners rolling their eyes when the wait staff has to clarify that yes, you are allergic to onions, but the shallot broth you just ordered is fine and the sauce with the veal stock base in course two doesn't need to be omitted.
anita
Is McGee a doctor? I think not. Here are some current stats from people who ARE doctors:
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/research/noPicnic.htm
"Food allergy is a life-threatening condition that affects 6 to 8 percent of children under 4 years of age in the United States and roughly 4 percent of adults, and its prevalence appears to be increasing. Each year, 100 to 200 people die in the United States from severe food allergy-related reactions."
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70750.html
"he number of American kids with food allergies has soared 18 percent in the last decade, with an estimated 4 percent of children and teens now affected with the condition, a new federal report says."
http://www.aaaai.org/media/resources/media_kit/allergy_statistics.stm
"ood Allergy
Approximately 12 million Americans suffer from food allergy, with 6.9 million allergic to seafood and 3.3 million allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. 18
Eight foods account for 90% of all reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. 18
Approximately 2.2 million school-aged children have food allergy. 18
One in every 17 children under the age of 3 has food allergy. 18
It is estimated that more than 150 people die annually from anaphylaxis to food.19"
Ok, so my Dr. seems to have overestimated, however, those of you who say that those of us with allergies shouldn't even to out to dinner are insane. Any GOOD restaurant can deal with this issue. If you don't know how to please a customer, stop cooking.
crystal
-
I think that The New York Times op-ed article today (Prof. James E. McWilliams, Nov. 17, 2008) entitled "Our Home-Grown Melamine Problem" should be mentioned in this discussion about allergies and/or "toxic" food. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/opinion/17mcwilliams.html?hp)
In his op-ed piece Prof. McWilliams says,
"To think American consumers are immune to this unscrupulous behavior is to ignore the Byzantine reality of the global gluten trade. Tracking the flow of wheat gluten around the world, much less evaluating its quality, is like trying to contain a drop of dye in a churning whirlpool.
"More ominous, the United States imports most of its wheat gluten. Last year, for instance, the F.D.A. reported that millions of Americans had eaten chicken fattened on feed with melamine-tainted gluten imported from China. Around the same time, Tyson Foods slaughtered and processed hogs that had eaten melamine-contaminated feed. The government decided not to recall the meat.
"Only a week earlier, however, the F.D.A. had announced that thousands of cats and dogs had died from melamine-laden pet food. This high-profile pet scandal did not prove to be a spur to reform so much as a red herring. Our attention was diverted to Fido and away from the animals we happen to kill and eat rather than spoil.
"Frightening as this all sounds, the concerned consumer is not completely helpless. We can seek out organic foods, which are grown with fertilizer without melamine — unless that fertilizer was composted with manure from animals fed melamine-laden feed (always possible, as the Tyson example suggests).
"We could further protect ourselves by choosing meat from grass-fed or truly free-range animals, assuming the grass was not fertilized with a conventional product (something that’s also very hard to know)."
- - - -
So, in some cases, could chemicals like melamine and nitrogen in our fertilizers for food and/or in our wheat gluten be part of the problem, and not the food itself?
jean
My late husband was allergic to chocolate. He could eat a piece and he would sneeze. The better the chocolate the more he would sneeze. Godiva dark chocolate would make him sneeze ferociously. Hersheys just a little achoo. Did that stop him from eating chocolate? NO!
Nicole
I have the Mugwart pollen allergy (carrots, celery, coriander, fennel, parsley, peppers, sunflower) and Ragweed pollen allergy (banana, cantaloupe, cucumber, honey dew, watermelon, zucchini) which my allergist diagnosed years ago. I've never found the semi-itchy throat and ears that I get when I eat them raw (cooking seems to alleviate it all together) a deterrence, though, and eating a bread product afterward to clean off my throat helps a lot. I also find that the fresher the fruit or vegetable is, the less it bothers me. Really ripe bananas can drive me crazy, but ones that haven't started getting any spots yet are fine.
Walt
As a celiac, my body does not process gluten properly; but I've never had an issue in a restaurant that cooks with fresh product and has a staff that knows it's way around an ingredient. I am however, shocked by the number of people in the article (8 people of 16 tables)that claim a food allergy on the night of a Chef's tasting dinner.
I never make a reservation without informing the restaurant of my issue up front and I always try to eat something that can be easily adapted to my needs. To show up at any restaurant with a serious allergy without prior notice, let alone a tasting dinner (where even more prep has to be done before hand) shows a total lack of respect on the part of the diner. How self-centered do you have to be to expect that a $1,500 tasting menu be changed at the last minute just for you?
It's about the food people, not your ego.
You expect the Chef to have some respect for the ingredients. How about a little respect for the Chef!
Tags
BTW, 2% of 300 million is 6 million.
jscirish27
As a line cook, I totally empathize with many of the feelings expressed here. You are already expected to perform miracles on a nightly basis, and then when you throw allergies v. preferences into the mix, it can be damn near impossible (yet we do it anyways). What I always recommend to our staff (because it is possible at our place since everything is cooked a la minute) is that they offer the dish with a completely different accompaniment. With causes less problems on big pick-ups (ie. forgetfulness) then trying to leave out certain items.
I do believe allergies were rarely prevalent, but probably have become more so because of the build-up of toxins in our food supply over the years. That is why chemical free farming and the proper sourcing of food is so important for our food future.
Hilary
Not sure if this was brought up above or not. But I have developed an allergy to raw tree fruits. I thought I was imagining it at first, and kept trying more tree fruits. However I'm now at a point where if I eat a raw apple or peach or any other tree fruit, my lips and tongue swell up. I finally found a British allergy website that explained that people who are allergic to the trees, have allergies to the fruit. The reaction does go away when the fruits are cooked.
Kimber
I am allergic to balsamic vinegar. not sulfites, not vinegar, just balsamic. i had the unfortunate experience of having my throat close up on 3 separate occasions until i could figure out what the heck i was eating that i was reacting to. when i go out, i make sure to ask the server before ordering a dish if there is balsamic in it. if so, i order something else, no big deal.
Phil
Kimber: That's very strange. I have the exact same anaphylactic reaction to salmon and, irregularly, avocado.
milo
"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?"
Would you prefer kids bring PBJ sandwiches, causing the allergic kids to DIE?
No question it's a bummer, but obviously something has to be done when kids get a reaction from even being in the same room as a peanut.
milo
One thing that's particularly scary right now is trying to figure out what to do with babies to try to help them avoid allergies. For years the "experts" all said not to give kids any peanuts, but now it looks like that may be completely wrong and actually making the problem far worse. It's pretty amazing that modern science and medicine can't figure something like that out and that right now there is advice that is flat out contradictory.
some guy
"Is McGee a doctor? I think not." - anita
Yes, Harrold McGee is a doctor - he holds a Ph.D. from Yale.
anita
And his Ph.D is in.....?
anita
.... http://www.nndb.com/people/289/000114944/
... English... not medicine...
milo
Yeah, for statistics on allergies, best to use a more recent source, and as brilliant as McGee is, that doesn't really fall under his area of expertise.
So do does the training to be a chef include information about allergies? And being able to deal with them by making substitutions?
It seems like it should be possible to find a reasonable compromise middle ground between the consumer and the chef, whether it's allergies, intolerances, or even simple preferences. The consumer should hopefully be able to find something on the menu that fits their needs (which is where detailed enough menus and informed servers come in), and if there are minor adjustments necessary, the chef should be willing and able to make them. Particularly when it's something like simply leaving something out, or swapping a side dish or sauce with one already on the menu with another main course.
And especially when a request for a substitution is along the lines of "I don't eat XYZ but I'd be happy if you would substitute anything else for it".
If a chef is doing a tasting menu, particularly one with many courses, I would think it would be smart to have at least one or two alternatives planned ahead of time since it seems inevitable that there would generally be some people who are either allergic or simply don't like certain things. One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is raw items like sushi and rare meats, which some people have to avoid for health and safety reasons.
Lainey
i guess i can't judge because i like almost any food. but people are ridiculously picky these days. are we so spoiled that we can say "oh no thank you" to a sliver of onion or a cheese that has a weird consistency? i had a couple of friends in college who's only choice in a meat was chicken and one who would not eat red sauce. seriously.
milo
"are we so spoiled that we can say "oh no thank you" to a sliver of onion or a cheese that has a weird consistency?"
There is spoiled, and there is actual physical distress. And often it's hard if not impossible for an observer to tell the difference.
If a sliver of onion gives someone an allergic reaction, or headache or severe gas or heartburn or diarrhea, I don't begrudge them for asking it left out.
milo
Megan, are you talking about Christina Desforges in Quebec? She's the only case of suspected death after kissing someone who ate peanuts I have seen, and the coroner determined that she didn't die from a food reaction, she was at a party with heavy tobacco and pot smoke, which set off her asthma (and they suspected she may have been smoking herself).
While peanut allergies are serious and potentially lethal, and people have reported rashes and other reactions from kisses, I wasn't able to find a source saying anyone actually died from that.
lessthanjoey
I'm rather in the sissy column but I also agree wholeheartedly with those who say that our food system is causing the problem. My girlfriend can eat cherries with no problem when she is in France, but cherries here cause the skin on her palms to dry up and peel. Likewise for a few other ingredients (that I'm currently blanking on, great bf that I am!)
Blake Avery
I cook as Commander Palace in New Orleans and we get an absolute ton a so called food allergies. It's always surprising because in New Orleans people should expect the food to be a certain way. My favorites include, Salt (seriously), onion, herbs, and the most said allergy...cilantro.
casacaudill
My brother in law is allergic to mushrooms, or so he says. I think he just doesn't like them. His wife is allergic to pork, until the bacon comes out ... and then suddenly it's a-ok. I think people use the word "allergy" when they really mean "dislike" because they want to feel important.
Kate in the NW
MR -
I know this is an old post and I don't know if you continue to read comments, but after this post I kept rolling something around in my head.
When my daughter was born (a decade ago), we breast-fed for ages and I was VERY careful with foods - both with what I ate while breastfeeding, and with what/how we introduced foods to her. This was not easy, as we are adventurous eaters and she started reaching for EVERYTHING and saying "Some...?" in a most plaintive voice at about 10 months.
The reason for our caution? My husband's family, which is absolutely RIDDLED with allergies. Fortunately, most are environmental, not food-based (other than a familial sensitivity to wheat, which - sadly - she inherited).
ANYway - I did a bunch of research. At the time, there were some theories floating around about the role of processing/additives in food being the real culprit in the dramatic increase in food reactions in recent years. Seems from the comments here that this is becoming a more accepted theory (though I readily acknowledge there is also a fair amount of narcissistic whining going on, and many "allergies" simply aren't).
One interesting theory is that the dramatic uptick in peanut allergies is because of how peanut butter is processed (and it wouldn't surprise me if other foods followed the same pattern). Apparently peanut-butter processing changed significantly in the late 1970's-early 1980's - just when peanut allergies exploded among the general population. And guess what the culprit seems to be? Hydrogenation and homogenization. When they do that to the peanuts, something changes in the protein that makes it much more allergenic...and how are most kids introduced to peanuts? JIF! Better living through chemistry, indeed... (!)
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=207382 gives some info, but I'm sure there's more out there.
It is SO SAD when we take good food and make it toxic. And that kids suffer. Another argument for simple, local, seasonal, unprocessed.
Good topic - thanks!
anita
Several people have mentioned the difference between Americans and French people in what they will/won't eat. I don't know the stastics of French people with allergies, but I think, after reading all of these responses, we can agree that many Americans do have food allergies.
So... what's the difference in the US and French food supplies? American - big industrial food nation, feedlots with animals unable to move, corn in everything, etc. French? Am I right in supposing that they mostly eat more locally, from small producers and don't indulge in our preponderance for fast, commercial, cheap food? And hey - I don't ever remember seeing peanuts on a french menu (one of the major allergens).
Paula
I have ulcerative colitis. There are several dietary "trigger foods" that I must not ingest in order to avoid a flare up lasting up to 6 months. U.C. sufferers have some shared triggers and some very individual ones as well. Some of my triggers are not my sisters (who also has u.c.). I've had great difficulty trying to explain this when I go to a restaurant. The server concludes I am "allergic". I'm not allergic, it just makes me sick. At this point it is easier to go along with the allergy as they understand what that means. The two things that will make me very sick are orange juice and raw garlic. I can't have anything raw in the onion family. It's the juices in the garlic, onion, etc. that make me sick. I can have garlic if it is pressed and cooked. I cook with shallots and onions, I just have to cook them very thoroughly. The high acid in the o.j. kills me. I have to stay away from acidic things as well. I wonder if I will ever be able to go to The French Laundry because it would be a dietary minefield with all the courses and I don't want to be the person who says they can't have (and rattle off 15 or so things). I would feel like I'm being such a pain and a killjoy. At other restaurants I find out what on the menu is "safe" for me and I order that.
MessyONE
I think we've started to miss the point. I've worked as a waiter, I know a few chefs, and I have to say that the most irritating thing in the world is a person who treats any restaurant worker like a private servant who has to blindly obey every whim just because a customer has their behind in a chair. I know a lot of people who would agree with that.
Any person who goes into a restaurant expecting to order something off the menu, then rearrange/tear apart/change ingredients on any dish just for the sake of their personal preferences should go home and cook what they want. The customer, contrary to the fantasies of people who think that the possession of a credit card entitles them to be a petty dictator, is NOT always right. I have fired clients, and so has just about every person I've ever worked for. Some people are just not worth the money they spend.
Most restaurants very helpfully post their menus on the front door. Many have web sites that include menus and wine lists - the most organized also post their daily specials, too. If you call a restaurant, there is always a staff person who is more than willing to assist in discussing the menu. Given all that, there is no excuse for anyone to sit down in a restaurant where they have a reservation and whine that "there's nothing here I can eat".
People who have allergies are generally well aware of what they are and how to cope with them. They have no right to expect a waiter or a chef to be their "mommy". The people who just don't like what the restaurant serves should either choose another place or go home. Pretending to be allergic belittles those people who really DO have life-threatening allergies and insults the people who cook and serve food.
Harry
Anne C. made a lovely summation about varying levels of sensitivity to foods, so I won't repeat what she wrote.
The point's been made several times: "allergy" is a specific chemical reaction. There are other reactions that make one sick that aren't technically allergies. But since everyone understands allergies, a lot of people say allergy while few understand Celiac Disease (a genetic condition), for example. But if you try to parse the Celiac's problem as an allergy you get the wrong answers, and so you doubt the person has an allergy. And you're right - the person isn't allergic, but he still can't eat fava beans (or is it lima beans?) without endangering his life.
For the record, for a small percentage of the US population (the estimates I see cluster in the 2-5% range), cilantro tastes like soap. It's a genetic issue and there's no getting around it. Except to develop a taste for soap, I guess.
Now on to sensitivities. There was an interesting article on NPR last week about digestional bacteria. The short version is that the bacteria - and therefore what one can easily digest - vary from place to place. Further, when one is in a new place one eventually acquires the local bacteria.
After having planned several weddings, I have full sympathy with chefs who are fed up or frustrated with the increasing flurry of special requests. For that reason I loathe people who say they are allergic to something when they merely don't like it or don't want to try it. Own up to your food preferences and stop making dining dangerous for those who are actually are allergic (or whatever).
Susan
I'm a longtime lurker on this blog, and this topic just hits too close to home so I felt the need to comment.
I am severely allergic to peanuts, peanut butter and all other nut products. And by severe, I mean if I eat this stuff I will kick the bucket within a matter of minutes unless somebody hauls my ass to the ER.
I appreciate Ruhlman's take on food sissies, because I so do not want to be that girl. I love food. I love cooking and eating out and I so do not want to be a pain in the ass when I order food. I always straight up tell the server I'm allergic to nuts and I avoid ordering anything that looks like it would include those products. I also tell the server that if nuts are in what I want, I will simply change my order. There's no need to be a diva about it.
But on the flip side, I do wish more restaurants took legitimate food allergies more seriously. I am very diligent as to not cause any problems, and I would appreciate if people in the food biz did the same. It's very frustrating when restaurant staff act like you're insane when you tell them you have a food allergy.
But I truly appreciate restaurants that are thorough and helpful on this issue, and my husband and I are often repeat customers at places that we know we can trust. It also annoys me when I go out to eat and every freakin' dessert has a nut product. I mean seriously? Why would a restaurant do that in this day and age of the increase in food allergies, particularly to nuts. That's happened to me twice in Philadelphia - at La Bec Fin and the Rose Tattoo.
Juli
My husband's aunt has a wheat and dairy allergy that she did not develop until she was in her 60's. As she learned about the disease and learned what she could and could not eat, on the dairy side, fresh milk and cheeses seemed to be the problem. Through trial and error, she discovered that she could eat very hard, aged cheese - they think maybe some enzyme or something that causes the reaction no longer exists in the older cheese? So, that might be an explanation for some people who order cheese at the end of the meal, but couldn't have cream, butter,etc.
bob
It's a shame wieners (the people, not the sausage) have caused so may servers/cooks/etc to disbelieve people with real food issues. I personally had what was probably the finest meal of my life (at Tetsuya in Sydney) nearly ruined by the attention-grabbing wife of a friend. She insisted that she was alergic to a whole host of things so that she would be the "special person" at the table. Sickening.
Yes - my friend confirmed that these were not things she was alergic to, just things she didn't like.
Luckily the waitress was a funny gal who made fun of the whole attention-grabbing affair - which kept the rest of the group in stiches, and my friend's wife red in the face and embarrased for herself. YES... quite a bold move on the part of the waitress that could have backfired. Gotta hand it to the ladies in Oz - they don't take much crap at all from California trust-fund princesses.
I think the best way to deal with this all is by setting a good example yourself... like dumping dates who pull this kinda crap.
phillygirl64
I have a serious tree nut allergy, but peanut and coconut are ok...In addition, bleu cheeses throw my digestive tract into reverse (sorry, that's the nicest way I can put it)
I get annoyed at folks who claim allergies they don't have, because when they are found out, they make all of us seem suspect
It would also help if the information was clearly spelled out on the menu (and even better if there is sufficient lighting to read it...)
My biggest peeve, however, is that it often seems that every other dish has nuts in them - macadamia-crusted this, stir-fry with cashew that...dressed with a walnut-oil vinaigrette
MessyONE
Phillygirl....have you ever tried to find a freakin' sandwich with no cheese? Why do Americans HAVE to slather everything with cheese, anyway? And why do they feel the need to add half a pound of the stuff when a slice will do? And why is it that if you ask someone to just leave off half the cheese they get offended?
I'm suspicious of cheese that can't be served unless it's been melted too....what's that about? Are they trying to hide something about it?
Sigh... I can see a whole slew of conspiracy theories that could be made of this.....
😉
Michele Niesen
Whoa! Like he said, a bunch of sissies---listen to yourselves! 90% of these posts are about your genetic predisposition to have an itchy butt over a seed or a nut or a papaya. Before all the nomenclature would you have had a disease? Too bad there isn't a Big Pharm pill you can all pop, it would add just one more layer to the labyrinth. I get snortingly barfy over mussels. Um, so I don't eat them.
Okay, I'm a chef/owner and before that had been a server and then a caterer for years. Nowhere in that job description (nor take home salary) does it imply that I am a doctor. Nor a detective. I've had people ask me if there are sesame seeds in the Cassoulet for example, and I think that just lets you know in advance that you've got a tricky customer and little else. Sure, I thought an Asian twist would really jazz up the century old bean and sausage duck thing from France.
It really freaks you out in the kitchen because you feel like some guy is out there playing Russian roulette by even going OUT to dinner. And now the liability is in your hands if he in fact discovers toNIGHT that he's gonna have a seizure over a confit? Like the liquor liability, the greasetrap, the staff turnover, the price of food in general, the real estate snaffus and taxes weren't enough. Now I'm your nurse? Bollocks. If YOU have an allergy then YOU need to know what YOU can't eat. That's why there's a printed menu. Allergic to fish? Try the chicken and shut up. Chef's choice tasting menu? Sorry for the infirm, but this is something you can't indulge in. If you think your life won't be the same without such an event then hire the chef privately, give him your list of demands, book the private venue, pay the price and enjoy. If you're so "special".
MessyONE
Brava, Michele! That is exactly what people have been tiptoeing around for the entire thread.
First round's on me.
Elle Cee
Ug.
As someone who recently spent $2K and an entire day vomitting in a hospital emergency room because I tried to 'suck it up' and eat something which I didn't completely vet, I have limited sympathy for the attitude of Michelle etc.
I'm anaphylactic allergic to eggs, which means no mayo for me and I have to tell you I feel very little guilt asking the chef to sub some other tasty sauce for that little death spread before I order my sandwich.
MessyONE
Elle - Let me quote.....
"...entire day vomiting in a hospital emergency room because I tried to 'suck it up' and eat something which I didn't completely vet...."
I'm sorry, WHOSE fault was that? A restaurant is not your Mommy.
Michele Niesen
indeed MessyOne. why are folks sooo unable to take a modicum of responsibility for their special need? if you're hard of hearing, you don't ask EVERYONE else to talk louder...you get a hearing aid. If you will die if you have a NUT or go to the hospital if you have mayo---learn how to COOK. And stay home.
I don't need your $30 that bad that I can take on the responsibility of an errant drop of peanut oil hitting some dude's carpaccio because the Nortena music in the kitchen is too loud and my sous chef and his amigos working back there don't know what food allergies are anyway. And they, like me, can't imagine that going out to dinner is worth life or death.
Accidents happen. And we're just trying to keep it together and get the 50 plates out in a reasonable time when one guy wants a black and blue filet and one wants it well done but not butterflied. This aint a NASA launch, it's a bunch of folk making your dinner for about $15 an hour. It's a service and it's a trade. At times it's an art. But we all have to attend classes and know that the steamer has to be a certain temp and do the pork to 130. It's hot as hell, your knees are peanut brittle, and the servers can be just as whiney as the customers. You aren't the only customer Miss ovo lacto vegan who eats fish but will die from shellfish and nightshades. But if you'll dig deeper into the topic of allergies, you'll see that it is an autoimmune response and probably a backlash to all the enviro toxins out there from A. big Pharm and B. big Farm. And there's your full circle Oprah moment. $20 says your grandma didn't have no lactose intolerance.
And I don't know if you've ever been in the back of the house, but there aren't a bunch of nuns back there. They are a rough tumble group of professionals, who have to be strong to make it through the night at all and do it again tomorrow, but we aint your babysitters.
Laura
Michele Niesen-what's the name of your restaurant? I'd like to avoid giving my $30 to a chef who thinks so little of the people that keep her in business.
(BTW, I do know what the BOH is like.....been a restaurant chef for 20+ years. If you can't handle the heat, it might be time to do something else.)
Paula
For the record, Michele, my grandmother was lactose intolerant. She was born in the late 1800's, way before big pharm. Italians have a propensity for lactose intolerance as well as a higher risk for ulcerative colitis which she also had. I have her to thank for my u.c.
I think it would save a lot of people a lot of time and trouble if more of the prominent ingredients are listed on the menu. It would help me narrow down the short list of things I can order without having to ask the server questions. I prefer to have the information in front of me so I can make my own decision without bothering anyone and/or drawing attention to my restrictions. Not all dishes are self explanatory in regards to their components.
What has worked very well for me is telling the server up front that I can't have x,y,z and asking them which dishes they recommend based on that info. 98% of the time they are very helpful and happy to point me to things that are safe for me. If they are new, they might have to go and ask the chef if a sauce is loaded with chunks of garlic or something. I always wind up with something I enjoy. There are dishes I miss out on but that's life with u.c.
The TriniGourmet
As an addendum to my previous comment I suggest you reread the New York Times article you posted. Nowhere does it debunk MSG sensitivity. It states that in normal amounts MSG does not exhibit an adverse reaction in the vast majority of people. However, the article also states that MSG stimulates neurons, a fact that creates the symptoms of MSG sensitivity in the small groups of people who have pre existing conditions that make them susceptible. Indeed the same FDA report cited in the article, clearly explains that small demographic groups do exist who will react adversely to MSG and the same report advised that products be labelled accordingly. This suggestion was shot down because of food lobbyists, not because of a lack of evidence. I suggest you read the report yourself at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/msg.html and then issue your friend an apology.
Michele Niesen
To the person who doesn't want to eat in my restaurant, no worries, I sold last year after a successful decade. And don't misconstrue my sentiment. It's not about "not caring about my clientele" I am one of the most caring if not empathetic purveyors, owner/operators out there...but I don't need to prove any of this to anyone. My point is simply to alert folks who have a serious, life threatening allergy NOT to leave things to chance to kitchen staffs across America. That's how much I care. I mean as careful as we all are and as heartfelt as I am about each and every dish...I am human, and so is my staff. The chances are in an accomplished small place where everything is made to order like it was in my place, we could think on the fly and leave out whatever you wanted, I can bust out a vegan dish from a Provencal menu if I have to, but most kitchens aren't this way.
Ever heard of Sysco? There's a lot of can opening going on out there and a lot of "chefs" who are little else than steamer stewards. THESE are the places where asking for a list of ingredients isn't feasible. All those premade soup stock mixes with their "hydrolyzed protein" is actually gluten.
I think it's pretty narrow to say "restaurants" as a blanket idea. I mean are we talking Thomas Keller or Red Lobster line cook? And I'm shocked that someone who claims to have been in the biz for twenty years would even think about arguing this as a point of care vs. non care. Where do you work? A nursing home?
I'll say it again, is your life threatening illness, allergy or aversion worth getting sick over just to go out to dinner? And the woman who says Italians are prone to lactose intolerance, yep. Overindulgence in any ingredient will make that thing turn on you. Sometimes it takes generations and can be imbedded in your genetic code. Is it an American thing to think that you are entitled to every last thing that everyone else is? Whilst still clinging to your "special' status? I have an aunt with colitis. Nuts about rip her colon out but like an addict she can't give them up. But I digress.
The occasional request doesn't bother most chefs...but if you knew how most people rewrite your menu each and every night because of their childish foot stomping behavior, you're not even cooking anymore. You're performing dinner impossible.
Patrick
As a server I had a question if our fries were "made fresh" or not. Fortunately they were prepped in the back that morning and made to order. The guest thanked me and went on to explain how she's allergic to "frozen fries".
I laughed to myself, and I can't for the life of me think how the human body could react to the freezing process of produce. Maybe they add something? I have no idea.
I have had several other requests, this one just seemed to be the most silly. With years of being a server, from fine dining to family casual, these "requests" have been steadily increasing.
Gina
So Michele - We're supposed to live in a bubble? Cook our own food (grind the grain to flour too?) and never eat out, never be a part of the social world and lock ourselves in a bubble? It is worth going out to dinner as we're part of society. I'm not locking my husband and son away because they have food allergies. Stay at home, always, never go out. Not really realistic, is it? I agree that it is a crapshoot and only one time did I find a chef who didn't want to accomidate. His restaurant is long since gone, I might add. Some come out and talk with us, some don't. All but the one have been gracious.
I'm absolutely stunned by your intolerance.
People ask for accomidation not because they want to be a pain in the ass. We ask because maybe there IS something better on your menu to eat. Printed menus don't list ingredients and chefs DO do oddball things like sesame seeds in the cassoulet. Would you rather people don't ask and just find out the hard way?
When we go out we call in advance - ask for menus and suggestions of what we should order. I'll bend over backwards to honor the kitchen and not try to throw things out of whack. Talk to your front of the house - is the foot stomping coming from them or are the patrons really all that horrible?
My family won't be a imprisoned by allergies.
Eric
I think a lot of people claim an allergy because it's easier than explaining "I have non-histamine illness reaction to..."
For example, my girlfriend cannot eat cheese. She used to be able to, so she doesn't have an aversion to it. She doesn't have a histamine reaction to it, but if there's cheese in something, even if it's not something she can taste, she will spend a good portion of the next hour worshipping the porcelain idol.
When asked by a waiter or a caterer, though, she just says "I have a cheese allergy." It's easier.
Michele Niesen
Oh Gina it sounds like you already live in a bubble. The allergies ARE running your life as you allow them to. Not being able to go out to dinner is imprisonment? Oy vey. Get a life. You can have a rich and diverse set of interests outside of restaurants. It sounds to me that it's the old prohibition theory. You crave what you can't have.
Tell me, with all this calling before you go to dinner, and checking and researching menus and talking with the chef, and dissecting the ingredients to suss out what cook put the sesame in the cassoulet and "bending over backwards" to accommodate and "honor" the kitchen...this is FUN to you? You're fighting for the right to do that? Why? Find something else to do with your time. Volunteer or something. It's funny every time I work at the soup kitchen for Tgiving, not ONE of those homeless people have any special requests and nary an allergy, sensitivity nor intolerance in the bunch. I guess some folks just don't have the luxury of picking apart the minutiae of their existence. Sounds like most folks could use two things: A nutritionist and a psychiatrist.
Shasta
Just echoing some of the other comments with a mango allergy--it's unfortunate, because I love mangoes, but last time I ate one, I ended up having to go on anti-inflammatory steroids. Also, like a couple of other people mentioned, I've always had very severe reactions to poison oak and poison ivy.
anita
Michele, I'm so glad you're not in the kitchen any more. With your attitude, you shouldn't be.
MessyONE
Anita....
You sissy....
Maura
I agree with Michele's essential point. The restaurant is not anyone's mommy. We all have to take responsibility for what we eat and how we behave in a restaurant. If you're lactose intolerant and don't have or won't take Lactaid, don't eat ice cream.
Most menus do list major ingredients. Study the menu. If you're still not sure, ask. You don't have to give the server an explanation. I doubt the server either needs or wants a description of what onions do to someone's intestinal tract. It's all in how we ask, not that we ask.
There's just so much restaurants can do. Even if they take major allergies likes nuts and gluten into account, it's impossible for them to consider each and every unusual allergy out there.
That said, I think that Gina is trying to take responsibility. It seems extreme to some, and I know that I'd be too lazy to go through all that. If I had severe, unusual or multiple allergies, I probably would stay home, or eat at just a few places that I knew were safe. But, obviously, eating out is important to her. Can't fault her for that.
I've had people ask me if there are sesame seeds in the Cassoulet for example, and I think that just lets you know in advance that you've got a tricky customer and little else. Sure, I thought an Asian twist would really jazz up the century old bean and sausage duck thing from France.
OK, that made me laugh. A friend of mine once asked if there were nuts in the mashed potatoes someone brought to my house. I think in case, it was an automatic reaction.
Gina
Hazelnut oil, walnut oil are now more commonplace than they once were. Things can show up in the oddest places. Nut oils and sesame seeds are big offenders. Peanuts and shellfish are far more obvious.
We ask chefs and restaurants not to be offensive but only to protect ourselves. It isn't a culinary criticism just self protection. And eating out is important. Not every night and not even once a week. But it is part of participation in the societal norm.
And I volunteer - but not on days where it is popular like Thanksgiving; but on days where the homeless and the hungry are not remembered and not in most of our thoughts. Just on ordinary Tuesdays where otherwise many of those folks would be forgotten. I leave Thanksgiving for those who think they are being altruistic just one day a year and give themselves far too big a pat on the back.
William
I am Vegan and many times I have to tell a waiter that I am allergic to dairy and chicken. there has been so many times I have asked someone if a dish contained chicken broth or butter and was lied to because a restaurant didnt want to lose a sale.
anita
Ohhhhhh.... messyone called me a name... how intelligent and erudite.
Joe
I couldn't agree more with McAuliflower's statement here.
"When one is paying for the service of having food prepared, one would assume that their food preference would be honored.
Any business and not just the restaurant business should be there for their clients. What makes me return to a restaurant is service provided plus quality of food and if a certain food is going to make me ill, I will demand that I do not have it served to me.
Anyone who suffers from food allergies do not need to use this as any excuse but know full well the consequence involved.
shari aizenman
Funny. I must be allergic to cheesecake. Blows my rear end out of proportion every time I indulge. Get real, people.
B.
First off, to anyone who mentions that there aren't food allergies amongst the homeless or the Rwandans, that's because people without access to medical attention just, you know, die when they encounter that food, usually as a child in third-world countries. Admittedly, other people have raised good points about the allergy rate being influenced by the global food processing industry, but it remains, no one notices when some homeless guy dies after eating some peanut oil.
On to my own experiences with food allergies, intolerances, and aversions.
I'm luckily free of allergies. My father can't have shellfish, but loves it. My mom catches him scratching an hour after sneaking some off my plate at a restaurant and gives him hell for it.
I have two intolerances. I developed lactose intolerance after a nasty bout with a gastrointestinal flu in my early 20's. My theory is that the bug killed off all the good bacteria in my gut, ending my ability to digest lactose. No one else in my family suffers, and my mom was so skeptical of such a thing that she made me get a breath test from the doctor. I've found that most cheese is okay, but too much fresh cheese like mozz or ricotta gives me cramps. Oddly enough a sip or two or milk is fine, but baked into a cake I'll be limited to a private area for the remainder of the day. My theory on that one is that the lactose is suspended and diluted in the milk, but that the cake somehow binds it, making it available to putrefactive bacteria in the gut. The other thing with me is pears. I love pears, grew up on them, had a tree in the yard. In college, I moved into a house with a pear tree out back. In August, I started making pear pies, pear cobblers, pear sauce, pear anything. I had the poos for two weeks, not realizing the pears were the culprit. It dawned on me eventually, and research seems to point to high levels of sorbitol in pears' sugar profiles. So just like you shouldn't eat too much of that 'diabetic' candy, I can only eat a few bites of pear, lest I run to the restroom.
As far as aversions, I have plenty. I dislike almost all tropical fruits, but I just would never order something like guava gelee on mango curd with passionfruit coulis. Blech. Raspberries are the same way. Anything else I'm fine with. The one sneaky one I have to watch out for is cilantro. For most of my life, I could take it or leave it, it wasn't a strong flavor to me. But sometime in my 20's, I started to notice this awful flavor in Mexican or Vietnamese foods I had previously enjoyed. I know it's a genetic predisposition for it to taste like chewing on a pewter fork, but it's odd that it happened to me so late.
On those lines of genetics, however, I think it's interesting that no one in my family thinks that any kind of greens are strong-smelling. Collards, broccoli, brussels sprouts are all pleasant and vegetabley smelling. Other people instantly turn up their noses at the scent of steaming greens. Perhaps my family is programmed to have a predilection for consuming such things?
As far as picky people go, I work with many of them. One of them is vegan, 'straight-edge' (no caffeine or alcohol, including chocolate, coffee, and vanilla), soy-free, gluten-free, sugar/agave/maple-free, yeast-free, and doesn't eat anything fermented or with a high sugar content, like peas or corn or carrots. I have never seen her actually eat, although she talks about baking banana bread. What with, I've no idea. Needless to say, she just doesn't eat out.
christina k
My sympathies on the brazil nut allergy. I'm weirdly allergic to poppyseed, as evidenced by my super embarrassing reaction at my in-laws' before they were my in-laws that landed me in the hospital the day after Christmas three years ago. Never has posed a problem though when I go out to eat, and I carry an epi pen just in case. However, when I went to Paris earlier this year, my French friend wrote my allergy on a post-it and demanded that I show it to every server I encountered. I never did, and fared just fine (shhh...don't tell).
Pablo Escolar
It is really weird how much contempt people who don't work in the restaurant industry have for folks who feign allergies to get what they want. I think the reason this happens is simple: The restaurant business asks for it.
Most customers are pretty simple. They want what they ask for. Enough restaurants don't really care if you don't like the way something tastes, and will gladly tell you they removed the blah or tell vegetarian customers there is no chicken broth in that dish.
As a result, customers learn to lie in return. Just as it is easier to lie to a customer about what is in a dish, it is simply easier for customers to feign allergies.
Restaurants can solve this problem EASILY. Simply don't accommodate. Sure it will ruffle the occasional feather. Yes, sometimes that means customers will leave. But long-term, these aren't the customers you wanted anyways.
Joey F
I had a client who couldn't eat WHISKED egg whites. Allergic, apparently.
jim voorhies
My wife is allergic to beef, pork, veal, lamb, fresh tuna and fresh salmon. We found this out after medical testing narrowed down the suspects. Her reactions, which increase in intensity with each exposure, require rapid (within the hour) visits to a hospital for injections of anti-histamine and steroids. It is life threatening for her. Her throat muscles swell and breathing becomes labored. Not all food allergies are sissy based.
MyLastBite
I really enjoyed your piece and the comments too. Six months ago I was diagnosed with food allergies. Basically... throughout my life when I thought I had hay fever... it was most likely a food allergy. My sinuses get full of mucus and it can be miserable. The foods I was told to cut from my diet are: Garlic, Wheat, Tomato, Potato, Corn and Rice. I haven't cut them out completely... especially GARLIC, but what I do now is plan ahead and take a ZyrtecD and just enjoy my food. I'm fine suffering a little bit because life is too short not to eat garlic!
lisa r
My husband has the shellfish allergy, and scared me to death when we were dating and he got hit at a restaurant.
Just an FYI - allergies (real ones, not just sensitivies or dislike or whatever) can occur at any age - you have start with a sensitivity, and if enough antibodies build up, have a true, anaphalactic reaction at some point. Much to my dismay, I've had 2 since menopause hit: walnuts and bananas. I had always been so proud that I could and would eat ANYTHING (except beets. Their flavor and my palate do not mix). Now, I have to be careful, avoid 90% of holiday cookies, and can't have my beloved Cuban-style fried bananas.
Leila
I think you're forgetting a large group of people with dietary restrictions other than allergies, including being Kosher. Sometimes its simply easier to say you're allergic than explain in detail.
Mary in Brooklyn
I could always eat everything, until I turned 40 and bell peppers starting turning on me. Doc thought ulcer and a number of other things until I figured it out myself. At home I can peel (raw) a yellow or red bell pepper (greens are completely out of the question) and cook it or eat it raw and it's OK, but they make me ill otherwise. Not an allergy so much as a digestion problem. Major problem. Now I think I'm having a problem with eggs that are not cooked to death. It's sad, but at home I can cook to suit myself, when out I have to be careful. Chili peppers - no problem! Thank goodness!
Jered G.
I'm part of the Lactose Intolerant bunch, admittedly not an allergy. But the amount of lactose (or dairy products) that I can consume while still avoiding discomfort is different from another person with lactose intolerance. It all boils down to control, I won't eat a cream sauce or cream soup because I don't know what kind or quantity of dairy was utilized in the product's preparation. But I will eat a little cheese because I love it and I can control what kind of cheese I eat and in a quantity that will not cause me extreme discomfort.
Sharon Worster
I spent Thanksgiving Eve in the ER in Thibodaux, LA after peeling a few pounds of merliton (chaytoe) squash! I have never eaten the stuff nor touched it previously and had no idea I was allergic to it. First my hands itched and began swelling, then I broke out in a rash from head to toe but when I started having trouble breathing I opted for an IV of solu-medrol. Not something I would prefer to ingest but much better than the alternative. You can bet your ass I won't be dining on merliton in the future! Scary stuff.
April
I recently threw a "Feast of the 7 Fishes" dinner party. I had a few friends tell me they wouldn't make it, because of seafood allergies. I found out they simply don't like seafood. They will not be invited back for dinner. If they had only told me the truth-I can handle the truth. We're all grown-ups. Makes me wonder what else they've lied about.
Michael Natkin
This is a very important topic. I just wrote this piece specifically targeted at restaurant workers (both front and back of house, and management) on how to deal with the deadly allergies that are out there.
Sarina
I understand clearly the difference between an aversion and an allergy as I have severe nut allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. I am concerned that making personal judgements about whether someone has a real allergy or is just a picky eater/difficult customer puts people at risk. I know chefs are artists, however they are also in the service industry. As such, it is important to take the customer at their word and encourage all staff to do so.
My husband posted on his blog about this issue just today. I hope those of you in the restaurant industry will read this. It just might save my life.
http://www.herbivoracious.com/2009/02/understanding-deadly-food-allergies-this-post-could-save-a-life.html
Thanks.
Isabel
I have arthritis and swell up to a point where I can't move my fingers and my bones hurt if I eat solanines, maybe not a "food allergy" but an unfortunate reaction. Also curl up in a fetal position body aches, cramps and splitting headache from orange juice...so, yeah I'm probably not gonna want that in my food. And while I may not "die" it sure as hell feels like it and not just because I'm a sissy, pretty friggin' judgmental. I don't know where they get 2% from, many people never go to the doctor to get checked, it's pretty expensive.
Jackson Beane
I'm allergic to onions, and I want to be a chef one day, weird, huh? Let's say I eat a garnish whose main ingredient is onion, I get red, painful bumps on my upper arms. But that comes during a violent migraine, where my head throbs without ease for about 2 days. You know how small the onions are on a plain McDonald's hamburger, that will just give me a migraine. I'll even get a headache if onion were on my food and taken off. All weird, right? So besides my allergies, onions being my only food allergy...can I be a good chef if I can't ingest onions in any form, including its sister versions. I don't eat or handle pork, I can't eat onions, I'm asthmatic (most kitchen crews are chain smokers), and I don't drink alcohol. So help me guys, CAN I BE A CHEF ONE DAY???