A week or so before the new school year began parents received an email with a list of approved/permitted food items that our children could bring for a snack. The list was short and specific. All foods (other than fresh fruit) needed to come in individual packs. (So no throwing a few Oreos in a baggie; the Oreos had to be in the snack size pack and sealed. And everyone knows it’s much cheaper to buy a big box of cookies than individually wrapped.) Let me be frank; it’s a pain in the you know what.
Before anyone comments, I, more than just about anyone else in this world, knows why this rule is in place and how important it is. It’s still a pain in the you know what. However, it’s an important pain and it shows me that we’re making great progress when it comes to understanding food allergies.
Understanding and education is a long time coming. Both my mother and I have life-threatening food allergies. Hers is to the much dreaded peanut, and when she went to school there was very little education on the topic. Thankfully, when she was younger, peanuts and peanut products were not as prevalent in the food chain (at least not in our region). Most of her problems came later in life, dining out as a college student. (The famous story in our family is when she went out to a restaurant and told the waiter she could not have peanuts or anything cooked in peanut oil. One bite into dinner and she knew she’d been “poisoned”. The waiter assured her that there was no peanut, no peanut oil, only peanut butter.)
My allergies are more varied and have developed (and grown) over the years. (To those who say you outgrow them, I say not necessarily so. In my over 40 years of life, as I have gotten older I have developed more food allergies with no explanation.) Even as a three year old, I knew that when birthday cupcakes came to nursery school, I had to pass. Having an allergy policy in place back then (the dark ages), would have made my life a lot easier. As a shy child, I was always embarrassed that I could not join in with the rest of the class in enjoying a sweet treat and having to explain over and over again why I could not.
Egg and peanut allergies, along with the other common allergens (wheat, nuts, milk, and shellfish) have become manageable due to education. However, we still have a long way to go when it comes to less common food allergies.
In retrospect, surviving an egg allergy has been easy compared to my poultry allergy. While I have always been allergic to eggs, my allergy to poultry evolved over the years to the point where I ended up in the ER one Thanksgiving. Sure, it’s easy to give up a turkey sandwich or chicken soup, but have you ever considered how prevalent chicken stock is used in cooking? (Lay’s new wavy truffle fries potato chips contain both chicken and goose fat. I never saw that coming.) Then take it a step farther, my hamburger and your chicken patty grilled on the same grill and flipped with the same spatula. Where is the problem with that? In my case, it’s a big problem. Cross contamination is just as dangerous for me and can send me running for my EpiPen. (A brilliant invention that either wasn’t around or easily available when I was a child. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I started to carry a bee sting kit with me. I don’t care what political side of the fence you are on, I am grateful that state Senator Kevin O’Toole sponsored a bill here in New Jersey to allow school nurses to administer EpiPens without parental consent. In an allergy emergency, there is no time for phone calls. Again, no matter what your politics are, I am grateful that Governor Christie signed the bill that requires schools to keep a supply of EpiPens and provides immunity to nurses and other trained personnel when using them in cases of emergency.) I’ve actually had more allergy incidents as a result of cross-contamination issues than actually eating something with an egg in it.
So, while I am happy that a school snack list exists (pain in the you know what or not), there are still a lot of allergy issues that need to be addressed. Education in the hospitality industry is key. Dealing with this issue for over forty years I can say that dining out is still a frightening experience for me. Even in the “safest” and best educated of places, I’ve had issues. Walt Disney World has some of the best educated food service employees, or as they are called, cast members. I have been discouraged from eating at certain restaurants within the resort due to my allergies. (The Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom is renowned for its Pilgrim’s Feast and staff there has told me point blank that they don’t think they could keep a safe environment for me due to the sheer amount of turkey that passes through their kitchen every day.) Despite their best efforts, I have experienced a few issues and one extremely close call. (Where literally a chef pulled a meal away from me upon realizing that the wrong potatoes had been given to me.) I have yet to find a local restaurant that I am completely confident in. (But I am open to suggestions.)
It’s obvious that our schools are becoming better educated on the subject of allergies, the snack list just being one example. I have hope that all restaurants and food services establishments will follow suit. Already, some chains have allergen information on their websites, but that’s just a beginning. If not for me, but for all those out there who face food allergy challenges, I hope that there will be a time when dining out with not be fraught with fear but with the anticipation of a unique meal.
Beth Shorten is a life-long resident of Verona. You can read more of her writing on her personal site, Bfth’s Boring Blog.
