Hiya. First post has to do with food allergies, because I actually have an article coming out tomorrow in New York Magazine (www.nymag.com) about dining out with allergies. I have had food allergies all my life, and pretty severe ones. Dealing with allergies day in and day out is a pain in the butt and boring, but at the same time most of us aren’t too eager to let it curtail our plans and eating out activities…at least as far as we can help it. As an ex-cookbook editor I really didn’t want to close off any doors to good food.
So, while I am not a medical professional at all, I have eaten out in more than my fair share of restaurants, from high end to way low, and here are some additional tips:
9 Things To Do When You Eat Out and Have Allergies
1. Be clear and don’t rush: Communicate each of your allergies clearly, making eye contact with the waiter and even if you feel as though he is busy, take the time to make sure you’ve addressed all of your concerns.
2. Have a printed card with your allergic listed individually. You will still want to review the list of allergens with your waiter, but having them written down so there is less room for error is just smart. If you don’t have a pre-printed card, ask the waiter to write them down, or ask for a pen and paper and do it yourself.
3. Ask specific questions: knowing potential pitfalls and how the foods you are allergic to is very important. If you are allergic to eggs, and the waiter says you are ok to have the crab cakes, you might ask if there is mayonnaise in the dish, for example. Sometimes people will forget one of the allergens is hidden in un-obvious ways.
4. Ask if there are any questions: questions are a good way for you to gauge if you’ve been heard and understood. If you say you’re allergic to poppy seeds, for example, and the waiter asks if sesame is ok, you know he is on the ball.
5. If you don’t feel confident that your waiter is listening well enough, or understanding the severity of the allergy, ask to speak to the chef directly, or a manager or maitre d’.
6. Tell your server if you intend to share any dishes with others at your table – they will likely only check dishes that are specifically ordered by the person with allergies.
7. Have the conversation away from the table: let’s face it – it’s not always fun to run through your litany of allergies in a group setting, especially if you’re on an important business dinner or first date. In some cases you may want to order, excuse yourself to the restroom, then find your waiter or a manager and detail the allergies, and change your dishes if necessary.
8. Be a squeaky wheel. Even though it’s not pleasant to have to keep going at it, the alternative is a lot less pleasant.
9. If you’ve received great attentive service, pay a compliment. If things are going to continue to improve in the world of dining out with allergies, praise good servers and kitchen staff so that they feel appreciated for taking the time to be extra careful.
Additional things to think about:
1) Fancier restaurants are simultaneously more likely to have hidden ingredients in dishes, because of the complexity of the food, but are also more likely to have staff that are highly attentive to their customers’ needs, and knowledgeable about the components of the dishes.
2) If you are going to be traveling, or eating in an “ethnic” restaurant, taking the time to have your allergies written and translated is very smart and communicates a sense of weightiness.
3) Just because you’ve had a dish safely at a restaurant once doesn’t mean you don’t need to check each time you order it. Robert Pacenza, Executive Director of the Food Allergy Initiative, says that allergy awareness in restaurants has gotten better, but diners can’t get complacent. “Turnover in the restaurant industry is by nature very high, and as good as a restaurant is, on any given day you have to ask the questions. No matter how many times you’ve eaten a dish at an establishment, you should never feel comfortable.”
4) 8 Food Groups Make Up 90% of allergies: The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network says on their website (www.foodallergy.org) : FAAN says, “Although an individual could be allergic to any food, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, there are eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. These are: milk, egg, peanut, tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.”
I will say that the allergy subject is a much more earnest one than most…hard to be funny on the topic, and still expect everyone to take you seriously. But everything else is fair game…
