We just returned from a short summer vacay and I wanted to share a restaurant story.
I know that dining out is one of the most stressful things for people with severe food allergies because you just never know what's in the food.
We visited a wonderful lakefront restaurant on our trip, one we had been to many times before. It was a very hot day and my daughter wanted a Greek salad. (She's big into salads lately).
We communicated our daughter's allergy when we made our order and asked the waitress to check on the item. It was listed as having "Greek dressing" which in our home never contains any peanut oil or pine nuts, but we still wanted to know.
Our waitress returned and said she had spoken with the chef, which we had asked her to do. She said they didn't make the dressing, it was brought in and one of the chefs thought it might contain peanut oil or some kind of tree nut; they weren't 100%certain. They recommended we use oil and vinegar, that they would bring to our table and my daughter could put this on her salad herself.
My first thought was to be extremely thankful for this waitress. My second thought was--who would think that peanut oil is in Greek dressing?? Once again, this incident confirmed my belief that you always have to check with the chef and never assume that something is "safe" for your allergy.
I'm happy to say that the dinner was delish and we enjoyed a nice, stress-free meal after that. We thanked the waitress profusely and tipped her well--it's nice to give a good tip when they help you out. Kind of like food allergy PR as well as a thank you to the waitperson.
As you visit restaurants, never be afraid to speak up and as your child gets older, have them speak up as well. You have no way of knowing how the food is prepared unless you ask.
Here's another recent post I wrote about dining out.
Showing posts with label dining out with nut allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dining out with nut allergies. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Food Allergies, Travel and Dining Out
After my last post about airplanes, a lot of you are wondering how we got along on our trip with regard to restaurant dining. Yes, the airplane does seem tame in comparison to dining away from home on an extended trip--that's when the "fun" really starts.I have several things that I do to screen a restaurant, particularly if we have never been there before. I have a 3-pronged approach to restaurants and communication is the key.
1. Look up the menu online or in person. Some menus now say that they "welcome allergic diners" but even if they do, carefully review the menu items. Does the menu have a lot of risky foods? Do they state that they use peanut oil or other nut oils frequently? Is it a huge menu with lots of dishes (and thus, lots or chance for cross-contact or mix ups)? If this is the case, I move on to the next place. There is too much cross-contact risk for me to feel comfortable.
To me, a simple menu is much better. I call that a "clean" menu. That's what we strive for when dining out and it seems to work. Once you find a menu that looks OK then you need to...
2. Call the restaurant. Ask to speak to the manager and ask specific questions and evaluate the answers. We always ask what oils are used, for example, and how they handle an allergic diner's order. Is it separated from potential allergens with clean pans, utensils, etc? Is the manager comfortable with your questions or does he/she seem worried or unsettled? You're trying to find out their comfort level with food allergies and diners. Also keep in mind that language barriers and certain cultures may not be as understanding of your needs. That's why we avoid cuisines such as Asian or Indian restaurants where there is just too much risk of nut allergen contamination. You must be clear and you must be ready to walk away. A meal isn't worth the risk. Find somewhere else.
3. Reinforce your needs once inside the restaurant. Locate the manager or chef and speak to them about your order; sometimes the server has no idea what ingredients are in a particular food, so don't rely on them alone. Also, order a simple meal without sauces for your allergic diner. Grilled foods are a great choice. Avoid meals with tons of components--sometimes it's hard to figure out what is in those. If you want it spelled out for the chef, you can download a free chef card template from FAAN. If, once inside the restaurant, something seems off or they change their tune, please go elsewhere. It's never worth it--and will you really enjoy the meal if you're worried about allergic reactions?
This sounds like a lot of work but generally it is a pleasant experience. We've had very good experiences with chefs in general. Any chef worth his or her salt will want you to enjoy your meal and will want to provide you with a safe dining experience. If you get a bad vibe, leave.
Our recent trip to Florida did not involve a ton of restaurant dining since we stayed with family members. When we did venture out to eat, we called in advance. Luckily, we found the most awesome Greek restaurant, The Greek Islands, in Ft. Lauderdale where the chef/owner answered the phone and was also the cook. He knew his stuff and served us up some wonderful meals. Also, Greek cuisine, traditionally, only uses tree nuts in the desserts (which we skip anyhow) and it is not known for its use of peanut oil--they like olive oil or other vegetable oil. (However, always check with a Greek restaurant--can't speak for all of them.)
Here is a link to another post I wrote about travel and dining out.
I also like this link for dining out tips from FAAN.
Another wonderful resource on dining out with food allergies is found in Sloane Miller's recently released food allergy book: Allergic Girl: Living Well with Food Allergies.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Food Allergies and Travel: Dining Out Tips
My blog was quiet last week since I was on a short summer vacay with the family, so I thought I'd share some of the insights I picked up while out and about.
For me, the most stressful part of traveling with my nut-allergic daughter is restaurants. We do go to them at home, but not super frequently and when you're away from home and staying at a hotel, restaurants are your main source of food. And as someone who watches "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" every day on BBC America, that is a pretty scary reality for me. The bottom line is that you just never know what is going on in a restaurant kitchen and who is doing the cooking. As we know, restaurant workers vary widely in their knowledge and understanding of food allergies. So the pressure is on us to communicate and navigate menus and establishments on our own.
Here are a few things I've learned. Forgive me if I'm repeating myself on any points--some can't be emphasized enough. Also, I've been getting messages from several new readers and they may not have heard these before. Okay, here are my tips for dealing with nut allergies while traveling.
Less is more. When evaluating a restaurant for allergic folks, seek our restaurants with small, simple menus. Why? Well, big menus that feature everything under the sun usually contain several off-limits items and cross-contact risk becomes greater. Also, the bigger the menu, the more likely that several chefs are cooking at once and again, cross-contact is an issue.
Find out what kind of oil they use for frying. This is especially important if a fried dish is one of a resto's specialities. We called every restaurant in Lake Geneva, WI that we wanted to try and found out that several used only peanut oil for frying. In that case, we skipped the restaurant entirely. Too much risk of cross contact. In other cases, we were told only canola oil was used--we had staff confirm this from the kitchen. Those were the restos we felt good visiting. So peanut oil is out and canola is in. Minimize your risk ahead of time and you'll have a better experience.
Get the menu in advance. Most places have their menu displayed outside the restaurant and in many cases you can get menus online. This is hugely helpful--don't skip this step! Knowledge of the menu helps you to avoid places that emphasize items that your allergic family members need to avoid.
Pay attention to salads. Salads are one of my daughter's favorite meals, especially Greek salads (no doubt a heritage thing since my husband is part Greek.) However, salads can be high risk so before you let your child order one, examine what other salads are on offer. Do any of the salads contain nuts or nut oils in the dressings? If so, don't order a salad. The reason? Sometimes chefs untrained in food allergy simply pick the nuts off of a prepared salad and serve it--this makes for a potential reaction because the salad is then contaminated. Dressings look alike and can be mistaken for each other. Side note: my daughter knows to do this already. When she ordered a Greek salad, I opened my mouth to say--let's look at the other salads first--and she already had read the menu. None of them contained nuts. One more reason to involve your kids in the menu-reading process, even when they are young. It's great when they take responsibility for their own allergies.
Take the pressure off with some non-restaurant meals. We made sure to get a room with a refrigerator, enabling us to give our kids some cereal for breakfast or simple snacks. We also had a picnic dinner and lunch during our vacation using items we purchased from the local grocery store. Our kids really enjoyed picking out foods for our picnics and our allergic daughter felt more in control. Our picnics were some of our best times while on our trip--and it was the one time I wasn't on alert for allergic reaction. I needed a break--and so will you. Adding a few non-restaurant meals to your trip is not only stress-saving, it's money-saving as well.
Readers, please feel free to share your tips as well. The bottom line is that we had a great, allergy-free trip by using some simple "menu detecting" and common sense precautions--and you can too. Still, I admit it's nice to be home in my own kitchen where I know what is being served!
For me, the most stressful part of traveling with my nut-allergic daughter is restaurants. We do go to them at home, but not super frequently and when you're away from home and staying at a hotel, restaurants are your main source of food. And as someone who watches "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" every day on BBC America, that is a pretty scary reality for me. The bottom line is that you just never know what is going on in a restaurant kitchen and who is doing the cooking. As we know, restaurant workers vary widely in their knowledge and understanding of food allergies. So the pressure is on us to communicate and navigate menus and establishments on our own.
Here are a few things I've learned. Forgive me if I'm repeating myself on any points--some can't be emphasized enough. Also, I've been getting messages from several new readers and they may not have heard these before. Okay, here are my tips for dealing with nut allergies while traveling.
Less is more. When evaluating a restaurant for allergic folks, seek our restaurants with small, simple menus. Why? Well, big menus that feature everything under the sun usually contain several off-limits items and cross-contact risk becomes greater. Also, the bigger the menu, the more likely that several chefs are cooking at once and again, cross-contact is an issue.
Find out what kind of oil they use for frying. This is especially important if a fried dish is one of a resto's specialities. We called every restaurant in Lake Geneva, WI that we wanted to try and found out that several used only peanut oil for frying. In that case, we skipped the restaurant entirely. Too much risk of cross contact. In other cases, we were told only canola oil was used--we had staff confirm this from the kitchen. Those were the restos we felt good visiting. So peanut oil is out and canola is in. Minimize your risk ahead of time and you'll have a better experience.
Get the menu in advance. Most places have their menu displayed outside the restaurant and in many cases you can get menus online. This is hugely helpful--don't skip this step! Knowledge of the menu helps you to avoid places that emphasize items that your allergic family members need to avoid.
Pay attention to salads. Salads are one of my daughter's favorite meals, especially Greek salads (no doubt a heritage thing since my husband is part Greek.) However, salads can be high risk so before you let your child order one, examine what other salads are on offer. Do any of the salads contain nuts or nut oils in the dressings? If so, don't order a salad. The reason? Sometimes chefs untrained in food allergy simply pick the nuts off of a prepared salad and serve it--this makes for a potential reaction because the salad is then contaminated. Dressings look alike and can be mistaken for each other. Side note: my daughter knows to do this already. When she ordered a Greek salad, I opened my mouth to say--let's look at the other salads first--and she already had read the menu. None of them contained nuts. One more reason to involve your kids in the menu-reading process, even when they are young. It's great when they take responsibility for their own allergies.
Take the pressure off with some non-restaurant meals. We made sure to get a room with a refrigerator, enabling us to give our kids some cereal for breakfast or simple snacks. We also had a picnic dinner and lunch during our vacation using items we purchased from the local grocery store. Our kids really enjoyed picking out foods for our picnics and our allergic daughter felt more in control. Our picnics were some of our best times while on our trip--and it was the one time I wasn't on alert for allergic reaction. I needed a break--and so will you. Adding a few non-restaurant meals to your trip is not only stress-saving, it's money-saving as well.
Readers, please feel free to share your tips as well. The bottom line is that we had a great, allergy-free trip by using some simple "menu detecting" and common sense precautions--and you can too. Still, I admit it's nice to be home in my own kitchen where I know what is being served!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Potential Nut Allergy Nightmare at the Museum
With the early onset of winter-like weather in Chicago (and around the country) I imagine that many of us are trying to find ways to entertain the kids indoors. Last Monday (day off the for Columbus Day holiday), my family ventured out to The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for a family field trip. We had a great time but I was reminded--yet again--that you can't be too careful when it comes to nut allergies on the road.
Of course, food is always a concern on any day trip, since at least one meal will have to be eaten away from home. In the early days of my daughter's nut allergy diagnosis, I was definitely a lot less prepared for the kind of thing I encountered at the Museum's "Brain Food Court." I hadn't visited the museum in a while, so when I researched their in-house restaurant offerings, I saw that they now had a food court.
As a veteran Nut-Free Mom, I had already packed my daughter a complete lunch in our insulated "Thermos tote"--kind of like an insulated purse. You can buy them at Target. A placemat really is a nice thing to have on hand when using a community table at a place where lots of kids are visiting. Because as all of us know by now, "lots of kids" = peanut butter. And since PB is sticky, the more sensitive allergy sufferers may react if they get some of this onto their hands or in their food. My daughter has had reactions in cafeteria-like settings, so she really feels more confident with a placemat--I highly recommend it! What an easy way to set your minds at ease so you can enjoy lunch.
To cut down on the amount of stuff I needed to lug around the museum, my husband and I decided to buy lunch for the rest of us on site. As I went through the deli line (a generally safe place for nut-allergic people) I discovered that they served PB & J. I was curious to see if they separated the PB from the other foods, since PotBelly's and Panera seem to do this.
Here's what I found: a huge, much-used and messy open container of peanut butter practically spilling over onto about 3 other open containers that surrounded it. Truly a nut allergy nightmare if you hadn't thought to pack a lunch beforehand, especially if you were a tourist, for example. Even though I confront this type of thing (as many of you do) almost every day, it really bothered me. This is a world-class science museum catering to kids and lots of school groups, after all. They should "get" cross-contact even if they plan to serve PB. For example, Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview, Illinois has Kim & Scott's Pretzel's ( a nut-free bakery) as their in-house dining option. The place is completely nut-free and peanut butter-free--especially nice since the kids use interactive buttons, levers, etc. If Kohl Children's Museum can have nut-free dining, then anyone can.
You can imagine how glad I was that I didn't have to choose a food from the food court for my daughter. I wasn't able to see all of the other offerings at the food court, since the place was packed, but I didn't have a lot of confidence that I would have gotten a nut-free meal there based on what I saw at the deli.
The museum turned out to be an educational place in more ways than one! I share this story to remind all of us, especially those of us newer to nut allergies, that it really pays to pack a lunch and a placemat when you can. Plus, reminding your kids (especially younger kids) to wipe off their hands after using an interactive exhibit is a great idea.
Of course, food is always a concern on any day trip, since at least one meal will have to be eaten away from home. In the early days of my daughter's nut allergy diagnosis, I was definitely a lot less prepared for the kind of thing I encountered at the Museum's "Brain Food Court." I hadn't visited the museum in a while, so when I researched their in-house restaurant offerings, I saw that they now had a food court.
As a veteran Nut-Free Mom, I had already packed my daughter a complete lunch in our insulated "Thermos tote"--kind of like an insulated purse. You can buy them at Target. A placemat really is a nice thing to have on hand when using a community table at a place where lots of kids are visiting. Because as all of us know by now, "lots of kids" = peanut butter. And since PB is sticky, the more sensitive allergy sufferers may react if they get some of this onto their hands or in their food. My daughter has had reactions in cafeteria-like settings, so she really feels more confident with a placemat--I highly recommend it! What an easy way to set your minds at ease so you can enjoy lunch.
To cut down on the amount of stuff I needed to lug around the museum, my husband and I decided to buy lunch for the rest of us on site. As I went through the deli line (a generally safe place for nut-allergic people) I discovered that they served PB & J. I was curious to see if they separated the PB from the other foods, since PotBelly's and Panera seem to do this.
Here's what I found: a huge, much-used and messy open container of peanut butter practically spilling over onto about 3 other open containers that surrounded it. Truly a nut allergy nightmare if you hadn't thought to pack a lunch beforehand, especially if you were a tourist, for example. Even though I confront this type of thing (as many of you do) almost every day, it really bothered me. This is a world-class science museum catering to kids and lots of school groups, after all. They should "get" cross-contact even if they plan to serve PB. For example, Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview, Illinois has Kim & Scott's Pretzel's ( a nut-free bakery) as their in-house dining option. The place is completely nut-free and peanut butter-free--especially nice since the kids use interactive buttons, levers, etc. If Kohl Children's Museum can have nut-free dining, then anyone can.
You can imagine how glad I was that I didn't have to choose a food from the food court for my daughter. I wasn't able to see all of the other offerings at the food court, since the place was packed, but I didn't have a lot of confidence that I would have gotten a nut-free meal there based on what I saw at the deli.
The museum turned out to be an educational place in more ways than one! I share this story to remind all of us, especially those of us newer to nut allergies, that it really pays to pack a lunch and a placemat when you can. Plus, reminding your kids (especially younger kids) to wipe off their hands after using an interactive exhibit is a great idea.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Allergy-Free Travel Tips for Columbus Day Weekend
This is a big weekend for travel so I thought it was a good idea to review some tips for safe travel with allergies. Travel with food allergies goes much, much more smoothly if you have all your ducks in a row before you leave. Hey, you're packing for the kids anyway, so here's just a few more things to remember. If you're kids are old enough, be sure to include them in the process. It's good practice for them.
The important thing is to be prepared for anything, so with that in mind, here goes:
- Bring extra medication. Asthma meds, EpiPens, etc.: make sure you have extra in case one goes missing.
- Make sure you've got your doctors' phone numbers and info easily accessible. Program this info into your cell phone to make sure you've got it if there is (hopefully not!) an emergency.
- Bring your food allergy action plan. In the event anything goes wrong, having this doctor-approved plan will help you stay calm and take the right steps in the event of an emergency.
- Bring a small cooler with a couple of meals (for car travel) or at least one meal in an insulated lunch bag (if necessary) for air travel. Traveling with food allergies is like a box of chocolates--you never know what you're gonna get. Eliminate the need for possibly unsafe food by being prepared with some of your own meals. You can always buy more safe when you get to your destination. You also won't be forced into feeding your child a restaurant meal from a place you haven't researched.
- Stock up on safe snacks. I love Enjoy Life Foods snacks--they are delicious and free of the top 8 allergens. Plus, they are individually packaged for convenience. Fruits, raisins and cut up veggies are also good, healthy choices.
- Bring a placemat. A washable vinyl placemat or one of the useful placemats from AllergyEssentials USA is a great way to cut down on cross-contact when feeding your child away from home.
- Make sure you've got a couple of safe restaurant options at your destination. A quick Internet search and a couple of phone calls will ensure less "dining out drama" on your trip.
The important thing is to be prepared for anything, so with that in mind, here goes:
- Bring extra medication. Asthma meds, EpiPens, etc.: make sure you have extra in case one goes missing.
- Make sure you've got your doctors' phone numbers and info easily accessible. Program this info into your cell phone to make sure you've got it if there is (hopefully not!) an emergency.
- Bring your food allergy action plan. In the event anything goes wrong, having this doctor-approved plan will help you stay calm and take the right steps in the event of an emergency.
- Bring a small cooler with a couple of meals (for car travel) or at least one meal in an insulated lunch bag (if necessary) for air travel. Traveling with food allergies is like a box of chocolates--you never know what you're gonna get. Eliminate the need for possibly unsafe food by being prepared with some of your own meals. You can always buy more safe when you get to your destination. You also won't be forced into feeding your child a restaurant meal from a place you haven't researched.
- Stock up on safe snacks. I love Enjoy Life Foods snacks--they are delicious and free of the top 8 allergens. Plus, they are individually packaged for convenience. Fruits, raisins and cut up veggies are also good, healthy choices.
- Bring a placemat. A washable vinyl placemat or one of the useful placemats from AllergyEssentials USA is a great way to cut down on cross-contact when feeding your child away from home.
- Make sure you've got a couple of safe restaurant options at your destination. A quick Internet search and a couple of phone calls will ensure less "dining out drama" on your trip.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
(Not So) Nutty Travel Adventures Part 2: The Best Restaurant Experience
In my last post, I discussed a restaurant "near miss" with pine nuts in pizza. Now it's time to talk about a great restaurant experience with nut allergies. As I've learned over time, a lot of it has to do with your own communication with a restaurant. Still there's something to be said for a restaurant that just gets it. When you find that, it's like the Visa commerical: "Priceless."
My husband found such a place with the Medusa Grill and Bistro in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. From the outside appearance, it couldn't have been a more unlikely place for us to have our optimum dining experience with food allergies. The restaurant is housed in an old store front off the main street of this resort town. When it comes to dining out with food allergies, I tend to trust modern and updated--I figure they'll be more aware. (And as my pine nut story illustrates, sometimes that's wrong!)
Once we stepped inside, I could see that the restaurant was casual but upscale with a small but comfortable dining room, bar, etc. It had a great atmosphere. It wasn't a family restaurant in the sense of having a kids menu and all of that, but other kids were there, so: so far, so good.
When my husband called to make the reservation, he had described our daughter's allergies and had asked about the menu. As soon as we were seated, the waiter came over and before I could tell him about our daughter he said "I know we have a nut allergy at this table. Let me tell you what you may want to avoid." He gave us a short list--maybe like 2 things. He spent a few minutes answering questions and just trying to make us feel comfortable that they could handle our dietary restrictions.
That is the first time I've ever had waitstaff take the reigns with the food allergies. I could see my daughter visibly relax after the initial "sit-down" and usually that's not the case.
The food was outstanding, but the best part was the feeling of confidence we all had. The restaurant took some of the pressure off of us by understanding nut allergies and acting natural about it while still showing concern. I didn't feel (as I sometimes have) like we were putting them to any trouble or added stress. If we were, they didn't show it.
My daughter even got dessert--Bananas Foster, which being unbaked and nut-free, we allowed her eat. She was in heaven--dessert is generally off-limits in restaurants for her because of the cross-contact concerns. All the desserts that evening were nut-free, so we let her go to town.
It was a great family meal and we had so much fun. The best part was when my daughter said that it was "the best restaurant experience of my life."
On our way out, we thanked the waiter for his great handling of our situation and he told us that they deal with nut allergies and other food allergies all the time. In fact, he said 4 out of 5 families they had booked in the last few days had kids with food allergies!!!
This was not a four-star restaurant in Manhattan or Paris--it was a tiny restaurant in a Wisconsin resort town. But they had great food and they handled our food allergy needs like pros. How simple it was! Know the ingredients, acknowledge your guests' needs, that's all it takes. I can't wait to go back there.
Granted, we did call ahead (which I highly recommend) to discuss our situation, but that was pretty much it. I'm sure making the restaurant aware in advance was a huge part of why it went so well.
On another note: As a follow up to my previous post, the Madison, Wisconsin cafe where we had the close call just emailed me to let me know that they were going to change their print menu this week to reflect the fact that their cheese pizza contains pine nuts. They also apologized profusely for the mix up. I feel great that I spoke up and hopefully prevented someone else from their own "near miss."
When dining out with food allergies goes smoothly, it's always a great feeling. Every family likes to go out to a restaurant for a treat. Still, I'm looking forward to cooking at home for awhile!
My husband found such a place with the Medusa Grill and Bistro in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. From the outside appearance, it couldn't have been a more unlikely place for us to have our optimum dining experience with food allergies. The restaurant is housed in an old store front off the main street of this resort town. When it comes to dining out with food allergies, I tend to trust modern and updated--I figure they'll be more aware. (And as my pine nut story illustrates, sometimes that's wrong!)
Once we stepped inside, I could see that the restaurant was casual but upscale with a small but comfortable dining room, bar, etc. It had a great atmosphere. It wasn't a family restaurant in the sense of having a kids menu and all of that, but other kids were there, so: so far, so good.
When my husband called to make the reservation, he had described our daughter's allergies and had asked about the menu. As soon as we were seated, the waiter came over and before I could tell him about our daughter he said "I know we have a nut allergy at this table. Let me tell you what you may want to avoid." He gave us a short list--maybe like 2 things. He spent a few minutes answering questions and just trying to make us feel comfortable that they could handle our dietary restrictions.
That is the first time I've ever had waitstaff take the reigns with the food allergies. I could see my daughter visibly relax after the initial "sit-down" and usually that's not the case.
The food was outstanding, but the best part was the feeling of confidence we all had. The restaurant took some of the pressure off of us by understanding nut allergies and acting natural about it while still showing concern. I didn't feel (as I sometimes have) like we were putting them to any trouble or added stress. If we were, they didn't show it.
My daughter even got dessert--Bananas Foster, which being unbaked and nut-free, we allowed her eat. She was in heaven--dessert is generally off-limits in restaurants for her because of the cross-contact concerns. All the desserts that evening were nut-free, so we let her go to town.
It was a great family meal and we had so much fun. The best part was when my daughter said that it was "the best restaurant experience of my life."
On our way out, we thanked the waiter for his great handling of our situation and he told us that they deal with nut allergies and other food allergies all the time. In fact, he said 4 out of 5 families they had booked in the last few days had kids with food allergies!!!
This was not a four-star restaurant in Manhattan or Paris--it was a tiny restaurant in a Wisconsin resort town. But they had great food and they handled our food allergy needs like pros. How simple it was! Know the ingredients, acknowledge your guests' needs, that's all it takes. I can't wait to go back there.
Granted, we did call ahead (which I highly recommend) to discuss our situation, but that was pretty much it. I'm sure making the restaurant aware in advance was a huge part of why it went so well.
On another note: As a follow up to my previous post, the Madison, Wisconsin cafe where we had the close call just emailed me to let me know that they were going to change their print menu this week to reflect the fact that their cheese pizza contains pine nuts. They also apologized profusely for the mix up. I feel great that I spoke up and hopefully prevented someone else from their own "near miss."
When dining out with food allergies goes smoothly, it's always a great feeling. Every family likes to go out to a restaurant for a treat. Still, I'm looking forward to cooking at home for awhile!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Nutty Travel Adventures Part 1--Pine Nut Pizza
I'm back from my Wisconsin vacation and I have stories to tell about our family travels with nut allergies. Most of the stories are good--in fact, most are really good--so I'm going to get the "bad" one out of the way in the hopes that we can all be a little wiser for the experience my family had.
One of the places we visited in Wisconsin was Madison which is the state capitol, home of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a beautiful, totally cool and fun city in its own right. I attended the UW and it's always fun to go back there with the family.
We stayed in a hotel with a great view of one of the town's two major lakes. Connected to the hotel is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed, 6-story structure that houses, among other things, a stunning terrace that looks over the lake and also the capitol. We were so swept away by the view and the general vibe of the place (it hosted a free reggae concert on Wednesday night) that we decided to try the newly opened cafe that is located on the rooftop terrace.
The restaurant had a printed menu that I read carefully. It had basic stuff like Chicago-style hot dogs, individual pizzas, sandwiches and salads. My oldest daughter (the one with the nut allergy) really wanted to eat there. The views are amazing, so I didn't blame her. It looked like the menu was nut-free, so my husband walked down there to speak with the staff. He even got to talk to the chef, always a good thing. However, in this case, that wasn't the end of the story.
My husband asked about nut oils, nuts in the foods, etc. He was assured that they used only "canola oil" and that there should not be a problem with nuts in the food.
We felt pretty good so we ordered our daughters small pizzas--the menu said they contained tomatoes, basil and cheese.
Except, when my daughter was served the pizza, she took a bite and got a funny look on her face. "Something's wrong with this, Mom" she said. She dug into her pizza and handed me an object. "Mom, what's this?"
It was a pine nut. Turns out, the pizza was loaded with 'em. And yes, she had taken a bite, which she then spit out. And then she got upset. Tears, worries. "Will I be OK?" she kept asking me.
This is how it is with food allergies. One minute you're looking at a lake in the sun, the next minute you're checking your child for signs of anaphylaxis. Did I feel like a total jerk having not visually inspected the pizza before my child took a bite? Yes! I'm usually extremely careful and I probably felt pretty confident after all of the questions we'd asked. So this pine nut situation was a big, ugly surprise.
I figured I would have plenty of time to beat myself up later about how I should or shouldn't have handled the food order, so I focused on my daughter. She asked to go to the bathroom because she had spit her food out in front of the other diners and was embarrassed.
I took her aside and assured her I'd take care of her no matter what happened. Let me tell you, that was the five to ten longest minutes of my life. I had no idea if she had swallowed a pine nut or not. She wasn't sure if she'd swallowed any of her pizza before she realized what was in it. From past experience, I knew she'd react pretty much immediately if she was going to react at all, but I wanted to make sure I kept a close eye on her. Also, I had no clue if pine nuts would do anything to her. They're on her list of foods to avoid that our doctor gave us and they are officially a nut, so they had the potential of causing a reaction. Pine nuts are not in her "top 5" list of nuts that can cause her most severe reactions, but sometimes the body can confuse one type of tree nut with another and boom, there you go. Reaction.
Pretty soon it became clear that my daughter wasn't going to have a reaction. No hives, no swelling, no trouble breathing, no vomiting. I took her back to the table (my husband had already given the pizza back to the staff explaining why she couldn't eat it) and we got the heck out of there. The waitstaff did not seem like the ones to accuse and the chef was nowhere to be seen. Since the "pine nut incident" as we're calling it around here, I wrote to the restaurant and told them the story. I also asked them to be very careful about what they put into their menu. And I told them that pine nuts are indeed a nut. My husband's theory is that some people don't think that they are and that could be what happened here.
We learned that the terms you use when describing any type of food allergy or intolerance are crucial. Make sure you list all the things to avoid--maybe someone doesn't know what tree nuts are or what gluten is or the different terms for milk protein. Spell it out for them. Also, please be suspicious of "gourmet pizzas." They are bound to include pesto or pine nuts--stick with the simple stuff.
All's well that ended well here, and my darling daughter and I ended the evening dancing at the free reggae concert. I was so grateful she had been able to bounce back from the bad experience and I was also grateful that I wasn't sitting next to her in a hospital bed or worse. I was really, really rattled, though I tried not to show it. My husband felt awful, too. My daughter picked up on it and assured him that she didn't blame him and that she knew we had both tried to get the info on the food. Yep, she's that sweet. And I think that she was relieved as well.
Since she didn't have a reaction, I think this was probably a good experience for her in the sense that she learned to trust her instincts on a food. She told me later that the pizza didn't "smell right" to her and the first taste was just wrong. I told her to always honor that instinct in her life--even if she has to spit out the food, order a completely new meal or leave the restaurant. She promised that she would.
It just goes to show you that no matter how aware you are as parents or caregivers--others are probably barely aware or moderately aware. You've got to be polite but firm and very, very communicative. You'll be so glad that you were.
With that said, my next dining out/travel story is a great one--a Lake Geneva, Wisconsin restaurant dealt with our child's dietary restrictions like pros. They blew us away with their concern for our child's safety and their overall professionalism--not to mention the delicious meal. I'll save that story for later in the week.
It's good to be back home with both kids happy, healthy and safe. My daughter wonders why I keep giving her all the extra hugs--but you all know why, right?
One of the places we visited in Wisconsin was Madison which is the state capitol, home of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a beautiful, totally cool and fun city in its own right. I attended the UW and it's always fun to go back there with the family.
We stayed in a hotel with a great view of one of the town's two major lakes. Connected to the hotel is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed, 6-story structure that houses, among other things, a stunning terrace that looks over the lake and also the capitol. We were so swept away by the view and the general vibe of the place (it hosted a free reggae concert on Wednesday night) that we decided to try the newly opened cafe that is located on the rooftop terrace.
The restaurant had a printed menu that I read carefully. It had basic stuff like Chicago-style hot dogs, individual pizzas, sandwiches and salads. My oldest daughter (the one with the nut allergy) really wanted to eat there. The views are amazing, so I didn't blame her. It looked like the menu was nut-free, so my husband walked down there to speak with the staff. He even got to talk to the chef, always a good thing. However, in this case, that wasn't the end of the story.
My husband asked about nut oils, nuts in the foods, etc. He was assured that they used only "canola oil" and that there should not be a problem with nuts in the food.
We felt pretty good so we ordered our daughters small pizzas--the menu said they contained tomatoes, basil and cheese.
Except, when my daughter was served the pizza, she took a bite and got a funny look on her face. "Something's wrong with this, Mom" she said. She dug into her pizza and handed me an object. "Mom, what's this?"
It was a pine nut. Turns out, the pizza was loaded with 'em. And yes, she had taken a bite, which she then spit out. And then she got upset. Tears, worries. "Will I be OK?" she kept asking me.
This is how it is with food allergies. One minute you're looking at a lake in the sun, the next minute you're checking your child for signs of anaphylaxis. Did I feel like a total jerk having not visually inspected the pizza before my child took a bite? Yes! I'm usually extremely careful and I probably felt pretty confident after all of the questions we'd asked. So this pine nut situation was a big, ugly surprise.
I figured I would have plenty of time to beat myself up later about how I should or shouldn't have handled the food order, so I focused on my daughter. She asked to go to the bathroom because she had spit her food out in front of the other diners and was embarrassed.
I took her aside and assured her I'd take care of her no matter what happened. Let me tell you, that was the five to ten longest minutes of my life. I had no idea if she had swallowed a pine nut or not. She wasn't sure if she'd swallowed any of her pizza before she realized what was in it. From past experience, I knew she'd react pretty much immediately if she was going to react at all, but I wanted to make sure I kept a close eye on her. Also, I had no clue if pine nuts would do anything to her. They're on her list of foods to avoid that our doctor gave us and they are officially a nut, so they had the potential of causing a reaction. Pine nuts are not in her "top 5" list of nuts that can cause her most severe reactions, but sometimes the body can confuse one type of tree nut with another and boom, there you go. Reaction.
Pretty soon it became clear that my daughter wasn't going to have a reaction. No hives, no swelling, no trouble breathing, no vomiting. I took her back to the table (my husband had already given the pizza back to the staff explaining why she couldn't eat it) and we got the heck out of there. The waitstaff did not seem like the ones to accuse and the chef was nowhere to be seen. Since the "pine nut incident" as we're calling it around here, I wrote to the restaurant and told them the story. I also asked them to be very careful about what they put into their menu. And I told them that pine nuts are indeed a nut. My husband's theory is that some people don't think that they are and that could be what happened here.
We learned that the terms you use when describing any type of food allergy or intolerance are crucial. Make sure you list all the things to avoid--maybe someone doesn't know what tree nuts are or what gluten is or the different terms for milk protein. Spell it out for them. Also, please be suspicious of "gourmet pizzas." They are bound to include pesto or pine nuts--stick with the simple stuff.
All's well that ended well here, and my darling daughter and I ended the evening dancing at the free reggae concert. I was so grateful she had been able to bounce back from the bad experience and I was also grateful that I wasn't sitting next to her in a hospital bed or worse. I was really, really rattled, though I tried not to show it. My husband felt awful, too. My daughter picked up on it and assured him that she didn't blame him and that she knew we had both tried to get the info on the food. Yep, she's that sweet. And I think that she was relieved as well.
Since she didn't have a reaction, I think this was probably a good experience for her in the sense that she learned to trust her instincts on a food. She told me later that the pizza didn't "smell right" to her and the first taste was just wrong. I told her to always honor that instinct in her life--even if she has to spit out the food, order a completely new meal or leave the restaurant. She promised that she would.
It just goes to show you that no matter how aware you are as parents or caregivers--others are probably barely aware or moderately aware. You've got to be polite but firm and very, very communicative. You'll be so glad that you were.
With that said, my next dining out/travel story is a great one--a Lake Geneva, Wisconsin restaurant dealt with our child's dietary restrictions like pros. They blew us away with their concern for our child's safety and their overall professionalism--not to mention the delicious meal. I'll save that story for later in the week.
It's good to be back home with both kids happy, healthy and safe. My daughter wonders why I keep giving her all the extra hugs--but you all know why, right?