Fun With Allergies

I've always been Allergy Girl. When I was little, it was milk and artificial colors/flavors. Now it's this weird list that includes soy and sesame, crab and chicken, and almonds and hazelnuts.

As it happens, I don't like crab and don't eat chicken. I mourn the loss of Nutella, and almonds show up in the most random places. Sesame is not in everything, but it's almost never included as an ingredient. Little harder to pick around, but it's rare that it prevents an entire meal. Soy, though - soy is tough. 

Soy is in everything. It shows up in oil (and yes, I am allergic to the oil). It shows up as lecithin (an emulsifier). It shows up in flour and fryers and chocolate and tortillas and ice cream and those individual packs of instant oatmeal.

Some restaurants are wonderful. They check and double check, they take notes, they talk to the chef, and know their ingredients. Others are... less helpful. A frequent conversation goes something like this:

Hi - I'm allergic to soy.
       Oh, we don't use soy at all.
Great, can you tell me what kind of oil you use?
       We use vegetable oil.
Sigh.

Vegetable oil almost always refers a blend of oils which includes soybean oil. Shortening (Crisco, etc) includes soybean oil. And I always start with that question, because if they only use soy-based oils, there's generally nothing that's going to be safe for me to eat there.

I don't hold it against restaurants that use soy products. It's really hard not to, and it's certainly cheaper to use soy-based ingredients. I do hold it against restaurants that don't know their ingredients. I do have problems with restaurants that assume that I'm "not really allergic" or a little of it won't hurt me. I do have a problem with restaurants that don't check or tell me one thing on the phone and then another thing when I arrive at the restaurant.

One reason I cook and bake and can things is because I know exactly what goes into everything I make. Having allergies has made me a better, more creative cook. But I still love to eat out, and when I find a place that is safe for me to eat, I'm their most enthusiastic customer.

I'll be writing more about allergies, mostly about navigating the world of eating out and great finds of allergy-friendly restaurants. Let me know if you have good finds to share, tips for help in talking with restaurants, and any other good allergy advice.

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

I have a love/hate relationship with office holiday parties, like many of you out there I'm sure. Tradition in our office is for each team to host an internal lunch, and then host an open house for the rest of the building. It's very food-focused. Awesome, right? Unless you're a vegetarian. Or have allergies.

Hi.

I spend most of the party telling my colleagues "oh yeah, I was on my way to get a plate. Got sidetracked." Or "I saw (dish that I can't have) - it looks fantastic." Redirect, reassure - I have party food talk down to a science.

I generally bring something substantial so I know I have something to eat. Combine that with being an overachiever and the fact that I want to try every. good. recipe. I see, holiday parties are just another opportunity for cooking stress.

Our theme this year is brunch, and having a waffle iron that's easy to transport, I volunteered to make waffles. Simple. Except I need to make the waffles from scratch (see: allergies) (see also: overachiever). Had a plan, but was feeling stressed over how much I was going to need to carry into work on the train. Then realized I was also on the hook to bring in syrup, and for some reason, that pushed me over the stress edge. I didn't know how I was going to carry that along with everything else.

So, new plan. After wandering the aisles of my local Trader Joe's for 30 minutes, it hit me that I was thinking about it all wrong. If the problem is too much stuff, then eliminate the need for some of the stuff. Flavorful waffles don't really need syrup, so pack the main stage with good stuff and no one will miss anything.

Gingerbread.
Hot chocolate.
Dark and stormy fruit.

It's possible only two of these will happen, but I have a plan and ingredients. And am once again looking forward to the holiday shindig.

More on those specific recipes... when I've figured out what they are going to be. That's half the fun, right?