Don’t be blinded by the sunshine and good times… Always, ALWAYS ask!
With spring break all around us and summer vacation just around the corner, it’s a happy time… the time for us to pack our bags and cross the borders to somewhere, ANYWHERE free of our usual daily grind.
BUT for us food allergy parents, that can never be entirely true.
Our daily grind consists of checking, asking, asking and checking. And that’s something we CAN’T leave behind, despite as relaxed and carefree as vacation may seem. So I’m here to provide you with a reminder to not forget to ask what’s in the food while exploring new eateries in new places. You just never know what may be lurking…
For example, my family went on a great vacation to Orlando not too long ago. We were eating at a fabulous restaurant in the hotel and when dessert rolled around, my kids, including my food allergic son, Ben, were licking their lips at all the choices. Upon close inspection, I was disappointed to learn that some of the cookies were full of nuts and that the potentially innocent-looking chocolate cupcakes were labeled “pecan chocolate cupcakes.” I turned to Ben and told him that I wasn’t so sure he could have anything at the restaurant. (The look of disappointment on his face always crushes me.)
“How about this one?” he said as he pointed to another innocent-looking choice – a raspberry fruit tart. “This one can’t have nuts. It’s just raspberries; you can tell.” This poor kid was so desperate to have dessert, just like his brother and sister and all the other kids in the restaurant, he was willing to settle on a fruit tart. For a minute, I thought, “He’s probably right… after all, I do have his epinephrine auto-injectors in my purse.” (Did I just admit that I was comforted by that?)
I was about to put the raspberry tart on his plate, when the level-headed side of me resurfaced, the one that runs AllerMates when not on vacation (LOL!), and I asked our server to check with the chef, who emerged from the kitchen a minute later to let us know that there were indeed nuts in this raspberry tart – the base was made of almond flour! YIKES!
He then confirmed what I thought… there was not a single dessert that Ben could have on the buffet. And I have to admit that I was annoyed that, in this day and age, they didn’t offer ONE nut-free dessert option other than sorbet. I was just about to express my frustration when our server brought out an ice cream sundae with marshmallows and chocolate syrup, just for my Ben, who couldn’t have been happier.
Bottom line, don’t let all that Vitamin D inhibit your ability to stay on guard for your child. Because as we all know, even if a food APPEARS to be harmless, it’s quite possible it’s not.
And another piece of advice for eating out in general… if you’re not satisfied with your server’s level of response in regards to your questions about their menu, ask to get your answers straight from the source – the chef. It’s been my experience, in many instances, that servers aren’t always aware of all the ingredients that go into a dish, but if you ask for the chef, your server will know you mean serious business. And even if the chef can’t come directly to your table, you should feel more assured that you’re getting the right answer.
If you have advice for dining while on vacation or eating out in general, please share with our Community. You never know who you may help in the process!
Iris
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