5 Mistakes of Eating out with Allergies

[@woltersworld]

Thank you for putting out a video on allergy traveling. A lot of people asked us this question. Thank you so much. I am sure we can figure something out :)

[@helenrennie]

Hi Mark! So cool to hear from you. I found your channel while searching for info on Belgium. You have so many wonderful travel tips and I love that you share what people might not like about a place. so few travel channels do it. but that really helps with deciding where to go. keep up the great work :)

[@woltersworld]

@@helenrennie thank you Helen. And I'm serious. Next time we are heading to Boston let's do a couple videos.

[@helenrennie]

That would be awesome!

[@amberstarling5896]

I had a very scary moment as a waitress last year. A family came in and ordered the macaroni and cheese for their son. The didn't think to tell me about his egg allergy and assumed that our macaroni was only pasta and cheese. We actually made it from scratch and used eggs to help bind it together. He immediately had a reaction and they wound up rushing him to the hospital. He thankfully was okay and the family didn't hold any fault towards the restaurant, but it was a strong teaching moment for us all.

[@helenrennie]

That must have been very scary.

[@neilpickup237]

Such a refreshing change to find someone else who understands the difference between an allergy (serious and potentially life threatening) and an intolerance (inconvenient/uncomfortable).

[@meganb4432]

A sensitivity can be life threatening, too. Terminology can mean different things to different people, in different countries. 'Allergy' pertains to proteins, 'sensitivity' pertains to everything else. (At least, those are the definitions here in Australia) Technically, I have an anaphylactoid allergy-like sensitivity to chilli & salicylates...... which practically means that chilli can kill me, epipens are a good idea but don't work as well as they do for a protein allergy, so avoidance is essential. It also means that a smidge of raw tomato sets my lips & throat tingling, but I can have a small amount of ketchup, ( because long cooking destroys salicylates plus it's half sugar anyway) if I haven't had too many other challenging salicylate rich foods that day... it's a pain in the butt & really long to say, so I just say 'allergy' because it's shorter & folks are more likely to understand that it's a big deal. It's a complex situation, & we all need to be a bit chill about others' needs. Generally I go to cafes & ask for poached eggs on toast with no garnishes or spices on top.

[@elleboman8465]

Super useful video! As a restaurant worker I want to add a number 6: always aim for menu items that are mostly safe as is, and avoid ordering dishes that need a lot of substitutions to suit your allergy needs. For example, if you want to have a creamy mushroom pasta made gluten and dairy free by subbing out both the pasta and the sauce, the risk of a mix-up is pretty high (not to mention the risk of annoying the chefs and getting bad service haha). You would be better off just asking to add the mushrooms to another dish that requires less adjustments of the sides and garnishes.

[@infamoussphere7228]

Absolutely, I have a nut allergy and there's a lot of things I just never eat/bother to order. A lot of fancy desserts are out for me unfortunately, but I will sometimes order something like French toast and ask them if the nuts are just a garnish that they can leave off

[@cdmurray88]

In every professional kitchen I've worked in, we will go out of our way to prepare your food as carefully as possible. But also don't be offended when you're told something isn't possible. Not everything is made to order. And it's also difficult to know exactly what is in every purchased product. You're allergic to tree nuts; does that include coconut? You're allergic to peanuts; does that include other legumes, like soy? Also, many of those products are processed in the same facility. Having worked in many dietary specific environments (allergies, low carb, low fat, dairy free, gluten free, no alcohol, vegetarian, vegan, etc) , I know a lot about how different foods are processed, so please be understanding and patient if it takes a minute for us to look up specific recipes or ingredient labels, and if we send the server back a few times to ask more specific questions.

[@illex759]

Nobody should ever be anything other than patient when they're asking for special meals.

[@snoopiepapu]

As a mom of a two year old who has food allergies this video is so helpful! We have stopped eating out after a horrible incident (at a chain restaurant no less!) but this gives me a clear and actionable way to overcome my fears. I just came across this video while scrolling through your channel and your channel is so detailed. It's clear you put so much hard work into this. Thank you!!

[@a.humphries8678]

I have twins that both have nut allergies. We ordered them burgers that were supposed to be safe, and they started breaking out in hives. Come to find out, they deep fry nuts in the fryer they also make fries in and make peanutbutter burgers on the griddle that they made their burgers on.....They never considered that might be an issue, and I didn't know those were things to ask about.

[@MrQuagmire26]

#REALCOMMENT Great that you bring up allergy awareness. A lot of people don't understand the seriousness of it, even in restaurants. I remember in Thailand, I told the waitress that I'm allergic to peanuts. Her response was: It's only a little bit in the sauce. You won't feel anything. After repeated failed attempts to explain, I just left to another restaurant who happily catered to my needs. But I happen to be familiar with various Asian cuisines. So I just order dishes I know that has no peanuts. Here in Norway, all restaurants HAVE to write down allergens in every item on the menu.

[@a.humphries8678]

OMG, you're brave to eat at Asian restaurants with a nut allergy.

[@AKayfabe]

I have that type of allergy where I can consume a very small amount but as soon as I eat more I cannot breath. I also have delayed allergy to lemons so I won’t be helped immediately. Some people do not believe this type allergy exists, but it absolutely does. Because I live with it. And my allergies are atypical. Not soy not peanut not strawberry, but lemon, and purple grapes but not green, etc. and I have a NON shellfish allergy.

[@helenrennie]

lemon is a tough allergy to live with -- so many restaurant foods have lemon in them. i feel your pain. Tell me about weird allergies. I sometimes have to simplify my son's allergies because people think I am just being picky. he can't have ground up sesame seeds (tahini), but whole sesame seeds are fine (because they come out undigested). If I tell someone this, they think I am nuts, so I just say he is allergic to sesame in general.

[@meganb4432]

Terminology can mean different things to different people, in different countries. 'Allergy' pertains to proteins, 'sensitivity' pertains to everything else. (At least, those are the definitions here in Australia) Technically, I have an anaphylactoid allergy-like sensitivity to chilli & salicylates...... which practically means that chilli can kill me, epipens are a good idea but don't work as well as they do for a protein allergy, so avoidance is essential. It also means that a smidge of raw tomato sets my lips & throat tingling, but I can have a small amount of ketchup, ( because long cooking destroys salicylates plus it's half sugar anyway) if I haven't had too many other challenging salicylate rich foods that day... it's a pain in the butt & really long to say, so I just say 'allergy' because it's shorter & folks are more likely to understand that it's a big deal.

[@pugsabi]

The only thing my sister is allergic to is pineapples. I'm allergic to fresh kiwi(the green type not the golden type) and some chili peppers.

[@berniekida6715]

#realcomment I cook for youth groups and have to give my nod to the astute kids who are very aware of signs and symptoms of their respective allergy reactions. Case in point I was making chili for the group and typically reconstitute chilis for the base. Unable to find any dried chili peppers where we were in a small mountain community I opted for jarred adobo sauce thinking it would be a suitable substitute. All the kids in the group loved the chili save for one. She had one bite and her lips started to tingle (not from the spice) and asked me if I used any ingredients with peanuts. I said I didn't think so but said do not eat any more chili. I went back and found the jar of adobo to find out they used peanuts in their ingredients! I did not do due diligence as a cook to avoid what could have been a very troublesome outcome. Fortunately the child was all too familiar with the symptoms and brought it to my attention immediately, whew! Cooks and parents always need to be vigilant!!

[@illex759]

My niece is very allergic to peanuts. Her mother packs her food everywhere she goes, even if its a week-long trip. I'd be a mess if I had to worry about that.

[@susanne5803]

"A suffocating customer is not a happy customer" - ! We also choose restaurants that allow us to bring food for my child with me. Even better if they make an effort to serve it as nicely as all the other food. I found it useful, to have one or two food combinations that are really hard to mess up and are easy to visually control without too much fuss. In my child's case that would be any type of well done meat and potatoes with melted butter and salt. Thank you very much!

[@gordonhamnett1289]

#realcomment Love your suggestion about "putting it in writing and handing it to a server"!! Although my sister has a severe garlic allergy and always asks servers to confirm there is no garlic in specific dishes, about 5% of the time she ends up with a reaction that makes her sick for a couple of days. Even good friends she has told repeatedly she can't have garlic, will mess up. I am much better about reading labels carefully for all prepared foods (including spice blends!) whenever Glenna is visiting. We have joked about her wearing a logo tee-shirt that says "I die if I eat garlic!" Thanks Helen!

[@woltersworld]

I agree with having it written down. Safest bet.

[@xberttraveler2032]

Great idea for a video. I used to have allergies but they have gone away over the years.

[@PhosphorAlchemist]

Thanks for this video. Some of these tips are things I already do, but had to learn the hard way. I absolutely second the suggestion to aim to mid-range or upscale restaurants vs cheap places to ensure allergy-friendly service. I also second that no allergy is irrelevant. A friend who reacts to both gluten or soy went to an Italian restaurant (a cheap mom & pop place) and only told them about the gluten sensitivity. She was served gluten-free meatballs that were filled with TVP (soy) rather than breadcrumbs. Fortunately her reaction is "only" severe inflammation, but she was in a lot of pain for the whole week following. I haven't traveled abroad since I developed my allergies, so I was relieved to see the suggestion of having a printed paper to give to the waitstaff/kitchen. I may add to mine a note to double check common "hiding spots" for the allergen -- items that many of us think of as a whole rather than having their own ingredients. For example, bread obviously has wheat flour but only sometimes has milk and eggs. As much as I enjoy practicing the local language where I'm visiting, it's very stressful if you cannot afford to make mistakes. A card will let me enjoy my experience with less worry.

[@XxMatchboxMandiixX]

Excellent tips! I’m going to make up an allergy card next time I travel (:

[@inesdelahoya2045]

8:10 Indian food is popular in the UK. Some Indian dishes have puréed cashew in them. To cut down the cost, an Indian restaurant in the UK used puréed peanut instead of cashew, yet did not tell the truth to the costumers, then, of course, some patrons suffered serious medical emergency after a visit to that Indian restaurant...

[@infamoussphere7228]

I have allergies, I really hate them. Here's three additional comments: - communicate the severity of your allergy! I have a milder allergy, ie I get an itchy mouth and feel awful when I eat something with tree nuts in it. It's definitely awful enough that I don't want to eat them, but not so awful that traces will affect me/that the restaurant will have to decontaminate the kitchen. Having to do a thorough decontamination/using separate utensils and pans etc etc is probably not very fun for the kitchen staff, so I like to try and avoid putting them through the hassle, since for me it isn't necessary. - In regards to languages, for whatever reason almonds aren't considered nuts in Finland. I don't know why. But I am allergic to almonds as well, so apparently I can't get away with saying I have a nut allergy there without also specifically mentioning almonds. - don't assume that a dish doesn't have nuts (or whatever) just because you don't think it'd be logical for it to have nuts. I was busted by crumbed chicken (crumbed with macadamia nuts, thanks guys) and also by overnight oats which were made with almond milk despite the menu never mentioning this fact. Also it often helps to ask about dishes like "would it be possible to leave the nuts off/to have it without nuts?" if you think the nuts are just a garnish. Often it's possible, but if the nuts are integral to the dish/an ingredient, just accept graciously when they tell you. We also learn what foods to avoid, like I'm never going to eat baklava or macarons and I tend to steer clear of vegan restaurants because they're not terribly compatible with nut allergies.

[@bernadettehynes-cafferkey3917]

A lot of places and people don't understand what being allergic to an ingredient is, I'm allergic to celery and when I say so and ask if in a soup or or dish contains it, I'm told there not sure, but if I don't like celery I'd better leave it, them I have to say again it's not that I don't like it, I'm allergic, people don't understand any allergy beyond peanuts

[@VandrothSoryn]

I'm a native French speaker and I have literally never heard the expression "fruits à coques". Pistachios are noix.

[@jamersbazuka8055]

Where in France? I wonder where she was in France too. Could be a weird regional thing.

[@Rebekahlow]

Wonderful video.Really informative and fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love from Vermont

[@tranthuylinh4516]

I love the contents of this video. Very useful

[@lelanicampher4813]

Walters world is my favourite too! Haven't watched since covid started. Will have to check out the channel now.

[@eligotfryd267]

Thank you for making this video

[@elizabethroa6970]

I dont have food alergies that I know of but I never leave the house withouth antihistaminics just in case, told my mom to do the same and she's had to use them after certain alcohols and chilies.

[@ebonydecarlo6017]

Great video thank you!!

[@hungabunabunga3645]

I love your videos

[@joevespa3157]

Helen is cool 😎🆒

[@diane4071]

#realcomment No captioning available .

[@helenrennie]

Here is the script. Just a reminder that my scripts are not spell checked. docs.google.com/document/d/1yjWFsm_91VM6rKiWutWhotMg-4_ICEN_1Z3AUWALwFU/edit?usp=sharing

[@diane4071]

@@helenrennie Thanks so much , Helen !

[@rowrow5794]

I read the title as Allergy Doughnuts

[@teixeiradasilva6299]

Strangely underviwed video

[@sammymarrco2]

I’m allergic to dairy, eggs, soy, wheat, nuts and more, thank you for making this video. I also have asthma.