Dining Out with Food Allergies
As the AllergyMomsBlog points out, it is difficult — but not impossible — to safely eat out with food allergic children. Key to this process is avoiding allergens, minimizing cross-contamination with allergens, and clear communication with the chef. Author Gina Clowes points out the utility of researching menus prior to bringing your child to a restaurant, and notes that several chain restaurants have online menus to facilitate this process. I have noticed in my travels that some chains (like Arby’s and Panera) will, upon request, provide food ingredient lists to help guide the selection of food allergic customers.
My family stays away from the larger chains. We feel more comfortable frequenting mom-and-pop restaurants and ethnic restaurants. Better food (subjective, I know). Chefs and wait staff seem more knowledgeable about what is in food and how food is prepared. Less turn-over in wait staff/chefs. Chefs have been more accommodating. The Nut-Free Mom also shares her positive experience with ethnic dining and reminds us to praise (and reward) understanding wait staff. Good point.
Before our last round of blood tests — there were 3 restaurants where we could dine with our daughter. All ethnic: Greek, Lebanese, and Japanese. Since discovering our daughter’s garlic allergy — we have reluctantly cut out the Lebanese restaurant. We’re down to Greek and Japanese.
A Japanese restaurant is a strange and risky choice for a little girl with a severe salmon allergy. But when the head sushi chef sees her coming — he cleans his knife, takes out a fresh bamboo mat, smiles and says “no sesame, right?”. Once, he saw a speck of roe that had mistakenly gotten on to her cucumber roll. Before I even saw it, the chef confiscated the roll and made her a new one. It pays to be a regular customer.