I got the smack laid down on me yesterday for my WTF Wednesday post. I thought it was funny that my bottle of Woodchuck Hard Cider was labeled “Gluten Free.” Despite the comments about serious food allergies and definitions of “gluten” I still think it’s funny.
I also still think food allergies are annoying. I think most people claim to have a food allergy when really, they just don’t like certain foods or those foods cause them a minor irritation. That’s not the same thing as having a real food allergy.
According to The National Peanut Board only 4% of adults and 4-6% of children have food allergies. Of those only .6 to 1.5% of the United States population have a peanut allergy.
This was shocking to me since peanuts in any form have been banned from most schools. I think if you bring a single peanut within two square miles of an elementary school the punishment is beheading.
Seriously.
I don’t know about anyone else, but last year I wasn’t allowed to bring treats of any kind to Reese and Jackson’s preschool class. Not even store-bought treats that had the ingredients clearly labeled on the packaging. Nothing. The only treats the kids could have had to be made in the kitchen on-site. It made me crazy.
I get that some kids (only 4-6% of the US population) have food allergies. But honestly, that’s not my problem. When Taryn and John were little one of the students in their class was allergic to chocolate. (An affliction that really would kill me.) That child’s mother provided the teacher with treats to keep in the classroom in the event someone brought in chocolate. She handled it, because it was her issue.
Most people don’t do that, they expect everyone else to handle their issues. I wouldn’t mind that so much – if I knew the issues were real. But most times, they’re not.
A few months ago I volunteered at a conference for our church. One of my shared duties was to manage the meals. We got an obscene amount of dietary requests. It became a joke, we thought for a while about just serving plates of Fritos – because they’re vegan. My friend Tammy and I worked hard to make sure all dietary requests were met. The hotel managed to accomodate everyone – but it was a lot of work. When it came time for people to pick up their box lunches we had them all labeled with the specific request, but not the name. As people handed me their “special request” tickets I asked them what was their request. More than one person said, “I don’t remember what I wrote.” or “Can you look it up, I don’t know.”
That’s not a food allergy. It is however, highly annoying.
You can’t just decide you’re allergic to something. You have to go to a physician and be tested. Just because your kid puked the first time you gave him cow milk doesn’t mean he’s lactose intolerant. Just because she choked on a peanut, doesn’t mean she’s allergic to peanuts. You have to go to a doctor and get that checked. Then checked again, because 85% of children grow out of food allergies.
I had an allergic reaction to penicillin when I was a kid. Most of my life I declared myself allergic to penicillin. When I was 32 and pregnant with the twinkies my obstetrician said, “there’s a blood test we can do to see if you really are allergic.” I did it.
Who has two thumbs and isn’t allergic to penicillin? This gal.
The few people who are truly allergic, as in they would have a serious medical reaction to eating certain foods – should avoid those foods. They should read lists of ingredients. If you’re really allergic to gluten, yeah stick with hard cider or wine instead of wheat or barley based beers. Whatever, just shut up about it.
Didn’t some politician say we’ve become a nation of whiners? Stop whining, you’re probably allergic to it anyway.
Omg, laughing so hard right now! I didn’t read the gluten free post and this is still funny. I wrote a post about nut allergies when I first started blogging and I took back how mean I was (in my head) to other parents after it turns out my daughter is severely allergic to nuts, milk, and penicillin. Oops. But, I’m still laughing
Tip of the day: recheck that penicillin allergy occasionally;)
It’s one of those push-button issues, isn’t it? I specifically didn’t comment on your post yesterday because I would have said something like: “I didn’t believe in it either until…” and that’s just no fun for anybody.
I totally agree on the whole “you don’t have an allergy if it’s just a preference” thing. If nothing else, it just makes it harder for those of us who really DO have allergies because all food preparation staff HATE US.
Thanks for skipping the lecture. If fewer people claimed allergies when it was just a preference food prep staff wouldn’t hate you so much.
After reading everyone else’s comments, I really have to say that I think the problem is not so much allergies as the people who CLAIM to have allergies when they really don’t.
We’ve got a boy in my son’s preschool class who is life-threateningly allergic to peanuts, cashews, almods, and a variety of other foods. In order ao accommodate him, anyone who takes those foods to school must advise the teacher. That’s all. (peanuts are banned on penalty of beheading, of course.) You can take all the other foods, you just have to tell the teacher. That way the teacher makes sure the child with those foods eats his/her lunch on the opposite side of the room from the child with the allergies, and the child with those foods has to go wash their hands immediately after eating to ensure there’s no accidental contamination.
I have no issue with those precautions. I would hate for my child to be accidently responsible for another child’s hospital stay or (knock on wood) death. But I think we’re all so jaded by the “I have an allergy to lettuce”, “I have an allergy to roast lamb”, “I have an allergy to something because I don’t like the taste” thing that we have absolutely no patience for the real deal.
Again you nailed it. I love this post bc it’s real. Ridiculous that you had to accommodate everyone on their preferences.
Thanks! I love that now you are one of the first people to read my blogs because you’re in Korea.
Too many people were allergic to the truth that was your WTF Wednesday post.
Ha, totally true:)
I have a sister-in-law who is allergic to gluten. It’s a huge pain in the butt at family reunions. We work all meals around her needs. Why? Because if she has some gluten her tummy would get upset. Big deal. Mexican food does the same thing to me but that sure ain’t stopping me from ordering off the Taco Bell menu every now and then. They invented Pepto-Bismol for a reason. Use it.
I say your SIL is being irrational here. It’s up to her to pick and choose what can be had at family gatherings. Our entire family knows my mom can’t have it. Whatever they are fixing, she works within that and always brings something she can eat and has snacks (fresh veggies, almonds, etc) in her bag. She’ll usually talk to the one responsible for the main dish and discuss setting aside a portion that she can eat. Or she fixes something she can eat like a chicken breast or whatever. Some accommodations is helpful and kind but revolving every single dish around one person’s food allergy is just…overkill.
And I say this after years of my family ignoring my mom’s Celiac Disease and asking her when she was gonna be done with her diet. It’s not a damn diet. That shit can kill her and makes her fricking miserable…body pain that initially got her a diagnosis of Fribromyalsia, half a day spent on the potty because of the gluten tearing up her digestive tract, etc.
But, I’ll agree…there’s a difference between preference and allergy. And if you can’t frickin remember what your special order was, then you don’t need it. Feel free to special order vegan/vegetarian, peanut free, lactose free, and without bread products, but beyond that….figure it out, folks.
We deal with peanut allergies and vegan requests throughout marching band season. Feeding 100 kids/staff and always fixing something for just one vegan on the side is fun times but we do it.
I firmly believe that those who suffer from such things as peanut, gluten, lactose issues need to provide for themselves. My mother does so I know it can be done. The rest of the world shouldn’t have to alter every.single.thing…one or two things, sure…everything, nope. Carry things with you that you know you can consume and move on with it.
As for the peanut allergy in schools….some kids have serious, life threatening reactions to even peanut dust so that’s why it’s out of schools for the most part.
Sorry for the novel. Didn’t mean to write so much yesterday or today. After going through all of this with my mom the last five years, I’ve learned a lot and understand it a lot and it became personal.
See, that’s the thing though – the really serious peanut allergy is rare, but schools act like it’s everywhere. If even one time in my kids 10 plus years of school and daycare there had been one kid with that allergy I might understand. But so far – none. Kudos to your mom for handling it on her own, I like the way she does business!
See, that’s not an allergy – can’t she just pass on the gluten stuff? Seriously annoying.
Have I told you I’m lactose intolerant?
Probably, but I wasn’t listening.
I love you!! You are so right! People are going way overboard on the gluten free crap! I agree that, those that should avoid it, know what to avoid. Its crazy, I tell ya! I wasn’t jumping on the gluten free wagon yesterday, only giving the info on what gluten is and who benefits from avoiding it. Sorry, didn’t mean to lecture. Putting that label on a product that would not have gluten in it, is just stupid. Anything to make a sale I suppose. I had no idea Fritos were vegan! That’s my pet peeve….the vegans! Those people can be downright mean!
I didn’t think you were lecturing – at least not any more than anyone else.
Ummm…that vegan sign was fucking hilarious! And you are so right, not just about allergies but about everything in the world. People’s want to make their personal concerns EVERYONE else’s concern. Of course there are people who we should consider – like those who have real handicaps and need ramps or elevators to help them function better in society. But your dislike of or even allergy to something? Just make sure you don’t eat it!
Thank you. That’s my point. Your issues are yours and mine are mine. I have plenty of them. I don’t like orange candy, but I don’t insist people leave it out of trail mixes. Duh.
Uh oh, was I supposed to be offended? I enjoyed yesterday’s and today’s post. Yes, my son is gluten free and dairy free-> we do it for his autism, his tummy feels better, and he actually has a real live allergy report from a doctor saying he is allergic to both of those. However, since all my favorite foods include gluten and dairy, usually piled on top of each other, I really don’t understand all these folks doing it for fun. Regardless, it is not anyone else’s problem. I start each school year out with a box of frozen cupcakes in the school freezer and some skittles and gummy bears in the room, just in case there is a treat or unexpected bday in the class. If they are cooking something, I send in substitutes for him. You’re absolutely right- it is the person on the special diet that has to accommodate, not the whole world! Last year in a preschool class of 12 children I had a no gluten and a no dairy with legitimate allergies that caused projectile vomiting and diarrhea. I also had about 4 other parents who wrote down a million other food requests because that was the band wagon they were riding at the time. Drove me nuts!
You’re supermom, I wish there were more like you! Also, the fact that you ended with “Drove me nuts!” is awesome. Was that an intended pun?
Try working in a restaurant! I was a server for 6 years and the allergy problem drove me crazy. Just say “no mushrooms”, bc you actually don’t like them. People would come in expecting extra attention for their “allergy”, but then be a total grouch to me and tip like crap for no reason. If I work my butt off to keep that toxic allergin from actually touching your plate, you need to smile and thank me! My twins start school this year, it will be interesting to see what their policy is. I agree that parents of allergy kids need to take care of their own snacks, not expect everyone else to! I’m allergic to a lot of non-food things and I don’t demand people get rid of their dogs and flowers. Some people could stand to dust though….just sayin! Lol.
Ha! My husband is allergic to dust. I always tease that he married the wrong person;)
As with any issue there are ‘those people’ who take it to extremes. However, for a small percentage, it’s a very real, very dangerous situation. I used to prepare and serve snacks and lunch to preschool children. One year I had a little boy that was so severely allergic to milk, he couldn’t sit at a table where anyone was drinking it. If it spilled, and got on his skin, he had to have an epi-pen and then go to the hospital. His mother knew this, because he almost died the first time it happened. The second time it happened, his babysitter was careless and gave him his sister’s milk instead of his. In the same school, there’s a little boy who is just as allergic to peanuts. When exposed to even the tiniest bit, he’s in the hospital for days struggling to breathe.
For some people, it’s drama to bring attention to their ‘delicate’ self. To others… it truly is a life and death situation. Until I was responsible for those two children and their health/life, I never thought it was a serious issue either.
I’m with you on helping out for people with real and serious problems. But sadly, a whole lot of people are just grappling for attention.
BRAVO, BF’EN F!! I am allergic to other people’s kids. For real. I’ve been tested. They sent them to my house and I cursed them all out.
Other people’s kids are awfully stinky – I might have that same allergy.
I’m not offended by your post, however I feel your some of your views are ignorant. As for the people who aren’t actually allergic, I agree with you there. As for the kids who are, well, I think this falls under “you’d feel differently if it happened to your or yours.” Both of my children are deathly allergic to peanuts, as diagnosed by a real life pediatric allergist. My daughter is 14 mos and we just found out last week.
My son is 4.5 and we have been managing his allergy for years now. His classroom is peanut free because if he eats a peanut, HE WILL DIE. I don’t think I should have to worry about my son dying while others enjoy snack time. So, yes, everyone is inconvenienced, but what other choice is there? Homeschool, right? This is the kind of thing people like to suggest. It’s hard of enough to contend with food allergies as it is. It sucks when people are so ignorant. Just be thankful you don’t have to worry about food killing your child!!
There’s nothing ignorant about this blog and there’s nothing ignorant about people getting frustrated having to accomodate for one person. Everyone knows allergies can be deadly and Bridget admits this. However, you should homeschool your child if you are going to expect everyone to bend over backwards for one person. I would until I was comfortable to know that he could handle his allergy himself because he would be my responsibility not everyone else’s. Where do the accomodations stop? Soon our children will have to attend school in a bubble and eat nothing but carrots because everyone is allergic to something. Oh wait, is there anyone allergic to carrots? Maybe the kids just won’t eat.
I’m not ignorant. I’m frustrated. While I appreciate that your child has very real issues, it is frustrating that so many others claim they have an allergy when really it is a preference or an allergy that only causes minor irritation. We move all the time, my kids have been to lots of schools (8 and their in the 10th grade) and we have yet to meet one kid who has a severe peanut allergy. It’s rare. In rare cases I’m ok with accommodating – but on the regular just in case? It’s getting out of control.
Your post: Truly. Classic.
Thank you:)
Did you know that the Indian word for “Bad Hunter” is Vegetarian?
Don’t know where I saw this or heard it, but have always thought it was appropriate.
Hahaha! I like that, I’ll have to remember it!
Yikes. You should be ashamed, saying what you really think on your very own blog. Don’t you know you have to check with 30-bajillion people to make sure they’re not offended first? What do you think this is — your very own space to say what you want? Psshht.
I know, I’m a huge jerk.
I once worked in an office where a new person was allergic to nuts, tree nuts not peanuts because we all know peanuts are legumes not nuts. She had the bracelet and everything. Then the division chief decided to take it upon himself to ban nuts in the building. I said bullshit! If she is still deployable, I can have nuts. I do get tired of schools or any organization trying to ban things because of one person’s allergy.
This is the problem. Everyone goes overboard and freaks out when really it shouldn’t be everyone’s problem! Especially in your case when the allergic person is an adult! Be a grown up and handle it yourself. Grrr….
I’ll tell you what’s annoying…cooking all day for a family gathering, making sure almost every dish is something that ONE PERSON is able to eat, then that person showing up and eating nothing, even after being told it was safe. Not even a thank you or anything. I’m still steaming after several months!
I might have throat punched that person. Or gotten inappropriately drunk and told her off. Seriously.
Oh my, you’re gonna catch some shit for this one my friend! (-;
PS: I think it’s funny too but don’t tell anyone.
It’ll be our little secret.
AMEN to you Bridget!
Thanks Lori:)
AMEN! Well said!
Thank you, I tried not to be too mean!
Knowledge is a crazy thing. You’d think the more information someone has, the better. Not the case for stupid people.
At least twice a year my kids are invited to or extend invitations for birthday parties. one or two parents will make a scene about little jacob or little amdison food allergies. My wife and I grit our teeth, nod our heads, and make sure peanut everything is kept away from the one kid of twenty.
I feel the same as you. I sort of miss the blossful ignorance of the seveneties and eighties when I grew up. we ate everything and worried only about being inside before the lights went out.
I don’t think anyone had food allergies when I was a kid. Why now? Are they new or are we all just hyper-sensitive?
Yesterday I hearted gluten. Today, I heart you. We had a kid in my oldest’s preschool we called Allergy Kid. He was allergic to everything. Once, to be nice, I asked her what I could bring for a birthday treat that he could have. I expected her to say dont worry about it – I’ll bring something. Not only did she not say this, she gave me a specific list of ingredients he could have – Land o Lakes butter, Kraft Marshmallows, Real Rice Crispies. If I had been her, I wouldnt have trusted me to go buy all this, because guess what, I didn’t. I made the treats with what I had. The kids was fine. She shouldnt count on me to feed her kid.
Those are so not allergies!! OMG I hate people!! But I totally heart you too – especially for ignoring those dumb requests.
I’d kill for a woodchuck hard cider right now.
So I guess allergies can be deadly.
Come visit me and I’ll have plenty chilling for you. No bloodshed, I promise.
Tatum is allergic to peas……and if you ask her she will tell you the most elaborate story to support this allergy. Truth is Tatum hates peas. I cook peas for dinner at least once a week to drive her crazy ….and I make her eat at least 5 of them before she is allowed to eat anything else on her plate. She hates it, I love it!
The fact that she tells and elaborate story is all sorts of awesome. Seriously.
I love that meme! In fact, I may have to steal it. For real, they will tell you!
As a teacher, I run into this a lot. I think our very American diets are the issue, not necessarily wheat/flour/milk etc. I’ve never been allergic to a thing in my life (unless you count meatloaf, ha ha ha) and I’ve had severe stomach issues since my husband deployed last year. The doctors ran tests and told me it’s stress/anxiety etc, and I’m on medication. However, any time I mention a stomachache to someone, they insist is HAS to be a food allergy. Morons.
I think you’re right, it has a lot more to do with eating processed crap than actual food allergies. Stress and deployment can totally cause stomach issues. I’m sorry you have to deal with that!
Just for the record, my son has numerous food allergies. (The only one they avoid in the classroom is nuts.) I NEVER expect anyone to provide food for him. I pack food any time I attend a family function, birthday party, school event, or even go out to eat because I can’t trust his food prep to anyone. However, nuts aren’t allowed in his classroom because it is such a high health risk for him. It is so easy for a nut to flake off and cross-contaminate his food. As for the person who says I should home-school my kid… ignorance. By ignorant, I don’t mean stupid, I mean ignorant. I think as a person has more experiences with something, such as say…having a child with an allergy, they would have a a different opinion on the matter. I really don’t think people are “bending over backwards” just by not packing nuts in their kids lunches.
I hate inconveniencing anyone, I hate that my child has to be different, most of all I hate worrying that my kids may accidentally ingest something that could kill them. It’s a scary life!
I have been so fortunate that the schools my son has attended, the teachers, and parents have been more than willing to accommodate and they have been so nice and supportive. I think they are thrilled it is not their child who suffers from such a condition!
You’re right, I’m lucky to have never had to deal with food allergies in my children. But I’ve had plenty of having them be different. It’s not life threatening, (or maybe it is) but the emotional strain of moving, having their Dad deploy when all the other Dad’s never leave – it’s hard to watch them go through all the time. So I get it. It’s miserable, honestly. I’m sorry you and you’re family have had to go through so much. I don’t mind doing whatever I can for kids (kids – not adults) who have real allergies. I just wish fewer people claimed they had allergies or yammered on about them just for attention. It would make everyone much more sympathetic to situations like yours. (I’ve poked around on your blog, the pics of your baby and the allergy shots are heartbreaking.)
Point taken. I wish others who didn’t have allergies would not pretend they do, and inconvenience everyone else! As you have probably figured out, I am sensitive to this topic since I am still dealing with the news that our baby is allergic too. We don’t know where this is coming from. Neither my husband or I have food allergies!
Thank you for this! It is crazy at my school how many kids can’t have milk, cheese, peanuts, soy…this list keeps going! BUT they still send their child in to BUY their lunch. What the heck!!! Then their child sees all the other stuff to pick from, that they can’t have. Sometimes they get it anyways, get to the cashier and she has to tell them they can’t have it. This is followed by temper tantrums and a child that is so upset he won’t eat his milk, cheese, peanut, soy free lunch. If your child has a food issue pack their frickin lunch! Parents, please save us the time from getting your child to stop crying because he/she can’t eat something that they want. We teachers would really like eat our lunch in 2 minutes and get back to our day.
Why would a parent do that to their child? Why not pack, let them help, talk to them instead of pawning it off on you? Ugh, ridiculous!
I’m allergic to carrots. True story. You’re allergic to something when it’s gross, right?
I’m going to also say that Bridget is certainly not ignorant. She’s the first person to volunteer to help make meals and provide for people in their time of need in our community. She is always accommodating when it comes to likes and dislikes, allergies, and personal preferences. Of course people have allergies, duh. But it seems to be trendy these days to have food allergies and it is frustrating.
I also just love that the same kind of people that want food banned from their kid’s classroom also seem to want to ban conflicting opinions from what they read. It’s one thing to debate, another to be overbearing and shitty.
I send my kid to school with a peanut butter sandwich to eat every single day. It’s what he loves and I’ll be damned if I tell him he can’t have the one thing he wants because he might breathe on a kid after eating it or something. I have more important things to worry about than the dietary restrictions of every child that might cross paths with every member of my family.
Oh crap, you mean you won’t cater to all of my whims and fancies at meal times? Another reason why I can’t come to Alaska… that and the weather.
When people tell me they’re allergic to a certain food, I look at it as a fortunate excuse to never hang out with that person again. Makes me wonder if I should warn people I was almost an abortion…