Restaurants and food allergies: a problem?

I have been allergic to dairy products, among other things, for quite a few years. So when I visit restaurants, I always politely request “no cheese or sour cream.” Next thing you know, I have a main course with cream sauce. Most servers don’t even know this contains dairy!

Since menus are never explicit about exactly what allergenic ingredients are in entrees, I’ll ask the waiter if a certain dish contains dairy if I’m not sure. Sometimes I ask if it contains anything else I’m allergic to. They automatically look at you as if you are the most demanding person on the planet! Then I have to explain that I am allergic to dairy products and certain other ingredients. They’ll get a worried look and tell me they’re going to talk to the chef to find out what’s in the entree I’m questioning.

They usually come back to the table and explain that the chef doesn’t know what’s in some of the sauces or ingredients because they are shipped to them prepackaged or bottled. So sometimes I take a chance and ask for a starter thinking it’s okay. Even fish tartar sauce is sometimes made with sour cream, although I like it with mayonnaise and have had to give it up after trying it.

I once ordered the dinner I was allergic to unknowingly and immediately started having a reaction and asked them to take it away, then just ate the bread that came with the meal. I was very pleased when they took my order off the bill, but it could have been avoided in the first place if they had been more knowledgeable about the ingredients.

I really appreciate the fact that allergen ingredients are now required to be listed on most types of products in grocery stores! Especially when the label clearly states that the product contains milk, rather than having to read the long list of ingredients that often lists milk as “whey” or “casein.” Especially when you are allergic to dairy products, it is always wise to learn the different terms for dairy products because not all products are clearly written on food labels. Some products say “dairy-free” on the front label, but the ingredient label lists casein, so labels should be checked carefully.

While we’re on the subject of allergen information food labels, an idea comes to mind (okay…I’ve been thinking about this for a long time!) Why aren’t restaurants required to list allergen information? allergenic ingredients clearly on menus next to the entree description? Are allergy sufferers asking too much?

I guess if I didn’t have food allergies, I wouldn’t really care if restaurants have them or not. But if a person ever experiences what it’s like to have an instant food allergy reaction or some of the “soon to follow” reactions, they’d really want this information on every restaurant menu.

How nice it would be to not have to bother the food server and have a dinner where I didn’t have to worry about passing out, having trouble breathing or worse!

Food allergies are becoming more common every day. I am in favor of including this valuable information on all restaurant menus! When will this happen? Soon I hope.