SC - Vegetarian dishes

[Sue Wensel]

My allergy control is in three parts.
Firstly, I make sure all ingredients to dishes are listed. I also no matter how busy I am will make
myself available to discuss the ingredients with who-ever has the need.

Secondly, I will try to provide food that is free of the dangerous substance if requested
beforehand. But I will not sacrifice the well being of the feast to make one-offs. Many times
the best I can do is to say don't eat this or that dish. I have produced special dishes when time
and space allows. Notification before the feast is a way of making this happen but I have had
situations where people have turned up on the night and said I can't eat meat, nuts, dairy foods or
flour (real example!) what are you cooking for me? I do not under any circumstances
promise a allergen(sp?) free feast.

Thirdly, I expect people with allergies to manage their condition. There are important legal
considerations to this third point. If I try to provide an allergy free feast and I fail as per
some of the horror stories that some of our list friends have recounted and suffered though,
then I could well be sued and deservedly so. Most people with allergies will be responsible
for their conditions and anything we as cooks can do is gratefully appreciated.

One thing I never do is lie about recipes, ingredients, or cooking methods. If I have a dish
cooked for me and I don't know exactly what is in it I always say "I don't know the ingredients
to this one, you had better avoid it".

Oh yes, most people with severe food allergies need and deserve a bit of sympathy.


Charles of the Park
(Who is very allergic to house dust and some pollens to the point of having
 difficulty seeing on some spring days)

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Charles Dean    charles at macquarie.matra.com.au
Matra Internetworks - Internet service providers.
Ph (06) 251 6730  Fax (06) 253 4840
PO BOX 714, Jamison Centre, ACT 2614 AUSTRALIA
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