SC - Re Food Allergies

[LYN M PARKINSON]

Food allergies is really not an off-topic discussion.  Most of us on this
list are are Kitchen Masters who have and will do cooking for large
numbers of people.  Knowing what can occur is important; we don't do this
to make people sick and miserable.  

My allergies are to pepper, of all kinds--even the mild paprika--radish,
horseradish, daikon; raw onion, excessive garlic roughly chopped and
insufficiently cooked as in some of the new versions of garlic bread;
green, red and yellow bell peppers;  virtually anything, now, which has
strong acids or oils.  In my case (and some of my family's), it is a
contact poison that will produce blisters in my mouth and down the
esophagus, but I have met some people who go into anaphalytic shock and
can die.  I can't redact a recipe exactly as it is meant to be if it
calls for pepper, but I can do all but that, give some to a friend and
have them try it with pepper.  When I do a feast, the pepper can be added
after I'm satisfied with the dish.  I have also done feasts without
adding any pepper, and they were praised.  People may bring pepper with
them, as many do salt, and add if they want it.  


 As a feaster, I ask cooks to remove a portion for me before they add the
pepper for the rest of the dish.  Many cooks have been very gracious
about doing so, but some are not.  On one occasion, my husband was seated
at head table, and I was placed, alone, at a dark back corner table and
given some stale bread and a little cheese.  I sincerely hope that none
of us would be so rude and unkind to anyone letting us know of their
allergies.  If there's plenty of variety--not just 'stew and
bread'--there's nothing wrong with warning someone not to touch the X, or
cooking something different.   I have sometimes posted a list on the
kitchen door, giving names and the foods each one should not eat.  I ask
people to let their servers know who they are if they have a special
dish.


One thing that worries me is the MAO inhibiters.  There are certain
anti-depressants that react violently--to the point of death--if certain
foods are eaten while you are taking those pills.  Everybody goes through
tough times in his/her life, and doctors prescribe these pretty freely. 
The food lists, though, are generally not complete.  One of the foods is
the fava bean, another is nuts.  Both of these are used in medieval
meals.  I don't remember all of the others.  Tomatoes and chocolate are
not a worry for the medieval cook, I think apricots and possibly figs
were dangerous.


Just as we need to know how to figure portion control or sanitize our
kitchens, so we need to be alert to allergy problems.



Allison