SC - Allergies in general

[Casey O'Donovan]

But given the proliferation of allergies, if you
>eliminate the 10 most common food allergens from feasts entirely, you'll be
>very restricted as to what you can serve, which will as a result be pretty
>bland.

Can I ask something, seriously? Why is it that you Americans have all these
allergies? I wouldn´t know about other nations, but severe food allergies
are rare here in Iceland. The only person I´ve ever known who had a seafood
allergy was my ex-son-in-law, and he is British. I´ve done some catering of
large parties and I´ve never once been asked about ingredients by allergy
sufferers, or had to give allergies or diet restrictions any thought at
all - not that I wouldn´t have done so but this has never come up. I know
people who don´t like mushrooms, or nuts, or certain spices, but no one who
is allergetic to them.

Please don´t misunderstand me, I´m not saying these allergies aren´t real,
and I know how dangerous they can be. I´m merely wondering why they seem to
be so much more common in America than here. Fast food, additives,
contaminants ...?

Anyway, you SCA cooks would certainly have a much easier time cooking a
feast for Icelanders. Few allergies, no religious diet restricitions,
practically no vegans (except my ex-son-in-law, who doesn´t count), the more
alcohol the better, and you could without a second thought cook blood,
tongue, organs, or any large cuddly animal you care to try - horse, whale,
whatever (small cuddly animals could be another matter, though).

Your main problem, though, might be your budget - boneless chicken breasts
are currently $11 per lbs, so better stick to the horsemeat, perhaps ...

Nanna
(who was reared on horsemeat and sheep´s heads and all that)