[Sca-cooks] Milk and Nut Allergy Questions...

[Kirrily Robert]

Anahita asked:
> Are most people who are allergic to cow's milk able to eat aged cheese?
> Are most people who are allergic to cow's milk able to eat Ricotta cheese?
> My brother has been lactose intolerant all his life. Milk is bad, but
> ISTR he can handle most cheeses. I don't know how typical this is...

I am mildly lactose intolerant.  I can eat cheese and yoghurt, but milk,
cream, and any other non-bacteria-infested milk makes me feel pretty
queasy.

In my experience, dairy sensitivities come in two flavours: the type
that makes people sick to the stomach, and the type that makes people
phlegmy.

The sick-to-the-stomach type comes in various degrees; I can eat cheese
and yoghurt, but some people can't.  And while I only feel queasy if I
eat something creamy or milky, some people will find that their bodies,
uh, violently expel the food, by whatever means or orifice is necessary.
I haven't noticed any difference in my sensitivity between aged, hard
cheeses and fresher ones.  I can chow down on a pile of cream cheese or
ricotta with no ill effects, just as I can with cheddar or similar.  But
people with more pronounced sensitivities may have different
experiences.

The phlegmy people (I lived with one for several years, and my cousin
is another) seem to be sensitive to cheesey things as well as to plain
milk or cream.  But my personal experience of this is less, so I'm not
entirely sure whether I'm over-generalising here.

So, what I'd say is: talk to your pre-registered allergic people.  Ask
them if they can eat cheese, yoghurt, or goat/sheep milk.  Unless you
are sure, assume that anyone who says they have a dairy sensitivity is
sensitive to *all* forms of dairy.  Same goes for nuts: ask first, but
err on the side of caution.

Yours,

Katherine


--
Lady Katherine Rowberd (mka Kirrily "Skud" Robert)
katherine at infotrope.net  http://infotrope.net/sca/
Caldrithig, Skraeling Althing, Ealdormere
"The rose is red, the leaves are grene, God save Elizabeth our Queene"