[Sca-cooks] allergies vs. sensitivities

[Heather M]

>> i do tend to stay away from walnuts, because we do have several 
>> deathly allergic folks.  as in, if a cookie with walnuts touches a 
>> cookie without walnuts, they can still get sick.
>
>
> I would consider avoiding a food outright under these circumstances.

They probably do, but if a cookie doesn't have a walnut in it, you've 
asked/seen the ingredients list and the cookie doesn't have walnuts in 
it, how would you know? A gentle in a neighboring group is 
purging-trying-to-breathe-three-Epi-Pens-while-waiting-for-EMT allergic 
to cassia. He avoids it, and (especially now) gets plenty of warnings if 
there might be cinnamon of any nationality in something. Thing is, it 
can appear in places unexpected and unlooked-for, as he and those who 
served him have experienced.

> I tend to let people with multiple food issues attend at half-price or 
> less and nibble at whatever they can.

Which is quite nice. I usually just have a look at the ingredients list. 
I have a short (and as US brewers, vintners, and distillers get a clue, 
thankfully shortening) list of alcohol makers I won't drink from due to 
the addition of formaldehyde as a clarifying agent.  If I can, I find 
out who made the alcohol, otherwise I avoid that portion of the feast, 
or taste (prepared to spit and rinse) a small bit.

Margaret Northwode