[Sca-cooks] Lethal drinks

[Suey]

  Dragon wrote that Arthur wrote:
>
>   
>>>> It is patently unfair to act irresponsibly and then
>>>>         
>>> blame a manufacturer or
>>>       
>>>> sales person for one's own ignorance or lack of due
>>>>         
>>> diligence.
>>>       
>> On another note, lets ban peanuts, after all they
>> might kill someone! :-)
>>
>> We are getting a litle crazy when the jar of peanut
>> butter or almond candy bar has to say, "caution may
>> contain nuts"
>>     
> ---------------- End original message. ---------------------
>
> That is what litigation gets you. A thorough reading of the 
> ingredients should be sufficient but apparently the FDA (the 
> organization in the U.S. responsible for food labelling standards) 
> does not agree.
>
> As I have stated here before, this sort of thing is a pet peeve of 
> mine as it surfaces in various forms in the SCA all the time. I've 
> had people categorically tell me that I should NEVER use ingredient X 
> (usually nuts or mushrooms) in anything served at an SCA feast 
> because somebody might be allergic to them. Very bluntly, there are a 
> bunch of self-centered people in the society who think that their own 
> dietary issues should dictate what everyone else eats, I heartily 
> disagree and campaign actively against such madness.
>
> My response when I am told such things is very reasonable I think and 
> it is thus:
>
> - Not more than one dish per course in a feast will contain a 
> potentially problematic ingredient. For example, almonds would not 
> appear in more than one dish per course but may appear more than once 
> in different dishes in different courses (though usually I don't do 
> that in a given feast). My list of such things includes the most 
> common allergens all types of nuts, shellfish (which I almost never 
> use due to cost), and mushrooms. A number of potential allergens are 
> not even used in anything I cook for an SCA event as they are non-period.
>
> - A COMPLETE list of ALL ingredients used in each dish is made 
> available BEFORE the feast is served.
>
> - Strict control is maintained in the kitchen to prevent 
> cross-contamination. For example, each pot has it's own spoon to stir 
> it to prevent the almond milk from getting into another sauce for 
> example. All cutting boards, knives and other prep gear are washed 
> with hot water and soap before being used for the next ingredient, etc.
>
>
> Dragon
>
>   
Since I sent the original message I have found that as one of you 
indicated Red Bull, alcohol or whatever can be habit forming. If you 
drink a lot of whatever it can be dangerous but a can of Red Bull 
doesn't hurt you. Yes US propaganda is awful because you cannot not 
serve one nut or whatever. I am with you guys who publish your 
ingredients so if my neighbor has a problem with this he will not buy it 
but I think there is a limit to cutting boards and knives.
Last night my husband and I prepared our dinner together. We used one 
knife and one cutting board without properly washing them before 
changing food items.  We even kissed each other between cuttings and 
went to bed with marvelous dreams. To date we have no reason to feel 
sick at all.
On the contrary!
Suey