[Sca-cooks] food allergies, life choices, issues

[Terry Decker]

Provide a list of all recipes and all ingredients, so people can determine 
if the want to eat the feast.  Ask people to notify you of any dietary 
issues in advance so you can determine how you want to handle the issue.  If 
they don't contact you, on their head be it.  For people whose allergies are 
known, warn them in advance of the dishes to avoid.

Create a varied menu so that people can avoid their food problems and still 
feel full.  If you feel it is warranted, produce a few modified dishes or 
drinks, that will meet the medical needs.  I most commonly do this for 
diabetics.

Follow safe cooking practices to avoid cross contamination.

I often prepare dishes I don't like for other people's pleasure.  In the 
case of a feast, I usually work to a theme and/or a time and place and my 
menu planning takes into account the tastes of my "patrons."

Bear

> Greetings all.
>
> My query is:  How do you attend to people with food allergies, issues, 
> life
> choices?  Also,  how often do you make a dish you can't stand just because
> it is a good/period dish and you know others will enjoy it?
>
> If I know someone has an allergy (gets sick, could die) I am very careful 
> to
> label any dish containing the offensive ingredient and I will try to go 
> out
> of my way to warn the person directly if it is a small gathering.
>
> Vegetarian/Vegan - I always have at least one, usually more than one
> vegetarian dish available.  As for Vegan - I try but I cannot always
> promise.  I will often use vegetable broth instead of chicken if the rest 
> of
> the dish is all vegetables.
>
> Silliac/gluten:  See allergies above.  We have several Silliac sufferers
> here and one is quite adept at cooking so sometimes I ask her to make 
> bread
> or a dish she knows is safe.
>
> Issues - meaning someone is not specifically allergic but does react badly
> to an ingredient - we have someone who cannot eat onions if there are any
> cell walls remaining - for this person if I know they are coming to feast 
> I
> usually pulverize the onions where it is appropriate to do so.  If not I
> warn them.
>
> The "I don't like" people - well, if it isn't going to kill someone I'm 
> not
> inclined to make changes although I do label things so people can stay 
> away
> from stuff they don't like.
>
> I try not to rule out any dish just because of my own personal taste. 
> That
> said, if I make it I have to find someone else to taste it to make sure 
> it's
> right.
>
> Shoshanna
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