I have a mild allergy to salicylides, which are found in uncooked apples, cherries, pears, melons of all kinds, avocados, anda variety of other fresh fruits. My lips get puffy, my throat itches, and I get really uncomfortable. I have had these conditions for over two years, and my entire family knows about it. However, it never fails that my mom will offer me something from the above list whenever we have it, “in case you outgrew it.” Arrgh, sometimes I don’t want to find out!
Elenfair, your relative is a boogerball. Holy cow. And what, exactly, is going on in the head of a nurse when she sneaks peanuts into the food of an allergic kid??
That said, I miss the airplane peanuts too. Couldn’t they have both available and give you a choice? Or is the possible scent of peanut bad too? (real question, no snarkiness) Or hey, a third and totally different snack food, like saltines. Anything but pretzels. 
The people who are REALLY allergic to peanuts are also sensitive to the little peanut particles that float around when the packets are opened.
I can’t digest black pepper, or any member of the onion family if it’s uncooked. I love beef, but it seems that a great many restaurants marinate ALL of their beef in something that contains pepper.
Sounds like a plan! My inlaws would NOT believe that anyone could have a nasty reaction to a tasty food…until one of their granddaughters turned out to be allergic to strawberries. Seeing the poor kid suffer made believers out of them. She loves them, too, unfortunately.
I’d tell her flat out that she’s a fuckstick and that you won’t be eating at her house EVER again. Period.
Also, you might want to hint to her that by knowingly slipping you something that can be deadly to you, should something happen, she could be brought up on charges. (Maybe completely false, but just to scare the bejeezus out of her).
Anecdote time!
Hubby is allergic to squid, crab, lobster and prawns. And he’s Japanese. Which means EVERY SINGLE TIME we go out we have to ask if the food has any of these items in it. Or if the sauce or dressing does.
Poor guy. Imagine being Japanese, and not able to eat prawns or squid.
Elenfair,
If you beat the shit out of the feind/friend who is trying to kill you, they might start taking you seriously. Seriously, anyone who does not take your warnings about the severe risk of an allergic reaction seriously is either too stupid or too selfish to merit consideration as a friend. Your life is more important than any friendship.
My word. I’d be scared to eat at that dipstick’s house, and I’m not allergic to anything! Allergies are nothing to mess with. It makes you wonder if these people have never watched the news…seems like every year or so I hear of someone who dies from anaphylactic shock.
Here at the college a few years ago, a student with a peanut allergy knowingly ate a peanut-laced cookie, and died as a result. Turned out that for God-knows-what reason, she thought that because she had taken Benadryl earlier in the day, it wouldn’t bother her this time. I still find it unbelievable…if I was that allergic, no amount of medicine would convince me I was safe!
Take your own food next time–I, for one, worry about you eating food prepared in that house. 
~karol
That doesn’t sound so farfetched to me. If you give something to someone when you know it will poison them, how is that different from giving them arsenic? I’d say charges could be upheld in court. Any lawyers know? Has this ever happened?
Actually, that’s a two way issue.
On one hand, you have the people who are slightly allergic to something, or just pretend to be allergic. Say, the person who’s “allergic to smoke” and on the verge of death if there’s someone smoking 60 feet away in open air…except when the said smoker is attractive enough and belong to the other sex, in which case their allergy is temporarily suspended when they spend the week-end with him/her in a smoke-filled appartment.
Or people who make an enormous fuss about their allergy to whatever food when actually the worst they could expect are some pimples the following day.
On the other hand (and since I had a gf who was strongly allergic to eggs, I experienced this issue first-hand…well…second hand…like in calling the emergency services), there are people who are unable to take seriously the word “allergy”, regardless of how much you stress the issue. Even when you insist that it’s a very serious allergy and a life-threatening issue, they secretly smile and ignore the comments until an ambulance comes to pick up the person. At which point they say that they didn’t know it could be that serious (you told them exactly how serious it was an hour before). As weird as it may seem, it’s relatively common in restaurants and with food sellers (my former gf doesn’t eat out anymore for this reason. At best, she would be too affraid that the food could contain eggs to enjoy her meal, regardless what the waiter/cook swore, given her past experiences)
Both are clearly to blame. If there were less people making a big fuss about unexisting or minimal allergies, people who suffer from serious allergies would be taken more seriously. Out of 20 people claiming to be allergic, my guessmitate would be that half of them actually aren’t allergic at all, but just dislike the stuff and use it as a pretext for a rant or to receive some sympathy, and 9 out of the 10 left have very mild to mild allergy/intolerance. So, when people meet the 20th person saying he has a serious allergy, they logically ignore his plight.
So :
- When someone states he’s allergic, take it at face value. You can possibly ask what he means by “allergic”. A really allergic person will know exactly what it means. But as a rule, believe him and stop assuming it’s all in his head, or that you know better. As a note for people handing food, never say that the food don’t contain whatever product if you’re not absolutely sure it doesn’t. You don’t know and can’t guess what could be the consequences of eating this food item for your customer. “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer. “Let’s play russian roulette because picky customers irritate me” isn’t.
2)If you ever pretended you were allergic to make a point or for whatever reason, please never do this again. You’re doing a major diservice to people who are actually, really allergic. People will remember you and won’t believe them. Would you pretend you’re having a heart failure just to attract some attention? If you’re slightly intolerant to a product, say so, but don’t compare yourself with people with serious allergies. A headache isn’t the same than a meningitis, and diarrhea or itchings aren’t the same than an anaphylactic shock.
I got a needle full of Epinephrine into a friend just in time, years ago. He was gagging and clawing his throat. I saved his life. The fucker, turned out to be an alcoholic abusive prick, and beat his wife ( then girlfriend, and friend of our ).
He’s lucky I was at the other end of the phone when frantic GF called, I was two doors away, and in less than a minute had the needle in his arm. Blind good luck, he would have died in a few moments.
Your relatives and friends are ignorant shitheads. I’d brook zero crap from them, but rather print out some articles off the Net, make copies of a nice bundle of horror stories, and hand them silently to anyone who makes a crack about " just a little bit",
Assholes.
Cartooniverse
However, being opposed to the ban of food items aboard planes makes sense, IMO. There are people allergic to pretty much everything, and I assume that peanuts aren’t the only thing which can be spread by the air recycling system. As inconveniencing as it may be for people with allergy to not be able to fly, not everybody can be accomodated (except if everybody fly naked, in a vaccum suit, and no food at all is served).
I understand that peanuts allergy is particulary common in the US (it’s not the case here…probably because peanuts butter is virtually unknown, I’m told), so perhaps it makes some sense in this particular case. But on the overall, it’s pretty much impossible to ban all ellergenes in order to accomodate everybody.
An obvious exception IMO would be people allergic to pets, since it’s not necessary for pets to fly in the cabin.
FYI— it’s not possible to be allergic to cigarette smoke (or the smell of perfume). Only proteins can be allergens, and the above don’t contain any.
I know ‘cuz I read it in Readers’ Digest.
But it’s not necessary for peanuts to be served in the cabin either…
I once knew someone allergic to milk. His new bride didn’t believe him and slipped a little in the mashed potatoes, so she could say “ha ha” after he ate them without problem. It wasn’t so funny when his throat closed and he almost died in the emergency room. The world is full of twits.
I’ve got an incredibly intense allergy to shrimp (and I imagine all other shellfish as well, but I haven’t tested oysters, clams, and lobsters), and I’m also a sushi addict.
To play it safe, I often order nigiri, so that the mystery of what’s used is removed for me. Sushi rolls are regarded with grave suspicion, unless I can absolutely confirm that there’s no shrimp in them. I seldom order sushi rolls anyway.
Surprisingly, at most sushi restaurants I’ve rarely had problems ordering nigiri sushi.
True, but saying
*“I’m allergic to (cigarette) smoke” *
is much quicker than saying
*“I’m asthmatic and the particles in (cigarette) smoke cause an irritation in my lungs in which the bronchia go into spasm, making it impossible for me to breathe, leading to chest pain, dizziness, loss of consciousness and possibly death.” *
I don’t know about ‘being allergic to smoke’ in the literal sense but when I smoke (and yes, sadly sometimes I do because I’m STOOPID) or am around smoke, I can guarentee that I’ll have a sinus infection within a week. From what I’ve read cigarette smoke paralyzes the cillia in your nose and every allergen in the world that gets in there, gets stuck. This causes the tissues to swell and block off any path for fluid to drain. I’ve had 2
count 'em 2 sinus surgeries (one of which caused a pulmonary edema on the table) yet when given the opportunity (read as “drinking beer”) I will smoke and make myself ill.
More than you needed to know but I was on a roll.
I’m lucky because I’ve never had a sinus infection; however, around these parts they’re quite prevailant.
The following is a real-live home-made cure for sinus infections. I cannot personally vouch for it’s effectivness, as previously mentioned, but I can attest that a number of my friends/relatives have found great relief…
-
Mix some salt with some warm water and put it in a saucer.
-
Insert nose into said saucer.
-
Inhale deeply.
I have no idea why this would work (I guess it would give things a good flush), but apparently it does.
Just something to try next time yer nose is acting up.
I am wildly allergic to potatoes. Since potato starch is used in a lot of soups, stews, breads, etc, I have to be really careful.
However, I have NEVER been in a situation in which someone knew about my allergy and tried to feed it to me anyway! :eek: I find this appalling. It’s hard enough worrying about ordinary food without treating homemade food as suspect!
Um, Wyldkard and I know someone who is actually, deadly allergic to sandalwood incense.