My week has not been going too hot.
Well, actually, my face has been inflamed and I have periodically been covered in hives, but figuratively, not so hot.
In one of my first "Cultural Culinarian" columns, I discussed my newly developed peanut allergy. For the past two years, I have been adjusting to my allergy, which has steadily become more sensitive. After my initial reaction to the lethal legume (peanuts are part of the bean family, which is why a peanut allergy is diagnosed separately from a tree nut allergy), I went for months without problems. But food allergies are very unpredictable, and it is common for them to ebb and flow; I am flowing big time right now. In the past six days, I have broken out in hives from accidental close encounters with Nutter Butters and a bag of roasted peanuts.
The hardest part of being a devoted foodie and suffering from a food allergy is eating out. In the safety of my own home, I can control what I eat and intensely study the labels of my grocery store purchases. When I eat out, however, I am putting my health in the hands of complete strangers working in an unfamiliar kitchen. While peanuts themselves may be listed on a menu, it is impossible to know who is using peanut oils. Everyone from chains like Five Guys to famed New York hotspot Balthazar uses peanut oil to make their french fries, so I have to be extremely inquisitive when I place my order.
I usually experience two different reactions from waiters when I tell them about my peanut allergy. Either the staff is extremely accommodating and waiters will list off every ingredient in anything I want to order to check that I will be allergen−free, or they act as if I am a nuisance and begrudgingly check with the chef before I place my order. More often than not, this reaction is a result of the wait staff not being informed of the allergens in the food at their restaurant.
Massachusetts is looking to change this, and in the wake of my recent reactions, I am even more thrilled than when I first heard about this proposed piece of legislation two weeks ago.
The Department of Public Health on Feb. 11 revealed plans for groundbreaking statewide food−allergy rules. The new policy will require every menu in Massachusetts to bear the words, "Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy." Restaurant workers will also be required to attend allergy training sessions, including learning about all of the allergens — nuts, peanuts, dairy, etc. — in the dishes on their restaurants' menu, and allergen information will be posted on kitchen walls. Massachusetts' Public Health Council will vote on the rules in April and, if they are passed, they will go into effect in July.
Ming Tsai, the James Beard award−winning chef at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Mass., has been at the forefront of the push for the legislation; he even helped make a video that will be part of the required training sessions. Tsai's son suffers from a host of food allergies, so the chef has deep−rooted personal connections to the legislation. Tsai published a touching account of his son's allergies and his feelings on the new policy in the February issue of The Atlantic that nearly brought me to tears.
To some, these new rules may seem like a waste of time and money; I have heard countless people say that my allergy is my problem, not a restaurant's. But anyone who knows someone with a food allergy — particularly someone like me whose allergy is constantly changing — knows what a huge difference it will make to feel safe dining out.
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Caryn Horowitz is a senior majoring in history. She can be reached at Caryn.Horowitz@tufts.edu.
