Food allergies are not to be trivialised, nor to joke about. Though I don’t have one myself, having a close family member with a severe and rare food allergy has taught me a lot about the daily difficulties that can arise. I’d like to take this chance to raise awareness of them.
Most of the time, it’s an additional hassle in an already hassle-filled life. It’s a constant thing to think about. You can’t just buy something from the supermarket, you have to read the ingredients list twice, three times – and even then you might miss something because everything is tightly squished together in font size 0.5. Bonus points if it’s a very unheard-of allergy food, because it’ll never be on warning labels or printed in bold.
Food allergies are not to be trivialised, nor to joke about
Also frustrating is the feeling of missing out – when dinner is at a place where you know you can’t have anything, or when you can’t help but stare in jealousy at everyone’s exciting plates whilst you’re stuck with the same old, boring (but thankfully non-illness-inducing) dish. It hampers spontaneity too because you can never be sure whether you’ll actually be able to eat anything in a new place.
It is particularly problematic when people refuse to understand it. The fear that shoots through my family when the waiter tells us that the ingredient is indeed in the dish, even after we vehemently insisted that we can’t have it on the plate in any way, shape or form, only to be told it was only a joke, ha ha, is not a fear I want to experience again. Trust me, you don’t give up such a delicious and ubiquitous food for a laugh.
Because ultimately this really is no laughing matter. The whole reason people scrutinise the ingredients and eat the same old thing and don’t put up with stupid jokes is that the consequences of eating it are truly horrific. There are many food allergies out there, ranging from unpleasant to literally deadly, and none of them are worth having.
Extra concentration, planning and mental strength is definitely required
Of course, having an allergy isn’t all doom and gloom – you can of course go out and eat delicious food with great people and experience great things in your life. But extra concentration, planning and mental strength is definitely required.
