Let's face it, the word "allergy" is thrown around a lot. It is used for very real, some deadly, reactions to food. It is also used by people who don't want to eat certain foods due to adverse reactions, or simple dislike. Sometimes it is easier to say "I am allergic to preservatives", instead of saying "they make my stomach cramp and cause violent vomiting" or say "I am allergic to alcohol" instead of saying "I am an alcoholic and it is none of your business why I am drinking club soda" or even "my son is allergic to gluten" rather than "my son has major mood swings, is hyper, and mean when he has anything with wheat or gluten in it." Are these actual allergies? Maybe, maybe not, but the word does stop others from asking any other questions, or offering the "offending" food.
Whether they are actual allergies or just adverse reactions, food allergies are nothing to joke about. I get incredibly irritated when I here "gluten is not an actual allergy, its just a fad. Eat a loaf of bread already". Tell that to the my friend who was diagnosed with Celiacs. Even a spoon that had a speck of flour on it will send her into gastrointestinal fits. Or try telling my sister "an onion is an onion" when anything other then red onions will give her the same reaction as my celiac freind. My point is, when someone says they are allergic reaction to something (whether they have an allergy or not) there is reason behind it and their wishes should be respected. You may not know or understand why they won't eat this or that but it isn't anyones business besides theirs and ignorant comments like those are not appreciated.
Okay, I am off my soapbox now.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
I Hate Being Bored (So I Accepted Her Challenge)
Okay, it wasn't really a challenge. Well, it was but she didn't actually challenge me. What am I babbling about? Well let me explain.
I have this friend, let's call her Annie (hi, Annie). She is a pretty awesome person, as well as a great mom. And as a mom, one of the things she does is feed her kids (I know, duh. Stick with me here). Okay we all do that, but Annie along with many, many other moms around the world (including myself), have the extra challenge of food allergies. And often people without food allergies don't realize how dangerous certain foods can be or how difficult it can be to work around it. I chose Annie as my example because her family has a few more restrictions then most. In fact her family has the most that I have ever seen and a slip up can send someone to the emergency room. All these forbidden foods that Annie's family can't have are actually greater then the foods they can. In one way it is a blessing, it keeps any guessing of foods out of her day. On the other hand this also limits her food options greatly. (This is where I come into the story.)
I have this rather unique brain. I can pull together flavors and ingredients and come up with new recipes and ideas in mere minutes. The problem is my culinary minded brain gets bored very easily. So when I met Annie, and leared about her restrictions, I got excited. I now had a challenge: to give her new dinner options that they could eat. A way to change up the same foods they eat everday, a way to make the old new again. And you know what after learning a few things about her restrictions, that is what I did. I gave her a dairy free ricotta recipe that she can use. I also gave her a couple of recipes she can use it in. After I sent her these recipes, I felt foolish. I figured that I was telling her things she already knew or I was giving her things that would be useless to her. You know what? She loved the ideas. She loved the fact that she can add new things to her families limited menu.
I have very low self confidence, I always have, especially regarding my cooking talent. I don't know why, but I am always amazed when someone truly like something I made. That says alot about me as a person. And sometimes that scares me. Other times, I am greatful for it. See, this way I don't get cocky or complacent. I do what I do because I love to cook. My being humble, makes me me. So, I am going to embrace the fact that my brain always thinks about food, because this gives me the ability to help those with or without food allergies out of cooking ruts. And that makes me feel awesome.
I have this friend, let's call her Annie (hi, Annie). She is a pretty awesome person, as well as a great mom. And as a mom, one of the things she does is feed her kids (I know, duh. Stick with me here). Okay we all do that, but Annie along with many, many other moms around the world (including myself), have the extra challenge of food allergies. And often people without food allergies don't realize how dangerous certain foods can be or how difficult it can be to work around it. I chose Annie as my example because her family has a few more restrictions then most. In fact her family has the most that I have ever seen and a slip up can send someone to the emergency room. All these forbidden foods that Annie's family can't have are actually greater then the foods they can. In one way it is a blessing, it keeps any guessing of foods out of her day. On the other hand this also limits her food options greatly. (This is where I come into the story.)
I have this rather unique brain. I can pull together flavors and ingredients and come up with new recipes and ideas in mere minutes. The problem is my culinary minded brain gets bored very easily. So when I met Annie, and leared about her restrictions, I got excited. I now had a challenge: to give her new dinner options that they could eat. A way to change up the same foods they eat everday, a way to make the old new again. And you know what after learning a few things about her restrictions, that is what I did. I gave her a dairy free ricotta recipe that she can use. I also gave her a couple of recipes she can use it in. After I sent her these recipes, I felt foolish. I figured that I was telling her things she already knew or I was giving her things that would be useless to her. You know what? She loved the ideas. She loved the fact that she can add new things to her families limited menu.
I have very low self confidence, I always have, especially regarding my cooking talent. I don't know why, but I am always amazed when someone truly like something I made. That says alot about me as a person. And sometimes that scares me. Other times, I am greatful for it. See, this way I don't get cocky or complacent. I do what I do because I love to cook. My being humble, makes me me. So, I am going to embrace the fact that my brain always thinks about food, because this gives me the ability to help those with or without food allergies out of cooking ruts. And that makes me feel awesome.
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