meghan's Profile

I have very severe food allergies (including anaphylaxtic reactions to eggs and wheat and milder reactions, ranging from hives to vomiting, to a number of other foods), so I feel pretty justified in commenting to help out any other well-meaning individuals who would prefer not to kill their friends.
1) I really don't want to inconvenience anyone. Cross-contamination is a big risk for me, and so most of the time, I'd prefer to eat before and enjoy drinks with my friends. I'm also happy to bring a dish. And with really close friends or family, you know what I really love? Cooking together! It's fun, and my mind (and yours!) can be totally at ease because I'll wash every dish myself before we use it to cook.
2) If you're going to serve things buffet style, with tags indicating what things have allergens in them, thank you! Great! Really well done. I'd just add that it's nice to let the people with allergies serve themselves first, so that they can minimize the risk of cross contamination.
3) People with very severe allergies CAN react to the presence of allergens in the air. Many children with nut and peanut allergies go into shock from the mere proximity of peanut butter. I can develop a severe asthma attack if I am in the room while someone boils (regular) pasta, or if I am present while they are baking and flour is flying about in the air. If you're having someone over with an allergy this severe, I'd consider it courteous to let them know. Then, if you aren't willing to change your plans a little to help them out, they can at least know that it would be better not to come over.
and finally, 4) If the most virulently hateful commenters above are as vocal about these opinions in real life as they are on the internet, I imagine that they don't actually have to cook meals to accommodate people with dietary restrictions. I, for one, don't usually seek the friendship of people who make terrible assumptions about me.