My post Tuesday, Food Allergies and the Law, inspired May contain traces of nuts …, a post by the anonymous Australian lawyer who writes the blog The Legal Soapbox, describing her own life-threatening allergy to nuts. She rants (her word, not mine) about the vagueness and inconsistency of food-labeling laws and calls for uniformity in food labels. She also talks about her problems with restaurants, ones any food-allergy sufferer can relate to:
“I usually say: ‘I’m allergic to nuts. Let’s be clear about this. I may die if I eat nuts and I don’t inject myself with adrenalin in time. I can have a reaction even if nuts have merely touched something I eat, or if kitchen utensils which have come into contact with nuts have then come into contact with my food.’ That usually sharpens up the attention of waiters.”
I recommend you read her full post.