As some of you know, the daughter has a peanut allergy, discovered when she was given a peanut butter cookie shortly before she was three. Interestingly, she didn’t have the typical symptoms of swelling. Instead, she vomited – several times. And she has been tested about a year ago, and she is still allergic.
I’ve noted here in the past that there are basically two kinds of people when it comes to food allergy safety; people who have a family member with an allergy, and the pretty much oblivious. Because there’s so much cross-pollination with them, the daughter avoids tree nuts as well as peanuts, even though she is not specifically allergic to them.
I remember a couple of years ago that we were invited to the house of a friend for lunch. We gave the hostess the information beforehand. What did she serve? Nutella sandwiches with nut bread we couldn’t let her eat either.
Likewise, at a party Lydia attended just a couple of weeks ago, the cake had no peanuts or nuts but was processed in a plant with nuts. Fortunately, we always pack alternatives for such an occasion.
Fortunately, she’s not allergic to airborne peanuts, as some people are. The first time Lydia ever flew on a plane, a couple of years ago, the flight attendant, passing out peanuts and another snack, practically passed out when I mentioned my daughter’s allergy. 
I was appalled by this story about a restaurant chef lying about the fact that the foods were “gluten-free” when, in fact, they were not; highly irresponsible.
I am comforted by the fact that, at least at this point, she won’t take peanut butter deliberately. She was writing her homework, and she had to just WRITE the words “peanut butter” and she complained how awful it tasted, even though she hadn’t ingested it in over four years.
What’s odd is that, as a kid, I LOVED peanut butter. But I must have ODed on it because the smell now makes me nauseous. Meanwhile, my wife really rakes in the Halloween candy, just on the peanut butter products alone.
Pictures c 2009 by Alexandria Green-House
Hey Roger,
So sorry about your daughter’s allergy, which seems to be much more prevalent. Perhaps it has to do with all the other places nuts show up – in processed foods, in cooking oils. I think soon the big one will be corn allergies, since there is almost NOTHING that doesn’t contain high-fruc and other corn derivatives.
You are smart to pack alternatives. And she is funny to be able to “taste” written words. Definitely a creative mind! Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/aging-disgracefully-and-proud-of-it/
Oh, wow. That has to be tough to deal with.
My son Nigel was allergic to all sorts of foods when he was younger. Peanuts are the only thing he is still allergic, too. But his reaction was even less severe then Lydia’s. I still want to get him retested, given that he grew out of all his other allergies.