Friday, February 9, 2007

Select Wisely


I'm allergic to onions, which makes ordering in a restaurant a real chore. The wait staff often doesn't know what's in a dish - and groan when I ask them to check with the chef. It's bad enough when this drama is played out in English, but even more challenging when we're overseas and have the added complication of a foreign language.

Given this, you can imagine how excited I was to hear about a company that makes plastic-coated wallet-size cards that say things like "Does this food contain onions?" or - for waiters that don't seem to be paying attention - "I have a life-threatening onion allergy."

The cards are available in 15+ languages and cover allergies to more than 40 foods. They can also be customized for folks who are vegetarian, lactose intolerant, require gluten-free meals, etc.

I've been impressed with the response to the cards. They look "official," so waiters actually pay attention to them and, because they are coated, they can be wiped off and used over and over.

My friend Scott is deathly allergic to cucumbers, so before he left for China, I gave him two cards - one in Mandarin and one in Cantonese - that said "If I eat this food or any food that has been cooked with it or touched it, I will need immediate medical attention."

It worked and it saved him a lot of hassle.

The cards can be ordered from http://www.selectwisely.com/.

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6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

February 28, 2007 12:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

February 28, 2007 12:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Testing comments.

February 28, 2007 12:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

February 28, 2007 12:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How do you know if you have an onion allergy? I have just recently noticed that whenever I eat red onions I start having rapid heartbeat and becoming very nauseous, to the point of vomiting. I have never had this before, so would this be considered an allergy? Do you know of any resources I can find on this topic, my searches online have been quite fruitless. Thank you.
-Ann

July 12, 2007 6:39 AM  
Blogger Ali and Austin James said...

Hi! I also have onion allergy- and love finding others who suffer as well. I hope Ann here has found some support.

I just started a recipe blog- totally onion and garlic free- in an effort to find more of us and explore ways to eat really well despite the allergy!

www.mypetitchou.blogspot.com

Ali

March 6, 2008 8:58 AM  

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