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/.