I’ve only met one person whose health was effected by a weird food allergy. She was the science teacher at the same school where I was a history teacher. We were in the same grade level and had the same lunch time so we often ate together. We made life very difficult for our other teachers. She was allergic to bell peppers and I was allergic to onions. Her allergy was way more serious though, she couldn’t even be in the same room with someone eating bell peppers because she would have difficulty breathing. If she accidentally ate something with a pepper she’d puff up like a bull frog (that was her joke not mine).
The thing is teachers like to eat frozen meals (at least where I worked) because they were tasty, easy, and quick…all good things when you have a 20min lunch ‘hour’. She and I were only able to find a handful of dinners that didn’t have onion/pepper in them (they seem to go together most of the time). I swear, we came to the conclusion that the primary seasonings in frozen meals are onions and peppers.
Here is my advice to all frozen food manufacturers: diversify! Try basil, lemongrass, jalapenos, anything but bell peppers and onions.
Photo Credit: Phigongoi
Wed, Aug 26, 2009
Food Allergies