Dealing with food allergies has defintely had its challenges over the years. I went to a school in Springfield called New Covenant Academy from pre kindergarden to fourth grade. NCA was a pretty small school at the time and there was only one other person that had allergies in my grade. We had to sit at a separate table when we ate lunch, for little me, it was upsetting not getting to sit by my friends. I understood it was keeping me safe but I really felt left out sitting there. Field trips were another big thing because they would ask if anybody has an allergy and I would be embarrsed to raise my hand because I was one of the only ones that was different. Thankfully, I met my best friend at NCA and her being there made it easier and made me not feel so alone.
When I moved to Ozark, things were very different then they were at New Covenant. There was no allergy table. I had to learn to sit next to people that had nuts. I don't like telling people that I have allergies because sometimes people will think its funny to put a nut in my face or ask me if I would want some of their peanut butter sandwich. Even now, it's still nerve racking at lunch because you just never know if someone were to accidentally spit on my food that had nuts and I react to it. People just don't understand unless they have an allergy or live with someone that does. The thing that people don't understand the most is cross contamination. Just because something doesn't have nuts in it, doesn't mean it wasn't made in the same factory and on shared equipment with nuts. Most of the time, the manufactored in a facility with nuts is below the actual ingredients list, making people think that it's safe when it's not.
Not only is my nut allergy a struggle at school, but also at restaurants and with friends. It's hard to go to new restaurants because checking the menu is a daunting task. My family and I went to Tennessee a few years ago and we went to a grilled cheese place. We didn't check the menu beforehand thinking it's just grilled cheese. Turns out, there was almost nothing we could have there. The bread was processed with nuts, the salad had nuts, and by that point, I was too nervous to eat there. IT WAS JUST GRILLED CHEESE but I couldn't have it. When I hang out with my friends at the mall, we usually get something to eat. The mall in Springfield has a Chick-Fil-A, which is a crowd favorite. Unfortunately, Chick-Fil-A uses peanut oil so I can't have it. Even when I'm with my friends, they ask to get Chick-Fil-A and me get something else. I know they just want some good food but it makes me feel left out somtimes. In the end, it's just something else that makes me a jewel among the stones.
JATS