I first met Sally...well, I actually haven't ever met Sally in person. But Sally is one of my online friends. She contacted me shortly after Sophie Safe Cooking was published, because we have a common goal: to LIVE with food allergies.
At the time that Sally and I first "met" she was writing a blog called Aprovechar, in which she discusses the dietary changes she has made over the years, why she made changes, and the benefits she's experienced as a result. She has had other projects over the years as well, but her newest one is a culmination of all of those:
http://tilthforhealth.com/
As you explore Sally's new website, you will find beautiful and inspiring photography (did I mention that she's an artist, too?), stories of lives she's helped to change, and resources to help you change and improve your food world.
Thank you, Sally, for encouraging others, and especially encouraging me, on our continued journey through food!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Bandwagon
Most of the time, I don't really like to get on the bandwagon. I would rather ignore whatever the latest bandwagon is until I have time to research the topic and decide my own opinion. So it is with reluctance that I am getting on the Joel Stein Bandwagon.
Joel Stein? Who's that? Joel Stein is a columnist. He wrote a rather inflammatory column which was published in the Los Angeles Times in January, which opened with this line: "Your kid doesn't have an allergy to nuts. Your kid has a parent who needs to feel special." This was followed with lots more nonsense about food allergies.
Lots of food allergy bloggers and writers were angry. (Surprise, surprise!) But then something sad happened--Joel Stein's little son Laszlo had an allergic reaction after eating mixed nuts. This wasn't your 5-hives-and-an-itchy-mouth type reaction, either. Joel describes it like this, "Laszlo started sneezing, then breaking out in hives, then rubbing his eyes, then crying through welded-shut eyes, then screaming and, finally, vomiting copiously at the entrance of the Childrens Hospital emergency room..." Having seen Sophie like this, its enough to break my heart. And clearly, Joel has learned a little--he wrote a new article in which he explained his new point of view.
Normally, at this point I would still be completely ignoring all of this. After all, what we have here is some guy who doesn't know squat about food allergies and said some stupid things, after which he learned a little about food allergies. Here's the problem: now all those food allergy bloggers who were mad before are writing about karma and nut free schools and 20 other related things, all mean-spirited.
BACK OFF! We need to give this guy some space! He is still learning about food allergies and what that's going to mean for his kid and his life. All of us can look back on our early days and we can see that there is a learning curve with food allergies. I made mistakes; I'm sure you did too. But unless Mr. Stein makes mistakes that endanger his son, it's nobody's business. And even then it's up to his wife and social services and a doctor to sort out, not the public! So let's not worry about whether he's going to exclude nuts from his house. And let's not worry about his son's school and classroom. Let him, his wife, and their doctors manage Laszlo's allergies.
Every kid is different. Their allergies are different. Some kids can sit next to someone eating peanut butter with no problems. Some kids have to leave the house if there is pasta boiling to avoid reactions. Let's allow the Stein family to determine how to manage Laszlo's allergies, just as we were allowed to choose for our own children.
Joel Stein? Who's that? Joel Stein is a columnist. He wrote a rather inflammatory column which was published in the Los Angeles Times in January, which opened with this line: "Your kid doesn't have an allergy to nuts. Your kid has a parent who needs to feel special." This was followed with lots more nonsense about food allergies.
Lots of food allergy bloggers and writers were angry. (Surprise, surprise!) But then something sad happened--Joel Stein's little son Laszlo had an allergic reaction after eating mixed nuts. This wasn't your 5-hives-and-an-itchy-mouth type reaction, either. Joel describes it like this, "Laszlo started sneezing, then breaking out in hives, then rubbing his eyes, then crying through welded-shut eyes, then screaming and, finally, vomiting copiously at the entrance of the Childrens Hospital emergency room..." Having seen Sophie like this, its enough to break my heart. And clearly, Joel has learned a little--he wrote a new article in which he explained his new point of view.
Normally, at this point I would still be completely ignoring all of this. After all, what we have here is some guy who doesn't know squat about food allergies and said some stupid things, after which he learned a little about food allergies. Here's the problem: now all those food allergy bloggers who were mad before are writing about karma and nut free schools and 20 other related things, all mean-spirited.
BACK OFF! We need to give this guy some space! He is still learning about food allergies and what that's going to mean for his kid and his life. All of us can look back on our early days and we can see that there is a learning curve with food allergies. I made mistakes; I'm sure you did too. But unless Mr. Stein makes mistakes that endanger his son, it's nobody's business. And even then it's up to his wife and social services and a doctor to sort out, not the public! So let's not worry about whether he's going to exclude nuts from his house. And let's not worry about his son's school and classroom. Let him, his wife, and their doctors manage Laszlo's allergies.
Every kid is different. Their allergies are different. Some kids can sit next to someone eating peanut butter with no problems. Some kids have to leave the house if there is pasta boiling to avoid reactions. Let's allow the Stein family to determine how to manage Laszlo's allergies, just as we were allowed to choose for our own children.
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