We have chefs in D.C. who have flat out said, if you’re going to request accommodations or substitutions, I would prefer you not dine at my restaurant because I have a vision for my food and I want to serve it that way. What I would say only in mild defence of the chef is that there are a lot of people who go in and they use the phrase “food allergy” as a shorthand for dietary preferences or to avoid something they don’t like. I really object to that behaviour because if that person does ingest a tiny amount, either accidentally or because maybe at the end of the night they choose to have something because it’s worth the trade, if that chef doesn’t see somebody have a reaction on the grade of allergy, it really does damage the credibility of a community.
But this idea of refusing to accommodate people based on a legitimate true food allergy is ridiculous. I wish chefs would realize if we come to your restaurant and your cuisine is not a good match for us because of our allergies, we’re probably not there because we chose to be there. We’re probably there because someone we love chose to be there. We’re not walking in there to make your life harder. We’re just walking in to have a safe meal and go home at the end of the night not on a hospital stretcher.
What do you eat?
I eat a lot of salads, almonds. Bananas, chicken, rice. I love sushi. Once you stop fixating on all the things that I can’t eat, you realize all the things that I can eat. I’m like everybody: I have my good eating days and my bad eating days. It’s just that sometimes my bad eating days involve hives and swollen lips.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
