It is easier to tell you what I am not allergic to.
Do not pity or feel sorry for me!
It is my hobby, the world won’t change for me, so I always bring my own food to events.

Very clearly and without any drama - they cant have that -or we will need to call an ambulance - I find this works best in restaurants to explain the severity of the issue.

SInce I could be allergic to pretty much anything (sulphites), I have told people to imagine if you had a personal chef who liked to sprinkle poison into your food for fun. You never know if there is going to be no poison in your food, just a little to make you feel sick for awhile, or perhaps maybe enough to kill you. There is no way to know if your food is safe.

First of all. I LOVE Hperling's explanation. Just as glitter goes everywhere and can cause a mess, so can allergens.

I don't think that people mean to be stupid, but sometimes they just are. LOL Today, when speaking with a sister in law and explaining why some gluten free things are just not worth eating since they are such not great substitutes, I'd rather just do without them. She said, "well it might just be worthwhile to have just a bite or two of the real thing.", I replied, "only if I wanted to be doubled up in pain in a few hours - I don't think sol" She looked shocked and said, "would just a couple of bites actually do that to you?" . I replied, "tell you what, next time I accidentally ingest something that does that to me I'll have someone videotape me in pain so you can see." I didn't mean to be rude but.........

So was out to lunch with a friend who TOTALLY understands my food issues. We went to a special farm to table lunch spot which understands allergies. I ordered a dish which seemed OK, except for mushrooms and I was told that it was not pre-made so they could make it without. I was then asked which of two sauces did I want with it. Both seemed to have tomato in them so I declined any. They said they could substitute a yogurt based sauce. When the item was brought there were two small containers of sauce - the yogurt based one and another which looked like it had tomato base. The waitress proudly said it was not tomato bases but red pepper. I am night shade free and thanked her but explained I could not have it for the same reason I could not have tomatoes. She turned pale and said - ooooo, the vegetables used in the dish had all been marinated in a red pepper based sauce. This was not stated on the menu. I kindly said, thank you for letting me know as I cannot eat this. My friend who had wanted to try it anyway said to wrap it up and she would buy it to take home for later. I re-ordered a salad and all was fine. The poor waitress kept coming back to see if I was OK and to apologize. I thanked her and explained that had she not mentioned the red pepper marinate thing I would have begun wheezing and coughing within a short time. I would have needed an inhaler which I did not have with me. She was shocked that eating something would induce that kind of reaction.

People who do not have experience with those of us who have allergies don't always understand. The best we can do is educate them. I like Hperling's explanation because it is a fun, silly way to start the conversation.

I take my own stuff with me