Recently we had some very warm weather in NC. This motivated this Allergic Traveler and her husband to head for the hills. It was an impromptu trip motivated solely by the weather. This past November, my husband got a convertible and he was dying to take the roof down. {Note to self – do not buy a convertible in the winter, it makes the spring seem very far away.} Anyway, we were all bundled up, with the rood down, the heater on full blast, along with blankets and scarves. The ride itself was as memorable as the trip. Once we arrived at our destination, Asheville, NC, we immediately spent some time wandering around the city. We found cute little specialty shops. There was the eclectic one that had a red Christmas tree. There was the futon shop that had hand made wood toys. Or there was the artisan fair with all the local jewelers. We then wandered over to the Asheville Art Museum. It had two exhibits going on from the Jewish community. One was photographs of concentration camps from across Europe. The other was an exhibit by Wilma Bulkin Siegel. Her art consists of portraits of Holocaust survivors. It is done in bright watercolors that showed an air of hope and conviction in the subject’s eyes. I highly recommend both exhibits.

Have you noticed that we have not stopped to eat yet? This often happens to me. I get so caught up in what I am doing I forget to eat. No worries though as I always have safe food on me. But yes, eventually we did stop to eat. What I did not know about Asheville is that it is a foodie town. A lot of the restaurants have the food-to-table philosophy. We decided to head to the Mexican restaurant that came so highly recommended. We sat down, ordered our water and I preceded to hand my Allergic Traveler card to the waiter. I discussed with him my food allergies and possible safe options. He then took my cards and advice to the chef. The waiter came back a few minutes later and apologized but they were unable to serve me. Even after all my recommendations, they were not willing to take the risk. I was not happy but I definitely respected their decision. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. The waiter asked if he could help us find another restaurant. I then proposed Thai food. He recommended a great one and we headed that way. My husband, who of course was with me, took this all in stride. You see he knows that’s part of the package with loving me. Loving anyone is taking all the good and all the bad. Food allergies are not bad but they are not great either. It’s just an adjustment to how we live our lives.

So once at the Thai restaurant, I picked a dish to eat. The waitress said no I could not have that dish. I then proceeded with another suggestion, and again she said no. However, after this, she started making a few suggestions with a few substitutes. For instance, instead of having a dish with soy, they would use fish sauce instead. The fact that she was willing to work with me, made my day! I am sure it even made my food taste better! Clearly I recommend this restaurant.

Once dinner was done, we headed back to the hotel. The whole adventure was over, or was it? I still had to eat breakfast the next day. Typically breakfast is one of my hardest meals to eat out. There is not a of wiggle room with breakfast when you are allergic to eggs. It automatically eliminates waffles, pancakes, crêpes, french toast, croissants, etc. There’s not much left to eat. Stay tuned for the next post that will reveal everything that unfolds over my breakfast.