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Food Allegies

Posted by (Atlanta) on

If anyone has experience travelling in France with (food) allergies, I'd appreciate hearing your advice.

My young daughter has several food allergies and must carry an epi-pen - just in case.

  1. It needs to be kept at room temp, and cannot be refridgerated. We will be touring all day in the summer. How did you keep your epi-pen at the right temp?

  2. We do not speak French very well. We will try of course - but how can we make sure the waiter understands that "no celery" means "no celery because if she eats it she might not be able to breathe", not just that she is a picky eater.

We've never had trouble traveling in the US or Canada - just looking for reassurance from anyone who has experienced this in France.

Kind regards,

Kathy

Posted by
3428 posts

Your epi-pen should be fine without any special care. But Steve's suggesstion would work if you think you might need it. Write out a list of the foods she cannot have. Have someone translate the list. Put it on a card and add the phrase "Food Allergy- absolutely can not have due to medical reasons" or similar (also translated) in large bold letters at the top. Do a web search, I think I saw something like this mentioned on the Graffitti wall, it may be available commerially.

Posted by
9146 posts

Please do not go with just "an ok translation".

There are plenty of websites that will give you an exact translation. When it comes to lethal allergies, one should have a very correct translation.

Posted by
355 posts

Even with the right words, with the wrong pronuciation, you may as well be speaking English.

With something this vital, I would have exactly what she allergic to, and how severe her allergies are, typed on a card, in correct French. If you know someone that a native speaker and that you trust, use them to help you. Otherwise, I would use a professional. Then you would have the card with you to hand to waiters and would be more confident that they understand your situation.

Posted by
689 posts

Celery is in the mirepoix (celery+carrots+onion) which is the basis for countless sauces and dishes in France. This might not occur to a waiter who is asked if a dish has celery, so beware. People I know with serious allergies/intolerances get an apartment and cook in--they don't trust restaurants. Good luck.

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