Hi:
I'll be visitiing Croatia and Slovenia this September with my wife and 3 1/2yr-old son. My son is allergic to eggs and nuts so I was wondering what's the level of allergy-awareness in these countries? Do restaurants understand the seriousness of allergies and can I expect a reliable answer when I ask them if a "particular" dish contains eggs or nuts?
Thanks.
Do you speak the langauges??
I know there are cards that many print out off online, that will state a persons allergy in whatever language they choose,, very helpful to hand to servers etc. but, you still have to be so careful,, as many people do not GET IT.. they figure that its ok to chop the nuts ont he cutting board,, then slice your bread on same board,, see what I mean?
I was on a Family Tour with a lady whos daughter had life threatning peanut allergies. Mom had dd wear a pack with three epi pens in it at all times. She also always always double checked with kitchen. She forbade icecream as she said they often use same scoop in all ice creams,, including the nutty ones. She brought an entire bag with peanut free chocolates and granola bars etc so her child could have treats.
We did not travel to Croatia or Slovenia,, but I imagine you must take similar steps. Most staff this lady encountered were kind,, but really, not that aware,, so it will be up to you to be blunt in what is ok .
Good luck and have fun.
Selectwisely.com is one of the websites that can help you make multiple language cards to help indicate food allergies. You really do need to be very proactive when eating in restaurants about your specific situation and understand the reactions your son might have and what you can do for him if there is a mistake made. Food allergies can be a bugger since some foods any hint of them could be an issue and others are only a mild issue if a food is cooked but a big issue if raw and all those fun variations.
I would prepare in advance. IF you can find someone who speaks English well enough, the awareness of allergies is high, but outside of the city cores, language barriers might be present.
If you speak some German or Italian, it can really help in Slovenia. Usually if none of the wait speak English, some of them speak German or Italian.
I'd print off some German and Italian cards as well, with the allergy info.
Hope that helps!
Thanks everyone.
Regards,
Dukkar
