Page 69 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

What would you say? (Q&A)
Karen, Lindsay, Talia
How is the cafeteria situation at your college/university?
Karen - There are so many cafeterias on campus. There are individual food service areas and individual seating areas. We have the options of sitting in large groups or in smaller groups at smaller tables. The clean up of dishes and garbage is left to the students. This poses the biggest risk. If a student eats something that I am allergic to, and leaves it on the table, I get uncomfortable sitting there. So I sometimes leave the area altogether and eat elsewhere.
Lindsay – Cafeterias are quite different in university than they are in high school. There are a wide variety of eateries. So you have plenty of options to choose from. At my school, all of the tables are kept quite clean by the staff. So I’ve never been concerned about cross-contamination issues. My school also does not have open peanut butter in any of the cafeterias. If you would like some, you have to ask for it and it comes in its own package. There are very few food items that actually contain nuts. This makes me feel very comfortable!
Talia - Personally, I always bring my food from home instead of buying it at the cafeteria. It takes a few extra minutes in the morning. But I know that what I’m eating is safe.
What have you done to make sure you feel safe living in residence?
Karen - I asked to get a single room so that I could control what foods were around. Because I did not have a kitchen, or any roommates, my room was perfectly safe for me. So I never had any problems. During the first day of the first year, we played an ice-breaker game. I always use this opportunity to highlight that I have food allergies so that people begin to become aware of it.
Lindsay - To ensure that I felt safe in residence, I notified my roommate well in advance about my allergies. I ensured that she both understood and was okay with living with somebody who had food allergies. When I first arrived at school, I spoke to my residence assistant who helped me make everyone aware at our first floor meeting. I was lucky to have two other people on my floor that also had allergies. So our floor mates were very understanding and respectful of our allergies. They were constantly on the lookout for any of our allergens that accidentally made their way onto our floor!
Talia - I live in an apartment, all by myself, and right near the school. I had previously lived with a roommate. But, after a few close calls, I realized that the risk of cross-contamination was just too high. I am more comfortable living by myself.
Was your choice of school influenced by your allergies?