Peanut disclosures

Alrighty, for those who've not read my profile, I used to work on a hospital campus for much of the last decade. During one of those jobs (and I don't remember which), I went over to the cafeteria to get a snack. I do not have much of a sweet tooth but every once in a while I too am seduced by a fine looking treat. The treat in question - Nanaimo square. Here's a pretty good rendition of the dessert treat. It's got a base of cocoa-laden coconut goodness, a middle of an icing-like substance and a solid chocolate topper. (How to tell that I don't bake much?) Anywhoosie, I was a bit tired and not paying terribly much attention so I picked one up and went the register. Now this is a hospital cafeteria. It has no labels on anything. I mean that literally - the only labels are on the big board for hot foods. None of the desserts are labeled in any way. So I was paying and unwrapping the thing before I even left. (It's got a very large seating area.) I did notice as I picked up the square that it had a darker than expected middle section. My sister bakes and this was one of the first things she ever made - it was fab, so she made it often in those early years before she realized she was gluten-intolerant. So I know this middle section should look anything from creamy vanilla through yellow. This one from the hospital was slightly brownish. With one bite I was to find out why - the centre was peanut flavoured.

SAY WHAT?!?

In a hospital, they failed to label a peanut-containing item. I immediately spit out the bite and proceeded to ask the cashier about the peanuts. She looked at me as if to accuse me of a crime and said that if I was allergic - it was my responsibility to inform the staff and ask prior to ordering / purchasing any food. Really? I don't think so. A hospital should always take responsibility for the people they SERVE. Are they trying to create 'customers'? Now I am in the fortunate position to be actually allergic to peanuts. For those with allergies, they'll understand immediately. People with serious peanut allergies are not allergic to peanuts themselves but a fungus found on the shells and associated with peanuts. That's why it's so dangerous. If it were an allergy to the peanut, it would have to be present. As opposed to products that have merely been processed in a factory that has had peanuts in it. Spores from the fungus are very small and airborne. It's impossible to eliminate every spore and so that's why it's dangerous to have this allergy. The crazy thing to me is the hospital cafeteria isn't the only place (even though they certainly know better) that I've encountered this. I was very kindly invited as a guest of my boyfriend to the home of his friend's mom. She had made an enormous Indian feast. There was to be butter chicken, tandori chicken, some lamb, desserts and everything. As an appetizer (as if this feast wasn't enough) she had prepared fish cakes. I was perched on her couch in the living room and as an impeccable hostess, she handed me one of the fresh fish cakes hot off the pan. I gladly tried what was for me a new version of a fish cake. I was munching away and notice something crunchy. I mention aloud, 'hmm, crunchy. What's that, chick peas?' She peaked out from the kitchen - 'Peanuts'. I spit out the food and start trying to find any actual peanut pieces in my mouth to get rid of them. It's not like peanut allergies are uncommon. And like most everything in the media, we hear of the extreme cases. Just a few months prior to this incident, a medical student had died due to a restaurant not disclosing their use of peanuts in the kitchen. For whatever reason, serious, fatal anaphylaxis is not unusual in those with peanut allergies. In the realm of fatal allergies there are a few big nasties, antibiotics, aspirin, bee/wasp bites and peanuts. And of them all, peanuts are the worst due to the whole spore thing. (Antibiotics can be made this way but it's far more rare these days. Not to mention the likelihood of encountering someone popping antibiotics while out-and-about are far lower than being on a bus with someone opening a chocolate bar that was made in a factory that uses peanuts.) Maybe more businesses need to be guilted into being careful. Whatever the answer, be careful. Clearly we take nothing for granted. I am allergic to a protein that makes up the peanut. So if the peanuts are processed enough, the proteins are broken down and it's not harmful for ME (and I'm only referring to my personal case) to eat it. This is an important distinction. I don't want anyone thinking that it's OK for them to mash and heat the begeebers out of a peanut and eat it as some sort of test. Don't! My case is quite unique - don't endanger yourself or someone you love.