Interview with Robert Fisher -- Food Allergic World Traveler

SM: OK, so if I do want to travel, what countries are particularly good for allergic travelers?

RF: In my experience, both Canada and the United Kingdom are great for people with food allergies as they have very strict food allergen labeling laws. After that, you're pretty much playing Russian Roulette with other countries.

SM: What is your favorite place to travel where you feel safe eating?

RF: Japan is one of my favorite countries. They don't use peanuts in their cuisine so it's easy to dine well there. Additionally in Japan, restaurants serve one thing and do that one thing very well. There's no notion of "surf and turf" like we have here in the States so the possibility of cross contamination is much lower.

SM: What are you top 5 tips for eating out at home or abroad with allergies?

RF:

1. Bring allergy cards with you anytime you eat out. For free, Babelfish can provide you with a translation of your allergies into many languages and you can make cards on your computer.

Select Wisely will make laminated cards for you custom fit to order, for a small charge.

2. Avoid restaurants that specialize in foods you are allergic to. For peanut allergies, I avoid Thai and Indonesian cuisines, for instance.

3. Once in a restaurant, show your allergy card immediately to the waiter and ask the waiter to show the card to the chef. If the waiter replies, "It's all OK" without talking to the chef, insist the chef be consulted.

4. If the chef comes out to see you, you're going to be taken seriously. Frequently, the waitperson hands the card to the chef and the next thing you know, the food arrives. Don't be satisfied with the waiter's reply of, "I gave the card to the chef". Insist on a response, that what you ordered is safe or is not.

5. If you get attentive service, tip generously, to make the waiter inclined to view the next person with an allergy card a welcome guest, not a pain in the neck problem.

SM: Great advice, thank you!

BIO:

Now a contributor to Frommers.com, Robert Fisher is a former editor-in-chief at Fodor's, and contributor to many publications including Sports Illustrated, Life, Travel + Leisure and the Washington Post, to mention only a few. Professionally, his credits include being past president of the Society of American Travel Writers and a director of the British Guild of Travel Writers. He has lived and worked in Tokyo, London and India.

Read tips from Bob on traveling and eating abroad with food allergies.

Read Sloane's SharePost on Traveling with Food Allergies.