This past trip to Paris I had a much easier time. When I went with my family a few years ago, my Paris eating adventures with food allergies were troublesome and frustrating. No one wanted to serve me at restaurants. It was a bit of a nightmare! This time I stayed in an apartment in Paris instead of a hotel and cooked dinner every night. I used the website, http://www.vrbo.com to find apartments to rent for a three night stay in both Paris and Rome. I preferred this approach because my boyfriend and I could go to the grocery store and get ingredients then cook. I would definitely recommend this for Paris travels with food allergies. It is a lot easier to go into a grocery store, find some basics, and then cook something to eat.
Before leaving for France, I brushed up on my French to help when reading the ingredients in the grocery store. I also have a chef card in French that I could have used if we had decided to go out to dinner. I really love cooking though, so it was nice to stay in and cook, then go out.
Dinner in the apartment.
For lunch, we would get baguettes with tomato, mozzarella, and basil. I did this the first time I was in Paris and I had no problems. When we went this time, we chose a built in stand where they had all sandwiches. The only kind I saw that I was obviously allergic to was the tuna fish. I gave them my card and explained my allergies. They used a clean knife and were great with my allergies. No problems!
Sandwich with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
Hot drink after cold rain.
All in all, we had a fabulous time in Paris! By the end of the trip, I felt a lot more confident about eating there. It definitely helped to stay somewhere with a kitchen. Cooking made the entire experience worry-free, more enjoyable, and much easier!
