I work at an Italian Restaurant once a week. Over the years I have worked at quite a few Italian restaurants. It is the safest type of restaurant for me to work at. I don’t usually divulge the severity of my allergies when I am working at these restaurants, unless someone were to ask. I think they would see me as a liability. I know my comfort zone though, and I know what I can and can’t do. I know how to avoid situations I can’t be a part of, and I have had enough experience with it, to not be too worried about my allergies when I am at work. I know as a parent, this might sound a bit shocking that I put myself in this kind of situation. At my age though, I know my comfort level. I know myself very well, and I know my limits.
It is difficult getting jobs when you are younger that don’t involve food. I could never work at an ice cream stand (like my mom did when she was in high school during the summer), and I could never work in a cafe. There are way too many nuts everywhere! When I was 16 years old, this cut down on many jobs that I could get. I was a camp counselor and a hostess at an Italian restaurant for most of the summers throughout high school and college.
The other night when I was at work, one of the owners was answering a question about pine nuts in the pesto and he said “We don’t put pine nuts in our pesto…ya know…everyone is allergic to nuts these days!” I was impressed with his awareness of this growing concern, and glad to know there were no nuts!
