The movie Peter Rabbit, recently released in theaters, is causing a bit of a stir in the food allergy world. I have not seen the movie, but several weeks ago I did see multiple online articles about it.
Apparently there’s a scene in the movie where blackberries are used as a weapon. One of the movie’s characters, Mr. McGregor, is allergic to blackberries. In an effort to get into Mr. McGregor’s garden, Peter Rabbit and his forest friends intentionally shoot a blackberry into Mr. McGregor’s mouth with a sling shot. This causes an anaphylactic response and the need for an epi pen. You can see one of many articles on this scene at (www.newyorker.com – then search: The Real Problem with Peter Rabbit’s Allergy Scene.) Or you can just google peter rabbit movie food allergy and you’ll find plenty to read.
Some have called for a boycott of the movie saying it is food bullying. (www.cnn.com – then search: Parents Boycott Peter Rabbit Movie over Food Allergy Scene.) Others have retorted with – I’m summarizing here: “…there are larger injustices in this world to get indignant about, leave the poor rabbit alone…” (www.telegraph.co.uk – then search: Peter Rabbit food bullying) I will add here that Sony has issued an apology regarding the scene. (www.nytimes.com – then search: Sony apology)
I am not advocating a boycott, nor am I saying there shouldn’t be one. I do want to say, I am bothered by this. This scene may have been done all in the name of “slapstick comedy” – something many of us were raised on. In fact most of us have laughed as a piano has been dropped on someone. But we also have to admit that the likelihood of a piano falling on someone in real life is quite low. Someone getting sick, or worse, dying as a result of food allergies – that happens. I think my biggest complaint here is that it trivializes food allergies. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen people roll their eyes when I tell them my kids and I have food allergies. These people can be acquaintances or someone assisting me in a store or taking my order in a restaurant. I believe many honestly think we are making it up. A while back I read an article in a magazine entitled something to the effect of “The Things That Annoy your Food Server.” In it, they actually listed “Telling your server you have food allergies.” They really did! Our food allergies are being viewed as an annoyance, not a real and serious issue. That tells me right there, someone is not taking food allergies seriously and it’s more than a few people. Attitudes like this don’t help any of us with food allergies.
Okay, I will get off of my soap box now and get to the topic of this week’s post. I actually decided a few weeks ago, after seeing all of this news about the Peter Rabbit movie that this incident would be a nice way for me to open up a dialogue about another hotly debated issue: Food Allergy versus Food Intolerance/Sensitivity – What should we call it?
First off, let me clarify, no one in my family experiences an anaphylactic response when eating their offending foods. My children experience GI troubles, hives, headache, fatigue, and low grade fever, when consuming their offending foods. I experience three day migraines. Below you will see I’ve copied one source explaining the difference between allergy and sensitivity along with it’s link. I also have a link below the first link that is very informative, but way too long for me to copy into this post. I have found, the more I search, the majority of sites list anaphylaxis as the key component in saying whether or not someone has food allergies; whereas GI troubles (bloating, gas, diarrhea, stomach pain, stomach ulcers), signal food intolerance/sensitivity. You can call it what you want, but I’m calling it as I see it, and that is an allergy. I was told my kid was allergic to ragweed & grass when her head got all stuffed up and that her brother was allergic to penicillin when he broke out in hives after taking it. Neither had an anaphylactic response to those things and yet they called it an allergy. (How many of you have seen the red wristband on someone in the hospital to alert hospital staff to a drug allergy?) So why don’t we call this a food allergy? I suppose what we call it really doesn’t matter. If what you are eating is having a huge negative effect on your life; causing you to stay home from work or school, cancel your plans to go out or have friends over, end up in the bathroom or your bed sick for hours, then it really doesn’t matter what you call it; it just needs to be addressed! This being said, I will continue to refer to our issues as food allergies – as I have since starting this blog.
If you or a loved one has food issues, please don’t let people trivialize them. They are real. They are having a negative impact on your life. Don’t let someone make you feel silly because of this. You don’t owe anyone an apology because you cannot eat their food or because you’ve brought your own food. Advocate for yourself and/or your loved one – you ARE worth it!
Heads up here: One of my editors (Brent) informed me that I need to expand on this whole Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance/Sensitivity debate in a future post. He said one post cannot do this topic justice. So be on the lookout for that. And in the name of transparency, while I’m sure I’ve just impressed all of you with the fact that I have multiple editors; I should mention my editors are my children (Read: unpaid/Mother guilt????) This is a dubious honor which has been bestowed upon them all because – I’m the Momma! In all seriousness, they (as well as their significant others) all truly do their part in helping me with this blog – and I thank them. And I owe special thanks to my husband, Kevin, who endures more than you will ever know as a result of veganwithasideof beef.com (“Are you done taking pictures of our food yet? I’d love to eat it while it’s still warm.”) Last but not least, I thank all of you for supporting me, reading, sharing and commenting on my blog! We’re all in this together.
Another editor request was for Dad’s Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit) Stew recipe to finish out this post. Brent can have a bit of a skewed sense of humor – something he gets from both his parents. While our 3 kids were growing up, rabbit hunting was an almost weekly event at our house during rabbit season. That meant we had a lot of rabbit meat. This stew was always a favorite of the kids on a cold winter day. (Me? Not so much. I’m not a wild game fan – I’m just not.) Don’t forget to check out the 2 links below the recipe.
Kevin’s Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit) Stew
This recipe is one of those that you have to “eyeball” when it comes to your ingredients. Kevin would do up rabbits as he got them so he usually did up 1 or 2 rabbits at a time. He couldn’t really can’t give me any exact amounts on the veggies and mushrooms. I’ll give you this recipe using one rabbit.
You will need:
- 1 wild rabbit, skinned and cleaned with all meat cut off bone.
- Potatoes (cut into chunks)
- Carrots (cut into chunks)
- Mushrooms (cut into chunks)
- Onion (diced)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2-3 bouillon cubes
- 3-4 cups of water
- Rice flour and potato starch to thicken broth
Boil rabbit slowly in water and bouillon (boiling slowly helps tenderize the rabbit). After it’s been boiling for a while, add veggies and mushrooms. If the water has boiled down quite a bit, you can add more water. When veggies are soft, thicken broth with rice flour and potato starch.
Serve warm.
When Kevin had a lot of rabbits he would can this stew in quart jars in our pressure canner. Pressure canners are tricky things so I’m really not comfortable giving out a recipe using a canner. I can tell you that his recipe can be easily converted to canning with it. If you have a pressure canner, and want to try canning rabbit stew, please refer to the instruction booklet you received with your canner finding the section regarding canning meats and stews. All pressure canners are different and I am not qualified to instruct you on canning with your pressure canner.
These are the links I mentioned:
Physical reactions to certain foods are common, but most are caused by a food intolerance rather than a food allergy. A food intolerance can cause some of the same signs and symptoms as a food allergy, so people often confuse the two.
A true food allergy causes an immune system reaction that affects numerous organs in the body. It can cause a range of symptoms. In some cases, an allergic food reaction can be severe or life-threatening. In contrast, food intolerance symptoms are generally less serious and often limited to digestive problems.
If you have a food intolerance, you may be able to eat small amounts of the offending food without trouble. You may also be able to prevent a reaction. For example, if you have lactose intolerance, you may be able to drink lactose-free milk or take lactase enzyme pills (Lactaid) to aid digestion.
(http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058538)
This is a good site:
https://www.avogel.ca/blog/allergy-and-intolerance-find-out-the-difference/
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels!)