Eating in Maui with a Peanut Allergy

On our recent trip to Maui we were lucky.  For the most part, not much had changed restaurant-wise since we were there in 2007.  Sure, a few places closed, and a few places opened, but for the most part, the restaurants I wrote about then remain the same.

Here's an overview of the places we ate on our trip - no reactions and only ONE close call (phew)!

Aloha Mixed Plate
This place has been around FOREVER.  It's right next door to Old Lahaina Luau, so you get all the same food as the Luau - pulled pork, poi, etc.  We went here at least twice on our visit. The service is slow and surly, but you look out onto the ocean and it's a super casual place to take the kids.  Try the Kalbi ribs - you'll thank me for it.  Note:  They DO have a peanut dish - Pad Thai - on their menu.

Star Noodle
We went here twice.  It's a noodle joint that has all sorts of small plates as well.  Now this place is a little more upscale and in a totally bizarre industrial (but not unsafe) area near the Lahaina Cannery Mall.  Pork Buns, Roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and kimchi, saimin - everything was delicious.  Sure, the rip of David Chang's Momofuku left and right, but the place is awesome.  Note:  They also have peanuts on the menu - in the form of Pad Thai as well as part of a dessert called Malasalada. They were very allergy aware though and the server knew exactly what was in each dish and informed the chef of our allergy.

If you go, go right when it opens so you are guaranteed a table.  Otherwise, you wait!

Sheraton Maui Hotel Restaurants
So what is there to say about hotel restaurants?  They're pretty boring, not to mention expensive, but we ended up eating in one of them at least once a day.  The hotel's Teppan Yaki (think Benihana) style restaurant was closed - not sure if it's reopening after renovation or if they are turning the spot into something else.  The Lagoon bar there was still peanut free (think burgers, hot dogss, nachos, etc) and the main hotel restaurant menu was happily peanut free as well (EXCEPT for the breakfast buffet - which we avoided).

Sheraton Luau
We ended up going to the luau at the Sheraton - mainly because it was about 25 steps from our room.  But it was fun and let's face it, kids love luaus!  All the dancing!  And fire! And costumes!

And peanuts on table!

What?!

Yup, we looked at the menu prior to going and figured there would at least be one or two things that were safe for B (rice, roasted meat).  And when we got there, they seated us and what was on the table, right there for the picking?!?  Boiled Peanuts!!  I freaked (internally of course) and ran to find the manager and chef for a chat.  They assured me that there were no peanut ingredients in any of the food (or peanut oil) and that the only case of peanuts were the ones on the table.  They were very concerned and said in the future they would reconsider even having those on the tables, especially since they specifically ensured there weren't peanut products in the food.

Ironically, not one person at our 10 person table ate a peanut before they were removed - we didn't say a word to them but they still didn't eat any - isn't that bizarre?  In any case, crisis averted - whew!

Note:  It seems to me that these types of things are always a disappointment food-wise, with or without an allergy.  I'm not a huge fan of overpriced buffets.  Ok, I said it!  But the entertainment really was fabulous.

Hula Grill
Hula Grill is an interesting place.  They have a fine dining side and then they have a beach bar, where the tables are actually in a sandy area.  Either are fine for kids, but in the sandy area you can sit closer to the music for the evening, which makes dining with vocal 6 year olds better.  I think we ate here 3 times during our trip.  The bar area has burgers, salads, some raw dishes (sashimi, ceviche) and the fine dining area has things like grilled fish, etc.  Note:  There are landmines here, so be very careful when ordering.  The grilled items SHOULD be ok (ask your server),  but peanuts aren't listed on the menu even when they are in dishes.  For example, my husband ordered some kind of fish chowdery thing in coconut broth.  After eating 80% of it, he started finding peanuts in the bottom of the broth!  Boy did he give them an earful! B only had grilled cheese so that was a nice safe route to go. 

Cane and Taro
This is a new place in Whaler's Village, right next door to Hula Grill (it used to be a fish place that wasn't good so it's no surprise there was something new there now).  We went there for breakfast on our last day and I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner.  Great prices on breakfast and HUGE portions.  And when we went, the breakfast menu had no peanut dishes - yay!

Nikki's Pizza
Bottom line:  this is a mediocre pizza place in Whaler's Village.  That being said, it's the mediocre pizza that kids love.  So there you go.

They also have plate lunches - do yourself a favor and drive to Aloha Mixed Plate instead.  You're welcome.

McDonald's
Not much to say about this, but if you want (need?) something familiar to feed your picky child, this is the place.  Don't their fries cure all?

Shave Ice on Main Street Lahaina
There were quite a few shave ice places on the main street in Lahaina that we went to.  Basically shave ice is a big snow cone with syrup on it.  Never did I see any nut flavored syrups (and I looked!) so it was a nice, safe treat for B, who certainly isn't used to just walking up to an 'ice cream' place to get a safe treat.  Use your best judgment, but consider giving one of the stands a shot while you're there.

Safeway
We hit up the Safeway in Lahaina a few times for snacks, fresh fruit, and yogurt (our hotel had a fridge and microwave) - that was good when we were 'nibbly' but didn't want to sit in the restaurant and pay an 18% service charge :)

------------------
So that's it!  Lots of places, no reactions, and only one close call!

The verdict?  Ultimately, Maui is still VERY doable when it comes to peanuts without having to have a condo with a kitchen.  Sure, there's Pad Thai here and there, but it's not overwhelming and the majority of the restaurants that had kid menus that we saw didn't have even PBJ's.

If you have a tree nut allergy, it's STILL doable, but be prepared for Macadamia nuts everywhere.  Seriously, everywhere.  Every menu had macadamia nut 'something' on it.  B didn't eat any of them (although we did pick up some macadamias that weren't  cross-contaminated with peanuts for a future challenge) but since she's not allergic to any other tree nuts (or sesame or coconut) we were ok with eating out at these places.  We also saw a lot of almonds in dishes.  Again, B's not allergic to almonds, but we did avoid eating them just in case. 

To read all of my Maui related posts, click here.

If you have any questions about traveling to Maui with a peanut allergy, feel free to email me.  If I can't help, I'm sure I can point you in the right direction!

Waiters Mocking Your Food Allergies? NY Times tells you what to say...

I think this is my third post this week - yikes!

In the New York Times, Florence Fabricant answers a readers inquiry about waiters mocking her food allergies.

What do you think of FloFab's response?

For me, it was nice and succinct.  

What would you tell the reader to do?

San Diego Zoo: Dining with a Peanut Allergy

Last week we took a family vacation to San Diego. We hit the San Diego Zoo, Legoland and Seaworld.

I wanted to let you know about a restaurant we went to while we were at the zoo.

We brought our own safe snacks into the park (not sure if we were allowed, but I did it anyway), but when it came time to eat lunch, I crossed my fingers and hoped we would find a place without peanut butter and jelly. It's the norm for the kids options to include PBJ as an option, but we were hoping to stumble upon something peanut free and a nice respite from the crowds.

And boy did we! We ended up eating at Albert's. Here's a description:

Albert’s: Located in the Treehouse complex next to the gorilla exhibit, Albert’s offers full-service dining where you can enjoy open-air deck seating overlooking a private waterfall. The menu features a variety of unique dishes: appetizers, gourmet salads, healthful pastas, fresh fish, delicious beef entrees, and a children’s menu. Our full-service bar offers an extensive selection of craft beers, fine wines, and exotic cocktails. Albert’s is open for lunch and summer evening dining. Listed in USA Today’s 2004 “Places to dine amid outdoor beauty.”

Tablecloths, great menu, and no PBJ's. Waiters. Cocktails. And no giant cups of sodas with plastic lions on top. Great for grownups, and good for kids too. Here's a link to their menu (it's a PDF). The kid's menu is not online, but when we were there last week the kids menu was peanut free.

Frankly, it was nice to be in a place without a food line and a register at the end.

If you have questions about the fare at Legoland or Seaworld, email me at peanutfreemama@gmail.com and I'll give you an idea of what to expect in the parks. It's basically the same stuff you get at every other amusement park in the USA.

If you've eaten anywhere else at the Zoo that was safe, let me know in the comments.

Eat at IKEA?

I was at Ikea on Friday (don't get me started on what they must pump through the vents in that place to make you spend huge amounts of money on cheap furniture and home accessories) for some things (I was buying napkins and drinking glasses if you MUST know) and walked by their restaurant.

Now I love me some swedish meatballs as much as the next guy (or gal), but I never bring B in to the restaurant because they advertised PB&J's and frankly we just wanted to avoid the hassle of their buffet style food and the chance of cross contamination.

But I saw something on Friday that made me a little relieved. I actually read their signs and learned that Ikea uses Uncrustables at the East Palo Alto location. So I feel a bit more comfortable eating there since I know they aren't actually making them in the back - just taking them out of a box and slapping them on a plate. You could check with your local Ikea to see if they do the same.

But there's no way in heck I'm dropping her off in the ball room for kids there. Ick.

How to Annoy Me...

Should picky eaters fake allergies?
from Serious Eats

I'm sure you know my answer to this, but you should read the comments to see how everyone else feels.

People faking a food allergy just so they don't get something they don't like the taste of on their food makes it that much harder for those of us who have just a little more at risk (like our child's life).

How Do You Say???

I've blogged about this before, but for those of you have never seen it, here are a few good sites that offer chef cards and translation cards that you can present to servers and chefs in restaurants.

Some are free, some aren't. I think the translation cards are definitely worth paying for, especially if you are heading somewhere like China or Japan and don't speak the language (or know the characters of the language).

• Food Allergy Restaurant Cards from AChoo!
• Food and Travel Translation Cards from Select Wisely
• The FAAN Chef Card Template (Free)
• FanKid Chef Card Template (Variation of the FAAN Card above; also Free)
• UK Food Standards Agency Card (Free)
• Allergy Translation
  
• Menu Data (Free, but you have to register)
• Allergy Dictionaries (free - this is a nice list of allergy related words for almost every language you can imagine)
  

The Melting Pot (of anaphylaxis)

Just in case you were thinking of going to The Melting Pot with your peanut allergic child (or friend or spouse or whatever) because it seemed safe enough.

Don't.

Guess what's an ingredient in the Original Chocolate Fondue (in my opinion the whole reason to go to a fondue place)?

Do I really need to tell you?

Check it out for yourself.

Is It Safe?

We take B out to eat at alot of restaurants in our area. We pretty much go anywhere except Thai and Vietnamese (no surprise there). I have my own set of criteria for determining if a restaurant is 'safe' for her. I thought I would list them, in no particular order, (along with some reasoning) for you all.

First I look at their menu (online usually) and scan it for anything peanutty. If that looks good, I'll go to the restaurant with my husband on a date, or I'll go at lunch, at which time I grill the manager and servers and either observe or ask about the following:

• Are there peanuts or peanut butter in any dishes? Is it on the kids menu, or just on the grown up menu?
  If there are peanuts in the main dishes I usually avoid the restaurant with B. BUT if it's just pbj on the kids menu, we may still go. But here's the thing: B hates most kid foods so she eats what we're eating. She's not really a chicken nugget connosieur. So in my tiny mind I assume that kid stuff is not prepared on the same line as grown up stuff (for instance, they are not making a pbj on the same grill as my chicken - does my twisted logic make sense to you?). Plus some places use those smuckers prewrapped ones. If we're at a restaurant while we're on vacation or something and B gets a grilled cheese, I'll usually ask them NOT to cut the sandwich so I can lessen the risk of cross contamination with a dirty knife (I know, I'm crazy thinking this helps, but it does).
  
• Do any of your sauces contain peanuts as a special ingredient or thickener? How about tree nuts?
  You would be surprised at the landmines I've rooted out by asking this. If there are tree nuts in the sauces it's not a deal breaker for us since B isn't tree nut allergic (although we don't feed them to her, her doctor has ok'd anything with trace amounts). But if there's 'peanut butter in the chili' so to speak, we wont take her there.
  
• Are there peanut desserts? Is it a topping or a main ingredient?
  We don't give her dessert out (usually) but if they only have vanilla ice cream with whipped cream on the menu, we'll let her have it as long as they don't do nuts there.
  
• Do they fry in peanut oil? What do they fry in the oil they do use?
  Even if they don't use peanut oil to fry (which some deem safe for PA sufferers anyways) they may be frying nutty items in it (yes, there are fried PBJs). It's worth asking so your little one doesn't react to fries fried in the same oil as a peanut fritter or calzone.
  
• Do they give out crayons? Are they in new packets or in a big cup?
  A big turnoff for me is when I see that big bowl of recycled crayons at a restaurant. Yuck. I don't even want to think of the germs on those, much less the possible peanut residue.
  
• If they make shakes, do they share the equipment with non nutty shakes?
  Not to worry, I would NEVER give B a shake at a place that had pb icecream, but I find that if a restaurant is conscientous about making nutty shakes on a dedicated machine, they'll likely be conscientous about other things too.
  
• How do you manage special requests for food allergies?
  Obviously, this is like the essay question on your LSAT test and is open wide for interpretation. But alot can be said for the response you get. Once I was told matter-of-factly that my daughter was "eating peanuts every day and just didn't know it because peanuts are in everything." Nice attitude huh? Needless to say, we didn't take B there (nor did we venture back in).
  

I didn't say that the questions were all rational, people, and this definitely isn't all that I do to ensure my daughter's safety when dining out. Mind you, some of this goes right out the window if I'm in a funky mood. And sometimes I just get a bad feeling in some places even if they go above and beyond.

And I'm sure some of you will think I'm taking a risk going anywhere.

What is YOUR criteria? What do you deem safe when looking for a restaurant to meet your 'peanut allergy safe' standards?

More News from the AAAAI

Kids’ Food Allergies Damper Dining Out

Study Shows Children With Peanut Allergies Often Don’t Get Lifesaving Medication

March 17, 2008 (Philadelphia) -- Even though most parents alert restaurant staff if their children have food allergies, a sizable number of the kids still suffer allergic reactions when dining out, a new survey shows.

Adding insult to injury, a second study suggests that children who suffer peanut allergies often don't get lifesaving medication.

Both studies were presented here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

Read More on the WebMD Site

-------------------------

Eating out has definitely become more of a challenge for us, but we still do it. We just find places that we are comfortable with - many of them don't have peanuts on the menu at all, but some do.

Do you guys eat out a lot? What's your favorite place? How do you determine if a restaurant is safe for you?

We usually check out the restaurant ourselves before we take Bella or give the place a call (or email) and ask about the prevalence of nuts, frying oil, etc. And most places are more than happy to talk to you about it (if they aren't, DON'T GO!).

We have a great hamburger place nearby that is peanut free, and we go to places like Chili's. We go lots of places. Really the only places we avoid are Vietnamese and Thai places. We've been able to find safe places near us for all other nationalities of foods (yes, even Chinese Food!).

And I always keep my eyes open. For example, I just found a new restaurant to try: Phil's Fish Market in Moss Landing, CA via a parenting blog. It sounded great so I emailed the owner and asked him all about their menu and practices. He sent me a great response - so great that I feel comfortable trying it out with Bella.

Bottom line: It's not impossible.

And as for kids not having their Epi-Pens with them when they have an attack (the second part of the article) - I am baffled. I must have 12 of these floating around the house, a diaper bag, family members' homes. How can we get it into parents' heads that they need to keep these nearby at all times and NOT be afraid to use them? I'm sure it isn't fun to give your child an epi, but it's less fun to bury them.

What if we created a poster that we could post in every doctor's office around the country to remind parents to fill, keep nearby, and use an epi pen? This is so important!

Hobee's Coffee Cake

For those of you in the SF Bay Area (and I know you are out there - I look at my stats - so leave a comment people!), here's a recipe for Hobee's Coffee Cake. Hobee's is a Bay Area institution - one of those 'we serve breakfast all day' kinds of places. So Yummy! This recipe is not from their site, but is great! Now that I have it, I don't think my waistline will recover.

And of course, I don't add nuts to mine :)

Warning: This stuff is addicting! Try a slice with a warm pat of butter on top. Yum!

HOBEE'S COFFEE CAKE
Serving Size  : 4
Difficulty:  easy.
Time:  10-15 minutes preparation, 20-30 minutes baking.

-----CAKE INGREDIENTS-----
1 1/2 c Flour (unbleached) -sifted
1 c Sugar, granulated
2 t Baking powder
1/2 t Baking soda
1/4 t Salt
2 Eggs
1 c  Sour cream
1/2 t Vanilla
1/4 c Blueberries, fresh, optional (or other fruit, or nuts such as walnuts)
Vegetable oil (for coating pan)

-----TOPPING-----
5 T Sugar,  granulated
2 T Butter
1/2 t Cinnamon, ground

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl, resift sift flour
with baking power, baking soda, salt and about 1 cup of sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Oil a 9-inch square baking pan (you can also use an 8 inch square pan,
or anything of similar surface area, if you increase the baking time by
about 5 minutes).

Spread the batter in the pan.  If you are using fruit or nuts, scatter
them over the batter and stir a little bit so that they stay in the top layer.

In a small bowl, mix about 5 T sugar with the butter and cinnamon
with a sturdy fork, until they are blended and resemble cornmeal
(i.e., you should have a mixture of fine crumbs, not a smooth mixture).
Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a clean
toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry.

Cool slightly; serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES:  All ingredients and bowls should be a room temperature
before you start; this is particularly true for the butter.

Jeffrey's Hamburgers - Menlo Park, CA

Mark and I had a 'date afternoon' last week and decided to try a new hamburger place near us in Menlo Park, CA. It's called Jeffrey's Hamburgers - a diner kind of place with burgers, shakes, fries, etc.

It was delicious. Tasty burgers. Good fries. Good onion rings. Great shakes. Clean and friendly. And not too spendy.

The best part? We can take Bella there. There are no peanut products AT ALL on the menu (and the staff confirmed that there are no 'hidden' peanut products in the food), just pecans on a salad they have there. At this point it's highly unlikely she'll be ordering a salad as an entree being 3 and all :).

Are they the best burgers in the universe? No, but they are good. But I can let my little girl have a shake there and not worry that she'll have a reaction. I can also let her order anything off the menu and not worry (I hate being the downer that tells her what she can and can't have when we go out).

We're Back - Pt. 2

Here's part two of our Maui Guide. Sorry for the delay in getting this up here. Enjoy!

So, last time we spoke, I took you through how we got to Maui and where we stayed. Now for the good part - what we ate and how we played!

Eating
First and foremost, make reservations! Restaurants were really busy each night and it was vital that we asked our concierge for help - she scored us reservations at all sorts of places.
Also think about the timing of your dinner reservations. We managed to get sunset dinner times for a few of these places and it was great. Bella loved watching the sun go down (and so did we - so romantic!).

Second, we mentioned the peanut allergy wherever we went, no matter how big or how small. We were amazed by the warm reception we got and the accommodations that were made for Bella (without affecting other diners - like at the teppan yaki place we went to against my better judgment). We got many comments in the range of "of course we don't use peanut oil anymore - too many people are allergic" and "let me know what you are interested in ordering and we'll make sure that it's safe for you or advise you against it if it isn't".

Ahem, and on to the food.

We avoided the obvious places (ice cream parlors, Vietnamese, and Thai), but here is a sampling of where we went along with a mini review. All are in walking distance from the Sheraton except for Sansei Sushi and Aloha Mixed Plate.

In the hotel:

Keka'a Terrace
This is a mundane, boring place to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Kids under 12 eat free with a paying adult. Standard kid's menu with no PBJ. Breakfast buffet fairly safe. The only items with nuts were on a separate counter (baked goods). All the cereal in the buffet were in the mini boxes too. Pricey though.

Teppan Yaki Dan
So many of you are going to think I am a complete moron, but here goes. This place is one of those Benihana-type cook at your table places. Cross contamination abounds!!! BUT (and there is a big BUT here) everything was fine. I spoke to the host, then the manager, then the chef himself about Bella's allergy. No peanuts on the menu, but their dipping sauces had macadamia nuts. Some of the dishes have a sauce with tree nuts, and some of them have a nutty garnish. We let them know that she could indeed have sesame oil (to which I know they sighed with relief). Since we were seated at a table with 5 other people, you couldn't tell them what to order, but they made it work.

Everyone ordered. Some folks ordered the scallops with a macadamia nut pesto. I guess they usually stick that on the grill, but at our table, they didn't! Everything was cooked without the sauces. Bella had chicken teriyaki so they did hers first, then the subsequent dishes. But beyond that, the folks who got the scallops - not only did they not put the nut garnish on the grill, the chef walked around the table and sprinked the garnish on their dishes to avoid any possible contact near Bella.

All in all, it was a great meal and I would highly recommend it.

Lagoon Bar (poolside)
This is the bar next to the pool that has cocktails as well as a light lunch/dinner menu (think burgers, sandwiches, and nachos). Pricey (do you see a trend here?) but consistent - consistently mediocre, but easier than getting out of the pool, back to the room, dressed, and out the door. You understand me, I know you do.

They serve a snack mix with your cocktail. It's kind of like a really spicy pretzel mix without nuts. I didn't check any labels, but I assumed it was safe for Bella. But she wouldn't eat it since it was so spicy. Crisis averted!

But this place DOES have PBJ on the menu, which was annoying, but that's life. We ended up going with a hot dog each day for Bella. Be advised, though, that all the cooking is done in a makeshift grilling area near the pool. There isn't much in the way of separate cooking areas. I did, however, let the server know about Bella's allergy, so I hope this contributed to the fact that she was reaction free!

Room Service
We only had one instance to eat room service and thankfully we didn't have to pay for it. See my previous post for a description.

Hula Grill (in Whaler's Village)
This place offered by far the best food and best eating experience during our trip. We didn't have reservations, but only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. They have a couple of areas to eat here: a beach bar (basically an outdoor patio that is over sand - no thanks, don't want a 3 year old under the table the whole time, a bar, and an indoor seating area). This is a nice restaurant inside and a very casual one outside. We opted for a table inside and we weren't disappointed.

We had a very laid back waiter who I swear was Jan Michael Vincent's son, so I was a little nervous about explaining the whole peanut allergy thing, but I needn't have worried. Here's what I said (and actually what I usually say when I eat out with Bella): "So my daughter has a peanut allergy. If you can advise us about any peanuts or nuts in the dishes on your menu I would appreciate it." And he says, "No problem. We are very used to dealing with food allergies here. First I'll double check with the chef on what you are ordering to make sure it's nut free, then when I submit your order, I let them know it should be a nut free table, then when the orders come out, our managers check the order before the food comes to the table". Except he said it in a voice that sounded like Jeff Spiccoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. His name was Cameron, I believe. What a great server (and all around dude). Then he brought me a glass of chardonnay, my husband a glass of merlot, and Bella a big old virgin strawberry daquiri (her drink of choice on maui).

Great kids menu too. Normal food, not just chicken fingers and grilled cheese. Bella had the grilled fish with a beurre blanc sauce and loved it! Kids have palates too and the folks at Hula Grill know it. Bravo! We'll definitely be back again when we head to Maui again.

Leilani's on the Beach (in Whaler's Village)
This is one of those restaurants that has been around forever and is mediocre. It was smooth sailing with Bella's peanut allergy, but the food wasn't good at all. We really just went for the sunset (which was fantastic!). Save your money and go to Hula Grill and sit inside. The food is much better. And it's owned by the same restaurant group (amazingly), so your money is going to the same place.

Nikki's Pizza (Food Court in Whaler's Village)
Great, simple pizza by the slice and salads with no hidden landmines. Good for lunch or dinner.

Maui Tacos
Sometimes you just want a taco. This is the place to go on Maui. No peanuts to speak of anywhere. Messy and delicious. Yum.

Aloha Mixed Plate
This is the place we go right after we land every time we go to Maui. It sits right next to the Old Lahaina Luau (and is part of them in fact). Except instead of having to sit through hulas and fire dancing (not that there's anything wrong with that), you can sit and have your kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, and poi in a casual environment overlooking the water with the locals. We ate here three times during this trip - we just love it. Totally relaxed, totally casual, and safe for Bella. Heads up though, they DO have a Thai noodle dish on the menu with a peanut sauce, but they were really allergy aware so I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Sansei Sushi (located in the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua compound)
So I hate to say it, but this was the one place that I believe Bella had a reaction. Can I be 100% sure? No. But my gut tells me that cross contamination was the culprit. After eating there, she had some GI issues (down south if you get my drift). This is a 3 year old who eats sushi at home, so it's the only explanation I have. Mark, Bella, and I all ate the same things exactly. Puzzling. We were assured that there was no peanut oil or peanuts in any of the food we ordered. Maybe she was just having a bad day, but GI issues were one thing (along with the hives) that initially tipped us off to her PA in the first place. She never (honestly never) has GI issues. Ah well, if it was a reaction things could have been MUCH worse.

But this was another one of those places where the hype didn't match up with the final product. The sushi was so-so, the ramen was just OK, the tofu alright. Not sure if we're just spoiled by being in the Bay Area with all the sushi places, but I don't know if I would go again. Actually, scratch that, I would go again, but I would sit at the bar and see what the sushi chefs recommend. Maybe we just got a dud waitress? Suffice it to say, we were underwhelmed. Maybe it was a bad sign when the waitress told us that she really didn't like sushi?!? Yikes.

So this post is getting long, so I'll be brief with the next two sections: Playing and Sightseeing.

Playing
Here's a brief list of what we did on Maui:

• swimming - every day at least twice a day. bring two bathing suits.
  
• beaches - but watch out for those currents - someone actually died on the beach outside our hotel while we there!
• snorkeling - so much to see for the mere cost of a snorkel rental. be safe though and swim with a friend and don't go too far out.
  
• inner tubes - get one to just chill in the pool at the hotel
  
• ABC stores - ABC is the store of Hawaii. i put this under playing because at these stores you can have loads of fun buying tacky souveniers for all your friends back home. they are like starbucks - one on every corner.
  

Sightseeing
Of course this isn't ALL we did, but here are some recommendations for Maui.

• Maui ocean center - a great, small aquarium to visit. a good diversion on a particularly hot day.
  
• reef dancer - we didn't get to go on this, but it is a glass bottom boat. the plus is that there is no height requirement unlike the submarine rides.
  
• hula shows - there are a ton of free hula shows in shopping centers and at hotels.
  
• luau - again, these abound everywhere. they had one at the sheraton (which we watched from our balcony), but your concierge can set you up with one of many in the area.
  
• Kaanapali beach hotel - this is worth going to at around 6pm. There is a nightly music show that is right out of the movie Swingers. Except it's Hawaiian music. The entertainment value is off the charts. Plus the drinks are cheap.
  

Final Words

• Maui seemed very peanut aware. There wasn't a single restaurant where they were shocked to hear about a peanut allergy and/or didn't already have peanut precautions in place. What a relief. That being said, going to Maui with tree nut allergies will be challenging for you. Everything is macadamia nut this and macadamia nut crusted that. While Bella didn't knowingly ingest anything with macadamia nuts, the likelihood that there was cross contamination was VERY high. I don't doubt that she was exposed to them inadvertently.
  
• Maui is expensive. Save your pennies before you go. $8 hot dogs and $10 cocktails abound. I warned you.
• Sunscreen and rash guards are a must! Kids don't care what time it is and whether or not it is a 'good time' to go out in the sun. Slather the sunscreen on! Better yet, slather it on AND get your kid (and heck, you) a rash guard with the highest SPF you can. You can get them online or you can buy one there. Trust me, they work and you wont ruin your vacation with 3rd degree sunburn (which actually happened to Mark one time - but that's another story).
• Bring less than you need - you can always buy things there.
  

I hope this little guide helped anyone out there traveling to Maui - with or without a peanut allergy. Just know that folks there are really all about you having a good time, so give it a shot.

The Things You Notice: Counter Burger, Palo Alto, CA

On my lunch hour yesterday, my coworkers and I decided to check out a new(er) place in Palo Alto, CA called Counter Burger. We ended up sitting at the counter (har har - no pun intended) and proceeded to have an amazing meal - great fries (sweet potato fries and regular potato fries), onion rings, burgers. Yum!

So what does this have to do with Peanuts? Well, this is definitely not the place to take Bella as they serve Peanut Sauce on their burgers (ick - but it's an option). I do, however, want to give them a shout out on their attempts at avoiding cross contamination. One of their other menu options is a milkshake - chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or (drum roll please) Peanut Butter! I recoiled even seeing it on the menu! But as I was eating, I looked over at the milkshake machine. It was one of those that has the stick beaters and you put the metal canister over it to blend the milkshake - there were something like 6 of them on the machine.

But over the one on the farthest right was a label indicating that the last mixer was for peanut butter shakes only.

Now, would I let Bella have a milkshake there? Realistically I probably wouldn't, but I was touched by and appreciative of the attempt at making it a safer place for PA folks.

If you're in Palo Alto, CA on California Avenue and LOVE burgers - stop by. Mighty tasty.