vacation

Hi, sorry for being MIA, we were visiting my family in Russia. Me and my 4yo daughter, who has some food allergies... and that is what the post is all about.

She's allergic to milk and eggs (and possibly to some nuts or legumes). She is a somewhat picky eater (I suppose, many kids with allergies are cautious than trying new foods), but when at home she has enough choices to pick from. I'm not sure if this is true for everyone, but every time we travel outside the US, our child has very limited food choices. Eating out becomes impossible unless there is a McDonald's around. The ingredients are not always listed on products in Russia. Very often pasta and baked goods are sold by weight, and so there's no package to look at. Also, hot dogs and sausages commonly have milk or cream in them. We were not able to find a single variety that was safe for her to eat.

What did she eat for three weeks? At least we could cook... We took a box of Cherrybrook Kitchen Original Pancake Mix with us, so I was able to make her pancakes. We found a brand of pelmeni (Russian style meat tortellini) that had no milk/eggs. She ate mac and kasha (buckwheat), potatoes, meat; and various berries that were in season. For snack she had "sushki" - small, crunchy, mildly sweet bread rings which can be eaten for dessert (from wikipedia). The only fast food choice she had was french fries, so I had to make sure we had enough food with us when we were out and about. It seems counterintuitive, but it's a lot easier to feed a child who has diabetes than a child who has food allergies. But it is true.

I'm curious how other people handle travel and food issues. Especially when you stay in hotel and have no stove.