Page 247 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

56

WHEN NUTRITION

GETS PERSONAL

t’s a perfect day for ice cream. My friends and I, party of
five, meet up in Seattle at the contemporary version of an
Iice-cream parlor: vegan and gluten free. We step in, ready to
order. Or so we think.
“Hi, ladies! Welcome! Any allergies in the group today?
Any dietary no-nos we should know about?” The next fifteen
minutes are a blur of questions, qualifiers, and indecision.
We are two vegetarians, one allergic to tree nuts, and two
eaters (myself included) with no constraints. But even being
restriction-free doesn’t help in my case, as I try to under-
stand the options: “Are you sure ‘activated charcoal’ is safe for
human consumption? Are those pine needles in that flavor?
What does ‘soy-free earth balance’ mean?” The counter girl
ends up calling in reinforcements. We are holding up the line.
It turns out that this particular vegan ice cream estab-
lishment relies on cashew milk as its primary substitute for
cream. That means our friend with the tree-nut allergy is left
with limited options. As soon as we’re all served and settled
in, we want to try each other’s flavors. But we stop our com-
postable spoons mid-swoop. How many college grads does it
take to figure out the licking sequence to spare the allergic
friend? Quite a few, as it turns out. It’s almost comical. Except
I really feel for her.
I’m guessing that at least a milder version of this scene
resonates with experiences you’ve had interacting with wait-
ers and groups of people eating out. From chefs and retailers

236 how to be a Conscious Eater

Conscious Eater_04 PT_4th patches.indd 236 10/23/19 1:38 PM