In case of allergy
With the summer season, people come this way as tourists. Along with the inevitable baggage, they bring their own personal conditions. Medical, particularly.
Got a phone call from one of the kids, asking on behalf of a friend: “What additional risks are there for someone with a seafood allergy?” And you know, that’s a very good question to ask, before rather than during a medical crisis. Fish are an important part of the local menu, both in the home and in the restaurants. You might never see a lamp chop, but there will be fish. Add to that the unknown factor; will a particular hospital be open for business?
We lack doctors. Enough of a lack that my closest emergency ward has shut its doors, and the next institution down the highway has to send out bulletins about rolling closures. No doctor on hand, and your emergency just went up the steps. An extra hour of travel time to the big place, which is where someone with a sudden onset of anaphylactic shock would end up, ambulance or otherwise.
I explained the limitations, and strongly suggested that the famous “stab me in the thigh” pen be kept close at hand. Don’t take the assurances of a summer employee that the kitchen isn’t contaminated. Come east, come prepared. My own kitchen is (probably) a safe space, and with some foresight I can feed the hungry. Forget the loaves and fishes, though.
Had to end my own BBQ session, rapidly, when the sprayer showed up to contaminate the nearby potato patch. I also am unwilling to believe that chemicals are bad for bugs and blight, but fine for folks like me.
