Foods you Crave but Cannot Eat

[DanM]

Due to a chronic digestive disorder, I haven't been able to eat whole kernel corn for almost 10 years. Certain parts of corn kernels do not break down during digestion and can cause a blockage down the road. I occasionally have to fight a craving for a fire roasted ear of corn doused in butter and season salt, like you get at the local fare. I have to suffice with a roasted, blended corn soup, but its not the same. Same goes for popcorn and there is no alternatives to that.

Are there others here in my shoes? I there foods you are banned from eating, but crave?

Dan

[Opty]

I've developed an allergy (sensitivity maybe, but I have classic alergy symptoms) to poultry, be it chicken, turkey, duck, goose, pheasant, etc. Although i can eat eggs. I dont miss Thanksgiving turkey, but I do really, really crave for some KFC.

On another note my better half has banned me from almost all street food, and in some cities, thats part of the best experience. I do occassionally sneak, its too tempting here in NYC.

[andiesenji]

I'm allergic to chocolate. How cruel is that? I use it to prepare foods for friends and family but can't even taste it myself. The aroma is almost intoxicating and sometimes it is difficult to keep it away from my mouth.

[ambra]

Allergic to Melon. And possitively Jealous when someone eats in front of me!

[maher]

easy... fresh asparagus in season, drizzled with a bit of butter or hollandaise.. uric acid too high to touch the stuff

[percival]

I crave the wild frog legs from Vietnam I had grilled with chili and salt. The only frog legs sold here are frozen giant monstrosities. The ones I had were small, half the size of chicken wings, and oh so tasty.

[DesertTinker]

Avocados, as a second generation SoCal guy that grew up loving a good avocado, it was a big blow, and it's still really hard to say no. :sad:

Edited to add extreme sadness. LOL

Edited September 29, 2010 by Quiltguy (log)

[helenjp]

I'm with you on the avocados. For a while I drank cinnamon tea daily (extracted, not just infused), and that seems to have left me with an allergy to avocado, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Too bad!

[Special K]

Can't eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice because it interferes with my meds. So of course now I want it so bad!!!

[Lilija]

Well, this is timely! I recently developed allergies to both peanuts and tomatoes. The tomato allergy really kicked in around late spring, and the peanut thing I've been coping with for most of the year. It's been rough, especially tomatoes.

I've been craving fresh salsa, a fat peanut butter mayonnaise and banana sandwich (almond butter seems to work well, for all applications besides this), proper pad thai, deep fried pickled jalapeños from my favorite diner (they use peanut oil, which might have been the most depressing discovery EVER), and good pizza.

This whole post is sort of depressing.

[Katie Meadow]

Yes, this post is depressing, and a little naive. The numbers of people who suffer from a wide variety of illnesses that are affected by foods is huge. Having a food allergy runs the gamut from annoying to life threatening. Being allergic to one or two foods may seem like a picnic to those people who have to give up one or more whole categories of foods. I would venture that there are many of us here on eG who have one of the following conditions and don't post about it beause it's too personal or they don't want to gross anyone out:

IBS, IBD, GERD, Lactose intolerance, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac, Crohns, Candida, Interstitial Cystitis, Sjogrens, diabetes, pancreatitis and kidney disease. And I'm sure there are plenty more, I just can't think of them or haven't heard about them yet.

The people who suffer from any conditions affected by food or drink are just as likely to love cooking and eating as those lucky enough to have no food-related issues. In fact, there is every reason to believe that many eGers are here because they can find fresh ideas for foods they can actually eat. I'm sorry if I seem preachy and don't at all mean to minimize anyone's deprivation.

[Lilija]

Yes, this post is depressing, and a little naive. The numbers of people who suffer from a wide variety of illnesses that are affected by foods is huge. Having a food allergy runs the gamut from annoying to life threatening. Being allergic to one or two foods may seem like a picnic to those people who have to give up one or more whole categories of foods. I would venture that there are many of us here on eG who have one of the following conditions and don't post about it beause it's too personal or they don't want to gross anyone out:

IBS, IBD, GERD, Lactose intolerance, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac, Crohns, Candida, Interstitial Cystitis, Sjogrens, diabetes, pancreatitis and kidney disease. And I'm sure there are plenty more, I just can't think of them or haven't heard about them yet.

The people who suffer from any conditions affected by food or drink are just as likely to love cooking and eating as those lucky enough to have no food-related issues. In fact, there is every reason to believe that many eGers are here because they can find fresh ideas for foods they can actually eat. I'm sorry if I seem preachy and don't at all mean to minimize anyone's deprivation.

You're definitely on to something, there. As I was typing up my reply, it brought me to two conclusions: Part of the reason I come here is to ogle pictures, recipes, experiences, and descriptions of foods I can't eat, cultures I'm unfamiliar with, places I can't get to, stuff I don't even like, but like learning about (I'm one of the most obsessive oglers on the breakfast thread. I hate eggs, but the pictures are incredible!). That fits into this allergy thing, because here I can sort of enjoy those insanely ripe tomato salads that I've come to miss, through your accounts, and that provides comfort, now that my garden threatens to kill me.

The second thing, after thinking about salsa, I'm tempted to make a post in Cooking asking for recipes and suggestions for a killer tomato free salsa, maybe one built on roasted peppers or something.

[nonblonde007]

Second the Grapefruit, I had a daily habit of fresh and a nightly habit of greyhounds. BP meds put a stop to that and I want it sooooooo badly! Transported to the landlocked south, I miss terribly fresh clams, oysters, crab, salmon, and mussels. Crave them constantly and can do Nothing about it!

[Porthos]

I'm allergic to a chemical (which one I don't know) that is used to grow tomatoes. I've found that I can have organic tomatoes grown in the USA safely. Otherwise it is swollen tongue time which is not a good thing.

[scubadoo97]

I had an allergic reaction after eating crab cakes made with pasteurized canned crab. I'm too chicken to make them again using fresh crab for fear that if it is really the crab and not some chemical/preservative that the allergy might spread to other shellfish which I've been able to eat without consequence. Boy do I miss crab

[ChickenStu]

deep fried pickled jalapeños from my favorite diner (they use peanut oil, which might have been the most depressing discovery EVER)

The peanut oil that is used in fryers shouldn't give you any trouble. The only peanut oils that should get you are the cold or expeller pressed oils, not the super refined fryolator versions. Some people are sensitive to them however, although it is rare.

[ChickenStu]

I had an allergic reaction after eating crab cakes made with pasteurized canned crab. I'm too chicken to make them again using fresh crab for fear that if it is really the crab and not some chemical/preservative that the allergy might spread to other shellfish which I've been able to eat without consequence. Boy do I miss crab

Usually its all or nothing on the shellfish allergy, most likely a preservative, like sodium triphosphate.

[Lilija]

deep fried pickled jalapeños from my favorite diner (they use peanut oil, which might have been the most depressing discovery EVER)

The peanut oil that is used in fryers shouldn't give you any trouble. The only peanut oils that should get you are the cold or expeller pressed oils, not the super refined fryolator versions. Some people are sensitive to them however, although it is rare.

They keep insisting that their oil is a "vegetable shortening blend", so you could be right, it might not be the oil.

But it never fails, anything deep fried from there makes my throat close up, and gives me serious breathing issues. Like, instant severe asthma attack. One of the employees suggested that their might be peanut flour or something in some of the various breadings. You've given me hope, though, it's worth checking into more deeply.

[ChickenStu]

Could be, if they are using a bought in breading, it could have some peanut flour. The cheap peanut oil used for frying is extremely refined, and usually doesnt contain the allergens.

[nibor]

....

IBS, IBD, GERD, Lactose intolerance, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac, Crohns, Candida, Interstitial Cystitis, Sjogrens, diabetes, pancreatitis and kidney disease. And I'm sure there are plenty more, I just can't think of them or haven't heard about them yet.

....

I became one of those people recently (GERD), and searched eGullet for chat on this topic. Not much here. When I want something that I can't have, I take a bite, just to get the taste, then spit it out.

[John Rosevear]

I found myself with a celiac diagnosis last year. I've probably had it for most of my life, which would go a long way toward explaining my longtime indifference (and to some extent, aversion) to things like pasta and beer.

But there's plenty I miss: Good croissants, all kinds of savory snack foods, and -- and this is a biggie for a guy who spent most of his 20s eating in little dives in Boston's Chinatown -- the inability to eat most restaurant Chinese food. There are a couple of better-than-average Chinese places in greater Boston that are willing and able to cook gluten-free, but most of the really good ones (Sichuan Gourmet, sigh) are clueless, and I lack the language skills to educate them.

Really, the worst of it is restaurants, generally -- I can cook around the gluten restriction for the most part when I'm at home, but I often can't try the new little place everyone's raving about, and even when I can I'm often restricted to a tiny corner of the menu.

[ElaineK]

Really, the worst of it is restaurants, generally -- I can cook around the gluten restriction for the most part when I'm at home, but I often can't try the new little place everyone's raving about, and even when I can I'm often restricted to a tiny corner of the menu.

This. Exactly this. I've been gluten free for seven or eight years now (and I can't eat potatoes, and the spouse can't have unfermented soy), and I don't crave the foods I can't have. I crave being able to go out to lunch or dinner on the spur of the moment. I crave not having to explain my diagnosis or my eating habits to people I barely know. I crave being able to trust people (who I know have the best intentions, and make the best efforts) to serve me food that doesn't make me sick.

[plum tart]

I too, take meds that prohibit grapefruit and I LOVE grapefruit. It is so sad and I become very desperate in grapefruit season. I tasted a grapefruit gelato not long ago and the tiniest spoonful seem to satisfy my craving. Surely that can't do too much harm.

The other foods I crave are white Italian truffles and bottarga. Unfortunately, I can't afford them. There was a time, when I could buy the tiniest piece of a white truffle and make a wonderful pasta dish but no one seems to sell tiny pieces anymore. About once a year I break down and buy bottarga and make a wonderful pasta dish from Sara Jenkins cookbook, Oranges and Olives. Essence of the sea!

Edited October 4, 2010 by plum tart (log)

[ruthcooks]

I too take those grapefruit reacting meds, but I once asked my doctor how much grapefruit was required to cause the reaction. He said "Oh, about a gallon and a half of juice." I thereby decided that a grapefruit half now and then wasn't going to hurt me. Ask your doctor and see what he/she says.

[prasantrin]

Well, this is timely! I recently developed allergies to both peanuts and tomatoes. The tomato allergy really kicked in around late spring, and the peanut thing I've been coping with for most of the year. It's been rough, especially tomatoes.

I've been craving fresh salsa, a fat peanut butter mayonnaise and banana sandwich (almond butter seems to work well, for all applications besides this), proper pad thai, deep fried pickled jalapeños from my favorite diner (they use peanut oil, which might have been the most depressing discovery EVER), and good pizza.

This whole post is sort of depressing.

If it makes you feel better, the peanuts in pad thai are really more of a garnish, often served separately so the diner can put as much (or as little) as desired. So it's not entirely improper to leave out the peanuts!

I don't have any food allergies or sensitivities for now, but my mother developed late-in-life allergies to a number of foods she loves--shellfish, peanuts, certain fermented foods. . . She's also allergic to penicillin, which isn't so bad usually, but last year she ate some bleu cheese at the Heartland Gathering that gave her hives on the palms of her hands (the first time she reacted that way to bleu). And she has very little will-power, so she still eats those things sometimes. Not usually a good thing.