Eating with dietary requirements

Eating abroad with a requirement ranges from mildly inconvenient to genuinely dangerous, and the preparation differs accordingly.

Allergies

Where the stakes are highest and the preparation must be most thorough.

Translation cards are essential — a written explanation in the local language, prepared by a competent translator rather than by machine, stating the allergen, the severity and the request.

Several organisations produce these professionally for common allergens in many languages.

They should name the specific ingredient and its common derivatives, since a general statement is frequently understood as a preference.

Understanding the local cuisine's use of the allergen, which is where the risk actually is.

Peanut in Southeast Asian cooking, sesame across the Middle East, fish sauce in dishes that appear vegetarian, nuts in ground form as thickeners — these are the situations that catch people.

Carrying medication, including adrenaline auto-injectors in sufficient number, with a prescriber's letter and awareness of any restrictions on carrying them.

Knowing how to describe the emergency in the local language and how to call emergency services.

Airline notification, made in advance, noting that most airlines will not guarantee an allergen-free environment and that requesting a buffer zone is at their discretion.

Intolerances

Less dangerous and requiring similar communication.

Coeliac disease in particular is poorly understood in many countries and is frequently conflated with a preference.

The specific problems: cross-contamination, sauces and stocks containing wheat, and fried food sharing oil with battered items.

Lactose intolerance is more widely understood, since it is the majority condition in much of the world's adult population, which means many cuisines use little dairy.

Vegetarian and vegan

Where the difficulty is definitional rather than medical.

In several cuisines, a dish described as vegetarian may contain fish sauce, shrimp paste, stock, lard or gelatine, since these are not regarded as meat locally.

Which means asking about specific ingredients rather than using the category.

The countries where it is easiest: India, where a substantial vegetarian tradition exists with clear labelling, and several others with religious vegetarian traditions.

The countries where it is hardest: those where meat is central to hospitality and where refusing it carries social meaning.

Vegan travel has become substantially easier, with dedicated applications listing suitable establishments in most cities.

Religious dietary requirements

Halal and kosher observance abroad requires knowing where certified provision exists, which varies enormously.

Several applications and community organisations maintain listings.

Vegetarian food is a common fallback where certified provision is unavailable, subject to the ingredient questions above.

The practical approach

Regardless of the requirement.

Research the cuisine before arriving, identifying which common dishes are suitable and which are not.

Arriving with three dishes you can safely order changes the experience entirely.

Learn the relevant words, both the ingredient and the phrase for without.

Prefer places where you can see the cooking, which removes uncertainty.

Self-cater partially, which for anyone with a serious requirement makes accommodation with a kitchen substantially more valuable.

Shop at markets and supermarkets, where labels can be read and photographed for translation.

Carry safe food for travel days and for situations where nothing suitable is available.

Communicating in restaurants

What works.

Showing the written card rather than explaining verbally.

Asking the person to check with the kitchen rather than answering themselves.

Being specific about severity, since staff make different decisions for a preference than for a medical requirement.

And being willing to leave if the response suggests the requirement has not been understood, which for a serious allergy is the correct decision.

The airline meal

A specific point worth arranging.

Special meals must generally be requested in advance, commonly at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours before departure, and cannot be arranged at the gate.

The categories available vary by airline and include medical, religious and preference-based options.

Confirming the request appears on the booking, rather than assuming it was recorded, is worth doing since these are lost with some regularity.

For a serious allergy, carrying your own food remains the reliable approach.

General information about travel, not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician about managing allergies and conditions while travelling, and carry prescribed emergency medication.