Living with Food Allergies, 2013 and on

[GoingNuts]

Good reminder, Ajas.

I am soooo tempted to forward your post to DS, but I know it would not be well received.

[PurpleCat]

Was in the city today for lunch date with DH, stopped at Whole Foods and found beautifully decorated Fancy Pants Bakery Cookies (very pricey).  DS has never had a cookie like that before, kind of sad the first one is at 8.

I bought one of those for DD for Valentine's Day.  Fun.....but......$3.99 for 1 cookie?  Really was too expensive.

[CMdeux]

Good reminder, Ajas.

I am soooo tempted to forward your post to DS, but I know it would not be well received.

What she said.   

[ajasfolks2]

Forward away, and as to

Fancy Pants -- well, I make better cookies.

My kids say so too.   

It was helpful to have them eat "commercial" cookie so that they could realize what they were NOT missing.

[CMdeux]

That is so true.

I get tired of cooking, but my family mostly agrees that restaurant meals are...




meh.   By comparison, I mean.  My pizza is the best in town.  And it only costs about $4 to make one of my pizzas, which is way, way different than the 17-25 that the local places charge.


I make better salads, better pasta, better soups, better bread (mostly), better ice cream, better cupcakes, better cookies.

It makes store-bought and "going out" rather disappointing, I must say.   

[hezzier]

No doubt that homemade is way better for you even if it is full of sugar...at least it doesn't contain any fillers/preservatives/etc, but still nice on occasion to pick up something store bought...and much better for my waistline...if I make an entire batch of cookies, who do you think is going to eat most of them? 

[Macabre]

I like Fancy Pants cookies, and I'm incredibly grateful they can be bought at a store.  They're expensive, but they are an occasional thing.  Working moms need shortcuts. Period.  And some SAHMs  do, too, I bet!  I would have loved to make VDay cookies, but there was no time. 

So spend a little money to buy something that I think it pretty good* or have my kid not experience that little surprise in his lunch one day?  I'll take the former, tyvm.

I also think Dare Maple Creams are to die for.  And I am so glad they exist.  When you have as many events to take food to as I do, you need some shortcuts like these (every.single.time.we.are.at.church.there.is.communal.food--but we don't eat every time and we don't take cookies every time, but sometimes, it's really important to have them there).

So y'all can trash talk FancyPants, but I cried the first time I saw them in the store, and I thanked the manager. I certainly bought one for DS. And Hezz--he was 14.  So cool.   And I have thanked the company. And I am really glad that there is a safe alternative that non-FA parents can take to the class food fests. 

I do think that as a community we need to be supportive of products made for our community--especially when they are filling a real gap--if not with our pocketbooks, then with our sentiments.


*Okay--the way I enjoy a FP cookie is to eat a salted Blue Diamond almond, swallow, then take a small bite of cookie, then eat another almond. Rinse with Darjeeling tea and repeat. I bought the box of 8 cookies, btw.

[Macabre]

On a similar note, I'm sure I could no doubt make chocolates that are superious to the VNF chocolates in the heart box (well, DH could, lol), but I am so glad I can order them for DS. He loves them.  And I absolutely wouldn't have time to make them. Again, I thanked the company for making my son's VDay nicer. Poor kiddo was at school from 7am-4:30pm that day, walked across the street to eat dinner and do homework at a coffee shop, then walked back to school at 6:30 and was there until 9:30. Glad something made his day brighter.

[Macabre]

I came to say this: I didn't take communion at the installation service of a minster friend of mine who just moved to the area.  It wasn't sad for me.  It has been in the past, but it wasn't this time. I was just so happy for her. It was served by intinction. If I had been the first in line, I might have taken from the center of the loaf (it didn't have sesame on the top), but I wasn't.  And a guy in front of me ripped off a huge chunk of the crust and dipped that in the juice, and that was it for me. But the way the sanctuary was arranged, I did have to get up--no walking around me.  I just went up and crossed my arms like I do when I go to a Catholic church. Laity were serving, so I bet they didn't get it.  So I mentioned a food allergy.  Clergy will get that sign.  Oh well.

Oh--and I've sent two long emails to school today.  That ate up far more than my lunch break.  I'll make up that time tonight.

[CMdeux]

There are some slices of normal that you just never take for granted...



DD13 spent the day wandering around town "shopping" with a group of her friends.  Without an adult. 

There were some times when I wondered if this was ever going to be a part of DD's life.  I'm so grateful that she can (and does) do things like this. 

[GoingNuts]

I heard an interview this Fternoon with a mom who put her obese 7 year old on a diet (you can listen on NPR.org /tellmemore).  A one point the mom talked about how she became that "crazy mom" and the interviewer asked whether people couldn't just compare it to a peanut or egg allergy, how they would certainly understand how that was life threatening.  Why couldn't they understand that she was fighting for her DD's life too?

Oh, if only that show took phone calls, LOL. 

[hezzier]

Mac...I would have loved to supply DS's class with Fancy Pants Valentine's cookies, but just too expensive.  I couldn't justify $100 for a snack.

[Macabre]

Oh, no doubt.  I have just thought that for non-FA moms who might pick a box of them up with the other boxes of bakery cookies--as a safe option.

[becca]

McC, I totally get that.  I am a SAH mom and sometimes i do not have time to bake, don't feel like it, or don't want to make the mess, etc...  or have to make too much other food, for a party, etc...  Dd feels like the store bought cupcakes and brownie bars from out local grocery are a treat.  So, I will occasionally get them rather than bake for her.  I do that for dh's birthday, sometimes.  he loves cheesecake, and I can make a safe one, but she hates it.  It is his birthday, however and I like to make his favorite cake.  So, I get her a package of something festive rather than bake for her too.

Great to have those choices!  And with a niche market, those bakeries are not getting rich, even with high prices.  I bet they just get by, making a living.  It is often a flash in the pan sort of career that varies with trends. 

[starlight]

Great to have those choices!  And with a niche market, those bakeries are not getting rich, even with high prices.  I bet they just get by, making a living.  It is often a flash in the pan sort of career that varies with trends.

The thing with FancyPants, is that they could branch out of the niche market if they lowered their prices. I bought one of those $4 cookies at Whole Foods. Not amazing, but decent. Anyway, there were hoardes of cheaper, just as cute cookies available right next to them. The only people who would go for the FancyPants are the people with nut allergies and people with children with grabby hands. $7 for 8 small chocolate chip cookies is just too much to attract the sort of buyers they need to attract to be able to stay in stores. I'd be willing to pay up to $5-6, but $7? You can get two cartons of ice cream for that. Or 7 safe Dove chocolate bars. Or 3 boxes of Betty Crocker and the eggs and butter to make your own 50 chocolate chip cookies.

I understand the need for high prices if you truly have a niche market, aka online or your own store, or you need to buy special pricey flours to make things gluten free. But just for "natural" (natural does not = organic) and nut free ingredients? Yes, I'm happy to have this choice, and I did make this choice once, but it's one I'm very rarely going to make when I have so many other options, ykwim?