When I was growing up, I never knew any child with a food allergy. Allergies of any kind seemed rare. Yet now, allergic concerns are frequently encountered. Just a few weeks ago, I was on a flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia. Shortly after the trip began, the flight attendant announced that no nut snacks would be passed out with in-flight beverage service since there was a passenger on the plane with a peanut allergy. After I got over my shock that there might have been any snack at all, I reflected with surprise on the notion that the allergy of this person was so severe that any peanuts anywhere in the cabin was a threat. I had come into contact with thousands of children while growing up...
↧