Pancakes

I love pancakes! Do you know what I also love? Not dying. This week I got a mix of both. My pancakes got switched up with my brother's, resulting in a not-so-fun stay-at-home with 2 EpiPen jabs. However, a couple of valuable experiences were gleaned, shared below:

Number One:

You absolutely need to have a demarcation system if you or a loved one has allergies. For me, we now fold a small piece of paper towel with my name written on it for dry foods (like pancakes) inside the container. Don't worry about moisture accumulating and spoiling the food faster, as practically speaking, the small piece of paper towel is no more absorbent than a vegetable inside the same container for 1-2 week periods (I speak from experience).

Number Two:

When (if) you have to administer an EpiPen the second time, make sure to do so in the OTHER leg that was not injected, otherwise, you run the risk of stabbing in the vicinity of the previous injection, and that is not fun.

Number 3 (a bit unsettling, but IMPORTANT):

More than one EpiPen injection may be required, depending on how serious your indigestion is. For me, there was wheat, and dairy in the pancakes, so it was a double dose of death protein. About an hour after taking the first injection, I ended up having a fit of nausea and throwing up, with some residue of pancake still present in my throat at the end of it. The result? Another injection and more Benadryl to neutralize whatever allergens had resurfaced in the oral cavity. As disturbing as it sounds, I was actually quite fascinated by the consistency of my immune response to allergens, in that even after an essentially powerful adrenaline countershock, I still responded negatively to the substances when they resurfaced in the mouth and throat spaces while trying to EXPEL them out of my system.

Number 4:

Looking back, I realized that the pancakes made with wheat and dairy have no substantial difference from those made with the substitutes I usually consume in my allergy-free pancakes. The consistency was the same, the sweetness, the texture, etc. This offers a massive positive: with the right cooking technique and substitutes, you can almost duplicate the allergen's culinary properties. I knew this to be true in theory, but yesterday, I experienced it first hand!