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Hi.

Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!

I Am Hungry

''I am hungry''! This is my colorful peanut allergy girl. It is her way to express a deep frustrated feeling after a party, birthday or any other gathering where she couldn't participate in eating the food. The way she pronounces this sentence, the look in her eyes when she outs her self pity. Her body language shows an unsatisfied mood. I know this one liner so well! It is a famous sentence, an expression, that goes together with Solange during the last years. It could be the title of a chapter in my book. In these three words, Solange says more than you can imagine in the first moment. It is a voice from her soul. In these three simple words, lays her hole world of frustrations, based on her food allergies. Every word symbolises moments of lonelyness, isolation, anger, unhappyness. There you are again my colorful allergy daughter. Coming home this time from a Halloween party. Things were clear, I thought. I explained the allergies she faces, discussed the food she can't have. I proposed to skip the peanuts for one evening. Don't distribute these dangerous little shell fruits, please.
'I am hungry!'' What do you mean, how is this possible? Is my first reaction, when I see her coming home, last Sunday. She storms into the kitchen together with her noise and her voice shouts: 'I am hungry', 'I didn't eat anything'! She goes straight towards the cupboard with the pans. One hand takes out a pan, the other opens a can with pasta. Tab open, water in the pan, spoilingthe water around on the stoof. I get irritated, pull her away from the stoof. Off she goes! I hear her going up, footsteps upstairs at the first floor, smashing a door a two. I feel bad now. O my gosh, I know this play so well. This is the déjà vu. This is not fair. Not my behavior, nor the explanation I received from her dad. Apparently in the car back home, she was already upset and having a negative mood. It seems reasonable the way she acts. This is so unfair. Hanging out somewhere and joining a party, socializing, sharing food together except for you, the food environment is not safe tonight. You can't eat or taste. Solange is very cautious and doesn't take a risk. When it isn't quiet clear who made the dishes, and she can't name the ingredients, she refuses to eat completely. And that is OK. The rule is: I am what I eat. She knows exactly what she can have and can't have. I don't understand how this happened last evening. I discussed it all with these wonderful guys who were hosting the Halloween gathering. I told about Solange allergy story: No peanuts, no nuts! I really thought everything was fine. Am I still too naif? Yes I think so. This is what we did experience so often. It is to complicate to make others part of her allergies only when they are involved in her life so shortly. That sounds fair enough. The allergies and the consequences are in our system and in that of the extended family.  Therefor I am already so greatful. My weak and sensitive point is, to deal with the behaviour of my daughter in these specific moments. I get her back from a party and she is screaming her one liner: ''I am hungry''! Repeats this a dozen times. All her frustrations are coming out after not eating during one long evening. The explosion goes of like a bomb at the moment she comes home. It is unfair and so logical! A teenager can't be in such a mood while being with strangers or friends, they won't accept this behaviour. Probably they won't understand and then what. It makes me sad, I taste bitterness, when I see my colorful daughter unhappy, angry and fighting with her self. She must have controlled herself during the hole party, last evening. She goes mad coming home. I do understand her reactions but I can't agree. I explain to her again and again, every time we find ourselves in this very unconfortable situations, that she needs to overcome this anger and keeps tight to the positive thinking. Don't challenge your luck. Next time you bring again your own food box. This time I felt positive of letting her go without any snack, as did Solange. The home made chocolate cake she brought with her and her sisters, was surrounded by suspicious dishes .....  My colorful allergy girl, you are so mature! Please give me the time to understand, and I'll take the time to prepare you a dish when you come home the next time. Last Sunday after you finished the plain pasta and sautéed vegetables (red peppers, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, hymalaya salt and garlic) your positive mind was back.

The vegetable guy

Black chocolate cake!