Hi --
First of all, I want to second the use of Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips. They're parve, which means that they're milk-free and also made on lines that have been scoured (and blessed) if a milk-using product was made on the same line.
Yes, there's a (slight) risk of cross-contamination, since milk is added to OTHER products (on other lines) in POWDERED form, and it's possible for milk powder to travel through the air to the milk-free line. This cross-contamination possibility is true of any product made in a factory where milk is added to chocolate. There are, however, some chocolate manufacturers who don't ever use milk. A couple are linked from my web site, and will be of use to those who are severely allergic to milk protein.
Second, someone talked about "true" allergy vs. gastric reaction. The word "allergy" isn't as well-defined as one might think. Some allergies lead to hives, asthma attacks, anaphyaxis. Others lead to severe gastric symptoms which may be confused with lactose intolerance, but are NOT lactose intolerance. (And some gastric reactions occur in parts of the digestive tract where lactose enzyme deficiency is a non-issue.) If the effect of consuming milk protein is nasty and consistent, it doesn't really matter what you call it; it matters that you avoid milk protein. And if it gets you safely through a restaurant meal to label your problem an "allergy" (a word that is taken seriously by people in the food service industry) then it's okay to call it that, no matter your true opinion of the word.
My web site also contains some sample menus and lists of some safe foods for those new to milk allergy, in case anyone here is still interested :-)
I hope this helps,
--Beth Kevles
Eating without Casein
web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html
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