I don't think anyone who has not had firsthand experience with food allergies really "gets it"--- and this does not include most of the waiters we will ever encounter, unfortunately! I attended a "Mommy & Me" type class with my milk-allergic daughter when she was 2 & 3 years old and was always amazed at how many of the other moms would bring unsafe snacks when it was their turn to bring the snack, even though I handed out a sheet to each of them with suggestions for milk- free snacks AND verbally asked them almost every week to please bring the packaging with them so I could doublecheck the ingredient list. It would make my blood boil when they would disregard all these requests and then put a cupcake in front of my daughter! I'd have to run over and take it away from her and the mom would usually say something like, "No, I don't have the package but it is JUST a regular vanilla cupcake!" OK, done venting! On the positive side I will say that our entire family does eat healthier as a result of my daughter's allergy, and maybe in that way, we are all the better for it in the long run.