Curse of the killer bagel

Every couple of months my mom gets a phone call that she dreads. The Hungarian Pastry Shop switched my order with that of the girl next to me, and I got her café au lait instead of my soy cappuccino. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, right?

To me, it’s a question of life and death.

My severe dairy allergy has dictated more than just my very long order at Starbucks. It has influenced my college experience by determining where and what I eat. My taste buds went on a hiatus freshman year due to the bland (at best) options for allergic students offered by Dining Services. But now, as a sophomore not on the meal plan, I have forgone safety for the tasty, and have often paid the price. Why is it so hard for Columbia students with allergies to find food that is both delicious and safely prepared?

In allergy-speak, I am a RAST class 5, which means I go into anaphylactic shock when I ingest dairy. RAST stands for radioallergosorbent test, which is a way of measuring the amount of an IgE antibody that one has in her bloodstream. These antibodies react against specific allergens, with higher IgE levels indicating a more serious allergic response. Upon ingesting an allergen, the body attacks itself—blood pressure drops, skin erupts in uncomfortable welts, and swallowing and breathing become increasingly difficult, along with a host of other unpleasant side effects.

There’s no need to point out that having an allergic reaction can be a terrifying experience. I only used to have severe allergic reactions every couple of years, but now that I’m in college, it is happening more and more frequently—much to my dismay. I was programmed at a young age to read every ingredient list in sight, harass waiters to ensure they didn’t add any cheese to my pasta, and refuse any home-baked good offered to me. These time-honored tactics usually worked, too.

Unfortunately, leaving home—where I consumed the majority of my meals—meant that I had less control over what I ate, and even less control over what was in the food that I ate. Being a first-year at Columbia meant I had a mandatory meal plan, which limited my food choices considerably. While John Jay marks food with GF (gluten free) along with vegetarian and vegan options, there is no indication for foods containing dairy. I found myself mostly vegan (much to my reluctance), due to the limited food options. I often cringed watching students throw cheese around the salad bar like it was confetti. But, though the food was distasteful and boring, I never had an allergic reaction from John Jay.

Things are a bit different now. As a sophomore who is not on the meal plan, I have more options—but that also means more risk. I recently discovered the incredibly satisfying (though fattening) bagel with tofu “cream cheese” from Nussbaum. Thrilled at my newfound culinary delight, I proceeded to eat one several times a week. This past weekend, as usual, I was waiting on line to order my whole wheat bagel with tofu cream cheese when a skinny hipster guy in front of me confused the waiter by ordering a low-carb bagel with low-fat cream cheese. Somehow, I ended up with his bagel, and he ended up with mine.

The problem is, I didn’t know I was eating his bagel until I was back in my dorm room, poised to dive in. The consistency did look a little bit different from usual, but I attributed the melting cream cheese to the heat of the bagel. My teeth had barely made contact when I realized something was very wrong. My whole mouth started to tingle and itch.

Trying to keep my racing heart in check, I spit out the mouthful and ran for the bathroom. I was violently ill for the next hour or so, which, contrary to common sense, was a good thing. I looked like a freak with red bumps all over my body, but at least I could breathe.

Whether lucky or unlucky, my bagel incident stopped my Nussbaum streak (and my slightly expanding waistline), ushering in a new era in which I cook for myself as much as possible. Today I had brown rice and vegetables—not thrilling, but definitely safe. While John Jay (or home-cooked food) may be the safest bets for students with allergies, there should be other options to eat that offer the security of campus (or in-dorm) dining without any of the mystery of vegan entrées.

But until then, please keep my order straight.

The author is a Columbia College sophomore. She is an associate editorial page editor.