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translation for allergy to meat

srtoothpaste

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Central Camino portuguese
Hi I am severely allergic to meat and meat derivatives i.e. I will have an anaphylactic shock (I carry an epi-pen). I have a condition called 'alpha gal' caught from a tick bite (before anyone asks you can catch this in any country in the world with deer and sheep, there are 100,000's people worldwide with this). i will be eating vegetarian as i can have fish and eggs.

I am looking for some translation help for Spanish and Portuguese that I can show restaurants where they don't speak good English. Would some kind person please help me? I need to say.

I am allergic to meat and meat products, so need to make sure these are not in my food (or something similar).

Thank you
 
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Hi I am severely allergic to meat and meat derivatives i.e. I will have an anaphylactic shock (I carry an epi-pen). I have a condition called 'alpha gal' caught from a tick bite (before anyone asks you can catch this in any country in the world with deer and sheep, there are 100,000's people worldwide with this). i will be eating vegetarian as i can have fish and eggs
I met a young woman at a Pulpo (octopus) restaurant in Melide who had alpha gal - she was really enjoying that Pulpo! It can be difficult in Spain when many dishes are "seasoned" with ham, but I've met many vegetarians and vegans on the Camino who did well. The only difference is that they don't have a life threatening condition if they eat meat.
 
Hi I am severely allergic to meat and meat derivatives i.e. I will have an anaphylactic shock (I carry an epi-pen). I have a condition called 'alpha gal' caught from a tick bite (before anyone asks you can catch this in any country in the world with deer and sheep, there are 100,000's people worldwide with this). i will be eating vegetarian as i can have fish and eggs.

I am looking for some translation help for Spanish and Portuguese that I can show restaurants where they don't speak good English. Would some kind person please help me? I need to say.

I am allergic to meat and meat products, so need to make sure these are not in my food (or something similar).

Thank you
I can’t help you out with the Portuguese; but in Spanish I’d go for:

‘Tengo una alergia muy (muy!) grave a la carne y no puedo comer ningún tipo de carne ni derivados.’

It needs to be stronger than just ‘I’m allergic to …’ IMHO
 
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@srtoothpaste, as someone with food allergies myself, I find this is the most effective method for conveying such a vital message;

allergy.jpg
It is understandable in any language.
No need to stress over pronunciation, regional dialects, correct wording, etc.

You could take it a step further & include other images with a green tick on fish & eggs.

I'd suggest you save the image to your phone or print it to credit card size & laminate it for durability.

This most simple of solutions has literally been a lifesaver for me.
Best wishes. 🍽
👣🌏
 
Yikes! I have a serious allergy to garlic and had memorized how to say "I am very allergic to garlic, what is safe for me to eat?" and had it saved in my notes with a few more details if needed so that I could just show the server if it was very noisy. I found that everyone was very helpful in finding me something that I could eat. One server said I would starve in Spain as garlic is prevalent, I laughed and said I'd been in the country for 8 weeks and had not starved yet.

I think some tortillas are made with lard so be sure to check if ordering.
 
@srtoothpaste, as someone with food allergies myself, I find this is the most effective method for conveying such a vital message;

View attachment 147561
It is understandable in any language.
No need to stress over pronunciation, regional dialects, correct wording, etc.

You could take it a step further & include other images with a green tick on fish & eggs.

I'd suggest you save the image to your phone or print it to credit card size & laminate it for durability.

This most simple of solutions has literally been a lifesaver for me.
Best wishes. 🍽
👣🌏
I recognize chicken, beef, pork…what is the other picture?
 
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The correct word in Spanish for any type of dietary restriction (including food allergies) is “intolerancia”.

Ex. You’d say “tengo una intolerancia grave a la carne [meat] … / … a productos con maní [peanuts] … / a puerco [pork], etc”
 
Alergia and intolerancia are not the same.
OP seems to have an alergia to meat, not "just" an intolerancia.
 
I am allergic to meat and meat products, so need to make sure these are not in my food (or something similar).
This might help explain in Spanish what you can and can't eat.
Apart from all the good answers other people have already given, my advice is to be as specific as you can. You would be surprised what people consider to be "meat" or not.
Just last week I was on the way to Fisterra with a vegetarian. In one of the places where we stopped to eat, they offered this person 'caldo' as a vegetarian option. While you might not see any meat on your plate, 'caldo' is not a vegetarian dish at all. A slice of ham might not be considered meat. Chicken might not be considered meat...
So my advice is to insist that you have a severe allergy and give examples of things you can't eat: 'ningún tipo de carne, ni pollo, ni embutido...'

The correct word in Spanish for any type of dietary restriction (including food allergies) is “intolerancia”.
"Intolerancia" can cause unpleasant issues but it's not deadly.
 
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I am severely allergic to meat and meat derivatives i.e. I will have an anaphylactic shock
@MariaSP is correct in the sense that it is not so much what you say but what is understood.

It is quite possible that in some places the service staff will not know what, if any, meat derivatives are in a dish.

What do you say in your native language when you eat out?
What "near misses" and bad experiences have you had personally?
What experiences have others had? (I presume there is a forum/chat room somewhere for this condition? )

Personally speaking, I would write down any and all likely eventualities, giving examples, including the suggestion to check with the kitchen if unsure and have them translated professionally, preferably printed and laminated that I could hand over as well as read phonetically.

I would also have a card made up and stored in my wallet that explained my condition and what needs to be done in the worst case scenario.

Buen Camino,!
 
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Probably meant to be goat/sheep but honestly looks more like a dog.
I initially thought of a hippo! 😆
Which would go along with @gloria lowe's idea as it means 'water horse'.... 🤭

Sorry @srtoothpaste, your post is a serious one; food allergies (or intolerances) esp in foreign lands, can be a nightmare to navigate...I could tell you some stories!
Stay safe.
👣🌏
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I think it is very important to make it clear to restaurant staff ect. that you have got a potentially life threatening allergy, and that it's not just a personal preference.

Have it printed on a card and laminated. The card should include the information about anaphylactic shock and potential death.

You can print written information in english and spanish on one side, and symbols on the other. I'd include one sign with a skull or a similar sign that makes clear how dangerous meat is to you.

It might sound extreme, but otherwise it might be misinterpreted as a simple "vegetarian", which in spain often means that chicken, chicken broth, ham ect. are totally okay, which is highly unpleasant for a vegetarian but catastrophic for someone who is severely allergic.

Such a laminated card can also be helpful to emergency services should they be needed at some point (hoping it won't be necessary, but you never know, better be safe than sorry).

It might also be a good strategy to buy your own food and cook in albergues that have a kitchen. That way you know what you get will be safe for you.

Not an easy situation, but I'm sure you can handle it :-)

Buen Camino!
 
It might sound extreme, but otherwise it might be misinterpreted as a simple "vegetarian", which in spain often means that chicken, chicken broth
Poultry is fine with this allergy, but any mammalian food products, including milk are not.

 
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I am severely allergic to meat and meat derivatives
How horrid !!

That is an extraordinarily rare and debilitating condition.

I hope that @trecile is right, and that poultry is OK for you.
Alergia and intolerancia are not the same.
OP seems to have an alergia to meat, not "just" an intolerancia.
True, but he's quite right that the Spaniards would better understand "intolerancia" than "alergia" -- including because the first of those words is much stronger in Spanish than its English equivalent.
 
I initially thought of a hippo! 😆
Which would go along with @gloria lowe's idea as it means 'water horse'.... 🤭

Sorry @srtoothpaste, your post is a serious one; food allergies (or intolerances) esp in foreign lands, can be a nightmare to navigate...I could tell you some stories!
Stay safe.
👣🌏
Hippo was my first thought as well, but I knew that wasn’t quite right…!
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
My husband has this alpha-gal allergy. He eats food from "fins and feathers" (fish and poultry), nothing with "fur" - cow, pig, lamb, goat, bison, deer, etc. If he eats anything from "fur", his hands swell, tongue enlarges, and throat closes shut, sweats profusely, and has intense itching all over his body. This is a condition arrived from a tick bite and is horrible to have and to witness. It is scary. Benadryl and epi-pens are a necessity.
 

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