I Get Shit for Being Allergic to Coffee

It's no fun when you have food allergy.

However people tend to show some form of sympathy towards you upon learning your condition.
"Oh poor thing"
"That's a terrible thing to be allergic to"

Sometimes, insensitive remarks.
"My, I don't know what I'll do if I can never eat lobster again"
(you'll survive, like the rest of us)

But when it is an uncommon allergy, you receive more than just a sceptical snide, you get thrown shades by people left right and centre.

What do I mean? Let's me give an example.

Girl A and B walk in to cafe, sit down and place an order. Girl A tells the waiter, I'm severely allergic to gluten, so please inform the chef to make sure my salad and sides are absolutely gluten free. Girl B asks Girl A, "I didn't know you were allergic to gluten". Girl A replies: "Oh I'm not, but I'm on this gluten free diet so I'm just lying to get what I want." Waiter overheard, roll eyes, proceed to serve non-gluten-free meal with no complication.

Repeat 5 times with 5 different customers with the same request. In walk a 6th customer who is truly allergic gluten, after taking order, the waiter turn around and spoke non-too-discreetly: "I bet you want bread with that gluten free salad".

Did she deserve it? No. Did she receive sympathy? Definitely no. What else can she do but goes online and rant about it.

Like this frustrated celiac disease writer who has a life threatening gluten allergy.

Wait, what do you mean it's not common? If it's not a common allergy, why would there be so many gluten free, soy free, lactose free products on the market? Because of allergy liars of course, which largely outnumbered actual allergy sufferer.

Now I'm not allergic to gluten, but I do possess a fairly uncommon allergy, albeit a fairly mainstream food product: coffee, more specifically, caffeine. But no matter how I deliver this news, I see a figurative eye rolls all around. And I'm not alone, many allergy sufferers like this one shared the same experience.

"Yea (laugh) but you can drink tea/coke"
Is my most common response from people whom I've informed on why I have to politely refuse that cup of coffee at the end of a meal. They can be old/new friends, relatives, acquaintances, waiters, even baristas at Starbucks has given me the eye rolls!

What's worse? I have been served caffeinated food without knowledge and ended up with rashes all over the next day. Thanks TWG for not informing me that your cakes are caffeinated even after I told your waitress I was allergic to caffeine hence had to insist the caffeinated tea you serve in your set is not consumable. I had to resort to harmful addictive steroid cream to stop my itches the following days.

Most times I just refuse without offering any explanation (despite the risk). It does make my life easier, it's when it's being insisted upon that I had to play the allergy sufferer card and I do not enjoy it.

I shouldn't need to feel shamed for having allergy, but that's how it is.

What To Eat in Penang in 24 hours - A Guide to 10 Must-Eats in Penang

Note: There are more than 10 types of food listed here, but the must-trys are in the headings. Read on for all the food you should try in Penang in 24 hours. 

You could do it in less than 24 hours should you possess a stomach of steel. That's what we did anyway, a day trip to Penang with the sole intention to visit all the popular eateries known to tourists and locals.

All the food and eateries in this list were recommendations of hundreds of readers and approved by a legit local Penang 'boy' that has lived in and out of Penang for more than 50 years.

1. Air Itam Sister's Curry Mee

Cooked and sold by two senior 80 year old sisters by the road side sheltered by aluminium roofs, this is a charmed and diminishing business that deserves a visit. Order the RM4 soup noodle with pork blood and cuttle fish, served with homemade sambal chilli. They only sell in the morning till sold out  (or 7:30am - 1pm) so best to make your first stop here. And it's a short walk away from our next stop.

2. Penang Air Itam Laksa

RM4.50 of utter deliciousness. If you want to go easy, opt without the noodles and all vegetables base. The broth, fish sauce and fish meat paste are the highlights here. It's one of my top meals of the day. 11:15am - 7:30pm.

3. Lorong Selamat Char Kuey Teow

If you're a first timer to Penang food, then you need to visit the most famous Char Kuey Teow in Penang. Expect to wait. And expect to be snarled at when placing a customised order. The red hat cook/owner is known for being rude. Order quick, order small plate, and find a seat.  It's not the best Char Kuey Teow in town but it is the most famous. RM10 for a plate.

Cafe Heng Kuat. 11am - 6pm. 

4. Ice Kacang Lorong Selamat

It's not easy to impress a Malaccan where Ice Kacang (literally ice peanuts, also known as ABC, meaning mixed ice) originated from. And I was impressed by this bowl of goodness. The seller is a lot friendlier here too. It's only down the street from the Char Kuey Teow place. 

Kedai Kopi Dan Ice Kacang. 11am - 5pm.

5. Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul 

This is easy to locate. Key into waze and when you get to a place with a long queue, you know you have found your stall. They have outlets all over Malaysia but this is where it began. A humble stall, RM2.50 per bowl (RM2.70 to go). They serve fast so despite the daunting queue, it's not that long to wait. Get back in line! No place to sit, so stand, eat, pass back the bowl, and leave. 10:30am - 7pm. 

6. Duck Meat Kuey Teow Th'ng 

If this is where you're getting tired of walking, head to Cecil Street Market (it's a food court), time to rest your feet and eat more.
Start with a Kuey Tiao Soup with duck meat, add on duck blood if you dare. We also ordered Chee Cheong Fun and Penang-style Otak-Otak (fish paste cake) as shown below. No GPS screenshot here.
7:30am - 7pm. Closed alternate Wednesday.

7. Macallum Connoisseurs Coffee Company

Nurse your tummy between now and dinner time with a few cafe hops, if anything, Penang does cafes very well. We stopped by Macallum for a drink, it was easy to park and we didn't need to walk, and the boys needed coffee. 9am - 12am. 

8. China House Penang 

This cafe is worth a visit and it's walking distance to where we would be having dinner. So time to get those feet moving again. Park at a distance away and start walking. I would have suggested desserts after dinner but we have other places to be for supper so be sure to pack some cakes with you. 9am - 12am. 

9. Kimberly Street Duck Kway Chap

I had this many years ago and till today I sometimes still dream about it. It was still as good as my memory had served it. Flat rice noodle with duck meat, duck and pork internal organs and blood curds. You can order it without the internal organs and blood, but I highly suggest you do. RM7.50 for a standard bowl. 

6:30pm - 11:30pm. 

Order Lim Chi Kang as your drink, my other favourite (pic below). The boys ordered lobak (five spiced meat rolls) as a side. When done, we walked down Kimberly street for the following: Penang Popiah and Or-jien (oyster omelette). 

lim chi kang 

popiah

or-jien

10. Hon Kei Pork Congee / Rice Porridge 

They also serve fish congee and pork vermicelli and yam rice. By now you should be glad if you could even manage a whole bowl by yourself. And if you can only order one, go for the pork congee with everything in it. Do not order congee without pork, it won't taste as nice.
9am - 12am. Hon Kei Food Corner.

Time to get in the car and head home. There's midnight discount on the highway. If you have severe food coma, I highly suggest you check yourself into a hotel.