I have never eaten Pocky before

Mainly curious to see how others with allergies (largely food allergies/intolerances) cope at expos and conventions with all the pocky, sweets and lack of anything to eat for a weekend?

I've got a wheat/gluten allergy and mild problem with dairy (can have little bits like cheese and butter but not too much as it makes my lungs go all angry, defo can't have milk in cereal anymore *sad panda*) and I've ended up resorting to bringing my own food with me to these events as many food vendors and cafés around expo seem to have no allergy awareness at all. It makes it hard as I don't really get a proper meal for a whole weekend which isn't too great tbh O_o

I'd like to know if there are others out there with allergies and stuff and we can compare notes and tips on things which could help each other ^_^ wheeee

Luckily the food allergy i have is quiet easy to spot when i see food. I have an allergy to fish.

But there was this time at hyper japan, I bought a japanese pot noodle, It had nothing on the front about fish, However when i opened the pot up, there were prawns in it @@.

Best thing i could suggest is, if its hot food, then ask the members of staff, as the food there serving they should know if it is safe for you to eat.

aw poor you, I guess it's stuff like fish sauce and stuff like that that they put into noodles and stir-frys that you need to be cautious of then?

At expo i was just asking about chips and burgers from that fine burger company and they knew absolutely nothing about allergies or what was actually in any of the food O_O didn't even have any of the food packaging in the fridge or anything which was a bit wierd. That or the guy had no idea what I was talking about lol. His manager didn't seem very interested either, I guess it's just being really picky and taking ages to choose where to eat lol

I don't have allergies (well I have an allergy to tomatoes but despite being annoying, it's not hard to avoid), but it's not hard to get food at conventions. My diet has never been constricted to simply pocky and sweets because it's usually very easy to pop off somewhere and pick up some lunch. Whether it was a supermarket, a Subway or the cafetaria, there is normally somewhere close by/on site where you can pop off to for half an hour or so to get something to eat. These places you can normally avoid your allergy and pick what you can have.
However, what I' planning on doing for Kitacon this year, so I don''t have to go looking around for somewhere to eat (my friend is a very fussy eater, so it may take a while to find somwhere that three of us can buy something at), is buy some food before hand and eat it in my hotel room. Either stuff I can eat cold or stuff I can heat up/cook using a kettle.

I hope that helps.

I have gluten/wheat allergies too. For me it was fine - at expo there's Foxy's, there's also a mini-market, as well as so many food shops. Try searching the names of the companies online or e-mailing the company to find out what you can eat.

EDIT: Just thinking about it, as well I usually take dry packet/instant soup with me for the hotel room and crackers (Mrs. Crimbles) and then buy topping from the store :3 I love Mrs Crimble

Believe it or not, you're not missing much. It's nice enough stuff but it's also horribly overrated.

Instant soup is a great idea. I'll have to bare that in mind in the future.

I've got pretty severe IBS and a stupid amount of foods sets me off (wheat, dairy, acidic fruit and veg etc) but its normally not too bad finding safe foods at cons and expos.

Usually I just completely stay away from anything that will possibly trigger a reaction even if it means not eating much over the weekend. Yes it's tempting to have something you know isn't good for you when it's something tasty, but just knowing that it'll completely ruin the whole weekend is enough to put me off!
If you're not able to take things that can be cooked in the room its sometimes helpful to check out local restaurants before going. Then you'll know in advance which places you can go to and what they serve.

Agreeing too with the pocky, you're not missing a great deal. I like the fancy flavours but the plain stuff is pretty meh really.

I lived with a coeliac for a few years and Storme's been a vegetarian for so long she'd throw up if the food was cooked in something that touched meat earlier. XD That's not an allergy but I've learned a bit about fooding and reading labels. XD

From my experience, restaurants are usually okay with telling you what's gone into the food, but there is no chance of staff at cafes and fast food places knowing anything. Like, at a sushi restaurant they'd know that mirin and soy sauce has wheat in it. At a fast food style sushi place they probably don't even know what gluten is, or that buckwheat noodles aren't actually made of wheat.

As for what restaurants, I know that Wagamama and La Tasca both cater for gluten allergy. At Wagamama they have a special menu with allergy info, you just need to ask the staff. La Tasca shows the gluten information on their main menu. Nando's claims to help as well but that varies from branch to branch, sometimes their staff just blank you when you ask. >_> Haven't seen branches of these restaurants near Expo, but you might find them near a con if you're lucky?

I never thought about instant soups XD that's a great idea! *plan face* haha Mrs Crimbles! I'm nomming the choc macaroons at the moment >: D


Glad to know!! It's just strange seeing/hearing people rave about it all the time and I've never actually had a chance to try it. The strawberry one smells like fruitellas X3



Yeah I agree ^_^ had a few problems at our hotel @ excel, the pub staff didn't really understand what i was getting at, neither did the chef really which was a bit worrying O_o Need to do more research before cons, I'm alright if they're mildly local but anywhere else and I'm a bit lost! Waga's is really yummy I have a really good pizza place near me, I just wish there were more about!! I just get into a flap when I can't find anywhere after a long day of expo-ing lol

Ooh there's a massive ASDA at Beckton (which is where I stayed last expo, not far away at all!), so maybe if you're at Expo the day before or something stock up on gluten free/dairy free stuff from there?

I take food with me, its cheaper, and you know whats in the stuff you bring with you.

I dont think anyone eats properly (if atall) over expo which probably isnt healthy with the amount of walking people are doing all day. I always try and make sure i have water with me atall times, but its hard to carry food/drink with some costumes.

But hey its only twice a year i guess, having a bit of a binge on rubbish foods for a weekend isnt toooo bad. I just make sure i have a nice meal when i get home yum ^__^

And dw your not missing out on much with pocky, i think mikados are better hehe.

I have three allergies. Two of them are very easy to manage at cons. Nuts and mango. Mango doesn't come in much and nuts are now stated on pretty much everything.

My third one, however, is a beast when it comes to cons/events/anything. I'm badly allergic to vinegar. Spirit vinegar in particular. Even the smell of it can shut my chest down as it leaves vapours in the air. It burns me like an acid. So I can't go anywhere like a 'Fish & Chip' shop. Or anything similar. As it is used as a preservative in most foods/sauces it really restricts my diet right down. No one can eat Salt & Vinegar crisps near me. So you can imagine this is a nightmare at events/cons.

For the most part I stick to places that I know, eg, Subway. As most restaurants look at me funny when I mention it. I've even been in one restaurant where the table burnt my arms as the waitress had used vinegar to clean the glass tops.

That really sucks I bet that limits you to so much.
And i complain a bit for having IBS and being lactose intolerant. Im gonna shut up from now on

I would imagine it being super hard with wheat allergies too!
Having to look at every food and tracve through to see if theres anything you are allergic to

Awww, don't worry about it. I know how much IBS can be a pain as I have it too. I have it more or less under control through years of experimenting (back when I first developed it there where no medicines for it. Yikes! I feel old XD XD ).

Thankfully, for the most part my allergies are managible.

*hugs*