It's silly actually. However, banana bread was one of my absolute favorite foods right after cheesecake and lasagna. I rarely get to eat those foods anymore, much less make them in my own kitchen. I miss them lots and lots. But Little Bee is worth more than my favorite foods so I plod forward in our allergy journey trying to forget my favorite foods of the past while finding new ones.
A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend on the phone and somehow my secret love of banana bread came out. I don't even remember what was said. I just made a passing comment about one of my all-time favorite foods and then we moved on.
Last weekend our friends came over to play at our house. They brought their van full of kids with lots of noise and laughter. As they came through the door the mom quietly handed me a small bundle, "I knew that nuts were not safe so I didn't use any." I stood looking at the small foil-wrapped gift, bewildered. Then I looked at her in total confusion. She laughed and said, "It's banana bread that I made today."
Then it dawned on me. She remembered our totally random and very short discussion about banana bread and she secretly brought me a gift. And she made it nut free so I would feel safer while eating it.
I grabbed the still-warm loaf and hid it on a high shelf in the kitchen.
After our friends left and our kids were in bed, my hubby and I brought out the sacred loaf and some paper plates. He cut me several slices and we hid in our bedroom to eat the contraband.
I had not had banana bread in at least 5 years. It was ridiculously good and worth every minute of the later clean up when I scrubbed counters and wiped away every trace of crumbs.
The next day I ate the rest of my little loaf. And I sat in bed and cried.
It may have seemed like a little loaf of banana bread but it was actually much, much more. It was a friend who, although she does not fully understand our allergy issues, has compassion on another mom and her crazy secret desire for banana bread after 5 years. It's remembering one little comment. It's simple friendship. It's just the little things that mean so much to an allergy mama who feels guilty for craving the unsafe allergy foods.
Yes, banana bread can bring you to tears. It's so good to have friends who have compassion even on this crazy allergy mom.
3 comments:
Wow, can I relate to this post! Funny, but I'm working on a post about "The day a Popsicle made me cry." A different situation than your banana bread, but for the same food allergy related reasons! What a wonderful friend you have there....and you're not a crazy food allergy mom :) Just a Mom who cares about her kids! :)
I completely understand! I buy bananas on the way to work, just so I can eat them but not endanger my daughter. The thought of actual banana bread makes my mouth water. And then I check the Epi Bag to make sure I still have everything that she might need if she were to accidentally eat a banana!
A fellow food allergy mom here... boy, can I relate to the contraband food on the high shelf in the kitchen. So much of what you wrote here is my real life. You are not alone. My son is 12 and is deathly allergic to dairy and severely allergic to treenuts. He outgrew eggs around the age of six. He also outgrew beef, poultry, soy, peanut (was never severe), and coconut. We have been walking this path over 12 years. And I wanted to say like another comment above- you are not a crazy food allergy mom! This is the real life. Blessings to you!
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