chgoeditor

I'll be in Barcelona for a week later this year, and have a dietary issue that I know will present some problems. I'm hoping someone can provide a translation that I can show to servers in restaurants.

Background:

I have a sensitivity to what in the US we call a bell pepper, but which is also known as capsicum in some countries. I can't eat any color -- green, red, orange, yellow or purple. And I specifically describe it as a "sensitivity" because I don't need the kitchen to go into full allergy mode and sanitize every surface.

This particular allergy causes problems when traveling since so many other foods have the word "pepper" or the translated equivalent in their names. I can eat black pepper. I can eat paprika (the ground spice, which is often made of bell pepper) in small doses. And I can eat other types of chili peppers. But bell peppers really upset my stomach.

I was recently watching a cooking show focused on Barcelona, and although I knew Spanish cooking uses a lot of bell peppers, it seems as if they're possibly used even more frequently in Catalan cooking...and I love to eat! Can someone offer a couple sentences in Spanish that helps explain that I can't eat bell pepper of any color and in any quantity, but can eat other types of peppers/chili peppers? Realizing that so many languages have a lot of linguistic nuances when it comes to chilis and peppers (for example, some have different names for bell peppers depending on their color) that I'd prefer to have a Spanish native who loves cooking/eating do the translation than rely on my rudimentary Spanish skills. (And if Spanish people differentiate between a food sensitivity and a food allergy, please make it clear that I only have a sensitivity.)

Thanks!

MSPeconomist

It would also be useful for you to have a Catalan version of the translation if you'll be in the area around Barcelona.

chgoeditor

I meant to ask for that as well...thanks for the reminder!

LupineChemist

Don't worry about the Catalan version, there are very, very few Catalan monolinguals in general and even fewer in Barcelona.

Regardless,

"Perdone, tengo una alergia al pimiento. No hacen falta todas las medidas para asegurar que no haya contacto en la cocina, sino que no puedo tomarlo directo.

No afecta a la guindilla ni el pimentón, es solo con el pimiento.

Muchas gracias por su ayuda."

The translation is:

Pardon, I have an allergy to peppers [thankfully there is a single word that encompasses your problem peppers]. It's not necessary to go through all the measures to make sure there's no contact in the kitchen, however I can not eat them directly.

This doesn't affect chili pepper nor paprika, it's only peppers [again, the catch-all word]

Thank you very much for your help.



You can load the Spanish version into google translate to get a Catalan version if you want, and given the nature of the languages the translations tend to be pretty good, though I can't guarantee the nuance. I believe the nuance is actually lost even in Spanish outside of Spain so take from that what you will.

EDIT: Slight grammar fix

JFSV

Buena traduccion LupineChemist - and I fully agree with you, no need to have a Catalan version. I would be very surprised if someone refuses to read (or act on) a Spanish translation, especially if you are a foreigner.

As to the actual text/message, personally I would remove the second sentence of the first paragraph insofar as you might confuse the waiter/cook on the concept of allergy v food sensitivity. Perhaps in fancy places they are familiar with the distinction but I doubt that in regular "everyday" tapas places waiters will actually understand the difference i.e. they will assume allergy directly.

Just a thought.

chgoeditor

Thanks to both of you! I think JFSV's suggestion is a good one, since most English-speaking restaurants don't question me re. allergies vs. sensitivities. But I may keep it handy just in case.

CDTraveler

Weighing in here as someone who a) lives with a major food intolerance issue where cross contamination does matter and b) someone who is several months into researching the Barcelona special diet (allergy) scene...

I would leave the second sentence in. On the whole European food safety and allergy laws are at least a decade ahead of the U.S. and that includes training on allergies and food prep. Without the second sentence a small local restaurant isn't going to know how far to go with isolating your food. If peppers are a common ingredient in their food, they may regretfully tell you they can't accommodate you at all (had that happen too many times...)

Maybe the local tapas bar won't understand the difference, but the nice little mom and pop restaurant down the street will, or at least that is our experience traveling in Europe. Granted, Spain is still ahead of us (June 2017) but the folks I've been corresponding with in Barcelona assure me that most local restaurants take allergy concerns very seriously.

LupineChemist

I figure it's best to give more information, especially if you're saying what you don't need to do.

Also...I edited the grammar very slightly...It should be "no hacen falta todas las medidas" rather than "no hace falta...."

It's a minor thing and while I'm not native, it's a mistake many natives make in that context and won't affect being understood at all. I just like to keep things proper.

chgoeditor

I wanted to thank those of you who helped with my food sensitivity translation. We just returned from a wonderful week in Barcelona and San Sebastian, and didn't have a single issue! For those places where we hadn't advised them of the issue ahead of time, servers were wonderful about advising me of dishes to avoid as well as those that could be modified. It was quite possibly the easiest travel/bell pepper experience I've had in a country where I expected it to possibly be the most problematic!

We had many, many wonderful meals, and I'm already planning a potluck pintxos party