Dreaming of WT+

Hello

Travelling to DXB soon from London in clubworld. I have a shellfish allergy and also have a dairy intolerance (lucky me)

Wondering if anyone has any examples of what I could expect to receive in a low lactose meal please? I ordered a vegan meal last time (one tray service option) which was awful, I don't like wasting food so would prefer not to order that again, but would like to experience the dining options if possible

Thanks for any ideas

so3003

Not sure what's in the low lactose options, but from previous experience travelling with child with allergies (thankfully no longer an issue- child has grown out of them) we used to ask the crew about the "chef's chat" document which among other things has an allergen list on it, and it was usually a way of finding something to eat on board. Usually the vegan meal on short haul at least comprised a bowl of fruit and not much else. Can't remember what long haul was. Good luck!

orbitmic

Unfortunately, if you can't eat either shellfish or dairy, I fear that Vegan is the only certain option. The regular meals are a risk because many dishes will have dairy in them even when the name of them would suggest something "safe", and the problem with special meals is that they come with no choice, so while your low lactose may well have no shellfish in any dish, it might equally have them in both starter and main!

Assuming that the dairy intolerance is less absolute than the shellfish allergy, you could try AVML (Asian Vegetarian) or Jain but again, it is possible for both of them to include dairy products, and notably paneer is not unusual in the AVML meals (I don't know what milk the caterers use in their paneer).

mjh0

I manage a slightly less common intolerance (certain types of nightshade, primarily aubergine and potato) that can't be handled with a special meal - other than with a fruit plate. Fortunately I don't have any full-on food allergy though, I'm just bloated and rather sick for around 24-36 hours after an "incident".

The other meal that *may* work for you is a Kosher Meal - shellfish is forbidden, and the Kosher rules about dairy and meat being consumed together mean that there is seldom any dairy in the main meal especially if it contains a meat element, though there's a risk dairy may be present if the main component of the meal is pareve (non-meat, so maybe pasta with a cheese-based sauce or topping), or contains allowed (fins & scales) fish with a dairy-based preparation.

I empathise that it's a bit of a roulette wheel.

I'm wondering if you might be better off not ordering a special meal at all and instead chancing it with the main menu as I do, but asking the crew about allergens and other details from their documentation. You may be down to a single choice from the main menu to find something that doesn't contain both shellfish and dairy, but at least it's not a fruit plate, and if you let the crew know early on, when they come around with the menu cards, you stand a chance of getting what you want.

I also get in the habit of carrying some snacks and a sandwich or something I bought in the terminal, especially if I'm totally blind about what food we'll get on board, and haven't managed to work out what the food onboard will be based on the info people share here. Not ideal, but sometimes it's the best I can do.

corporate-wage-slave

If you are flying in March I don't think you have much of an issue: in the main CW catering thread there is a current Dubai menu the main course is lamb (that's on most LHR departures it seems), salmon and grilled tofu. The latter has a vegan jus so I can't see how shellfish or dairy can get into that. However the place to check is Chef's Chat, which the cabin crew can dig out for you, and will hopefully confirm my theory - this will specifically say if there is dairy and/or shellfish in the meal. If you are flying in April or later then best keep an eye on the main CW catering thread, DXB will pop up at some point, and you will know about the main-main course option from the USA services.

jamestg

The lamb comes with potato au gratin so that will have cheese, butter and cream. But I guess depending on the severity of the dairy intolerance there could be no problem. If I were OP I’d probably just pop one of those lactase pills.

orbitmic

I honestly wouldn't chance it. As you say, fish meals are a frequent occurrence as CW KSML and when they do, they will typically come with a dairy-heavy rest of the meal (which incidentally tends to be very nice for those of us with no dairy intolerance!)

Again, to me, the "key" thing of a special meal is that once you order it, there is no choice at all. In that sense, in my view, even sticking to standard is a bit less risky. As cws mentions, it can also be a good idea to check the CW catering and (hopefully soon useful again) main course pre-order thread at least for flights ex-UK (and indeed, if flying when main pre-selection is restored, it might be that going standard ex-UK may be a good option, even though there will never be a certainty of one's top choice being granted, except perhaps for Prems and GGLs most of the time.

awayIgo

Try ordering a Kosher meat meal! I do not know where they get their food from, but it’s worth a try. You will have ZERO milk or milk products since Kosher precludes Milk and meat together. Same as no shell fish since it is NOT kosher.

The meal will be served double wrapped and you will have to remove the wrappings. This is done to enable the food to,be heated on the non Kosher warmers on board.

This is a parve meal, ( neither milk or meat,guaranteed)You,can see how it’s wrapped. I couldn’t find a meat meal picture,

https://travelupdate.com/wp-content/...8/IMG_3214.jpg

orbitmic

That’s simply incorrect. You can and do get fish meals that include dairy products not just parve or meat (meat is more frequent) but be certainly had then. The photo you attach also looks like Y rather than J?

awayIgo

I attached a photo too,show the double wrap! Ask if you can order a Kosher MEAT meal!
Also, the chances of there being fish and cheese are slim to none! Many Orthodox Jews will NOT eat dairy and fish ( for reasons beyond the scope of the forum)

orbitmic

Again, I've had it though! On BA specifically (it's the only airline on which I sometimes/regularly order KSML) and more than once. Almost all KSML breakfast and brunches I have had in BA long haul J have had both fish and dairy.

PS: OT, but you've interested me on your last point - whilst the couple of Lubavitch people I know have told me that they don't drink milk when eating fish (which I thought that was by tradition rather than strictly kashrut?), even they seem fine eating fish with butter, cream cheese, yoghurt, etc. I'm not doubting your word that some people don't combine fish with dairy at all, but I can only imagine it is quite a specific/limited group which do that?