Living in Taipei with Shrimp Allergies

Member since 22 June 2012

AmericanInTaiwanMember22 June 2012 20:28:09

Hi all!

This is my first post on these forums and it's a pleasure to introduce myself. I'll be moving to Taipei within the next few weeks, and I've been an active part of similar forum communities in the past. If all goes well I am looking forward to being an active poster (I'm pretty sure I'll have tons of questions!) in the near future.

I visited Taiwan for a month last year and the hardest part of my month-long vacation was my intense allergy to shrimp and shellfish. My reaction to shrimp is so strong that even a good whiff of it can set it off. So for example, I cannot eat at a hibachi restaurant or anything where shrimp is cooked out in the open. Also, I cannot eat food that has been fried in the same oil that shrimp has been fried in. Yes, I am really THAT sensitive.

It is my understanding that allergies are practically unheard of in Asian cultures, so eating out was a real nail-biting experience. It was also difficult to turn down food from friends. My lady explained to me that in Taiwanese culture "no doesn't really mean no, it means ask again" ESPECIALLY when it comes to food. I had one experience where eating a small piece of fried tofu pushed on me by a friend caused a real problem for my evening.

I spent some time in Lu'Shan, which is much more rural then Taipei, and while I was there I basically lived off of vacuum-sealed dried fruit from 7-11 for several days.

I've accepted the fact that I am going to have to learn to cook, which won't be that bad. I was planning on it anyway as I am a vegetarian, but I have the feeling that eating in social situations is going to be very, very difficult.

I'm looking for input from anyone with shrimp/shellfish allergies who is living in Taiwan. Is it possible to live a comfortable lifestyle outside of cooking for yourself? I am worried that a language barrier will get me into some serious medical trouble... if that happens are the local hospitals outfitted to deal with allergic reactions?

Any info is appreciated, thank-you in advance for your informative replies.

Harmonie ViP

Member since 13 June 2011

HarmonieViP25 June 2012 07:52:46

19273

Hi AmericanInTaiwan & welcome to Expat.com!

So sorry for you.
Hope that other members will share their experience with you.

Harmonie.

apesanteur Member

Member since 13 July 2012

apesanteurMember13 July 2012 06:02:46

That's rough I visited Taiwan for a week on vacation last year and ended up in the hospital from eating a few spoonfuls of dumpling soup which had shrimp in the dumplings! I don't live in Taipei but I have a friend who is Taiwanese with the same allergy and she's still alive... I live in Korea and have had manyyy times when I almost ate seafood but by being careful I have managed to avoid the hospital... I do suggest making sure you have a detailed list of everything you're allergic to and pictures on a card that you can show people, it will help a lot. One scary thing is that when I ended up in the hospital with my throat closing up the doctor was completely convinced that I just had a stomachache! They did put me on an IV drip with allergy medication though...

Sunflower33 Member

Member since 21 March 2013

Sunflower33Member21 March 2013 12:32:34

apesanteur wrote:
One scary thing is that when I ended up in the hospital with my throat closing up the doctor was completely convinced that I just had a stomachache! They did put me on an IV drip with allergy medication though...

Could i no which hospital u went? so scary....allergic reaction sometimes is very serious...Take care.:-)

puvenlin New member

Member since 06 March 2013

puvenlinNew member02 April 2013 07:24:25

Vegetarian is a good option and a healthy lifestyle:)

LORRAINE A.CRIMANDO Member

Member since 14 January 2012

LORRAINE A.CRIMANDOMember15 April 2013 05:17:28

I read your post about allergies to shrimp and seafood. I'm an American who's been living in Taipei for 30 months and though I don't have an allergy to seafood or shrimp, I do know that many restaurants where I live serve dishes without shrimp and seafood. Whether or not they cook them in the same oil, I can't say, but I do know that there are plenty of vegetarian foods on menus in most restaurants and there are even totally-vegetarian restaurants. Like you,I don't speak Mandarin and were it not for my Taiwanese friend, I'd have a heck of a time ordering food in restaurants because the menus here are all in Chinese. To answer your question about the hospitals, I've been to a few and there are people on staff that speak English.