Fish allergy
 

I'm highly allergic to whitefish (cod, perch, etc.). I'll have an Epipen with me, just in case I unwittingly eat something containing fish, but would like to be able to make it clear in restaurants that I'm allergic to fish and wish to avoid it altogether. I need to watch out for things that might contain a fish sauce or some such thing. Will people speak enough English for me to communicate that? (I'll be in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia.) Maybe have someone at the hotel write fish allergy in the local language? Anyone else have a similar problem?
Thanks,
Karen

I would definitely have something in writing about this. Fish sauce is used heavily in SE Asian cooking, it can even show up in dishes that would seem to be only vegetables. I think fish sauce is usually based on anchovies, but not always. Oyster sauce is also used, it is based on oysters, which I assume are OK with you.

If there is any way you can get someone in your home town to do this before you leave so you can bring this with you that might be the most helpful, as your hotel staff might not know the translation for "cod" or "perch", but a Thai/Cambodian/Laotian living in your area could most likely find a translation for "whitefish" that would work.

You might Google and see if you can find basic pronunciations guides so you can help yourself, but written instructions would be most precise, the waiter can bring it into the kitchen as well if necessary.

There was a thread on this a year or so ago and the woman said the written advice was very helpful and lead to some hilarious discussions among waiters and chefs as they came out from kitchens and debated whether the particular ingredient she was allegoric to was contained in each dish she ordered. She had no trouble on the trip, by the way.

fish sauce is in so many thai dishes....

the first thing i would do is go to the front desk of my hotel and ask them to write something out for you about this that you can give to your waiter each meal...

honestly i think you may have quite a bit of a problem....

in bkk my alternative would be to only eat in non-asian restaurants....that would be easy to do...

I agree entirely with rhkkmk that you'll have a problem over this. Thais put fish sauce in virtually everything they cook, plus utensils used for preparing fish meals in restaurants probably won't be washed properly. Furthermore, what you tell the waiter/waitress may not reach the cook. The only way I can see for you to be totally safe is to eat in vegetarian restaurants, or in western food places, like rhkkmk suggested.

It has been my understanding that fish sauce is made from anchovies, not white fish so I just checked my bottles of fish sauce and it is indeed anchovy. Karen said she is allergic to white fish, such as cod and perch, thus the fish sauce may be okay for her to eat. Karen, if you aren't allergic to anchovies, don't worry about the fish sauce.

Thanks for your advice. Yes, anchovies are fine. I may stick largely to vegetarian dishes, though (love them anyway!).

Sticking largely to vegetarian dishes is the way to go, not only will you totally be avoiding fish & fish products but you'll also be avoiding chicken & eggs, which may be risky too.

You might try the SelectWisely web site. They have cards with foreign language translations for various food allergies.