Menu translation and health problems
 

I have some concerns regarding ordering food in restaurants for our July trip to Rome and Tuscany.

My husband has had problems w/gout, and is managing it pretty well. But, after reading a book on food in Italy, it seems frequently, that meat sauces, and stuffings, contain the "specialty meats" that could cause him a painful attack, i.e., brains, sweetbreads, liver, tripe. These are often only a part of a meat mixture and not included in the name of the dish, as they are not the primary meat used.

I would like for him to avoid these items but cannot find translations for the words "Gout", "sweetbreads", or "organ meat". (I did find the Italian words for liver, kidney, brains, tripe). He has to avoid sardines as well, since they are also high in purines. To avoid touring Tuscany on crutches, we will have to be very careful in how we order food.

We would like to learn how to ask if certain "trigger" foods are included in a dish.

If anyone has suggestions, I'd sure appreciate it.

Hi C,

My sympathies.

Can't answer your question, but

Does DH take Colchicine?

My Lady Wife makes me drink lots of water.

Exercise also helps.

((I))

Ira,
No, gratefully, he has been off Colchicine & Prednesone for 1 year (off crutches as well).

He takes a med that helps the kidneys flush uric acid out of the system, and drinks 8-10 glasses of water per day to aid the process.

He's just an unfortunate person who cannot metabolize nor flush uric acid w/o the med, kidneys just won't do it.

As long as he takes his pill and water, he's fine...

We just don't want him to unwittingly consume the few things that are extremely high in purines.

How do you say "are there any organ meats in this dish?" in Italian?

I suggest a good menu translator book. I have one called Eating and Drinking in Italy and it is pretty complete. There are several others that get good reviews here.

When I went to Italy last year and was allergic to shellfish, I had a card that explained my allergy. It was written in Italian and said that I cannot eat shellfish, nor food that has been prepared using the same utensils as fish. Because it was an allergy, I included that I could die in their restaurant if I ate food that was cross-contaminated with shellfish. I gave it to the waitperson to read and then asked for help with ordering. I'm sure you could do something similar.

If you make a list of the foods that cannot be tolerated and I'm sure you can find someone here who can translate it to Italian for you and give you the correct text for a card. I suggest a new thread asking for Italian translation help.

Have a fun trip!

Hi cup,

My Italian is not good enough to advise you.

You could make a list of all unacceptable foods via http://ets.freetranslation.com/

((I))

As a last resort (if you can't get info before your trip) look for a medical clinic for tourists once you get there and get the appropriate translations.

Thanks for the excellent suggestions. A card to hand to a waiter sounds like a good thing. I have been to several translation websites and have not found all that I need.

No words for Gout, although I could use "medical condition" or I suppose "allergy", which is not accurate...but this is for a waiter, not a doctor.

I still don't know if there is an Italian word for our catch-all, "organ meats". And I can't seem to find the words for sweetbreads (nor thymus). I will keep looking and asking.

Thanks

This is a post that I can really relate to. I have had gout for years at one time having attacks every 4-6 weeks. Cochicine is hell. However, my Doc put me on alipurinol, which is probably the kidney med you refer to, and a particular NSAID called lodine, both taken daily. In the two years I have been on this regimen I have not had a single attack. I have travelled to Italy and other places in Europe a number of times in this period and have had no problems just avoiding items when they are obvious. Of course that is only my experience, but I would suggest your DH ask his Doc about this combination.

All above suggestions seem very helpful. How about attacking this problem a different way. Research some familiar dishes that might be popular in most restaurants. Dishes that guarantee (or at least should guarantee) the fact that he can eat it without worries.

It might not be as much fun as trying new and enticing delicacies, but it will guarantee good health and peace of mind.

my dictionary gives gotta and podagra as translations for gout.

I thank you all. I have found a translation for sweetbreads (animelle di vitello). It was in a Rick Steve's guidebook.

I used Google language tools and have come up with "my doctor says I cannot eat:" then I can list the few restricted items. Printed on a small piece of paper or card, and handed to a waiter, should work.

If my DH takes his alipurinol, and drinks enough water, it should go well.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Hi cupspinner. Yes gout is gotta.
Regarding sweetbreads..animelle di vitello is sweetbreads of veal. If you use animelle only you will cover all sweetbreads regardless of which animal it is from. Hope this helps!

Hi C,

I have an Italian/English menu translater,

www.travelersmenureader.com,

it lists sweetbreads, entrails, brains, heart, liver, tongue, pigs feet, lung, kidneys, various sausages, tripe, eggs, cheeses, chicken livers, hearts, giblets and gizzards.

Hope this helps.

((I))

I wouldn't worry about the gout part - most waiters won't have a clue what that means in terms of foods to avoid.

I think you just need a card that says he will become very ill if he eats any - and list each item separtely. Don't try to combine into categories - who knows how the chef will classify "organ meats".

And finally - the idea of having a list of safe foods is a good one. If there areplaces you thik the waiter isn't getting it - just order one of the safe items - usually simple chicken or a specific type of fish is OK I would think.

I have a friend who is deathly allergic to nuts. When he travelled through Asia, he had a card (in Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and a couple other languages) that he would hand to the wait person advising of his nut allergy and the dos and don'ts of it all. Everyone was very, very helpful and was able to direct him to dishes that worked for him. He used the card everywhere -- from high end restaurants to street vendors. I suggest you do the same. Just make sure however you write it that someone fluent in the language double checks it for grammer. You don't want a syntax issue to mess everything up.

Good luck
Taitai

Hi cup,

A good way to get the waiters attention is to start the card with
"I WILL DIE IF I EAT"
and then list the forbidden items.

((I))

"I will die if I eat...."Wow, that is drastic isn't it, though certainly attention-getting.

Are there people on this board who can double-check whatever we decide to write? Or could you suggest a place to go for this?

Thanks

In my case, an allergic reaction could have been very serious. But it got the point across that I needed to be careful. There are online translation sites but I have found them to be close but not quite right.

here is the text I used, it might be a start for you:

Here is the card text:

INFORMAZIONE IMPORTANTE PER IL RISTORANTE

Sono gravemente allergica ai crostacei (aragosta, gambero, molluschi, mitili, granchio, ostriche, ecc.).

Si tratta di una condizione medica molto seria. Potrei morire dopo aver ingerito questo tipo di cibo, cibo preparato con utensili che hanno toccato crostacei, cibo con olio di crostacei, estratti, brodi, ecc. E’ importante ricordare che questo ingrediente potrebbe essere presente anche nei cibi comprati gia’ fatti.

Se mangio crostacei o qualunque cibo che è stato cucinato con crostacei o che ha toccato crostacei, avrò bisogno dell'attenzione immediata medica.

La prego gentilmente di non darmi cibo che potrebbe contenere o che ha toccato crostacei.

Translation:
I am allergic to shellfish - shrimp, prawns, lobster, crab.... I cannot eat shellfish or food that is prepared in the same pan as shellfish. If I eat shellfish - shrimp, prawns, lobster, crab - I will need medical attention and I may die in your restaurant.


There was a recent thread about this type of thing and I posted my card text and there was quite a discussion about the appropriate use of one of the words. So, I'm sure that you ask, you'll find people here that can help. I would suggest a new post with a title asking for help with Italian translation. Good luck!

I would use http://www.selectwisely.com and not risk amateur translations.

IF your husband really does have his gout triggered by purines in spite of taking his allopurinol, you need to do a lot more research before going to Italy about the foods to avoid. He's also probably on the wrong dose

Most legumes - especially borlotti beans and lentils - are at least as high on most danger lists as sweetbreads or brains. Similarly turkey and a wide range of seafood. And red wine in grown up portions doesn't help. Neither does beer. Or excessive amounts of boring red meat, like steak.

Doing without all this (even turkey) would make a trip to Italy a complete waste of time, to my mind. And even at home, I can't imagine a diet so devoid of life's basic necessities - though having gout is a great excuse to keep tedious junk like steak off the menu.

It's clearly pointless even mentioning gout to a waiter: I've never met a Latin, other than doctors, who had the foggiest notion the condition exists. My own solution is to take copious supplies of the "cure" for the attack my doctor's prescribed, as well as ensuring I'm prescribed the right dose of allopurinol and that I've got enough

I'm delighted to say that I've been eating whatever I like in Italy for 30 years and have never had an attack there.

If you want to be over cautious (and bored to death) at mealtimes, well, that's your loss. But there's really is little worthwile in Italy left without some purines.