A few people have been asking what an immersion heater is. The photo to the left is one example of one common design.

You put it in to a cup or mug of cold water, plug it in, and it heats up. After a time, the water will boil.

We travel often for business as well. Food is ALWAYS an issue, though we have been fortunate enough to always travel to or near large cities that almost always have Outback Steakhouse or Carrabas’s or Bonefish Grill or PF Chang’s, so we’ve been lucky in that regard. We always find local health food stores (either Whole Foods or smaller local stores) and buy foods we can eat in our hotel room. It helps to have a rental car, of course!

What is an immersion heater? I have an immersion blender, but never heard of an immersion heater? Thanks!

Immersion Heater

Thanks for your comments, Mrs. Nicklebee.

Eating with others is a very social activity, and there is nothing worse than not being able to eat what everyone else is eating! It feels like being ostracised, even though you are at the table and everyone will talk to you! On the other hand, I feel very much included when my friends and family ask all the boring questions for me, or agree to a restaurant not of their first choice, in order to accommodate me.

On the other hand, its generally better than the effects of the allergies.

Re the immersion heater, it is a small heater that you just put into a mug and plug in. Crappy low-power ones take 20 minutes to boil, but higher-power ones can boil a cup of water in a minute or two. I’ll have to write an article about them and their uses. I have bought crappy ones in your average big-box store, but the higher power one I bought in bought in Mexico. It actually is of rather low quality, but it does the job.

As I discover useful products, I will add them to the Allergy Resources section. So if I can find a place to buy immersion heaters on-line, I’ll add them to that section.

Not about the Hilton 😉 but about eating out and not having many/any safe choices. I had a great waitress yesterday at [an unfortunate restaurant choice]. She went out of her way to make sure I didn’t end up blowing chunks on customers across the room.

I can relate to this: “The second night she was not there, and the dozy staff came up with something that technically I could eat, but really was pretty unsatisfactory.”

When we go out to eat, or discuss whether it’s worth the hassle to go out to eat, I’m often asked by my husband if there’s anything I can eat on their menu. While that’s a considerate question, it misses part of the point of going out. Yes, there are things I can it, but I don’t really want to get out of my pajamas to eat a half ounce of ham or four pieces of bacon or, as was the case yesterday, a really nice ham, lettuce, tomato and cuke salad. Yes, I can have that but I don’t want to have it, and, frankly, I’m disappointed that we’re here in this restaurant and once again I get to watch everyone else eat yummy, delicious smelling, hot food while I’m eating my salad. :\

There are times when it is necessary to be gracious and to consider how much better off I am than the starving children in Sudan and other places or how much it means to everyone else that we go to the place and enjoy time out together. There are other times when I just can’t suppress my disappointment! Yesterday was very nearly one of those days. Thankfully, one of the kids did something so sweet I thought I’d cry so I was able to spare my family a Woe Is Me performance for the time being.

Interesting website! I look forward to reading more of your posts. 🙂

OH! What is an immersion heater?? I’ve never heard of such a thing but it sounds great!!