My wife and I are going to Bonaire during the second week of Jan. My wife is extremely allergic to all kinds of seafood, whether fresh or salt water, Will she have any problems finding other foods without going the exotic route (tripe)???

Tony,

There are many restaurants where one can get more than seafood. I'm sure that you will hear about a lot of great restaurants. Just be sure that you tell your server that your wife is HIGHLY allergic to seafood and that her food cannot be around it. My recommendations, Casablanca, Swiss Chalet, Rib Factory, just to mention a few. Enjoy!

Liz

Tony, Welcome to the boards.

In addition to the restaurants Liz mentioned I had an incredible pork tenderloin dinner at Le Flamboyant and my buddy had a delicious NY Strip at Richards in October.

There are many options other than fish for diners.

Tripe, yuck!!!!!

*Since I'm a dutch girl please excuse me if my english isn't that good*

Why don't you go to the Cultimara? Thats a supermarket in Kralendijk where you can buy all kinds of meat and vegitables etc. A bbq isn't such a bad idea when you think of it..

If you really want to eat outside anyway, you can go to the city's center of Kralendijk. In front of The Mall (NOT at the sea side, I mean the other side) there is a little 'wooden' snackbar, where you can buy chicken and french fries. DELICIOUS! In that neighbourhood are much more restaurants where you can eat.

I would only like to give you an advice: try to buy your own food and make a bbq at the beach or something, because on Bonaire it's just much more fun to live a simple life, just like all the other locals who live there.

Mieke

Mieke,

Your English is Very Good! I agree a BBQ is a fantastic idea! We always love to go to Cultimara or Warehouse and get some steak and have a BBQ. You are right, the simple life is always the best! Liz

Italian restaurants are Capriccio and Croccantino. Meat can be found at Mona Lisa and It Rains Fishes.

Mieke,

Also, try Bobbyjans, best ribs and chicken on island! Open Fri, Sat, Sun, or Pasa Bon Pizza too.
Liz mentioned that others and there are more, I am sure, just can't think of them at the moment.

As far as I know (and I've lived here over 14 years now), there is no 'seafood only' restaurant; most, if not all, will have poultry, beef & salads, quite a few have pastas and pizza as well, others lamb & goat.

Tony:

I don't think she will have any problem finding many options. Others have covered that very well -- every restaurant and every grocery would have choices.

That said, how allergic is "extremely"?

If it is super bad, I would tend to eat only pre-packaged foods with clear labels in english or things were you can be 100% there was no cross contamination (i.e., fruit). I would also have an epi pen or three with me.

I would also be cautious about things like soup which can start from a fish base (although they would most likely start from a chicken or beef base) or thinks where they might add a dash of something such as Worchester sauce.

Also, would it be a problem if the chef cooked a steak on a grill where fish had been before (if you grill it, you can put foil over the grill)? What about a pizza wheel used to cut a fish pizza, then wiped on a towel, then used to cut her pizza (Liz's advice to be clear comes to mind)?

BTW, all of my comments apply equally to *anywhere* you might travel (foreign or domestic).

Those are really good points David--when we owned Cozzoli's, we had a separate "fish" pizza cutter--used only for pizza's with anchovis on them--that taste really can carry over. I don't know if other pizzerias do the same. "Cross contamination" of any kind (like cutting meat on the same cutting board where fish was just filleted) can be dangerous to all. We (KFC) use all color-coded utensils to separate chicken from non-chicken items.

The second week of January, when they'll be here, is a bit less crowded than now, which is good for them, because the restaurant owners/chefs will be able to accommodate her needs--just like they do when specific vegetarian needs, other allergies-like to onions, arise, etc.