Brazil nut: okay or no?

My friend Carla once told me the story of a friend of hers, whose parents told her early on that she was allergic to alcohol. She wasn't allergic--they did this in an effort to curb any Girls Gone Wild tendencies. So said friend never drank, thinking she'd go into anaphylactic shock if she did.

One day, Carla and the friend went to the mall and had some Rainforest Brittle, a kind of peanut brittle made with Brazil nuts and cashews. Well, turns out fake booze-allergy friend was, unknowingly, severely allergic to Brazil nuts. Her throat closed up after a bite of brittle and they had to rush her to the emergency room. Don't worry, she survived.

There are a few lessons here:

• Don't lie to your kids about their health
• Get tested for allergies
• Beware Brazil nuts

This weekend I was given a canister of mixed nuts: cashews, almonds, pecans, macadamia (which I already know I am mildly allergic to) and--you guessed it--Brazil nuts. I have never had a Brazil nut before and I didn't know if I had an allergy like fake-booze allergy girl, but her Rainforest brittle story was a warning. However, I was hungry and the largest nuts in the can were calling to me. I was alone, so there would be no ride to the ER, no one to grab the epi pen which I don't own. So I gingerly took a small bite. No sudden closing of air passages. All clear!

Whew. Funny enough, I don't find Brazil nuts to be that tasty.

Live and learn.