Seafood Allergy and Korean BBQ

[ktmoomau]

So my Aunt has an allergy to seafood, and I wanted to see if Korean food (mainly bbq) should just be avoided as too uncertain or if people thought it was do-able. Does anyone have any idea what items may have seafood in them? I was thinking somewhere like HoneyPig or HanGang, ordering beef or pork bbq. As I cannot speak any Korean, I don't know how difficult it would be to convey a seafood allergy. What are your thoughts? I of course want to be on the safest possible side as we don't want any trips to the ER.

[KMango]

So my Aunt has an allergy to seafood, and I wanted to see if Korean food (mainly bbq) should just be avoided as too uncertain or if people thought it was do-able. Does anyone have any idea what items may have seafood in them? I was thinking somewhere like HoneyPig or HanGang, ordering beef or pork bbq. As I cannot speak any Korean, I don't know how difficult it would be to convey a seafood allergy. What are your thoughts? I of course want to be on the safest possible side as we don't want any trips to the ER.

If it's a life-threatening allergy, skip it.

Too many of the side dishes have tiny fish, shrimp, or other not-immediately-obvious sea critters to take a chance.

Plus, if the bbqing is happening in the kitchen and not at your table, you never know what fish dish might have been on the grill right before your bulgogi.

If the activity of tabletop cooking is what you were thinking would be appealing, perhaps a fondue restuaurant or a churrascaria would be a safe alternative?

[goodeats]

If it's a life-threatening allergy, skip it.

Too many of the side dishes have tiny fish, shrimp, or other not-immediately-obvious sea critters to take a chance.

I agree. Often, there are unseen cross-contaminations occurring. You don't want to chance it.

I had an allergic reaction from a mere brushing of something on the item I was allergic to. Just one bit is all it takes.

Nice thing about Korean BBQ is you can do a mini-version at home -- buy some short ribs, beef slices, lettuce, hot sauce, buy the marinade -- tabletop grill and voila. I would just check the ingredients on the marinade and spread sauce before purchasing. Just in case.