Hey guys,

So when I come to McMaster on exchange it's gonna be my first experience in shared student housing and I'm kind of worried about it because I have a really severe nut allergy. Has anyone had any experiences with the same kind of issue? I'm still looking for a place to stay because I'm not really sure how to approach the issue with the people already living in the house... , so any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!

You should definitely just tell them, or even email them. You can't live in fear all year hoping they don't bring home/eat nuts. I'm positive they will not mind.

My housemates and I talked about allergies, knowing who is allergic to what, making sure we don't have any of that stuff in the house.

How severe is severe? I have a severe brazil nut allergy, but luckily no one really eats those in Canada :p

I know that this is somewhat irrelevant but there is a restaurant on campus called East Meets West Bistro. It's in Mary Keyes. It's a "nut free" environment.

your life is at risk here and you're worried about how to break the news? get your priorities in order man.

Originally Posted by tyrant

your life is at risk here and you're worried about how to break the news? get your priorities in order man.

I know it sounds silly but I have allergies too and I know how hard it is to feel like a burden to the people you're around.

Originally Posted by smojer

Hey guys,

So when I come to McMaster on exchange it's gonna be my first experience in shared student housing and I'm kind of worried about it because I have a really severe nut allergy. Has anyone had any experiences with the same kind of issue? I'm still looking for a place to stay because I'm not really sure how to approach the issue with the people already living in the house... , so any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Def mention it to your room mates - depending on how serious it is you might have to give them a list of things not to buy. Any decent roommate should be fine with it, as long as you mention it nicely and are upfront about it.

Just recognize that its give and take - maybe they can have their nuts if they dont eat them in the room, or only on their side, I dunno, etc.