This week's episode of The Sporkful podcast is up! Listen through the player or iTunes/Podcasts app. (And please subscribe!)
For the first 40 years of her life, Amy Pearl (below) was a card-carrying member of the meat club.
(She literally has a credit card from the famous Brooklyn steakhouse, Peter Luger!)
Then one day, she ate a porterhouse steak with her mom -- and nearly died from a severe allergic reaction.
This week on The Sporkful, we're launching a special mini-series, May Contain Nuts, exploring how food allergies change our relationships with food and people.
We joined forces with our friends at Radiolab recently to tell the story of how Amy's mysterious allergy to a molecule found in mammal blood -- alpha gal -- was identified by scientists.
In Part 1 of our mini-series, we replay that Radiolab episode. Then we get a new update from Amy, who recently returned to her doctor to find out if her allergy is getting any better.
“I wish that I could still eat anything," Amy tells Dan. "I feel like it’s not good to have an allergy. It's an extra worry that you shouldn't have to think about.”
Will Amy ever eat another steak? Listen in to the full episode to find out!
This week's episode of The Sporkful podcast is up! Listen through the player or iTunes/Podcasts app. (And please subscribe!)
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Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:
- "Pong" by Kenneth J. Brahmstedt
- "Summertime Delight" by Cullen Fitzpatrick
- "Legend" by Erick Anderson
Photos/Art: Jimmy Hay; courtesy of Amy Pearl; FlickrCC/Taryn
