As a group of costumed kids headed out to trick or treat during a family gathering Sunday, Grandpa looked up from the football game and yelled to no one and everyone: "You better bring me all your peanut butter cups."
Laughter soon gave way to a question: Do people still hand out peanut butter cups?
If you've entered a child-care facility or school in the past few years, you've undoubtedly seen a warning sign about it being a "peanut free" zone. So many kids are bothered by peanut allergies that all forms of the food -- from candy bars to the classic PB&J sandwich -- are banned.
I've heard the horror stories. I understand the dangers of food allergies. I don't have any problem with the restrictions.
My question is: when did peanuts turn potentially lethal?
At the risk of sounding like an old guy ("I walked three miles through the snow uphill to get to school"), I have to say that I don't remember any kids in my grade school being so allergic to anything that being in the same room as the food in question presented a danger.
The peanut hasn't changed since I was a kid. Now, it seems as though the kids have.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
