Brunch with Bear

A girl with food allergies and her teddy bear.

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Brunch with Bear started in 2012 in New York City. Since then, the blog has encompassed Christina and Bear’s adventures with severe food allergies around the world!

Our Story

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Food Allergy Facts

A few words on food intolerances, food allergies, and anaphylaxis.

Food Allergy Facts

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Emergency Sticky Rice

May 31, 2021

This past year, I found myself opening my freezer more often, relieved when I found that the bag of zong was not yet empty. After long shifts in the emergency room, the aroma of the sticky rice as I dug in would revive me, the beans dissolving together with the pork to fortify me for another shift ahead. After particularly nerve-wracking residency interviews, I would savor each bite of sticky rice and be grateful that my grandparents sacrificed so much so that I could have such an opportunity. After yet more reports of anti-Asian violence, I would scrape the rice off those bamboo leaves as if I could recover more of myself in each grain. Whether I am hungry for rice or hungry for home, I find fulfillment as I untie the string and let the taste envelop me like a big hug from my family. … More Emergency Sticky Rice

Bear got his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Second Shot

March 17, 2021

Although I received my second shot in January—the appropriate three weeks after my first shot—many have voiced lingering concerns about safety and anaphylaxis. So I have decided to once again share the experience in detail and update all our dear readers on new vaccine guidance. My hope is to reassure those of you with severe food allergies—and your friends and families—might feel more ready to take the vaccine as it becomes available. The Brunch with Bear team strongly encourages everyone to get vaccinated at the first opportunity, as just one of many things we can all do to help slow and eventually stop the pandemic. … More The Second Shot

John’s

February 12, 2021

When I think of Chinese restaurants, one place shines brighter in my memory than any other. My gung-gung’s favorite restaurant was called Harbor Palace, a Cantonese seafood restaurant in a strip mall in Lomita. He and my popo ate there almost exclusively ever since they moved to Southern California. Until I was a teenager, I only knew the restaurant as “John’s,” because the owner’s English name was John. … More John’s