Ah...how to deal with this??

[shadowkat]

As many of you know - if you've read my lj for the last five or six months, I am gluten-sensitive. This means I cannot eat anything with gluten in it. Gluten = wheat, barely, oats, kamut, spelt, and millet. Also be careful of buckwheat (cross-contamination), oats is controversial.

Here's the problem...I'm considering doing a couple of things that involve lots of activities around food and with people who love to eat foods high in glutens: BBQ sauce, pancakes, pizza, cakes, cookies, brownies, most creative chocolates/candybars, pies, bread, sandwiches, bagels, muffins, smores, beer, some wines (not all, most are fine - particularly California wines are fine), crackers...and some ice creams. Both trips will be in environments where my choices are going to be limited. They group decides. Money is a factor. And one takes place at a conference in a Holiday Inn.

I don't know what to do? Do I bring food with me? I don't want to be an inconvenience or put people out. This has been my fear from the beginning. I *hate* being a bother or a pest. I *hate* being noticed. I'm the sort who goes along with what the group wants to eat - yay democracy. This diet makes that impossible. I will get sick.

Help???

Comments

[wisewoman.livejournal.com]

I would say of course you should take your own food. Why take the chance on going hungry if you can't find gluten-free alternatives where you end up? And there's not even a question of going along with the crowd and making yourself sick, that's just absurd.

Because the houses all have kitchens at Tahoe, even if you stay in a nearby hotel you'll have cooking facilities available to you whenever you want, and there will probably be people "eating in" for most meals, while various combinations of others may go out at other times.

As for your other trip, that might be a bit more problematic unless there are gluten-free foods that don't require a lot of preparation? Are there staples that you know you'd be able to order at most restaurants, like meat and vegetables, that would get you through?

I think people in general will be very considerate of your needs; they usually are.

;o)