When I go to other people’s houses for dinner or a party, I expect nothing. I hate the extra attention paid to me and I certainly do not expect anybody to cater to my celiac needs when they have enough on their plate. I’m five years into this disease so while it is still an adjustment, I no longer panic when I go out. It’s just become part of the norm.
So I went to a Halloween party on Saturday (decked out as Batman), looking forward to a night with friends and of course with Batgirl. I just figured I’d drink my drinks, eat some veggies and have some laughs.
But what I got instead was a treat and a half. I had my own gluten-free food station. That’s the picture above. Our gracious hosts completely hooked me up, with food and drink fit for a gluten free king. Again, I don’t expect this kind of treatment. But when it happens, it is oh so sweet.
So a special call out to David and Danielle. You made what already would have been a great night even better.
There is no greater satisfaction than making a friend feel at home….
True that.
That happened to me at a party I went to in NY once. I didn’t know the hostess well, and discovered when I got there, they were Cuban and made some authentic, beautiful, Cuban shellfish dishes.. I am deathly allergic to shellfish.. I didn’t mention it and was enjoying the veggies and the company, when to my embarrassment she noticed that I wasn’t eating. I told her of my allergies and didn’t really think about it after that. All of a sudden she called me over to the table. She had gone out, without my noticing to a local store and had gotten me a baked chicken.. It was the nicest gift.. I didn’t need the food, but the thought was so overwhelming! I will never forget the kindness, and how welcome it made me feel.
You didn’t know her that well and she went out and got you chicken?? That is absolutely awesome. If you ever see her again, give her a big hug and tell her it’s from The Gluten Dude!
(I hope you weren’t a vegetarian 🙂 )
I just thought this was good place to brag about my great friend.
After an exhausting day we my husband and 6 kids went for dinner at my friends place also a mother of six. Her youngest only weeks old.Who had cooked a lovely gluten free chicken casserole and had taught her 11 year old son to bake corn flour sponge so my cealiac daughter and I could eat dinner and desert. Then she asked her husband to chop some fruit to go with the cake and directed him to cut it on the island bench where she was certain that their could be no trace of gluten. Not only this she regularly invites me for lunch and cooks me up an omelette in short she always makes me feel welcome she still invites us regularly checks that what she is planning to serve is safe for us, but all without making it seem like a problem or difficult.
I think we all need a friend or two who make us feel welcome despite our problem with gluten.
Awesome…consider yourself blessed 🙂
I love when people do this. When I don’t know what to do is when they went to all that effort to chop veggies and fruit etc., but with a cutting board and knife that get hand washed in a gluten-filled kitchen. People have such a hard time understanding why I still refuse seemingly gluten free food, because contamination is off their radar. Especially with ordering expensive gluten free pizza, when I know the restaurant has gotten me sick before due to contamination. A host this weekend went to extra efforts to provide gluten free goodies, and made sure to let me know in front of everyone, and so I ate a few pieces of fruit… dun dun dun! The all too familiar happened even just from that tiny contamination. UGH. I’m sure my feelings now are worse than hers would have been if I had just said no, but I was weak in the moment in front of a room full of people I had just met.