Mango04

Just for a different perspective (I'm not a mom), it's really possible to pack enough food for 3 or 4 days, and this might be a great opportunity for him to learn how to take care of his own food needs (sounds like he's old enough that that would be a good thing to know how to do, regardless of where he is).  I travel a lot to obscure places without access to kitchens and manage to stay gluten, dairy and soy-free.  It's a great skill to learn and this might help him start to learn it.  He can always have his own back-up food in his suitcase just to be safe.

I've been gluten-free for over 8 years now and I've reached a point where I just refuse to talk to people about it (unless someone comes to me wanting help with a gluten-free dietary issue).  I don't feel that talking about it for the first 8 years raised any awareness.  It just made my life more difficult and caused a lot of rude questions and comments that I don't feel like listening to anymore.  

I'm in a new city with new friends, so if it starts to come up I just tell people (including friends whom I see regularly) that I have a medical condition that restricts my diet and I'm not comfortable talking about it.  I also explicitly specify that my issue is not an eating disorder.  To that people say, "Oh I understand," and drop the issue.   It's really quite easy.  I should mention this new rule of mine only applies when I'm in the US, and not other places where people have much different cultural attitudes toward food and eating.  

I know other people might have different views of our obligation to raise awareness, but I can raise awareness in other ways, and this is really working for me so far.  I should also mention I don't ever, ever, ever want or expect other people to provide me with food in any sort of context (I can understand it might be necessary to mention gluten in a situation where you would).  Just a new approach I thought I'd share, in case others want to try it...

You can just keep your food issues away from your boyfriend's mother.  Don't cook at her house or eat with her, and if she tries to bring up the subject of food just tell her you're not comfortable talking about your personal health issue and would rather keep it to yourself.  If it's a holiday or something an you have to eat a family dinner with her, bring your own food.  I find this whole thing easier to deal with if I don't expect other people to understand or try to accommodate me.  You really don't ever need to talk about food with this woman at all.  You also don't ever have to eat food that she touches.

I've never had trouble bringing food into the UK from other countries.  

The UK is one of the most food allergy-friendly countries I have ever been to.  You will have a wide variety of options at restaurants and grocery stores.

1.  Other people (regardless of who they are or where you are) are not responsible for understanding your diet and providing you with food.  Ever.  You're now the only person who's responsible for that.  Thinking this way will make your life much easier and save you a lot of disappointment at social events, when traveling etc. (Don't worry though, you will find some very special, generous and understanding people).  


2.  Travel is very, very, very possible on an extremely restricted diet.  Travel if that's what you like to do.

I like to just go ahead and contact the caterer directly so the bride doesn't have an extra thing to worry about.  I've never come across one who wasn't accommodating.

now.  By my count that is 3 artists so far so the ESL teachers better watch out!  By the way my 2nd wife was an ESL teacher so they are a force to be reckoned with.

So my figuring is that there are lots more artists in reality than ESL teachers if we count all the repressed artists out there.  

That would have been my original guess but who knows.  Any other ESL teachers out there in the celiac world care to come forward?  

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

mix together.  form into cookies and bake.  makes 6 cookies.  double or triple for more.

Wow, how nice.  They actually seem to know what they are talking about.     I do like their lotus rice protein shampoo