Can I Vent For A Second.....

[gymnastjlf]

So my college is on break for the semester, but being a gymnast, my team is here on campus. Which means we're responsible for our own meals. Most of the time we just cook meals as a team. Easy enough; sometimes we eat something that is gluten-free (tacos was last night, yum!) and I just make sure we get the right ingredients (aka NOT Taco Bell brand taco seasoning!), etc. But sometimes we go out to eat. Well, I'm one of the co-captains of the team (not to mention responsible for the money!), so as a team we'd decided we were going out to eat tonight. The other captain asked me where I'd like to go (knowing it's tough for me to eat out), I said Q'Doba grill. More upscale than Taco-Bell, and good food as well. Plus, they've got all their allergen info online which makes like 10000x easier for me. So that was set, we'd mentioned it to the rest of the team earlier in the week, no one voiced any complaints.

Well, I had to run a few errands today, I met up with the girls to drive to the restaurant, and one girl says, oh yeah. You've been outvoted. We're not going to the Mexican place, we're going to Red Lobster. Now what I really wanted to do was to tell her that they could go right ahead, but I've got the money and whoever wants their meal paid for is going to eat Mexican. But I was nice, and I went to Red Lobster, knowing that I could eat a garden salad. The co-captain looked at me when Red Lobster was "suggested" and asked me, can you eat there. I said very honestly I can get a garden salad. A couple of the girls got snitty, saying that I could get a grilled chicken breast or something like that. Well, no, it's not that simple, I tried to explain, because Red Lobster is one of the places that won't accomodate us, not to mention we're going at prime time dinner time and it'll be busy, certainly not the time to be asking for special accomodations. But off to Red Lobster we went....

When we got there I asked if (by some stretch of the imagination) they had allergen information. They did not, the manager was very nice though, came out and said honestly the only thing she felt they could guarantee to be safe was a garden salad which she would make herself (why a baked potato wouldn't be safe, I don't know!). But anyway, I got my garden salad, and to my dismay I get halfway done only to find crouton crumbs at the bottom. I wanted to cry, I was soooo angry. Not at Red Lobster, but the fact that I'd been looking forward to a yummy Mexican dinner and instead I got half a salad which probably wasn't even gluten-free to begin with. errrr

And I did casually mention to my teammate that was insistant that we go to Red Lobster, that next time she changes plans on us, could she give me a little prior warning so I could bring a little food with me. Her response.... "whatever"... well she wasn't the one sitting there smelling those wonderful cheddar biscuits and seeing all the other people stuffing their faces with lettuce in front of her! I sure hope she liked her meal....

Okay, I feel better now. Sorry guys. Just a tad bit frustrated tonight! On the brighter side, the discussion with the manager went on right in front of the entire team, so hopefully they'll start to understand what it's like for celiacs... I usually try to discuss my dietary restrictions in private, because I don't like to make a public spectacle of it.

Hope everyone else had a better day than I did!:-)

[Lovinglife]

hey! i'm definitely sorry to hear about your difficulty with the people you were with and Red Lobster's. It can be so difficult managing Celiac Disease and the world separately, let alone together! I encourage you to keep venting when necessary and feeling better as a result.

Keep your head up,

Flo

[fisharefriendsnotfood]

That sucks, and I agree she shouldn't have changed the plans on you, but you have to remember that they aren't going to plan every meal especially for you. You're in university, so I assume people like to just do whatever they want and stuff. They don't know as much about Celiac as you do. They might think you're being overly careful or something. Tell them why you need to be really careful and stuff. Make sure they understand.

Good luck!

-Jackie

[Guest nini]

sorry that happened like that... good for you for having the conversation with the manager in front of the team... you can't expect other people to change their lifestyle just for you, but you can try to educate them as to WHY you have to eat the way you do. It's up to them if they want to be accomodating or not.

I had a similar experience today at work... a client had called and offered to bring us lunch, and since my boss wasn't thinking about me (never does) he said sure go ahead... then, booked me through lunch and said "well so and so is bringing lunch so you can just grab some in between"... right... she brought in a huge tray of tuna salad sandwiches on gorgeous croissant rolls... OMG They smelled sooooo good and I was soooooo hungry and all I had was an Enjoy Life Foods cereal bar in my purse... I ended up leaving early because I was so upset.

[hez]

I am so sorry. It is so hard when people either are too dense or don't care enough to understand the complexties and challenges of a gluten-free diet. Karma will bite her in the a** eventually.

Hez

[Rusla]

I am sorry for everyone who has to go through episodes like this with inconsiderate people.I know we all do go through these. The point it was not a vote just because that is what you wanted to eat but what you could eat. It was terribly rude of them not to all sit down with you and say well how about this place, can you eat there?

Right now the same thing is happening with my gd in school. They won't let her eat peanut butter sandwiches at lunch because of a child with peanut allergies. However, the fact that my grand daughter has serious mustard and cinnamon allergies, they will not restrict the others from having things with mustard or cinnamon around her. If I lived there then I would talk to the school.

[jknnej]

I am so sorry this happened to you. That girl sounds terribly inconsiderate. One day something will happen to her that she wishes people would understand and then she'll know what it's like.

[Packard]

I am so sorry this happened to you. That girl sounds terribly inconsiderate. One day something will happen to her that she wishes people would understand and then she'll know what it's like.

Celiac is a funny diet. Most diets challenge your will power. Most celiacs have conquered that aspect of the diet--I mean, how many of you would willingly go off your diet?

The challenges are people (like your team mates) and being sandbagged when they stick some wheat flower where you would least expect it (like on french fries).

Or when they lie to you, like when Wendy's says that their chili contains no wheat. My experience is that they use different vendors in different parts of the country and you cannot count on it being wheat free; I no longer eat their chili.

So the hardest part of most diets is the easiest part of a celiac's: will power.

Years ago, b.c. (before celiac), I was double dating with another couple. We all got together and discussed where we would go to eat. I said I didn't care as long as it was not a seafood place; the smell of seafood frequently sickened my stomach. The said, "Let's go to Louie's". What they did not say was "Let's go to Louie's Anchorage" which would have tipped me off.

When we got there (I was a passenger in the car), I objected and they all said , "Oh, you can get a steak here".

I got up from the table before we ordered and asked the hostess to call a cab for me and let me know when it arrives. When it showed up I excused myself and left. My date accused me of being rude. I thought that they were the rude ones.

My point is, some times you need to teach others a lesson. Show up at Red Lobster, find the crouton crust in the salad and announce that the meal is over and everyone has to leave. And if they don't, well they will have to pay for the meal out of their own pockets. Lessons need to be taught; lessons need to be learned.

[Rusla]

There are days I think about pizza, or cake or some other wheat substance. Then I remember the pain, the dh and the big D and there is no way I would intentionally go off the diet.