Great Eating Out Experience!

[aikiducky]

I was in England over the weekend, to attend an aikido seminar. Saturday evening most of the group were planning to go out to dinner and of course I was rather nervous about that beforehand. Oh, and I was staying with people that I didn't know at all, local members of the dojo where the seminar was held. So, eek.

Anyway, I emailed the guy doing all the organizing for the seminar beforehand, and got the telephone number of the chinese restaurant that we were going to, all called them two days in advance. The manager was really nice about it, familiar with gluten free, and not even thrown by my long list of additional restrictions, and my questions about cross contamination and wooden utensils (they didn't use any). I also warned our local host that I would prefer to buy my own food for breakfast etc.

When we got to the restaurant, while other people were reading the menu, I went and found the manager. He remembered my call, and we just made up a dish of stirfried chicken and veggies, with only oil and salt, nothing else. He listed all the veggies they use and I made a selection of the ones I can eat. He was really friendly and nice about the whole thing!

Anyway, the food was delicious, the chicken soft and juicy and the veg crisp and delicious, just right! I like pretty plain food anyway, I liked this much more than the usual chinese food in fact! And I didn't get sick! This was the first time I ate out in almost two years!

My aikido teacher, and our host, asked me if my order was taken care of, and some people asked me how my meal was, but for the rest there was no fuss. Most people at our table knew me and my diet anyway. The manager came to check that everything was ok a couple of times, too. I just felt really well cared for!

The people I was staying with happened to have a relative with celiac, and first they were maybe a bit put off that I didn't want to eat their food because they actually were familiar with gluten free,, and I was sorry because it's always nice to be able to accept people's hospitability, but I explained that I'd recently been sick and I was being super careful and eating very simple, especially since we were travelling and training hard, and we ended up having a good conversation actually. So I had some salad for breakfast while the others had toast and corn flakes, and it was no big deal in the end.

yay!

Pauliina

[mouse]

I am glad that it all went well and you handled it like the pro you are. Thank you for sharing such a positive experience.

[aikiducky]

You know I'm actually rather shy especially about calling people I don't know on the phone. But it was so worth it! It all went so well because I'd got up my courage to arrange things in advance.

Pauliina

[queenofhearts]

Your experience is a great lesson! I too have a hard time with "being difficult" & dread asking for special treatment. So far that has been the hardest part of this diet! I was a vegetarian for many years & thought I would have a handle on this issue, but gluten-free is SO much more complicated, & some folks just refuse to believe that the smallest amount, cross-contamination &c. can cause illness. Every success story gives me strength to keep trying to function in the real world, not just disappear forever into my own kitchen!

Thanks,

Leah