Giving Up Leftovers/doggie Bags At Holiday Dinners

[Jennifer2]

Hi everyone

I went over to a friend's house for Christmas dinner. She's aware of my dietary needs and has been great about cooking gluten free. I volunteered to bring stuffing and pies, since those are the hardest to make gluten free.

I could eat everything at dinner with the exception of a sweet potato dish that her mother-in-law brought.

Dinner went fine, no problems there-it just so happened the sweet potato dish was the last thing passed around-although I suspect our hostess did it on purpose .

After dinner we were cleaning up and her mother-in-law started to make a plate of leftovers to take home. She decided to put her food into the casserole dish of the sweet potato dish that she had brought-with all of the gluteny topping bits all over the plate. No big deal, the only thing I really cared about getting left overs from was my stuffing (old family recipe that I only make once a year or so and is easily one of my favorite foods!). So I was trying to beat her to the stuffing, but she beat me. I tried calmly to get her to wait 2 or 3 times as she was getting ready to spoon out some of the stuffing. Either she didn't hear me or didn't understand that I was talking to her-and I could tell that the spoon was going to be tapped onto the bottom of the gluteny dish. So, in a maybe too harsh of a voice (think dog training!), I said "wait!" She was a little shocked I think, but stopped. I explained to her that I wanted to take some of the stuffing home also and wouldn't be able to if she touched her dish with it. I'm pretty sure she thought I was over reacting (earlier in the evening I had asked her if there was any flour in the sweet potato dish, she said yes but only in the topping so I should be able to just scrape it off-plus she's a borderline diabetic who doesn't eat sugar-unless there's dessert around and a vegetarian who doesn't eat meat-unless it's around-so she's not one to understand following a strict diet!), but she asked if I'd like to get my take home first, which I did.

Afterwards, I felt a little embaressed about it. I don't want to freak out everytime I think that something is about to get cross-contaminated-that's no fun for me or others! I think in the future, if I make something that I know I'll want leftovers from, I'll just take out my "leftovers" before I bring it. That way I'll have my leftovers and not have to worry about someone else not having the proper gluten-free etiquette!

Any other coping strategies to not have to become the "food police"?

Jennifer

[JillianLindsay]

I think saving yourself some before going out is a great idea I find that the more prepared I am, the less anxious I become about food, going hungry, getting cc, etc.

Happy Holidays!

[Ahorsesoul]

I love the idea of keeping leftovers first instead of after!!!