How Hard Is It To Be Careful?

[sandsurfgirl]

I'm never eating at Pei Wei again. I ate there for months frequently off the gluten free menu with no problem. Then on the weekend of July 4th they got me BAD. I was sick the entire weekend.

I gave them another chance and explained the manager that I'm very sensitive in my reactions, I got sick once before and please be extra careful with my meal.

So I'm biting into my salad and I feel this loud crunch. I can taste the wheat. It's a wonton noodle!! I spit it out and ran to wash my mouth and brush my teeth but I'm now getting that familiar pain in my gut.

So mad. No more Pei Wei for me. I sat and cried my eyes out at the dinner table. I was so hungry and I really love their food but it's not worth it. They got me twice. I ended up with frozen gluten free taquitos in the microwave. Not what I wanted to eat tonight.

[SGWhiskers]

Hugs. I'm so sorry. You've had a pretty tough couple of weeks. I hope you showed the manager the noodle or talked to him about it.

You ask how hard it is to be careful? It really depends on your sensitivity. I get cc from the things that wouldn't bother others. Eating out is next to impossible for me. For many, careful planning is all that is needed. I strictly avoid the dinner and lunch rush. I go an hour before it gets busy. 4:30/5:00, 11:30 lunch. I talk to my waitress and I speak with the cook/chef. I leave a great tip and I find out when the waitress/cook usually work so that I can time my return visits. I get cc more often when I feel social pressure to go out during busy hours even to GIG restaraunts. The kitchen is more likely to cut corners and make mistakes. Also everything gets cross comtaminated as the night goes on. You did the right things and it sounded like PeiWei was a good safe place for you. I wonder about staffing changes.

It is frustrating. If I want to go out to dinner with friends at a busy time, I take along my own food which I might eat instead of ordering if the place looks busy or the waitress is clueless.

Right now, there is a Noodles restaraunt in town I want to try, but I'm too scared.

I hope you get back to normal soon.

[lucia]

Argh! You did everything right, and yet ...!

I'm at a point where I'm very upset about the prospect of (mostly? totally?) having to give up food from restaurants. I can only growl in sympathy with you. It sucks.

[Skylark]

  On 9/18/2010 at 5:19 PM, lucia said:

I'm at a point where I'm very upset about the prospect of (mostly? totally?) having to give up food from restaurants. I can only growl in sympathy with you. It sucks.

Me too. "Growling in sympathy" is such a perfect phrase!

[Aphreal]

Oh darn, I am so sorry to hear you got hit again I only have 2 places I go. One mom n pop joint that I know uses no fillers. Meat patty with cheese and mashed potatoes and beans and cheese from tacobell. Anywhere else... I make my own food at home. I am tired of messing with restaurant food.

Gentle hugs, feel better soon!

Tiff

[GypsyGirl]

Ugh!! So sorry. It's depressing how many people just don't understand or worse, don't care.

I haven't been brave enough to eat out yet, and I dread what it's going to do to damage the family traditions. I was already very limited in what I could get a restaurants, but at least I could usually find SOMEthing, but now with the gluten thing, I can't imagine it really being worth the risk...

Very sorry you've been slammed twice so close together, that's just miserable.

[sandsurfgirl]

Let's just give a big growl together! GRRRRRRRRR LOL

I hate that every time I eat out it's a risk. I hate it. But I will not quit eating out. I just won't. (yet)