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Need Some Advice For Thanksgiving

jasonD2

By jasonD2
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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jasonD2 Experienced
jasonD2
Posted

Ok so a bit of an awkward situation. I am having thanksgiving with my family in florida this year and the host will be my uncles brother, wife & kids. they arent really family & i was never close with them and frankly I find them to be a bit snobby and anal. Anyway, my aunt will be preparing some side dishes for me and my cousin (shes vegetarian)but the hosts are making the turkey and everything else

i asked my aunt if she could please discuss my dietary needs with them..mainly with regard to the turkey and she said she is not going to and that she will just bring food for me. this pretty much means i could potentially be taking a risk by eating the turkey. any suggestions on how i should handle this? i dont know why its such a big deal for my aunt to discuss this with them, but she doesnt want to.

thanks

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RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

Well, if the bird is going to be cooked with stuffing in it, then you would definitely be at high risk of CC IMO, even if you took meat only from near the surface. Obviously, a pre-seasoned turkey is a no-no too. I honestly wouldn't eat it no matter how it was prepared, even if I supplied the stuffing! That's my opinion, but my experience tells me my system is very sensitive to CC. All utensils would need to be carefully selected and used as well. If using a turkey baster thingie (like a giant eye-dropper), that further complicates matters, especially if the bird is stuffed, because gluten will be in the juices oozing from the bird unless gluten-free stuffing is used.

If you cannot speak to those preparing the feast, and get an incredibly high amount of cooperation, then I think your only option to attend is the food which is specifically prepared for you.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

If I can't feel completely confident that what I'm eating is made by someone who understands the gluten free diet (at least enough to make that dish that time), I won't eat it. If they want to feel that their sensitive little feelings have been bruised because I am not willing to sacrifice my health in order to meet the expectations of what "dinner" means in their head, well... surprise! That's their problem, not mine. (And no, I won't be this snarky about it to anyone unless they're snarky to me about it! :) )

jasonD2 Experienced
jasonD2
Posted
  • Author

Good point! Guess there's a chance i might starve at thanksgiving...so nice when my family doesnt cooperate :)

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Guess there's a chance i might starve at thanksgiving...

So Jason, what is the solution to this?

A.Bring your own food & maybe pans or go to the store when you get there?

B. Whine & feel hungry and angry? (my personal favorite for a fun weekend).

C. Don't go?

D. Call the turkey people yourself, even tho you don't know them well? Take a chance that they might be nice and friendly?

precious831 Contributor
precious831
Posted

Just make your own food, you'll have peace of mind and save yourself the misery of getting sick at the family gathering. You don't need to make an entire turkey, buy some turkey legs/thighs and cook those, like you would prepare a whole turkey(obviously you'd modify cooking time etc.). Just keep it simple and then try to enjoy being w/ your family :).

I'm making the turkey legs/thighs, sweet potato pie, maybe a few cookies that are safe for DD and I to eat.

Good luck.

Judy3 Contributor
Judy3
Posted

What I would do in this situation is call them myself but if that is uncomfortable for you maybe eat something 'safe' before you go so you aren't too hungry and then just nibble on the safe foods provided by your aunt. Just a thought!

:unsure:

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Loey Rising Star
Loey
Posted

Good point! Guess there's a chance i might starve at thanksgiving...so nice when my family doesnt cooperate :)

Jason,

I'm attending a funeral Monday and we're staying with my husband's cousin tomorrow night. He called today to see what he could cook for me (which was really sweet). I explained to him that at this stage of my illness I am extremely sensitive and if he had previously cooked something in the pan using something I couldn't eat -I could get really sick. I told him I will bring my own food and that my husband will thoroughly enjoy eating a meal that isn't gluten-free. Is there a way for you to bring along food in a cooler and then microwave it? Thanksgiving is supposed to be about being with those you care about and giving thanks. I hope you're able to find a way for them to understand. You're welcome to have Thanksgiving at my house!

Loey smile.gif

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

I bring my own food with me everywhere. It's entirely possible, even when traveling out of state. I brought my entire Thanksgiving dinner all the way from Houston to New Jersey last year. I made it ahead and froze it--and we went by car. If you fly, it would be much simpler.....

You could also shop when you get there and use disposable pans from the grocery store.

Definitely no need to go hungry :)

Kay DH Apprentice
Kay DH
Posted

Take something for dinner that you can microwave, along with veggies, fruit, and snacks. It isn't worth the risk on their turkey. I'm cooking Thanksgiving because of the rick of cc. We bought a Honeysuckle Farms turkey, listed as gluten-free, and all the gluten-free trimmings. Unfortunate that your aunt wouldn't contact the folks, and that doesn't give you much recourse.

sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

I would not contact the uncle because there is no way to control the CC even if they bought gluten free items. The learning curve cooking gluten free is way to high! If you can't bring your own bit of turkey in a ziploc and eat your aunt's sides (bless her!) then fill up on aunt's offerings and have your traditional Thanksgiving Day meal at home, when you can make it.

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

when in dobt take your own. It does get old sometimes but... better than sick.

K-Dawg Explorer
K-Dawg
Posted

I agree with all the other posters (above) who have suggested that you bring your own food. I think this is the smartest choice. You could prepare your own turkey (or get some from a gluten free restaurant or caterer) and carve it up to take with you. If you have a cooler, you're set.

I have a cooler that plugs in and I have a car with an outlet...so I'm able to take the cooler from house, to car, to destination and keep my food cold (I got mine at a hardware store).

In your shoes I would prepare my own thanksgiving dinner, buy some great gluten-free rolls from a local bakery and take my own meal (and I usually make MORE than I need so that there is an abundance of food for me and it feels celebratory)

Good luck

Kdawg

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

I know that stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have some pre-prepared meats that you might be able to just buy and bring with you.

Trader Joe's has a ham steak in a sealed package that's labeled gluten free - we got that for my kids last year for Thanksgiving. I think there are some turkey breasts that have the same label. Also, Applegate Farms brand has sliced meat, and maybe chunks of meat?, that are often gluten free (labeled that way).

I know Whole Foods often has gluten free desserts in their bakery section too, for the holidays (these are from gluten-free companies, so they aren't made in the Whole Foods bakery). A couple kind of pies and a kind of chocolate cake, if I remember right.

And Alexia brand frozen veggies is supposed to be gluten free - they have these fried sweet potato sticks that might be kind of thanksgiving-ish. :)

Takala Enthusiast
Takala
Posted

Clearly Another BYOGF Situation according to The Sacred Text of Avoiding Holiday Disasters.

sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

Clearly Another BYOGF Situation according to The Sacred Text of Avoiding Holiday Disasters.

Very cute! :D

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