Should I Cheat? Olive Garden..

[BarbieGirl]

What do you think? From online it seems like the gluten free pasta if a microwaved small serving dish. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my eldest sister's boyfriend by ordering something GLUTEN FREE. Would refusing breadsticks seem rude? Pre-gluten intolerant I loved Olive Garden, I'd eat two baskets of breadsticks it seemed, all by myself. Not to mention the food, oh lordy! Someone help me, the temptation is too much. My sister decided on Olive Garden because she was going to take us kids out for dinner to meet her boyfriend, however, now my dad is tagging along. There's no way to "change restaurants".

Help,

confused teen

[kareng]

Let me talk to your dad. What father would allow/ encourage a child to do something medically inadvisable? It's Medical Neglect if not full child abuse.

Now you Miss Barbie -

Apparently your parents and older sibling haven't grown up. They can't think of what will keep you healthy and well. So....you will have to be the grown- up. Don't go. Or eat the gluten-free option. Or eat before you go.

[psawyer]

Let me talk to your dad. What father would allow/ encourage a child to do something medically inadvisable? It's Medical Neglect if not full child abuse.

Now you Miss Barbie -

Apparently your parents and older sibling haven't grown up. They can't think of what will keep you healthy and well. So....you will have to be the grown- up. Don't go. Or eat the gluten-free option. Or eat before you go.

What Karen said!

[AzizaRivers]

Someone who is celiac or gluten-intolerant should NEVER cheat. Never. Never ever. You should be aware that each time you cheat you're doing physical damage to your intestinal lining and raising your risk of developing serious complications later in life, including a few types of cancers.

Your family should understand this too, and as the above posters have said, your father especially should not allow you to do that.

Also, what's so embarrassing about your food being gluten-free? I don't really get it. Just order the gluten-free food, it's not a big deal, I promise. You're going to dinner to socialize with family, no one should be so hyper focused on what your food is called that it matters you order something gluten-free.

[allergyprone]

DO NOT GO TO OLIVE GARDEN i had their gluten free pasta and within a half hour i was dying i was on a band trip and luckily my mom was there and drove me home because i couldn't sit up i had be glutened

[beebs]

Last time I cheated I ended up violently with intersussception and in ER - now that is embarrassing!! I would not go -especially as previous poster said they were glutened by eating their gluten free pasta!

[pricklypear1971]

Get the mixed grill, specify gluten free. You can eat the salad, no croutons.

I've had it and it was fine. And good.

[AVR1962]

While experimenting with my diet at first I decided to try some gluten intolerance aides.....as far as the bloating and gas they worked but it did not help with my balance issues which for me will be the very sign for me. I was so sick, it took me 3 weeks to regain my balance after that incident so I will stick to salads mostly when I eat out. I especially like the rice pasta!

[Skylark]

You are worrying far too much about what people will think. It's one of the more painful parts of being a teenager. You will be much happier in general once you stop caring so much. Be true to yourself and everything else will sort itself out.

Would you think poorly of a friend with a peanut allergy who ordered carefully to avoid peanuts? I bet you wouldn't give it a second thought. I haven't tried Olive Garden's gluten-free food but I'm sure it beats getting sick while you're meeting your sister's boyfriend. If he asks, just say you've learned that gluten disagrees with you and leave it at that.

It is NEVER rude to refuse food like breadsticks at a restaurant. You're paying the restaurant for the service, not the other way around.

In fact, it is very rare to be in a situation where it is rude to politely decline food, especially if it makes you sick. What's rude and invasive is insisting another person eat something. People don't always like particular foods, they might be full, they might be dieting, they might have an allergy - there are a million reasons for saying "no, thank you" and a polite person simply takes "no" for an answer without asking questions or forcing the issue.

[Juliebove]

What do you think? From online it seems like the gluten free pasta if a microwaved small serving dish. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my eldest sister's boyfriend by ordering something GLUTEN FREE. Would refusing breadsticks seem rude? Pre-gluten intolerant I loved Olive Garden, I'd eat two baskets of breadsticks it seemed, all by myself. Not to mention the food, oh lordy! Someone help me, the temptation is too much. My sister decided on Olive Garden because she was going to take us kids out for dinner to meet her boyfriend, however, now my dad is tagging along. There's no way to "change restaurants".

Help,

confused teen

They have a new gluten-free menu. The pasta is no longer microwaved and the portion is quite large. Why would it be rude to not take breadsticks? Why would you be embarrassed to order gluten-free? Just ask for the gluten-free menu when you are seated.

You'll have to ask for croutons on the side for your salad.

[Juliebove]

While experimenting with my diet at first I decided to try some gluten intolerance aides.....as far as the bloating and gas they worked but it did not help with my balance issues which for me will be the very sign for me. I was so sick, it took me 3 weeks to regain my balance after that incident so I will stick to salads mostly when I eat out. I especially like the rice pasta!

For me, salads are the riskiest things to get unless I know there are no croutons in the place. I can't tell you how many times I began eating the salad and found a crouton in there. Or crumbs. Or the taste of crouton. I hate croutons to begin with! Often they will start to put them on your salad then realize the mistake and pick them off. Not good.

[domesticactivist]

I agree with the others. On top of that... If you want to be taken seriously about your need to be gluten-free in the future, you need to show that it matters to you by not cheating on the diet.

Definitely eat before you go. You might order something gluten-free to fit in. This is no different from ordering the chicken instead of the fish.

I would not trust olive garden to be safe but I'm on the paranoid side. If asked I'd just say that I wasn't there for the food, I was there for the occasion!

[domesticactivist]

That is, pre-eat so you won't be actually hungry when the bread comes out, and if you don't like or trust the food it won't be torment!

[BarbieGirl]

Thanks! I think I will eat a little something in advance, and then judging by their gluten-free menu, I think I'll play it safe® and go with the mixed grill, all chicken...when I order should I specify gluten free? Or is it assumed that the dish is always gluten free?

[domesticactivist]

That sounds like a good plan. Definitely specify gluten-free when you order, though! That way they'll be more aware and won't do something silly like put bread on your plate with it.

[Takala]

Before you order, ask for the gluten free menu - you can do this at the hostess station and then repeat it to the waiter/waitress that you will be ordering off the gluten free menu. Then Confirm It when they take your order "I will have the gluten free chicken... gluten free side dish, and NO BREAD, NO CROUTONS." Then when the food shows up, ask nicely, "that is the gluten free chicken for me, isn't it ?" And be sure to tip the waiter well when you are done eating, if they try to get it correctly. : )

Okay, now here is a hint just in case they switch servers or you are in another restaurant some time and the waiter just can't seem to understand "gluten" - start by switching to the phrase "Wheat gluten allergy." Because the phrase "wheat allergy" will get their attention - I know it is not technically correct from a medical standpoint, but lots of times they might then either send out the manager or one of the chefs/cooks to have a chat about what you need to avoid - THEN you can go into regular - speak. For example, at the frozen yogurt place recently, I asked if they had any gluten free and drew a blank look, so I asked if they had an ingredients notebook with the allergens listed... counter help immediately perked up and looked relieved, ( oh "allergies!" ) and took out the notebook they kept at the counter, just for this occasion, which had the detailed ingredients for each flavor. We just needed to get into the same dialect. I also did this at the county fair recently at the potato booth - the older guy at the counter is looking at me like "say what?" when I asked how they are handling the toppings, and what is in the sour cream, so I switched into "can I see the label on the sour cream to see if they put anything in it I'm allergic to" and the younger guy in the back "gets it' and brings it out, and brings out the other packages for the butter spread and grated cheese, too. I ended up with salt and sour cream on the potato, and was fine. (breadless food booths are great for giving me a better chance at not getting cc'd) I pointed out to older guy that his sour cream had "starch, derived from corn," in it (surprise) so I was okay with it. I really think the younger generation has more experience with their companions not being able to eat certain things.

There is no need to be embarrassed by a special order, many restaurants do this all the time with people avoiding salt or nuts or fish, etc.

[sariesue]

When you order something at a restaurant always specify that you have need your meal to be gluten free. I waitress at a well known chain with a gluten free menu. Meals that are specified gluten-free or with a specific allergy are cooked differently than the same item if it was not specified gluten-free, usually in foil instead of being placed directly on the grill.