I would consider myself a bit of a foodie. I love trying new foods, cooking with unusual ingredients and eating out and trying different restaurants. However, eating out is not something that I do very often, more so because of my tight student/intern budget the past few years. Recently though, eating out has become terrifying for me.
A few restaurants do offer a g-free menu, and others are deemed g-free friendly. But even at these restaurants my fear comes from the questions: How do I explain what g-free means to the staff? Do they understand how serious I am about avoiding gluten? Is there going to be something appealing for me to order? But my biggest question/fear is definitely: Am I going to get sick from eating this meal? I also don't want family or friends to choose where to eat based solely on my dietary restrictions.
I have successfully avoided restaurants the past few weeks by cooking at home and experimenting with new recipes on my own. But I knew that couldn't last forever, and deep down didn't really want it to either. This past weekend was full of celebrations! August is a big birthday month in my family, and last Saturday we celebrated my g-ma's 80th birthday with a surprise dinner.
The whole family came in town from Montana, DC, Florida, and Cleveland to be together for my g-ma's special day. While this dinner was planned long before I was diagnosed with Celiac, I cannot explain how relieved I was after researching the restaurant ahead of time and discovering a g-free menu! The choices were modified slightly from the original menu, but sounded absolutely delicious.
As we sat down to dinner I was hungry. It didn't take long for me to scan the menu and decide on my entree; however this dinner was a celebration and a time to enjoy each others' company, and no one was in a hurry to rush through a meal. Apps were ordered, including a mouth-watering lobster pierogi. I've mentioned my family's traditional pierogi before, but let me tell you, it was not easy watching that plate pass by, especially as everyone oooh and ahhh over how good it was. Then there was the bread basket. Warm, doughy, buttery bread with roasted garlic spread had never looked so good...or maybe that was the hunger talking.
As it was finally time to order our entrees and the waitress looked at me expectantly, I became so nervous and could feel the butterflies in my stomach. My voice was shaking, my palms were sweating as I specified my g-free option of choice. And you know what? It wasn't so hard. I had built up the moment in my mind thinking she might not get it or look at me like I was crazy, but after I ordered and she nodded her understanding, I felt like I could finally relax and trust that the staff truly recognized and respected me request.
By the time our entrees arrived, I was so hungry I wanted to cry. It's not that I wanted my family to sacrifice their food choices, especially on a special occasion, it's just that it was confirmation that the social implications of having Celiac are and will be the most difficult.
My meal was absolutely delicious and my sister and I even shared a beautiful and decadent g-free dessert. The evening was a great time to catch up on each other's lives and celebrate my g-ma's special day. My g-ma looks amazing and is still incredibly active at 80. Let's hope it's in the genes! It meant so much to her to have the whole family together since it becomes harder and harder as we spread out across the country.
As my first time eating out since going g-free, this was definitely a learning experience for me. Here are my take-aways:
1. Don't go to dinner hungry! It seems pretty obvious now, but if you know other's in your group will be ordering apps that you can't eat, you want to be able to relax and enjoy the company without drooling over their plates. You could even bring a little snack with you in case you get really desperate!
2. Research the restaurant ahead of time. Personally, I feel much better about eating at a restaurant that offers a g-free menu vs one that does not. But, sometimes the choice isn't up to you. If there isn't a g-free menu, go to dinner with a few ideas of what you might order or substitutions you might be able to make. You don't want to sit down with a menu for the first time only to realize that there is nothing safe. Also, make sure you feel comfortable explaining exactly how your food is to be prepared.
3. R-e-l-a-x and enjoy the company! I think I will definitely feel less anxiety with eating out as time goes by, but I don't want to become so preoccupied with worries about eating/ordering that I forget that the real reason I'm there is to spend time with people I love. The truth is you can never really be sure what goes on in the kitchen, but if you've done your part in educating the staff, it's not worth the worry to dwell on something you can't change.
I have actually eaten out two more times in the past few days (so out of the norm, I know) while celebrating my sister's bday too. But today is my mom's bday (I wasn't kidding about August being birthday month around here!) and I am excited about making her favorite dinner tonight as well as an extra special g-free birthday cake as per mom's request. More on that to come!
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