Wedding Blues

Last night we went to a beautiful wedding. The venue was very nice and everything was gorgeous. The bride was stunning, the groom handsome. Just as it should be. We found our seats at the tables and waited for the wedding party to take photos. TONS of photos. They had a open bar and we got a soda and sat with other guests at our table and waited for food to arrive. A basket of bread, it smelled nice. I always have to smell before I pass it along. Then salad, all covered in Italian dressing. Sometimes dressing isn't safe but I was starving. The servers cleared the table and brought an assortment of dishes for us to pass, family style. There was pasta with red sauce, sliced turkey with gravy, stuffing, rice with peas and carrots, sausage with peppers, roasted potatoes and a veggie mix. I think it's called California Blend; carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. So I skipped the gravy, the stuffing, the pasta and the rolls. The potatoes were seasoned and I bet they had more wheat than the pasta. They also probably had red dye #40. It's the only thing that I can figure had it. They were red. I thought it was paprika. I may have been wrong. So, a few bites into dinner, I had to excuse myself. Then, when I returned, I had them clear my plate. A few minutes after that, we ended up leaving. I really would have enjoyed talking some more and maybe having a dance or 2 but it didn't work out. So for the next few days, I will have to go back to basics. Lots of water but no tea, sodas, etc. Steamed veggies, poached fish or chicken, and kefir. Basically no oil, spices or anything fun that I've added to my wheat free diet. I really hate watching what I eat and still having to do this because people put all these additives into our food.

Gluten Free Restaurants

I guess I'll continue to be amazed what some people think of the gluten free world out there. I never knew there were so many people who needed to watch the gluten in their foods. Also high on the list of food allergies are: corn, soy, dairy, and sugar.

So anyway...back to restaurants. I've been both pleasantly surprised and have gotten rude awakenings when it comes to what restaurants are willing to do for their customers. For instance, I have yet to meet a McDonald's employee who could care even the tiniest bit about my allergy to wheat. They simply must have enough other customers that it simply doesn't matter. My daughter loves them...so I keep asking. I should just give up. On the other hand, Burger King has been wonderful. I ordered a kids meal and they served my burger in a salad bowl and put my mayo, tomato and lettuce on the side. They also upgraded my fries to apple fries. Those are simply apples cut into the shape of fries and are served in a box that looks like a fry box. Most family style restaurants local and chain have something I can have. They offer salads, breakfasts, steaks, etc and that's always a go-to for me. What I love are the places that go above and beyond. The Italian place with gluten free bread sticks, pizza, or pasta. The Mexican place that has a dedicated fryer for frying corn chips only and separate appliance for heating flour tortillas vs corn ones. The chain restaurant that has a multiple allergen menu and there's actually quite a lot you can have. So places I have discovered that are large chains that have a gluten free menu are: Taco Bell- they use chicken instead of beef and serve you chips and corn tortillas. Olive Garden- yes, I was excited too since my family LOVES Italian food- They have gluten free pasta, steaks, chicken, and salads. It's awesome. Applebee's has a pretty decent cross section. They have something for every taste and hunger level. Salads, an appetizer, a couple entrees, and a good old hot fudge sundae...or dish of ice cream if you want. Culver's cooks their buns on the grill next to the burgers but they cleaned the grill for me and switched my fries to mashed potatoes (they use real potatoes) with butter instead of gravy. One place that really surprised me was Red Lobster. They only have 3 wheat free things on the menu. Those are: lobster, lobster tail, and crab legs. Even the fresh veggies are served with some sort of seasoning with wheat in it. They also didn't seem to care about my plight. Several chain buffet restaurants have offered to cook my food separately and serve it directly to me. I hope that one day, the people who don't care will realize what they're doing is bad for business but until then....we can have Olive Garden!