My Plot to Take Food From a Child!!!

So I haven't posted lately but all of you that know me understand that I have been very sick.  Hopefully, I am on the mend now!

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of an event that will forever be ingrained in my memory.  As you know, I am an assistant principal at an elementary school and one part of my job is buses.  Each month, two students from each bus are elected as Bus Riders of the Month and are treated to a free breakfast at McDonalds with me.  (Although each time when we pull into Food
Lion to park, I tell the kids we have a change of plans and will be eating at Food Lion rather than McDonalds.)  McDonalds is also kind enough to buy my breakfast and the bus drivers' breakfast too. Well for a year, I looked forward to this day each month where I could eat a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit and drink a Coke (at the end of the month right before payday when I am broke).  Last year though, my first trip to McDonalds (after discovering that I have Celiac's) with the students was really hard.  You have to remember that more than anything else, I crave bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits (even to this day) so this trip was my first time going into McDonalds after cutting out gluten.  I knew that the only option for me was a yogurt parfait (with no granola) and I am sorry but that is nothing compared to a biscuit!!!  I thought for the most part I handled it fine...until I noticed that this one kid had a crumb of biscuit on his almost empty wrapper.  I am not kidding you...That crumb started haunting me.  Was he really just going to throw it away???   Have you ever seen the commercials where you see the person who is obsessed by something?  That was me!  I envisioned taking that small biscuit crumb...OFF OF A CHILD'S PLATE mind you... And eating it!  I have never wanted a biscuit so bad in all of my life!  I mean my mouth was drooling!  Thank goodness, I knew the consequences outweighed the biscuit crumb, but I will admit that it took every bit of my will power not to grab it and eat it.  I made it through the breakfast (with the bus driver being the only person that understood that this small trip was hard for me) and many more after that, but the best news was that I made it through a tough internal battle and did not break down and eat the crumb.   At this time last year, I conquered my greatest weakness, but I must admit that every day is a struggle!  Who likes to pass up all of that gluten in sugary, salty, and fried bites of goodness?  Not I...but I have no choice!

And the Award for the Worst Dinner Date Goes to...

Did you know that just 24 to 30 milligrams of gluten (about 1/145th of a slice of bread or a crumb) can cause the small intestines of a person with Celiac Disease to become inflamed?  Neither did I!  That is why those crazy people in the books I read to learn more about Celiac Disease were going to extreme measures to prevent accidentally ingesting gluten!  So what does this mean for me?  Well for one thing it means that eating out is extremely difficult.  I have learned that even though it embarrasses me to make a big deal to other people about what I eat, I have to do it for my safety and health.  So a typical meal out with me goes like this...

First of all, I determine where the group goes.  This is difficult sometimes because I don't want to always have to make the decisions, but unfortunately at least until they get an idea of where I can eat, I have to decide.  Next, I spend time on the Internet looking up the menu of the restaurant.  Some restaurants have a gluten free menu, but I have to watch because even restaurants don't always understand Celiac Disease, so they put fried items on their menu or mix together flour and corn in their tortillas.  Finally, if I am able to determine something I can eat, then off we go to the restaurant   When we get to the restaurant, I have to be very open about what I need.  For example, at any buffet or a place like Moe's or Chipotle, I have to ask the servers to wash their hands and change their gloves.  Sometimes I even have to ask for new serving utensils.  The servers are generally either extremely understanding or they roll their eyes and act like I am an extreme pain.  (Hence why I really dislike having to make a big deal out of it.)  Now you may be wondering why they have to change their gloves and/or utensils.  Someone with Celiac Disease can get sick with just a bread crumb.  So what if the server had bread crumbs on his/hand and then fixed my meal and it fell in?  Or what if they used the same utensil to pick up the breaded chicken (which may have left a crumb on the utensil) and then picked up my grilled chicken with the same utensil?  Crazy, huh!  Now if we go to a sit down restaurant, then I have to explain to the waiter/waitress what I need.  For example, one meal I have ordered is "I would like the Mahi Mahi tacos but since I can't have the tacos, I need you to put it in a salad.  Oh and please do not put croutons on the salad.  And since the side is fried french fries, then I need you to switch that out with a side of fruit."  (FYI...since most things that are fried are breaded with flour, I can't order anything fried unless I am 100% sure that it will be cooked in a fryer dedicated to only gluten free items.)  After the food arrives, I have to re-ask about what is on my plate and how it was prepared to ensure that it was prepared properly.  When I have finally finished the meal and I get the check, usually my pocketbook suffers.  Many restaurants charge $3 to $10 per entree/appetizer more to order something gluten free.  (So after reading this, when do you want to go out to eat with me?  Lol!)

You think eating out makes for a sticky situation, just imagine what it is like when I go to an event when food is provided like a meeting or party...