MISS MANNERS by Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin<\/p>\n
DEAR MISS MANNERS: <\/b>I\u2019m seeking some guidance on how best to navigate my dietary restrictions with grace. I have celiac disease, meaning I cannot tolerate gluten in any form. Even trace amounts of cross-contamination — such as using the same knife to butter regular bread and my gluten-free bread — can cause me severe illness. <\/p>\n
Thankfully, my husband is incredibly supportive and follows my diet at home, so that\u2019s not an issue in our household. For family gatherings, I typically bring my own meal. While I realize this isn\u2019t the most conventional approach, my family and I have discussed it, and everyone understands that it\u2019s not about rejecting someone\u2019s cooking, but about my medical needs. <\/p>\n
The real challenge arises when dining out. Unfortunately, most restaurants don\u2019t have the protocols in place to safely accommodate my restrictions. Early in my diagnosis, I tried calling ahead to confirm that my meal could be safely prepared, but many restaurants simply couldn\u2019t guarantee that. Even when they made an effort, cross-contamination often happened by mistake. <\/p>\n
When I\u2019m invited out by friends who may not fully understand my dietary needs, I generally decline the invitation to avoid making them uncomfortable. If they insist, I explain that my dietary restrictions prevent me from dining out. While some drop the subject, others suggest I bring my own food or simply join them without eating. The former feels disrespectful to the restaurant, and the latter isn\u2019t very enjoyable — though I do love their company, watching others eat food I can no longer enjoy isn\u2019t quite the same. <\/p>\n
I would be so grateful for any advice you have on how to handle these situations politely without feeling like I\u2019m inconveniencing others or myself. <\/p>\n
GENTLE READER:<\/b> \u201cMeals are difficult for me, but how about coffee or a drink?\u201d <\/p>\n
If Miss Manners were the betting sort, she would put money on at least one of your friends responding by saying they do not drink alcohol or coffee. Which may make the solution harder, but your friends\u2019 empathy toward the problem infinitely stronger.<\/p>\n
Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MISS MANNERS by Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin DEAR MISS MANNERS: I\u2019m seeking some guidance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[105,4434,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-218763","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114755693678827397","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}