“Another year has passed by us, there was also sun, there were also rains”. Everyone partied, ate, drank, had a good time at the holidays. Hurray! What about us with dietary restrictions? For those who stayed at home it was ok, they prepared food that they could eat. What about those who were invited to relatives, friends? Or were they at the restaurant? We will talk about the restaurant in another article, now let’s focus on the visits. When you go on a visit, it is good that the host is informed about your dietary restrictions. Most people won’t understand at first what gluten-free means: Oh, you don’t eat bread? You will have to explain to them the short version of the regime so that they don’t struggle to prepare you ciulama (traditional Romanian dish, some meat with fryed flour) and pie, which you can only smell. Of course, there is a risk that certain people will look at you like you are a bear with horns, and the prospect of a subsequent visit will be as distant as the distance from the Earth to the Moon. It’s a risk you’ll have to take. But there is also a good side here: those who really care about you will make the effort to inform themselves on the Internet to receive you properly, and the others… good riddens. From my experience, it is best to bring the dessert yourself. You can’t go empty-handed on a visit anyway, and a gluten-free dessert is quite an effort for a novice. And you won’t be gulping dry while others are chowing down on a slice of gluten cake.
Having said that, I wish you a happy new year… without gluten “breakouts”. Your gut and joints will thank you. Let’s learn more healthy and cheap recipes together this year, so your pocket will thank you too. May we be able to open our minds, learn from the best, so that we, in turn, can teach others and be better people than in the year that just ended. Happy New Year!