Not so long ago I typed #glutenfree into Twitter to see what came up.
Close to the top were the words:
How to ruin a party in one sentence – ask “Is this food gluten-free?” My initial reaction (which may well tie in with yours right now) was one of annoyance. This guy thought he was being really funny. He had hundreds of likes for the post. Clearly, others agreed with him, the swines.
Actually, he was tapping into a raw nerve of mine: the embarrassment of having to be the picky one at parties.
But then I thought about it some more.
He was right. It is annoying. Who wants to go to all the trouble of hosting a party only to have to cater for someone who can’t have this, can’t have that, and moreover, mustn’t have anything that’s come into contact with ‘normal’ food?
You know what it’s like. The day before a party you’ve got a trillion things to do. The house has to look good (it takes how long to clean?!), there’s never enough to drink, you’re sure you had some napkins somewhere and how on earth are you going to find enough glasses?
And then you remember your friend’s diet.
Cue steam coming out of your ears. They’ll just have to manage.
But then you remember how nice they are and how much effort they always go to for you (yes you, someone who has no dietary requirements but does have a liking for a particularly hard-to-find cheese, which they always get for you). So you dash to the freefrom section specially, spend five times the amount you’d normally pay for a set of crackers, biscuits & crisps, and hope they appreciate all the effort you’ve gone to.
And let me tell you, it is SO appreciated! It’s like having a miniature Christmas, especially if they’ve found some gluten-free snacks you’ve not seen before which are DELISH!
So yes, it’s not easy, but mercifully there is a freefrom aisle in supermarkets these days and people are getting clued up. All I can say to the people who provide for me when catering is thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I am always grateful, and I hope I show that gratitude when you come over for tea.
How do you feel when having to ask for/ provide gluten-free food? Do tell below!