10.14.2012

gluten-free guest... staying with others

planning to stay with someone else... means some additional planning.

I recently posted about my weekend at Bennett & Angela's cottage... and it got more attention then I was expecting. The post was really a thank you to amazing friends who take really good care of my gluten-free needs (found HERE). 

I realized that this did not provide much valuable information to those looking for advice on how to keep gluten off of their plate when they arrive at the home of another. 

As such, I thought it might be more helpful to provide some thoughts on how to best prepare:

Let the host know about your concerns (not wanting to be difficult or cause too much work, and not wanting to go hungry or get sick). Anxiety is the hardest part to get over.

Give the host plenty of time to prepare and ask questions. Remember that they may be as anxious as you are. 

Offer to bring some of the food, play a role in the planning and in the making of meals. I don't put it all on the host. I typically bring a few things with us that I know everyone can eat, and anything that I know will fill a gap should I need it.

I try not to make it all about me. Being a considerate guest is a big part of making this work.
 
Time together with friends is precious. I love food, and despite what I've shared about some of my friends on this blog, I typically lower my expectations when visiting others as I'm one of many to be considered.

I've been doing this a very long time, which means that most of my friends are well versed in what it means to have me over.  As you can see from posts on this blog, I am still constantly moved by the effort made, and wonderful gestures of others. These are gluten-free gifts.