Living Gluten Free (or why it ain’t easy…)

It happened. I got glutened.

For those of you that are intolerant to gluten, you know this is not a pretty sight to begin with, but when it actually hits you like a runaway truck, it can be downright frightening.

I’m always prepared. Really. I’m better than a Boy Scout. When dining out, I try to do my own due diligence to make sure I can eat something on the menu provided or see if I need to “load” up before I go because there are not a lot of options at said restaurant.

I was excited when I was getting a cup of soup at Le Pain Quotidien here in LA and was told by the server that there was the option of gluten free bread when I was ordering my usual gluten free tomato soup.

“Really?” I could not contain my excitement. I wanted to kiss him.

“Oh yes! It’s completely gluten free. I’ll give you some, ok?”

I was still not convinced. “Are you positive?”

“Yes! I’ll even give you extra…” His nod was so sincere and his smile so heartfelt, I was lured in, no more questions asked.

Here is where I made my mistake folks. I can’t blame him entirely because as a former server, I usually ask many more questions. This day I was so tired, hungry -and excited – that I got greedy. I watched him load my small take-out bag with my soup and gluten-free bread, took it and skipped out the door.

I enjoyed that bread. I did. It was crusty and fresh and I dipped it in my soup and used it with some dips and spreads at home. Now, as I was eating it I did notice my tummy wasn’t feeling well and I was itching some, but honestly, I brushed it to the side. The guy at Le Pain insisted it was gluten free and he wouldn’t lie to me.

Would he?

As the day progressed, I noticed other little side effects begin to present themselves…my lips hurt, my mouth felt like it had cuts inside it and the topper was when I felt my throat closing. I was having more trouble swallowing than anything, but it was enough of a shock to send me running to the closest Rite-Aid to ask the pharmacist what to do.

Luckily, the Benadryl they recommended worked immediately and I didn’t have to go to the hospital, which was our initial first thought. I pride myself on knowing how my body reacts to things, and once again I listened and caught myself before a mini-disaster occurred.

Did the counter guy at Le Pain lie? The answer to this is no – he didn’t lie. I just think he was ill informed. I found out later he took it that the spelt bread he gave me was gluten free and didn’t think to ask anyone if he was correct.

And again, I take my share of responsibility here because I knew to ask more questions. It’s not like people know about this everywhere, but I wish they did. I wish that most restaurants offered more gluten-free items or trained their servers so they were more educated on this allergy. Kind of like when I was serving and we had to learn all about peanuts and what can happen if someone ingests them.

Hopefully my mistake will help someone else out there to remember to ASK QUESTIONS. Tons. Screw it if they think we’re nuts, I don’t want to spend another Saturday night wondering if my throat is going to close.

I’ve decided that this Saturday I’m going to make some chocolate pots for my neighbors and myself – we love our sweets here and I need to be happy about something delectable again!

So, here’s a recipe I found online at Real Simple that I’m testing out  – let me know if you do, too and we can compare our desserts!

Have a wonderful weekend – and remember: No question is stupid!!!