~I've Got A Complicated Order!~

 

 MADtv- Bon Qui Qui (complicated order) 

***click on the YouTube link (bottom right) to view***

Does anyone else feel like you're reliving this video when ordering?  I sure do!!

I love me some fast food... and I mean LOVE!  Now, it's not that I eat out all the time nor do I eat horribly, but I love the option of stopping what I'm doing and getting a quick meal to suit my fancy of the moment.  The places that I would frequent are (which I can no longer eat at a majority of these places) Chipotle, 5 Guys Burgers and Fries, Chic-Fil-A, Panda Express, Red Robin, and any bagel shop for breakfast. Of course the occasional dining at Macaroni Grill, Cracker Barrel, and Native New Yorker were some of the top 'sit down' places we'd go to.  Eating out is a splurge in our budget and wasn't done crazy often, but more so than I guess I even realized.

When I order, I have to tell them right away that I have celiac disease (follow that up with 'gluten allergy' which ISN'T the case, but they don't typically know what CD is) and that I need them to change their gloves, wipe down the area, keep my food free from other food and be very careful making it.  Of course, I KNOW that eating out is putting my health at risk but it's a chance that I have decided to take so that I could continue to eat some of the foods that I enjoy in the midst of this chapter of my life, as well as take advantage of the facilities who are familiar with the needs of their 'allergy' patrons.

Today, I stopped while running errands at one of the places mentioned above.  I've eaten here a handful of times in the almost 6 months and they've always gotten it right (so-much-so that I shed a tear my first time eating there after CD - WHY?  Because they did exactly what their website said they would do and I felt completely safe).  I told the lady at the register my needs and she acknowledged them.

Then comes the elephant in the room... er... me.

I order my burger, stand off to the side, then watch that mound of hamburger goodness be made. Today was different than all of the other times I've been there... The first lady, it looked like she was fairly new, (it appeared) she was asking how to start the lettuce burger.  The lady who took my order started talking to her and showing her what to do.  Neither of them changed their gloves, wiped down the area, nor kept my food away from other food. I watched my food then get passed down the line and bunched in a staging area with other buns, waiting for the meat to finish cooking.  Another lady then finishes the burgers orders (handling the buns and wrapping them up) before mine, and without skipping a beat, immediately started finishing mine.  Not wanting to call attention to myself, I stand there and watch my food get 'contaminated'.

The only thing I can say about myself is that I feel defeated.  I am not the kind person who will go up and then say anything (complain) about my food.   I already feel like a FREAK (no I'm not kidding) and I don't want to tell someone that this PERFECTLY GOOD LETTUCE BURGER is bad for me.  After resisting about 6 urges to go say something along the way, I still grabbed my bag with a half smile and said 'thank you'.  I (for the most part) will eat it and pay for it later.  Had Josh been there with me, he'd have either shoved me up there or handled it himself.

Shame on me.  I'm almost 6 months into this and I KNOW the ramifications of eating out, eating gluten, and eating gluten contaminated food.  I also know that it takes me about 1/2 of my meal to already FEEL my stomach FREAK THE HECK OUT and then another 20 minutes before I have to go violate the bathroom (I'm sorry, TMI, but it's TRUE)!  and THAT'S NOT ALL, folks!  After eating and for another week, I feel the war waging within my body, which is too many symptoms to list.

Finding out that you have a disease, that is directly related to food, is something you can't turn your head on.  I know this.  My health is good enough for me to say something, regardless of what people think of me.  This is something that I still HAVE to work on.

But for now, until I learn to put my big-girl panties on, and take care of myself properly, I will refrain from going out to eat.

I'm still learning...  I'm going to continue to fall on my face and make mistakes but I'm a work in progress.

Would you care to follow my journey? Here's the FB Page with my story...

Gluten and Celiac and Grains, Oh My!