Celiac Coping

I've been gluten-free for almost a year and a half. That's almost enough time to be good at something, right?
Not so much.

I still struggle when I go out to eat, fearing what I should order. I still struggle when I have people over for dinner, and they want to make something. I have this irrational fear that the world is out to get me occasionally.
I know it's not. I know my friends love me. I know they don't really want me to get sick, even if they do fight over who gets to use the epi-pen if I have a peanut reaction (thanks guys...).

But how do you fit in, when everyone in your social group can just eat anywhere? Eat anything?
Well, they may not be perfect, but I've come up with a few coping techniques:

1. Carry a snack. It doesn't have to be big, but you should have one. I ended up staying at a friends house for several more hours than I expected the other day, I was really happy I had taken along some carrot sticks and hummus to munch on. "Just in case"

2. Suggest where to go. Most people will take suggestions. I did that just recently in London when we were on a day trip. Just quietly steered the group toward a place I knew about. Worked out fairly well, if I do say so myself.

3. Be ready to talk to a cook. I'm still getting over my fear of asking people what is in things. But I've noticed no one else seems to mind when I question someone, so why should I?

4. Play the host/hostess. I've found most people are willing to pitch in a little money if I play hostess and do the cooking. I've also discovered that Mexican goes over well, which is made so easily gluten-free. Plus people can contribute things to a Mexican night super-easy. "Go grab four bags of tortilla chips". Was that so hard? Not for them. And it's much less stressful for me!

5. Visit ahead of time. If I know our group is going to eat somewhere, I try to pop in before the night of the event and ask the wait staff questions. Usually someone can help me out, and then I know precisely what to do, I don't hold up anything, and I don't have to feel awkward. It's a win-win scenario from my point of view.

6. Be honest. I sometimes get so self-concious that I hate talking about my health problems. But when people ask questions, I think it's because they're genuinely curious, not because they're "being nice" or about to be mean. I love it now that I have a group here who knows what's what, because they tease me a lot, and I feel very normal most of the time despite my glaring difference from everyone else.

Continually learning, striving, coping. Wishing I didn't have to, but thanking God I've had the opportunity to learn more about me, and to help others occasionally. :)