It has been a crazy busy week at work. I have had a lot of meetings, events and projects to fill my days. This week also included 5, yes 5 meetings involving food. This used to not be a problem but not that I'm GF it makes social events for work difficult. Here is how I survived.
Event 1 - Business lunch
We are currently hiring so I scheduled an interview lunch with a candidate so we could get to know them better. I scheduled the meeting at a local restaurant that I know so I would be comfortable ordering. This is a bar fare kind of place but they have
good salads and GF dressing. My salad came with pita chips on the side that I gave to my co-worker. The only challenge was resisting the urge to eat their yummy homemade, fried potato chips and ranch that my boss ordered for an appetizer. I prevailed and didn't have any.
Event 2 - Associate Meeting
A local trade association had an afternoon meeting discussing an interesting topic. The meeting ran from 3:30 to 5pm. The food table included: cheese cubes, meatballs in sauce, nacho dip, salsa, tortilla chips, and a fruit tray.
I went with the cheese and fruit.
Event 3 - Business After Hours Networking Event
This one was the biggest challenge. I didn't know what was going to be served or who was catering so I ate some GF snacks in the car on the way to the event. The event started at 5:30 and ended at 7pm. The food included: cake squares, pizza, bar-b-que sandwiches, and chicken quesadillas.
I had to pass on all of it which also meant no wine :( I didn't want to drink on a mostly empty stomach. When I got home I ate some rice pasta and GF Alfredo sauce.
Event 4 - Half Day Board Meeting
This event was tricky because it included breakfast, snack and lunch. I emailed the organizer to see who was catering the event. I then called the caterer to see what she was making. The menu: muffins, fruit tray, biscuits, lasagna, salad, rolls and cookies. I told her I was a Celiac and wondered if she had any GF salad dressing. She was so sweet and said she would make some just for me and try to come up with a dessert I could eat. I ate some
fruit, the salad with GF dressing and some yummy macaroons! She said the macaroons only had coconut, sugar and condensed milk. I also brought a banana and GF crackers to snack on.
Event 5 - Black Tie Dinner
This was a buffet dinner with a cocktail hour and dancing. I called the caterer to see what my options would be. After trying to explain what Gluten Free meant I just told him I was allergic to wheat and flour. He told me the menu and we decided I could have the
chicken, pork and vegatables. Dessert was a challenge. I know the ladies who made the yummy desserts and found out it all had Gluten in it. She told me she was working on some GF options and would love for me to test the results. I ended up eating the
icing off of 3 mini-cupcakes because the icing was safe.
Survival Guide
- Find out what is going to be served and contact food provider for GF options
- Bring snacks
- Plan events at locations you trust that have GF items available
- When in doubt don't eat it
