When I told the server that it was to be a Gluten Free meal, he just looked at it and said “Was it supposed to be?” Yes. That’s what I ordered. And so he simply took the peanut sauce off the dish and tried to place it in front of me. I told him about my allergy to gluten and he said that the rolls are made the same way and it’s just the peanut sauce that has gluten. I told him “But I don’t know how it was prepared – they must take some kind of gluten precautions in the kitchen…” So he sighed and took it away. He came back a minute later with the same plate, just with two spicy sauces instead of one peanut & one spicy. I asked him if it was the same order and he said yeah, but that he had checked and GF is the exact same rolls, just without peanut sauce. He put the plate on the table and walked away.
My husband and I just sat and looked at the plate, then at each other and back down to the happy little salad rolls. I just didn’t want to eat them. Today is “PG Day 12” (in our house “PG” stands for “Post Gluten”: it’s been a wonderful 12 days since I had any accidental gluten or dairy). My husband asked if I wanted him to bring it back and request a new order, prepared to be officially Gluten Free. I thought, Hey, I’ve been to Pei Wei SO many times since going GFCF and have never had a problem when ordering these wonderful salad rolls. But every time I previously ordered them, they were very very conscientious about saying “Gluten Free” every time – like they knew it was a big deal. So I was about to tell him, “thanks, you’re right: I shouldn’t take a chance. I should play it safe and send them back”. But having been a waitress during film school and knowing what I do about restaurant kitchens – especially when things are sent back for seemingly silly reasons, I chose not to make a fuss, take my chances and eat them.
Yes, as I’m sure you’ve surmised, I broke my 12 day GFCF stretch. It had been a new record (previously 7 days was the longest stretch I’d been successful in avoiding cross contamination). So after eating dinner, as we were taking a leisurely evening stroll right after leaving Pei Wei, I started to get short of breath. I noticed my heart rate was starting to elevate despite a very languid pace. And, biggest sign of all, my previously concave and soft abdomen is now distended and getting to be tight as a drum. Gluten contamination for sure.
And is it’s my fault. I’m so mad at myself for not listening to my gut instinct: send it back! Who cares what they think?! They’re not going to have to deal with the 5-6 days of swelling, brain fog, irritability, confusion, diarrhea, cold sweats or *seriously* bad mood. They’re not gonna jump from a size 12 to size 16 because they ingested a few particles of gluten. They’re not going to have to sit on the sidelines this weekend and try to smile during a “Dinosaur-Super-Hero” birthday party because they don’t have the energy to play and have fun. They’re not going to be unable to fit into their pretty new Mother’s Day dress because they got too swollen to zip it.
Grrrrr…! If I don’t start listening to myself, trusting my instincts, I’ll be forever having these problems. And I’m sorry, but no one’s feeling are worth it! So learn from my mistakes: when dining out, always trust your gut (instincts) and your gut (a happily GFCF system) will be glad you did.