A different take on providing gluten free food suggestions to friends that are having a party with a guest who has celiac …
So I have a friend who was throwing a party and it turns out that one of his friends has celiac. He asked me for some suggestions on some of my favorite gluten free side dishes. I thought, oh boy, I need to be very careful here, remembering that I would need to either be very specific on the ingredients or just tell him to provide something like fresh fruit.
Anyway, I started off letting my friend know not to be surprised if his friend, the one with celiac, brings his own food to the party. I also advised him not to be surprised if his friend asks him about the specific ingredients used in the food provided at the party. I also advised him not to use any packaged mixes like salad dressings, etc., just to be on the safe side.
I recalled the times when I would arrive at a party – what can I eat? I usually would eat something prior to the party or bring a side dish that I could eat. Some of my friends might say, “I made you something that’s gluten free.” Not that they don’t have good intentions but I usually would ask about the ingredients just in case they weren’t as diligent about those hidden gluten items as I am. Plus, I don’t expect my friends to be an expert of everything gluten.
Back to my friend who has a friend with celiac – I went ahead and sent him a recipe for a fabulous quinoa salad with mango and curry and also suggested making a guacamole from scratch. He asked me about dessert – well, that’s a different story. I don’t really eat a lot of desserts so I suggested fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) with fresh whipped cream – he liked that idea.
So even though I’m really careful about the food choices I make, offering suggestions to a friend with a friend with celiac was still a little scary for me.