Hi, I'm here to talk about something people don't usually realize is a problem, and I'm counting on Tumblr's ability to actually give a shit about things sometimes to actually pay attention.
So there's this thing called Celiac disease. A lot of people have it, me included, and it's an autoimmune disorder. The way it works is simple:
I eat gluten
My body screams and eats my intestines in response.
Not a good time, as you can imagine. As a result, people with Celiac have to avoid gluten at all costs. It's not like an intolerance where you feel sick but will recover. If you have celiac and are exposed to even the slightest amount of gluten, it will cause lasting and sometimes permanent damage to your body. It's a genuinely serious disorder.
Now here's the big issue. No one gives a shit about how careful we have to be. The tiniest amount of gluten can be enough to trigger a reaction.
I cannot kiss someone who has eaten gluten recently, or else I risk cross contamination.
This isn't some gluten free fad. This isn't some diet I can cheat on, or just an intolerance that isn't serious. I can develop cancer from eating bread. Literal. Fucking. Cancer. And just the tiniest amount of gluten is enough to trigger an immune response.
People with Celiac can rarely trust any food they haven't prepared themselves. Even food labeled as "gluten free" isn't always safe. Social gatherings where people bring food are a minefield. Restaurants are a huge risk each time.
I'm a college student, I have to eat in a dining hall. I'm terrified that I won't be able to eat anything other than salad, and even that's a risk because someone may have used the crouton tongs on the broccoli.
So please, if you work in food service and someone asks if things are gluten free, please be careful and please be honest. We're putting an insane amount of trust in you just by asking for food. Use a different cutting board, make sure to wash the knife. Little things like that can save us so much stress and pain.
It's like someone being diabetic and asking for the sugar free soda instead of the regular. We're not doing this as part of a fad diet, we're being so careful about what you serve because we don't get a choice.
Thank you.
Celiac is truly a fucking curse.
I worked with a girl who smugly told me that when she was a waitress, she asked people if they were macro or micro sensitive to their allergen. If they didn't know what she was talking about, she purposely gave them whatever it was they said they couldn't have. Because to her, it meant they were obviously lying.
I tore her a whole new one. You. Don't. Mess. With. People's. Food.
I can't handle dairy. Not any part of it. Not things cooked in butter, no dash of cream, no splash of milk. No powdered milk in my granola clusters. No lactaid. No, we-accidentally-put-cheese-on-your-sandwich-but-didn't-remake-it-because-everyone-likes-cheese. I get violently ill. In twenty to thirty minutes. People assume I'm lying because they don't understand allergies. And it's HARD to understand if you don't have them.
Don't. Mess. With. Other. People's. Food.
Even so. Those people in restaurants you're convinced are lying? I don't care. If they're being "trendy" about it. I don't care. Even if they just hate onions and tell you they're allergic, because that's the only way they've found to get people who think they know better than everyone else from putting onions in their damn food. Let me speak directly to you. I understand. I see you. I cannot blame you for the callousness and disregard of others. You're trying to take care of you.
Accidents happen and sometimes you don't know (just say that!), but we don't owe you our entire medical history just to get you to not put cheese on something, or make sure the gluten free protocols are followed, or ffs, to not deliberately give someone an allergen they asked to avoid.
