I’m not ready to blast the news to everyone that I’m on a wheat free diet. I’ve had a number of health challenges in the past 5-10 years and had to experiment with giving up a number of foods. For that reason, I want to lay low on the subject of giving up wheat until my body is more settled and recovered from the years of “wheat abuse”.

My friends came to town and wanted to eat at a particular Chinese restaurant for dim sum. I used to love the food there, yet I’d feel sick to my stomach after I ate it. My husband and I attributed that to the grease; he’d feel a bit sick, too.

Now that I know I can’t eat wheat, I’m certain that was a major part of the problem for me. Every single dim sum item contains wheat (and major grease). Even the one green vegetable they bring out at the very end is marinated in wheat-filled soy sauce and covered with a sheen of mysterious fat.

What to do? I wanted to see my friends, and I wanted to avoid eating that food. Sitting at a big table with all of the dim sum carts rolling by would be dull for me. It would also be tempting to eat the food anyway and annoying to answer all the questions about why I was not eating.

Instead of subjecting myself to that, I suggested we meet up for coffee next door beforehand. It was a great idea. My friends wanted to visit that coffee shop before their dim sum experience anyway, and I got to spend time with them outside before they had to get in line for the Chinese restaurant.

Sometimes a little creativity in a potentially sticky or uncomfortable situation can pay off. I’m happy I didn’t have to sit there watching people eat food I can’t eat, and I’m happy I got to see my friends.