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Dear All,
   
  I am trying to come up with a way to email friends and family who have invited me to their home for a meal. Being a fairly new Celiac, I'm still exploring this brave, new world. This is a preliminary list and I am open to editing suggestions, as long as they are given gently. If you feel so inclined, please let me know your thoughts. I will always preface this list with a personal letter. Thanks in advance for your help. I will summarize.
   
  Ellen 
  Worcester, MA
   
    
   Please know how hard this is. I feel so awkward asking for any special treatment or attention.   
   Simple protein works for me. Chicken, Fish, Meat (steak, hamburgers that are prepared by you from chopped meat with no other fillers) are all fine. It is best if they are cooked in a disposable foil pan, and kept separate from anything else that might have had marinades on them. Salt & Pepper, garlic, and most original spices are fine (no spice blends like curry or Mrs. Dash for example). Olive oil, vegetable oil are fine.   
   If you’re cooking on a bbq grill, just to be sure, it is best to put my piece of protein in a foil pan or maybe on a few layers of foil.   
   I can have salad as long as there are no croutons or ingredients that might have gluten in them (like  marinated olives or marinated artichokes for example). If you have olive oil and fresh lemon that I can put on my salad, that will be great. There are some gluten-free salad dressings, but honestly, olive oil and lemon works best for me.  
   I can have rice (not from a mix) or potatoes, straight up.  
   When you prepare my food, as over-the-top as this might sound, you need to first wash your hands thoroughly. Anything that my food comes into contact with should be gluten-free. So for example, lay my piece of meat on a piece of foil, not on a cutting board that might have had gluten on it. Don’t use any wooden or plastic utensils on my food; they are porous and can have specks of gluten in them. Stainless steel or metal works well.  
   My food can be served on your regular plates. I can use your silverware.   
   If there are other people eating with us, it is best for me to take my food from any common food bowls before anyone else, to avoid cross contamination.   
   If I show up with any of my own food, please don’t feel hurt or insulted. I am trying to protect my health and repair the damage to my small intestine. Sometimes I might need to have my own stash of food, I hope you will understand.   
   That wasn’t too bad, was it?!?!?! Please ask me any questions. I am most willing to talk with you about it.  
   Please keep inviting meJ.

				
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