Three days ago I went to a big dinner party. About 50 people were going to
participate. Weeks before I had been asked by the persons planning the
party if I was intolerant to something. I told them I was allergic to
wheat, soy and (unfermented) milk. I also told them I avoided refined
carbohydrates and vegetable oils. In reality I was more fastidious than
that but I figured these were the most common ingredients in the foods I
avoided and I didn't want to give a long lecture explaning what I ate and
didn't ate.

When I arrived at the party, the first dish was already on the tables. It
was white bread with a topping of some kind of mixture of shrimps, cream
and God knows what. Everybody sat down except me. There was one unoccupied
chair and I headed towards it, constantly wondering what my special
consisted of.

There was no special there, but the same food as others. I talked to one of
the persons responsible. It turned out they had forgotten my request. They
said they would contact the company who had arranged all the food.

I sat down and started to wait. Under the surface I was regretful and
furious. I wanted my money back. I had payed about $40 dollars for that
party. I hadn't come there to go hungry, draw much attention and get sick
afterwards. People near me started to wonder what was wrong and I told what
I was allergic to, but I didn't say a word about refined carbs and other
strange dietary ideas of mine. I was so tired of explaing.

After five or ten minutes of doing nothing but enduring other peoples looks
and being one in 50 who was not eating, I couldn't take it anymore and told
with resignation: "What the heck, I'll eat it.". But a lady next to me
firmly stopped me thank God. She told she had a child who was intolerant to
wheat and milk, and she knew how difficult it could be. I was so glad to
get support and listened to her. I knew I wouldn't have died by eating the
stuff, but I would surely have felt contaminated and sick afterwards. Last
time I had been on a dinner and eaten what was served, I had been messed up
for several weeks.

When everybody was finished with the first dish, I saw my food arriving
with a guy from the food company. I wondered: "What strange invention do I
have to eat instead?" but I was pleasantly surprised when the dish I got
consisted of various fresh vegetables and ham. The ham was too salty and
probably contained nitrates but I decided to eat it anyway.

While I was eating, it was time for the next dish. This time everybody had
to leave the table and serve themselves. When I was done with my vegetables
and meat I left the table as well, worrying what was waiting for me, but I
was surprised again. Besides various unknown creations, there was salted
and baked plain meat, meat-juice, and cooked asparagus. The company had
been there and left some kind of special sauce to me. I smelled it but
dared not to put any of it on my plate.

Then the dessert was served. I was worried again! Everybody got icecream or
something similar with sugary jam. Luckily I was served strawberries and
passion fruit. It was the first time I ate passion fruit and it was good. I
know I'm not paleo no more because I eat fermented dairy and rye, but when
I ate the dessert I gladly thought: "This dinner has been paleo!".

In spite of my abnormal fixation with food I made a couple of new friends
there.

Fredrik