<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> > A lot of a person's success at living GF is related to the family > support he/she receives. I have one celiac family member whose spouse > treats the condition as a burden and an imposition, and refuses to > cook or alter the family's diet. She seems to think he should be able > to will this condition away and that is a personal attack on her that > he won't do so. If his wife is this inflexible with celiac (something easy to cook around), I'd hate to see what happened if he got *really* sick :-( If she is that ignorant, she should be educated - if she stays stupid - well, he may need to make other arrangements for food :-( > On the other hand, I have another family member (my > dad!) whose wife and kids were very excited to finally learn what his > problem was, and so relieved that we could DO something to help make > him healthy. We treated it as an intellectual challenge to find > creative recipes. <snip> This is not just a problem in celiac families. In my immediate family, we have a variety of food problems in addition to celiac - deadly shellfish reactions, a vegan (no animal products consumed for health reasons), soft diet (a disabled child who can't chew), milk- free, beef-free, violent reactions to melon, no pork, no nitrates, etc. It is interesting to watch how it is treated at each house, as my siblings and I are now adults. One sibling cooks what she cooks, and scr*w the rest of us. My mom (vegan) and I (celiac) refuse to eat there anymore out of self-defense. Three of us are "gracious hosts" - everyone should be able to get enough to eat to be content, although not necessarily be able to eat everything on the table. We've even pulled things out of the cupboard when our nephew couldn't find enough to eat without chewing. My youngest sister's reaction amazed the middle sister - she was getting ready to dig into emergency supplies for her son, and was asked what he needed - my baby sister then proceeded into the kitchen to make scrambled eggs and cottage cheese for him so he could eat - baby sister was putting on the "mildly insulted" act - she fed all her guests properly ;-) no one should have to bring food to her house ;-) this after putting on a lavish spread that took everyone's needs into account (child didn't like hoummous or tuna, so needed some protein). The best thing that you can do is support the supportive family, and find excuses not to eat where you are not supported. It's a lot easier than being many miles from home and being violently ill...been there, done that, and *will not* do it again, no matter how insulted middle sister gets... karen Karen Davis Davis and Associates Consulting [log in to unmask] The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train...