<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hey all It was a cool thing...a friend stayed with me (out of town guest) whose son has Celiac. I was excited to share treats and also worried about everything. Even though my house is totally GF and I am single, I had this fear of contaminating him. Goofy hah.... ANYWAY, here is the odd part. Having someone stay with me with Celiac, and learning/listening to how the parents deal with it was eye opening. She has two kids, one celiac, one not. So she lives in a different world than I do. I would have assumed she was as psychotically careful as I am about everything, but she wasn't, which was interesting to me. I know we all have different levels of care with this, some eat out, some don't, some worry about xyz, others don't...but I do w onder if I am being too careful and letting things get tooooooo strict to the sake of not enjoying food especially dining out. My friends feel comfy doing the following...I wish I could... - reading a label on something pretty non threatening, (salsa, ketchup, etc, beans) and trusting the ingredients...and GOING for it. Without knowing the manufacturer..etc. - they do not have separate pots and pans for celiac son - they go out to eat with him and give a talk but not a crazy talk to the waiters...just to watch out for bread, etc...they order mild stuff like eggs and rice, etc, but don't nearly go to the lenghts I would...and do...I am not in judgement at all....I think they live a healthy balance...I do.. I guess I still wonder what is the right level of care vs obsession. I mean I know there is not one answer...but being around them made me feel I take it too far...I bought new pots/pans for their stay....I wonder.....if I should not be as nutty about not trusting labels, waiters...etc....chefs.....yada yada.... HOW WORRIED ARE YOU? How worried should you be? Eating out I mean.... I hate this part...tee heee....my friend also had GF snacks in same bag (big shopping bag) and regular crackers. I would be totally paranoid about crumbs and cross contamination. Both boxes were open..... Sorry to ramble...still trying to figure out right way to live healthy and happy...not sure I have a good mix...and afraid to be more daring... BOY I MISS THAI AND INDIAN FOOD....BIG TIME redcat baltimore, MD * Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *