DEAR ABBY: My niece recently received her doctorate, and I have been invited to a celebration. A small bakery will be catering the meal. I have celiac disease, which means I have dietary restrictions (no wheat) that my family is aware of because another niece also has celiac. The bakery is small and is located in a small rural community. I tried looking up their menu online without success.
How do I handle this? I inquired and was told they will have a baked potato on the menu. Should I bring my own food to the celebration? Should I not attend or attend and have only the baked potato? I like baked potatoes, but I would probably need more to eat than that. Should I bring up my dietary restrictions prior to the celebration or drive the four-hour round trip in silence? — RESTRICTED IN OHIO
DEAR RESTRICTED: It says in the Bible, “Seek and ye shall find.” Because the bakery doesn’t have an online presence doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a telephone. Use it, tell them about your dietary needs and ask if you can be accommodated beyond a baked potato. You may be pleasantly surprised, especially since you aren’t the only relative who has dietary restrictions. However, if the answer is no, bring something along you CAN eat and consume it near the end of your four-hour drive rather than suffer in silence.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
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