I may sound a bit of a moaner but still getting to grips with this t1.
Don't worry, winelover, it gets easier!
Sure, some of the spontaneity is lost, we do need to plan ahead a lot more, but there are ways of "winging it" a bit.
For example, as long as I've got a general idea of what the carb count is likely to be, but there's a degree of uncertainty about the timing of it, I can bolus a small amount in advance, not enough to cause a serious drop, an amount which can be sorted out quite easily with a few dextrotabs if there is a major delay, but enough to get in stream and be heavily into its action path so it's still quite an effective pre-bolus which can be topped up once the meal arrives and I'm clearer about the carb count.
Another option would be a larger pre-bolus, and if there's an unexpected delay, get an apple juice.
Or queue jump: ask the staff how the service times are running, mention you're asking because you're T1 and need to figure out insulin timing, and they'll generally push you up the queue a bit.
It can be more awkward when eating in a new place for the first time, unexplored territory, but after a while, most of us seem to have a selection of regular places we eat, because we like the environment and the food, and that makes the carb count more predictable.
After a while, we can get quite good at just "eyeballing" a meal to figure out the carb count.
