Never expected what I thought to be a decent Italian restaurant to be so clueless and uninformed about a condition that is so common these days.
I explained I had diabetes to one side so no one could hear and he said ok I will get someone to come and talk to you about your requirements, oh yeah the guy walked up to the table and said out loud “so who’s the one who wants to talk about their diabetes?”
So the cat was out the bag so I said yes I just wanted to know if you have any options that may not be on the menu very low in carbs. His response was “no just what’s on the menu, probably no deserts for you then” laughing like he had just told a great joke and the worst part was some of my friends laughed with him although later said they just felt really awkward. I’m getting annoyed just thinking about it. From my experience I’m guessing people don’t mention it when they go out but it says on a poster if you have any dietary requirements to let them know.
How would you go about it if you were eating out? Would you even mention it or just have a night off restrictions
I'm sorry about your oh so discreet service. I don't make a secret out of my T2, I found it just makes life easier to be open about it. But when you're newly diagnosed and still trying to come to terms with the whole thing, then this is indeed very, very far from helpful. Heck... if that'd been my first dining out experience when asking for something special, I don;t think I ever would've eaten out again. By now I've had many, many meals over the years though, and more often than not the most I get is a ""We have gluten-free bread if you want that?". Most are helpful, and expecially so when you're a returning customer and notoriously big tipper for their effort.
Basically try and have a little input in location if at all possible, or look the menu over beforehand. If you suspect a**holery, call or mail beforehand and discuss options. Stick with meats, (Argentinian grill, anybody?), poultry, salads, cheeses... Just ask extra veg or salad instead of rice or potatoes. If it's something in the morning, just go for a Full English and let them hold the toast, beans and maaaaybe pud, as that may be starchy as well. You can always claim you're on a new health kick and want to try low carbing for the heck of it. Probably not a person at the table who hasn't tried a diet in their life at some point, no further explanation required.
But, yeah. Cats aren't easily stuffed back into bags, so that may be out for good now. Just, you know... Do your research. Check menu's online. Ask questions. I usually start by asking whether it's okay if I'm difficult. Then they're usually relieved I'm just asking for stuff to be left out or replaced, rather than have it massaged by panda's before serving. Only ran into a problem about three or four times. (Got my husband's coke instead of my diet, people thinking I just want to pay less for the meal rather than pay the always intended extra for the service, or just being a b*tch to me saying the kitchen makes no exceptions as they're busy. The joint was empty except for us, with no big crowds coming in any time soon. I left in tears and ate elsewhere. Tipped like mad there and thanked them for being fantastic. The server didn't know what hit her.) I've been low carbing for about seven years or so. That's a LOT of lunches and dinners, where everything went absolutely fine. So it can be done. You just got really lucky to get this sort of treatment from the get-go. Also.... Low carbing isn't that well known. If you get a diabetic meal in hospital or on a flight, it
will be carb laden. To keep T1's from going hypo, I presume. (Correct me if I'm wrong, people?). T2's, though we are many, don't usually meet chefs who understand the condition. And even if they have it themselves, which does happen, it doesn't mean they know about the relation between carbs and blood sugars. You have to explicitly tell them what you want, -not per se why- don't just tell them "I have x condition and sort it out for me". They're chefs, not doctors. (And even those are often clueless...). So, you'll have to take the lead there. Which isn't easy when someone comes out of the kitchen to make fun of you, but believe me... That doesn't happen often. And I think that Italian joint lost you as a steady customer.
You'll be fine. Just takes getting used to. And lots of Nando's, from what I gather. (We don't have that in the Netherlands).
Hugs,
Jo
