Okay, You’re Right Guys

A couple of friends have pointed out that if we were all at a potluck, they would make an effort to bring things to accommodate my allergies. And you’re right, that would be thoughtful and considerate. I admit I’m using a broad brush in my ranting, and you guys are good people and shouldn’t let my little tantrum change anything you do.

Maybe some detail will help. Our “parties” aren’t any kind of potluck, it’s just someone’s birthday and we get a cake and take ten or fifteen minutes in the break area to celebrate. And usually the same person goes for the cake, and always makes a big fuss about trying to find something without wheat in it, even though I’ve told her I’d rather she just get whatever the birthday girl likes, and that I’m not eating sweets anyway (another bit of dietary info I plan to keep to myself in future). Or she’ll get a regular cake and also some random thing like flan or a little single-serve ice cream.

And that probably wouldn’t bother me nearly as much if she would quit trying to get me to eat the stuff even on non-birthday occasions. Every now and then she’ll go to McDonald’s and get sundaes for everyone, and every time I tell her I don’t want one, and every time she brings me one anyway. The first time I ate it to be polite, but after that I just gave them to a co-worker. Or she’ll offer me chocolate, or some other candy that doesn’t have wheat and therefore “you can eat this, right?” Dude, I CAN eat wheat if I choose to, it just makes me sick afterward so I choose not to. I also choose to limit my sugar intake, because I don’t want to be diabetic in my fifties.

So I’m at the point now where my back is up a bit about the whole thing. I figure at the new place I’ll avoid all that by just sticking to the “no, thanks” and not giving anyone that opening to proffer me food I don’t want because it’s technically “allowed” by my allergy.

And another factor is that I’ve been training the new person at work, and more or less managing her, and I hate it. So I’m bitchy and petulant on my blog, because I can’t be bitchy and petulant at work. When I’m enjoying what I do the little annoyances are much easier to ignore.