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Saturday, October 2, 2010

The One About Making Out... (and other cross contamination).

When I was first diagnosed, my super supportive boyfriend said that he would gladly give up gluten with me.  Until he realized that there was gluten in beer. Heh.

This brings me to two weekends ago.  My man and I were hosting a my friend Michael at our place.  Michael and Frank were enjoying some beer and pizza. I was being well behaved and having some gluten free noshes of my own. As is the usual for Frank and I, there were kisses stolen here and there throughout the night.  Not to go totally TMI (I'll leave that for Vittoria...) but when we got a moment alone, we took advantage.

Toward the end of the night, I started to feel some all too familiar rumblings in my celiac tummy.  Then came the nausea, the stomach pain and cramping, the mild headache.  I was racking my brain.  I knew I had been careful. Running over the list of everything I ate that day, I came up empty.  Then it hit me:  Making out with Frank post beer guzzling and pizza eating.  I refused to believe it so I did some intense googling (what else does one do in these situations?)  finding vague reports similar to my experience.  Poor boyfriend felt so horrible, that "he" had made me sick.  I emphasized that it was the wheat/gluten and NOT his lips. Thankfully I have no allergies to sexy brown men.  Only a seductive brown grain and its friends.

Since then I've been even bitchier than normal and anytime he eats or drinks anything questionable, I make him brush his teeth and rinse.  No cross contamination since then, so even though I was unsure as to whether or not toothpaste would kill the allergen, I have been a-okay.

The implications this has for dating are ridiculous.  Thankfully my man loves me. And we've been together like two years.  I couldn't imagine meeting someone, really liking them and then as the moment turns intimate screaming STOP STOP CROSS CONTAMINATION STOOOOOP. A scary consideration.  So who is going to start an allergy friendly dating website?

Tangentially on the subject of cross contamination, the only slip ups I've had (after my first failed attempt that I documented here) have been CC (cross contamination) related.  Once, while I out I dipped my gluten free bread in the communal EVOO bowl.    Rookie move, Lauren.  The other incident was getting my salad chopped  (that sounds dirty, yet isn't...) through a machine at a chain salad restaurant.  Grr.  CC is definitely the hardest factor to consider.  Most places seem to be able to figure out gluten free food, but if its not made in a gluten free kitchen or area of the kitchen, even, it can still carry some risk.  Even when the gluten free kitchen in question is actually your boyfriends mouth.  Noted.

I feel like this could be a good place for notes on storage and avoiding cross contamination. Voila. I give you... bullet points:

  • Wheat flour should be kept in an airtight container.
  • Gluten free flours should be stored above gluten containing flours. Go figure.
  • Preferably have a designated gluten free cabinet/shelf which has been cleaned prior to storing gluten free products.
  • Strainers should be cleaned thoroughly, in a dishwasher if possible, if it is necessary that they are shared between wheat pasta/starches and gluten free ones/food.
  • If cooking gluten free and not gluten free foods simultaneously: GF food goes above wheat containing food in the oven. Use separate utensils for stovetop. Make sure GF food does not touch wheat containing food on grills.
  • If possible, purchase a separate toaster, blender and food processor as residue is difficult to remove.  This is the same rationale that warrants investing in separate colanders. 
  • Make your significant other brush his teeth when he gets done boozing with his friends.

3 comments:

  1. Wow, something I had never even considered.

    Great entry! Loving the blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks lovey! Now we just need to find out if EVAN WILLIAMS is gluten free...

    ReplyDelete