On a recent trip to my sister's nursing home, the topic of over zealous eating and drinking came up and my brother, his girlfriend, my sister and I, discussed the shocking amounts of soda and other junk that many people, especially teens, are consuming everyday.
You are probably wondering what sparked this random conversation amidst the many subjects the four of us have to cover.
There was a giant travel mug with a popular soda brand label on it, sitting on a table in the lobby, where we sat, waiting for loose ends to be tied before we could take my sister out on a road trip. Everyone had glanced at it, wandering who it belonged to first, and what possessed someone to drink that much soda second, but no one said anything about it. It quickly became the elephant in the room, figuratively speaking.
So I decided to break the ice, and take a picture of it, for Food Prude's facebook fan page, of course, and the conversation that ensued led to a word of the day declaration. The word being 'gluttony.'
Shortly after receiving permission to leave the grounds, our quartet was happily on it's way to my sister's favorite restaurant, Red Lobster, which, unbeknownst to me, is a very un-allergy-friendly place to eat.
Upon entering, we were promptly seated at a handicap accessible table which soon became the setting for our next experience with our new word of the day.
Soon our waiter addressed us and took our drink order, which is typically the best time to mention food allergies and ask for a specialty menu. Since I had never eaten at Red Lobster, and didn't have the opportunity to research the place before visiting, I didn't know if they were enlightened to the demand for gluten free menu items.
I asked if they had a gluten free menu by chance, and received the all to familiar puzzled look and stammered response, as the young, obviously new waiter said with a question in his voice "we have the Lighthouse Menu, for dieters?"
With understanding that I was now completely on my own, I politely responded with a chuckle and clarified that I was referring to allergens, and that he would know if they had a gluten free menu. He laughed, and simultaneously turned 3 shades of red as he said, "OH! I thought you were trying to say GLUTTON FREE!"
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