suzenelson's Profile

After reading all these comments, I would say that the biggest problem between hosts and guests is failing to communicate beforehand. I don't think there is any restriction that can't be worked around. I'm a vegetarian who suspects a gluten intolerance. My two kids (ages 2 and 4) have multiple food allergies and not even the same ones. Our family could be a big PITA to have over to dinner, but I try to find out what's being served ahead of time to we can plan accordingly. I bring along some of our own foods, bring a safe dish to share, snack in the car on the way; whatever seems most appropriate for the situation. We also have frequent conversations with the kids about never taking something to eat without checking with us first. This has been their life as long as they can remember, and they understand that some foods may make them very sick.

Because nice hosts usually do want to know how they can accommodate us, here's my two cents: don't throw away food labels until we've had a chance to scan the ingredients; serve an assortment of plain, fresh fruit and veggies-- safe for almost everyone; leave out some plain potatoes before mashing the rest with milk and butter; if grilling meat for my kids, cook a plain piece on some aluminum foil so it doesn't touch anything else; serve salad with dressing and nuts on the side; and watch for cross-contamination with utensils. Also, I'm embarrassed if someone attempts to find or prepare the vegetarian or allergy-free substitutes for every single dish. It's way more work and expense, and really not necessary. And don't be offended if I swoop down on the nut bowl you've left on the coffee table and place it out of reach.

If my family is invited somewhere for a meal, we're going for the friendship, not the food. We may not eat a lot of what's prepared, but we appreciate being included and really do want to work with you to make it easy on everyone.

I kept every issue of Domino, Cookie, readyMade and Blueprint. They are in labeled magazine files on the very top of the bookcase where they stay out of the way, yet within easy reach when I need nostalgia/inspiration. We do keep a lot of Dwell, Martha Stewert, and Elle Decor, too, but occasionally go through them to rip out and purge. I store my ripped-out pages in a binder that goes back to when I moved into my first apartment w/o roommates and got to decorate from scratch. It's so fun to see what appealed to me then, and how some of my tastes haven't changed at all.

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