Saturday, August 13, 2011

Take Your Gluten-Free Cupcake and Shove It

Posted by She Said

Since the discovery of Emily’s allergies, we have completely changed our eating habits in the house. The results have affected us in many divergent ways.

First, and most notably, Emily is like a new, fully-energized little girl. I’m seriously having a hard time keeping up with her, and for that, I am thrilled.

Second, even feeling better, Emily has been bummed to not be able to eat some of her favorite things. This came to light during a play date when she was asked what her super power would be as a fairy, to which she responded, “My super power would be to eat anything I wanted to.” Even as hard as I have tried to find tasty alternatives, let’s face it. Wheat-free, milk-free, egg-free stuff is just different. Not bad, just different.

Third, Braedyn is not thrilled with this change. After being served a dinner of rice pasta and red sauce and homemade wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free meatballs, he broke down at the table and told me, “I don’t like any of dinner, you are just making stuff for Emily and not anything that I like.” I kept my cool and explained that I am trying really hard to find food that we will all like. This, however, was not a change I had anticipated.

Last, and most painful, our grocery bill has sky-rocketed. My friend Emma jokes that everything that used to cost us a dollar is now $5. After poking around in the store with her today, I think that number is actually closer to $7. Because we are going to a BBQ today, I also visited a local bakery that specializes in gluten-free and dairy-free sweets so that Emily could have her own special cupcake while the rest of us gorge on the good stuff the allergen-full stuff. Because we are spending gobs on alternative foods these days, I am trying to cut back in other areas as much as possible.

Call me crazy, but I think the following conversation with the bakery owner was a *tad* inappropriate on her part:

Me: I’ll take one cupcake.

Bakery Owner: We also have these day or two old cupcakes on the counter for 50 cents.

Me: Ah, ok. Perfect. I’ll take one.

Me to the cashier: Oh, I’ll also take a diet Pepsi please.

Cashier: <Adds an additional $1.75 to tally>

Me to cashier: The Pepsi is $1.75?

Cashier: Yes.

Me to cashier: You know what? That’s ok. I’ll just take the cupcake. I’m almost home and can wait.

Bakery Owner: That’s less than you’d pay at a restaurant.

Me to BO: I’m almost home. I’ll just wait. I don’t want to spend that on a diet Pepsi.

Bakery Owner: You need to help keep us in business.

Me to BO: I am.

BO: By buying a 50 cent cupcake?

Me: Well, I won’t if I continue to be harassed.

BO: Well, it’s just that we are a small, local business.

Me to BO: I just recently found out about my daughter’s allergies. I bought a six dollar (actually $6.25) for a loaf of bread here this week that I doubt my daughter is going to eat. I bought a donut for $1.25 this week. I’m encouraging my husband to bring the kids here on Saturday mornings for their donut outings. I AM supporting local business.

I paid my fifty cents and left, but I am left wondering if I ever want to go back. Yes, that would mean that I will have to make ONE MORE FREAKING THING from scratch. Right now, in this moment, it feels worth it.

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