Afraid of Ruining Challenge with Dinner Event

[Stephanie]

Hello! I started this challenge a little later than everyone so I am only on day 35. So far I have been 100% raw. I'm feeling great, and I don't want to stop eating this way. My concern is that there is a dinner event for my son's private school auction that may or may not have a portion of the meal raw. When reserving a seat for the event, I had to choose either Chicken or Vegetarian for the meal. Of course I chose vegetarian, but that could mean pasta with cheese, cooked vegetables, and bread. I don't want to sit there with fellow parents and just not eat. That would be weird. It would also be weird to bring my own food to a formal event like this.

Has anyone been faced with this? I am so into doing this for 100 days 100%. I feel like if I eat cooked food for an evening that I won't be able to say that I successfully completed a 100 day raw food challenge. Am I just being too uptight? I'd love to hear some other perspectives or suggestions. Thanks!

Kind regards,
Stephanie

[Tiffany]

You could call ahead and see if there will be salad. But I would eat first before the event. Then at the table you can nibble at your vegetables if there is no salad. If you are talking and pushing bites around the plate with your fork, no one is likely to notice that you aren't really eating. Good luck! P.S. You are not going to ruin this challenge if a few bites pass your lips! Don't get too caught up in perfectionism! Just don't get caught on the slippery slope of one cooked meal leading to another then another >>>>>>>> : -0

[robyn]

I would get in touch with the coordinators of the event and let them know that you have "special dietary needs" and wondered if they could have the chefs prepare a different meal for you within your guidelines. I worked for several years in the banquet department of a somewhat upscale hotel so I would imagine that if it's a very formal event there is going to be a salad course that they should be able to build on. Chef's usually get excited to be able to think out of the box a bit and take on the challenge of making something a little different so long as they have a little notice.

[Laurie]

Do you feel like you could avoid the temptation of the food, and you're just not comfortable with what people will think? If so, one idea is to say you're getting over food poisoning or something and your stomach isn't up to eating. Only you can decide how important it is to you to not eat that food. It's not the end of the world to have a cooked meal, but for some people one meal turns into several, and then a struggle to get back on track. If you can get through it not eating the cooked food, I bet you'll feel great! Let us know how it goes!