When I became gluten-intolerant ten years ago, I had to give up a lot of my favorite foods. Two things happened recently that made me realize I haven’t got over feeling bad about my restricted diet.

The first happened at Peter’s recent high school reunion in New York City. A classmate invited the group to his magnificent apartment overlooking Lincoln Center for wine and finger foods. There were trays of sandwiches and sushi (prepared with soy sauce which is not gluten-free), but there was nothing that was safe for me to eat. I had a few gluten-free crackers in my bag, and those and a glass of wine were my dinner.

Then a few days later. I was asked to serve as a judge for a student-sponsored competition to raise money for community development in a depressed area in Mississippi. I like to support students, and was about to say “yes” when I saw that the competition was a baking contest. What I can’t eat, I can’t judge.

It still isn’t easy to live a gluten-free life.