You Can't Fix Stupid

Hello everyone, it’s been quite a while! Today, while I was at lunch with my nonnie, we were talking about how much easier it’s going to be now that I don’t have to eat at the dining hall anymore. (She came up with the title of this blog) I wanted to tell a story about what happened with the dietician at my school. When I contacted her about my constant reactions after eating at the dining hall … she asked me a mind blowing question. A registered dietitian of UMass Amherst asked me if I have an epipen for Celiac Disease. CELIAC. A DIETICIAN. I was flabbergasted. I said “no ma'am, there is no epipen for Celiac, I have to wait until my reaction ends.” She responded with “okay.” How am I supposed to trust the rest of the campus if their own dietician doesn’t even know about Celiac? So much for a “Celiac certified” school !!! After that comment, my very VERY protective and stubborn parents decided to meet with her. That dietician accused me of “making myself sick” or cross-contaminating myself on purpose. If you knew my parents, you know that comment did not go over well. I was hurt that someone who should be protecting me is claiming that I was doing it on purpose. I can promise, having reactions is extremely painful and the most difficult moments of my life. I would never do it on purpose. She also asked my parents why I never told her that I had an eating disorder because it is something she needs to be aware of. Says who … ? I thought I would share this story because whether or not there are many different dining halls that give “gluten free options,” their own workers don’t even know about the disease. It makes it hard to trust them.

​After this conversation, I was given the YCMP plan instead of the dining hall plan. This was because the YCMP plan is swipes of dining dollars which I could use at Blue Wall (a big dining hall full of little restaurants) and many other places throughout campus. I could also go to the dining hall with this plan so it made my life a bit easier. Thankfully, I stopped getting sick after this plan change. I also saved a lot more money since I didn’t have to doordash every meal every day just so I wouldn’t get sick. I will be talking about my experiences at school a lot more. This is just the start of the many issues that I have faced with UMass Amherst Dining. ​

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