Hi! Last Saturday, at 4 weeks post surgery, I went out to Celebrate a dear friend's birthday at really great restaurant that I loved pre-surgery. I looked at all the appetizer and Soup options and none of them were what I wanted. (And since I eat so little, I only eat what I want that is high in protein). So, I asked the waiter if there was any way I could just get a couple of scallops-- I told him that I had recently had abdominal surgery and was restricted on what I could eat. Of course, he replied--I can get you an "add-on" of scallops. It was delicious-- three beautiful scallops with a sauce on the side. I ate two and gave one to a friend. The cost: $6. I had no little containers to take home and leave in the car or the fridge, I felt like I was a real part of the group and called no attention to myself. I even had a little taste of dessert--just a spoonful.
Thinking that maybe this was a fluke and that I couldn't do this anywhere else, I checked with an expert: my son who is a chef at a resort and who has worked in a number of high-end restaurants in the north east. He said that add-ons are routinely done, and that anyone can ask for one. Generally they things such as shrimp, or scallops, or clams or a lobster tail, but that one could ask for an add-on of anything on the menu that could be available in smaller portions.
Yahoo! I am excited that I can go out and be able to eat what I need to eat and not have to carry around food. When we go out, it is often before a show or a movie, and to me the idea of carrying leftovers to a show is not so fun.