Tasting Menu

[JJay]

Last Christmas our son & daughter in law gave us a voucher for a meal at a London restaurant which are finally going to be enjoying in a couple of weeks' time!

The menu will be a tasting one - 10 small courses - and although I've seen a sample menu there's no telling what will be on offer on that particular evening as the chef will use what is seasonal/available/good on the day. As an aside, the menu is totally vegan (which we're not, but it will be an interesting experience).

So, how does one bolus for this style of eating? While I'm fairly good at estimating carb content for many dishes, this is unknown territory. Hopefully a printed menu will be available so I can tot up the likely carb content of the whole shebang, but what if each course comes as a surprise? - I don't want to be getting my calculator out 10 times, let alone the insulin pen!

It seems to me to be an occasion for injecting after the meal, but by then it could be quite late on in the evening and wine will have been taken 😉

Any ideas?

 

[Robin]

That does pose a bit of a problem, though it’s a nice one to have! You also don’t know how fast or slowly the courses will follow on from each other. If I was in that situation, I’d probably take stock after the first three or four courses, see if I felt I needed to inject for them, and again after the next three or four. And again at the end, (I assume the final two courses might be desserts, and therefore more carby/sugary), that would be three times, but over the course of an evening, not too bad. And you may find the courses are so light that you can reappraise as you go and leave it a bit longer.
Most importantly, though. Enjoy your meal!

 

[Bruce Stephens]

So, how does one bolus for this style of eating? While I'm fairly good at estimating carb content for many dishes, this is unknown territory. Hopefully a printed menu will be available so I can tot up the likely carb content of the whole shebang, but what if each course comes as a surprise? - I don't want to be getting my calculator out 10 times, let alone the insulin pen!

It seems to me to be an occasion for injecting after the meal, but by then it could be quite late on in the evening and wine will have been taken

They'll (likely) be small dishes, spread over two or three hours. (With wine if you're having that.)

I think it's the usual: do your best, enjoy the experience, and don't worry too much about BG for that evening. (That's what I did a few years ago, anyway.)

 

[Deleted member 33972]

Last Christmas our son & daughter in law gave us a voucher for a meal at a London restaurant which are finally going to be enjoying in a couple of weeks' time!

The menu will be a tasting one - 10 small courses - and although I've seen a sample menu there's no telling what will be on offer on that particular evening as the chef will use what is seasonal/available/good on the day. As an aside, the menu is totally vegan (which we're not, but it will be an interesting experience).

So, how does one bolus for this style of eating? While I'm fairly good at estimating carb content for many dishes, this is unknown territory. Hopefully a printed menu will be available so I can tot up the likely carb content of the whole shebang, but what if each course comes as a surprise? - I don't want to be getting my calculator out 10 times, let alone the insulin pen!

It seems to me to be an occasion for injecting after the meal, but by then it could be quite late on in the evening and wine will have been taken 😉

Any ideas?

I don’t know about your insulin as I’m type 2 I did a tasting menu in Glasgow with Michel Caine . It was lovely. They offer a wine tasting for every course. I only drink water or decaf coffee so I never took it. I hope you get it sorted out and can enjoy your evening.

 

[rebrascora]

I would probably bolus 3 units up front depending upon my levels at the start of the meal. If I was under 6 then maybe just 2 units, then top up later as I got an idea of how it was going. That said insulin is quite slow to kick in for me (even Fiasp) and with it being vegetarian I am guessing there is likely to be beans and lentils which will generally release more slowly so it may be a long night of checking levels afterwards and correcting cautiously. I think you have Libre, so that will help you keep an eye on things.

Must say, it is a lovely and interesting gift and I am quite envious! Hope you have a fab time. Let us know how you get on.

 

[AJLang]

Have fun at your tasting meal. I’ve been fortunate to have been to two of these and wouldn’t bolus upfront because even if you have a printed menu you wouldn’t know the portion sizes until they are presented to you at the table. Unless something comes out particularly carb heavy on this occasion I wouldn’t bolus until course five - the last thing you want to do is have to deal with a hypo during the meal because you’ve done too much bolus up front. Then bolus accordingly for later courses as appropriate. Having looked at vegan/vegetarian tasting menus before if they’re making their decisions on the day I would guess that it will include a lot of fresh produce rather than dried ingredients such as lentils - but I could be wrong. Most of all enjoy it and higher BG levels for a very special occasion such as this don’t matter and won’t cause any harm.

 

[JJay]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and encouragement. I know I've probably been overthinking this, but rest assured I intend to enjoy the experience to the full!