<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I will admit now that I was a little apprehensive when I posted this note.
But I have to say the response was overwhelmingly positive and even the
few who disagreed with me, did so very politely!
I got 32 responses total. Some notes made multiple comments, so the
numbers below will probably add up to more than 32. The summation and
paraphrasing are mine, so if I don't report your comment exactly
correctly, I apologize in advance.
One person said, Who cares if we annoy them? We are the customer. A lot
of lives are saved by this.
Another person was dissatisfied with the slowness of the FDC at providing
definitive information on the GF status of food and drugs.
One person described his/her self as "annoying, but responsibly annoying".
They felt that done properly, there was a lot of value in being a thorn
in the side.
I counted at least seventeen notes that explicitly thanked me for being
bold enough for saying what many were feeling but were disinclined to post
themselves. Some of these also said that Celiacs need to be polite when
dealing with food vendors or that they should use common sense.
One person commented that food vendors have an obligation to disclose all
ingredients.
One person asked, Is it reasonable to expect that all restaurant employees
know what all ingredients will be? This person pointed out that, as we
know, there are many subtleties to identifying sources of gluten.
One person reported an experience where a food vendor would only serve
him/her plain chicken and a salad with oil & vinegar because of past bad
experiences with another celiac.
At least four people mentioned that celiacs need to be responsible for
their own health and their diet and that they have to make the effort to
figure out what they can and can not eat. One of these said that celiacs
can't just expect to sit down in a restaurant and say "Make mine GF".
A number of people mentioned detecting a sense of entitlement in some
celiac postings. One person thought this might be a generational issue,
with younger celiacs not realizing how much easier it is today than it was
say 20 years ago. Another person said they don't think newly diagnosed
celiacs realize how good they have it.
A number of responses related stories about husbands, brothers, or
themselves actually being a chef. In all cases, they reported that
celiacs could be annoying, some saying so more strongly than others.
One person suggested that some celiacs tend to blame everything that
happened to them on a reaction to gluten (from walking past a doughnut
shop this morning).
At least seven people commented in one way or another that the GF
community should be an opportunity to food merchants. PF Chang's was
mentioned twice as an example of a restaurant that does GF correctly and
reaps an increase in business because of it. One person suggested that
there might be more potential customers for a GF product than
manufacturers realize. Another said that it was our responsibility to
help educate both manufacturers and restaurants about that potential
market.
Two people questioned whether we weren't already seeing my "sprinkle a
little wheat flour (and ground peanuts, etc.) on all products" scenario,
one mentioned the addition of wheat to Corn Pops and the other mentioned
using Soy Sauce containing wheat in an otherwise GF product.
One person reported having witnessed another celiac make a scene in a
restaurant and that that was giving the celiac community a black eye.
And finally, one person suggested that we focus on thanking companies and
restaurants who help us rather than abusing those who don't.
Thanks to everyone who responded. I think I just needed to know that I
wasn't alone in feeling the thoughts I described and it was very rewarding
to have received the notes you sent.
Fred Fendt
----- Forwarded by Frederick P Fendt/NAR/RohmHaas on 06/14/2007 01:56 PM
-----
Frederick P Fendt <[log in to unmask]>
Sent by: Celiac/Coeliac Wheat/Gluten-Free List <[log in to unmask]>
06/13/2007 01:10 PM
Please respond to
Frederick P Fendt <[log in to unmask]>
To
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Subject
Are Celiac's annoying to food providers?
---------------------- Information from the mail header
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Sender: Celiac/Coeliac Wheat/Gluten-Free List
<[log in to unmask]>
Poster: Frederick P Fendt <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Are Celiac's annoying to food providers?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your
situation.>>
Having been a Celiac for seven years and one who travels greater than 75%
of the time for work, I totally get everyone's frustration with
restaurants et al. I especially understand the frustration if you are the
parent of a Celiac child and are not just protecting your own health but
feel the responsibility to protect your child.
That said, I think we sometimes are our own worst enemies in pestering
food vendors the way we do. Food vendors are in business to provide a
product that the market demands and make a profit for themselves or their
shareholders. If they can accommodate the Celiac community (or the
diabetic community or the food allergy community), great. But they really
have no obligation to. After watching some of the bickering going on, I
have thought that if I owned a food company, I would just sprinkle a
little wheat flour (and ground peanuts, etc.) on all products and state so
clearly on the label, to obviate the question of whether the product was
suitable for those groups. (As a Celiac, I am glad the actual food
vendors don't think that way, but we need to be careful not to alienate
them with our pestering).
Anyway, just my two cents worth. Feel free to flame away!
Fred Fendt
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