<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I am so grateful to all my fellow Listies being willing to share their
experiences with me. I don't think I'd have made it the last eight
months of turning my kitchen upside down without ya'll to help me do it.

Especially helpful have been explanations for why certain items are on
folks' exclusion lists. If you tell me how wheat is involved in the
processof making an exculded food, I can search for similar items which
do not use that processing method. If one of you, or a bunch of you,
tell me "I react to that," then I have a great excuse to call the
manufacturer and ask why we might react to that. And I really appreciate
comments like Scott's about excluding soy and fish sauce and vinegar
when eating out (and the things folks said to watch for in Mexican food
a few months ago), because language can be such a barrier. Personally, I
don't know how to say, "Do your pho noodles contain wheat starch?" in
Vietnamese, so knowing what might be a celiac landmine is really
important for me in my quest to be a proactive consumer at my local pho
restaurant, where I'm usually the only one fluent in English.

This lifestyle is all about choices. This Listserv is about
understanding and expanding each other's choices. Refuting incorrect
information has a place here when done in good taste; demeaning one
person's GF lifestyle-choices or advice because they don't match yours
is another. We're all pretty brave here, and none of us deserves to be
condemned for being overly cautious or reckless.

In the spirit of free speech, 'Netiquette, and peace,  --Amy