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Dear Listserve Folk,
Seven respondents to this survey, and I make eight.

Three were able to handle wheat without trouble.  One made bread for a
non-celiac spouse, by hand, and did not list any precautions.  Another
makes cookies for friends and simply makes a point of washing hands
often.  A third can feed gluten to her home-daycare clients without
trouble, but is careful to eat away from children and their tendency to
'share' and deliberately keeps her hands away from her face and cleans
them after serving.  A fourth could handle frozen waffles in soemone
else's kitchen, for the children, with similar precautions, but generally
experiences trouble.

Two of those who could manage gluten safely when they were in control of
the situation (feeding children) have had problems eating away from home.
One reported a pizza restaurant in which the employees washed hands,
made pizza, then prepared other food.  Another has trouble when there is
gluten around and is not sure of how it gets in to the gut.  Three have
trouble simply walking past or into a bakery.  Other sources of trouble
are social functions with food, gluten crackers in safe dip or in nearby
gesturing hands, or packed near gf leftovers in a restaurant 'doggie
bag'.  Crumbs at work are an issue, but the respondent managed that by
using a scrupulously clean desk top.

My personal conclusions.  There is something strange with bakeries.
Possibly just a lot of flying flour.  Smelling gluten-packed baked goods
seems to cause problems.  Handling flour and other gluten foods is safe,
if the celiac is aware of the gluten and takes roughly the same
precautions one would take if putting out ant or roach baits.

Thanks for your help!  Oh, BTW - everyone was too busy to bake for the
final anyway.  A stroke of fortune!

Elizabeth