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

Going gluten free April 2004 really rocked my world, and my spouse, as my
husband and I were finally children free, entertained very often at
restaurants for business and loved sushi bars and a cafeteria style chain
here in the South called Luby's, all of the above which we were able to get
a very reasonably balanced diet if one is careful in their choices.  We
thought we were home free from kitchen responsibilities in large part.  We
also are motorcycle enthusiasts when we are not working long hours at our
business, another pitfall in the road, literally, for our much anticipated
carefree lifestyle after kids.  You can't go on long road trips and stay
overnight easily just any old place when you're gluten free as everyone on
this list knows to their woe.

 

I believe 99% of the general public have NO IDEA what gluten is YET.  I
think this accounts for all types of reactions from people, ranging from
trying their best to assist you to tuning you out big time.  Even restaurant
workers, from the general manager to cooks to busboys don't have a clue yet
just what gluten is, let alone how sensitive most celiacs are OR the issue
of cross contamination.  Now it is true that professional cooking schools
teach you, usually on the first day, about food allergies and cross
contamination, but don't believe for a minute that the typical short order
cook in some diner is going to be aware of gluten!  You would delude
yourself if you did.  Now think about the busboy who is clearing your table
and wiping up someone else's crumbs.  He/she is probably making minimum
wage, is rushed, is young with little to no life experience, not to mention
language barrier is often also a problem.  In addition, most people hate
CHANGE.  Even in the fancy restaurants, the practice of adding pasta water
(water left over from cooking gluten pasta) to vegetables and anything else
they deem need a little thickening is very common practice until now.  Once
again, people hate change.  You will find many stubborn chefs who insist
that fresh foods need that pasta water, why would they want to change now
when they have their recipe perfected.  The only clear road for celiacs to
be safer in the future is education, education, education of the perils of
gluten to the general public.  This is coming about, but the progress is
slow, and we, as celiacs, are impatient to enter the normal world of eating
out again when we are making so much progress in the availability of gluten
free foods in our kitchens.

 

I personally find it almost impossible to eat out without SOME element of
paranoia on my part, usually with excellent reason.  I don't think it has
anything to do with how POLITE I am, how I present my requests, etc.  One
has to assume that everyone is as polite as possible, why would anyone be
rude to food workers unless you want your food potentially spit into. It is
all about how enlightened that server or cook is regarding gluten, about how
well they are tuned in to your needs, and quite frankly, their intelligence
level, or education, IF ANY, about gluten.  It is laughable to me now how
people seem horrified that my life is devoid of "bread"!!! and how I could
possibly survive.  I have had many conversations with people who I think
might be latent celiacs, for example a young woman with severe alopecia
(hair loss) who commented that oh my goodness that couldn't be me, "I live
on bread".  Need I say more.

 

The world is dealing with a unique circumstance at this time regarding
allergies to foods.  The incidence is increasing at an alarming rate and the
medical professionals do not know why.  For those of you in the more
populated areas of the USA and abroad, I am quite sure you find it easier to
eat out - greater population, more concentrated group of people with
allergies, the more competition the better, better for celiacs, for example,
those of you living in NYC surely have a much better chance of getting a
decent gluten free meal, I mean it's a mecca for gluten free dining thanks
to a huge concentrated population.  I might also point out that those of you
living in large cities haven't a clue what it's like to dine out within the
"fly by zone".  Big city people simply walk out their door to numerous
restaurants - I know, I'm a born and bred New Yorker who left after college
for greener pastures (literally).  But for those of us in outlying, more
rural and suburban areas, much work remains to be done.

 

In short, it is not helpful to be critical of other celiacs regarding their
methods of communication, how well they've planned their eating out
adventure or their level of rudeness with the wait staff and chefs when
dining out.  Being rude to the wait staff is begging for trouble, any dummy
or even illiterate person knows this.  AND to insinuate that a celiac isn't
planning properly when they eat out is ludicrous, to say the least.  A
celiac's life is loaded with PLENTY of pre-planning.  There is not one of us
on this list that have not felt intimidated, frustrated, humiliated and
downright disheartened at some point in our dining out experience no matter
how early we arrive to an uncrowded restaurant, or how much sugar or vinegar
we dish out in our voices or mannerisms, or how clearly we made our needs
known.  We don't need to blamed for our poor dining experience, by other
celiacs no less.  And wow, wouldn't I love to eat sweet potato fries and
omelets without a care in the world on my motorcycle excursions anywhere
within Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico or visiting my relatives in rural
upstate New York instead of carting around my gluten free food to ensure I
can make the trip home in a healthy manner. 

 

Let's band together, boys and girls, to educate, educate, educate our
non-celiac and silent celiac segments of the population, not beat each other
at our own game.  We have come a long way baby, but we still have miles and
miles to go.  Warm celiac regards, Dorina, near Galveston, TX

 


  

 

 


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