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Thank you all for your thoughtful comments in response to my recounting 
of an uncomfortable experience at a Thai restaurant.  I will say this is 
the one and only time I have had bad luck with a Thai restaurant.

I am not the only person who has encountered this problem at a Thai 
restaurant, and some people mentioned having the same experience 
(offered only white rice and steamed vegetables for all special dietary 
requests) at Chinese restaurants.

Some people speculate that reluctance to accomodate dietary restrictions 
is more likely in small restaurants with small staffs and less financial 
resources.  Two people speculate that because soy sauce contains two of 
the major food allergens the Asian restaurants may be experiencing more 
requests lately, resulting in frustration.

Several people pointed out that it is important to be courteous when 
requesting assistance and to tip well, since our courtesy can have 
repercussions for others. This is the heart of the matter, but the 
courtesy must also be exercised by people with other food allergies and 
intolerances.  I got the impression that the bad experience I had was 
directly related to an incident involving some other diner - maybe 
something had just happened that day, or the day before, in which a 
highly demanding diner had caused them some kind of problem.  At any 
rate, the owner was definitely "letting off steam" when I arrived.  It 
was unfortunate as this restaurant had been very nice to me on prior 
occasions. I choose not to disclose the name of the offending 
restaurant, in the hope that maybe my adventure was only "them having a 
bad day."  I will go back and try my luck with them again soon, as many 
in my family used to enjoy their cooking.

Some people feel it is best to give very simple instructions, in case 
the information on a card is too detailed and overwhelming. 

One person remarked that they always ordered dishes prepared in coconut 
milk with no soy.  One person always orders Red Curry Chicken.

One person sadly has found that since going GF over 20 years ago she has 
become increasingly isolated, finding her non-GF friends "dropping by 
the wayside." This was certainly a cautionary tale, as I have only been 
GF for a few years and can see how this could occur.  It speaks to the 
potential value of GF support groups, or local dining clubs, and also to 
the undisputed tiresomeness of having to talk about "gluten" at every 
public meal.

In summarizing, I can only say that I hope that "plain rice and steamed 
veggies" does not become some type of industry standard for asian 
restaurants.  Thai food is so good, and as many people point out it does 
not generally include soy sauce or oyster sauce.  Fish sauce sometimes 
contains wheat, but some brands are safe.

Happy eating,
Alice

*Please provide references to back up claims of a product being GF or not GF*
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