<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Annmaureen recently posted a response regarding gluten attacks from unwitting ingestion of gluten and mentioned that she ate a plate of dry, undressed greens because the restaurant did not have oil and vinegar. While I would hate to do without the oil (I have done so when unable to get a straight answer to "What kind of oil?"), I often ask for oil and a couple of lemon wedges for my salad after getting ill from what I suspected wasn't pure wine vinegar in a restaurant. Also, being a woman with a large handbag enables me to carry a bottle of McCormick's Salad Herbs. Frankly, I am not embarassed to walk into a restaurant with my little nylon lunch sack with my "dining out" kit -- rice cakes, corn chips, cookies for dessert (I have yet to find a restaurant where I could order dessert), salad herbs and, if we are travelling, I add a small bottle of olive oil. I order what I can, supplement the rest -- if I can't eat a full meal that way, then the restaurant loses my business as well as the that of my companions. Most restaurants don't seem to have a problem with this. They also hear "food allergies" and envision someone having a fatal reaction at one of their tables -- makes most very cooperative. Good luck eating around this holiday season! Jane [log in to unmask]