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Earlier this month, NFCA quizzed chefs and restaurateurs on the floor of the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Many of the chefs and restaurateurs said they have gluten-free options at their restaurants, yet less than 4 percent of them responded correctly to four questions regarding gluten.
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
My daughter works at one of the largest hotels in our town (a major chain). A group from the Mayo Clinic came in for lunch, one of the gals said she was celiac. The chef tried to serve her couscous. My daughter caught it. You would think that in a community that is built on patient care there would be more awareness.
And I'm learning the hard way myself! Last night, I ate out. I had a plain baked potato and small plain lettuce salad which I can tolerate. I asked for oil and vinegar on the side which has worked for me in the past. I put a small amount on my salad and ate half. The WD started hard and fast at 3:30 this morning. I just spoke the the restaurant and found out the oil is a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil - 90% soy. I won't repeat that mistake! Kathy
Sorry you had the "situation." It's not like I'm eating out much but I usually pack my own olive oil in a small tupperware smidget and squeeze in some lemon. This makes a 1 person serving of dressing. I put the whole thing in a zip lock and carry it into my purse to restaurants. I've been doing this since b/f MC after a visit to Germany and Italy and learning how good olive oil can make a salad (compared to the bottled American dressings.) Prior to MC I added balsamic vinegar. Olive oil should have a slight "greenish tint" and I think if you request olive oil in the states it is a crap shoot of what you get. The US waitresses will bring "oil and vinegar"--even if you request OLIVE OIL. Who knows what kind of oil you get in the U.S? I think you are more likely to get olive oil if you request it at a higher price point restaurant in the US but to me restaurants in the $20.00 or less price point meal are suspect. I think to some of the servers in the US olive oil is kind of a generic term and they take it to mean "any kind of oil and vinegar." This is kind of like requesting a "kleenex brand tissue" and getting a Sams tissue.
Europe is a totally different game. Olive oil is displayed in restaurants with the original mfg bottle and labels. I guess the European olive oil bottles could be refilled with something else but Europeans are much more touchy about the quality of the foods that they eat compared to Americans.
Heck even on the rest area restaurants off of the highway in Italy and Germany I got real olive oils. I had a selection of olive oils to use and all of the bottles had the original mfg labels on the front. I'd be hard pressed to find real olive oil in a Florida turnpike restaurant (the ones in center of the highway) much less a salad or vegetable.
What bothers me most is not the restaurant thing--I can live without eating out. But I have realized that going on any mission trips, especially out of the country, would be problematic for me. It is one thing to request special food in a restaurant, but if I'm staying in someone else's home or in a camp situation, I think it would be an affront to my hosts and dicey foodwise, anyway.
On the plus side, I went to a church get-together at a friend's house last night. One of the girls had made sure everything she brought was GF so I would have something to eat, and the hostess had made sure the burgers were safe for me. I felt so loved! I hate for my diet to be the center of attention, but it's nice when someone understands my limitations and tries to give me some options.
Went to an Applebee's restaurant over the 4th of July weekend for a family get together. We all converged on a small town Applebee's. Well, I was ready for a menu that was not going to be too friendly to my needs so I prepared and brought along my own chicken, banana, avocado... things I knew that I could eat.
I decided to just see what would happen if I asked for a gluten free menu. Now, I've recently discovered I'm gluten intolerant based on EnteroLab test results but not dairy intolerant even though I'm staying away from dairy at the time being.
The waitress gave me a puzzled look and said that she could bring me a "to go" menu. I wasn't sure if I should have laughed or cried at this point. There was a waitress in the back of her who was a good deal more mature and she turned and said, "yes, let me get that information for you". I noticed that she took the other waitress aside and I did hear her say that this was important and gluten was a big deal from an allergy standpoint.
At that point the manager came out with a notebook and turned to the gluten free portion of their menu. I ended up ordering the baked potato plain (the waitress really couldn't believe that I didn't want butter or sour cream). The manager was very concerned but it became apparent to me that they really didn't have a clue either. Even the menu they brought to me showed that French fries are gluten free but the BIG QUESTION: What else is put into the same fryer as the french fries and will I get cross contaminated. The manager was totally clueless.
Too bad more of us are not making a living off of full staff gluten and allergy awareness training. Gosh, that would make a great consultancy business.
InTents wrote:Too bad more of us are not making a living off of full staff gluten and allergy awareness training. Gosh, that would make a great consultancy business.
That's probably a million dollar idea, because so many of the current consultants seem to have only a rudimentary understanding of food sensitivities, and they have only a partial understanding of some of the basic issues.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
InTents It is likely that the French fries have been coated with wheat starch so they don't stick together. It's the same with sweet potato fries, like at Ruby Tuesday's.
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Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
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Thanks Brandy for the reply about the olive oil. You are so right! I generally go to better restaurants and have been able to be successful by ordering very simple foods prepared very simply. An example is dry grilled salmon with olive oil, a plain baked potato, and a steamed veggie. I teach with a lady who also manages a restaurant. She has helped me with how to order. I let my guard down while with a large group in a sports bar! We always have to be on guard! I never knew that about French fries! :-(
While at the sports bar, my son told me a story. He is studying hospitality management and is interning at a beautiful resort in Orlando. He told me about a lady who called the hotel before arrival to discuss her food intolerances. He was amazed at her intolerances. The hotel worked hard to accommodate her. By the way, because he has been away at college, he isn't fully aware of mine. It made me feel as those the awareness is improving, but I was also thinking it could be a great new career! Hmm...
But I have realized that going on any mission trips, especially out of the country, would be problematic for me. It is one thing to request special food in a restaurant, but if I'm staying in someone else's home or in a camp situation, I think it would be an affront to my hosts and dicey foodwise, anyway.
Cynthia, I understand this concern. I volunteer with the Red Cross and have been hesitant to travel to disasters outside our area because of this. It was always hit and miss when we would eat and what we would eat.
I understand what you mean. I grew up on the mission field, and have always had the hope that at some point my family and I would at least do short-term missions, if not end up on the mission field ourselves. Now those hopes seem next-to-impossible. I am having to learn to trust, and to wait, and to remember Romans 8:28.
That's probably a million dollar idea, because so many of the current consultants seem to have only a rudimentary understanding of food sensitivities, and they have only a partial understanding of some of the basic issues.
