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What We're Up Against...

CMCM

By CMCM
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

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CMCM Rising Star
CMCM
Posted

So I went to a restaurant tonight...I asked the server to check with the cook about whether or not the veal piccata contained a wheat ingredient....she came back and happily told me that NO, there's no wheat on the chicken, only a bit of white flour dusted on the veal before cooking. Sigh...I had to tell her that the white flour is made from wheat!!! This came from the cook, but the server was also equally clueless!! My conclusion: Restaurants are often a real crap shoot!

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Generic Apprentice
Generic
Posted

my favorite is when they ask what kind of bread would you like. I say no thanks, I can't have wheat. The response is usually oh, well how about white bread then. What do they think it is made out of -marshmallow fluff? Ignorance is bliss.

-Laurie

Nantzie Collaborator
Nantzie
Posted

I was at the drugstore the other day. One of the things I bought was Easy Cheese, most of which is gluten-free. The checker there is an older woman; a sweet lady who is probably in her mid 70's. She noticed that I was buying Easy Cheese and told me that it was one of her favorites too. She said that she put it on Wheat Thins.

I mentioned (because that's what I do now...) that my kids and I can't eat wheat, but we get special crackers and eat it on those.

She said, Oh yea I've had it on plain crackers too. It's really good isn't it?

I just smiled and nodded.

Now, it doesn't really surprise me anymore when someone my age (36) or younger doesn't know where their food comes from. But when a much older person has no clue what food is made from, it really surprises me. :rolleyes:

Nancy

Nancym Enthusiast
Nancym
Posted

Yeah, I was in a fast food restaurant once trying to explain to people who barely speak english that I couldn't eat wheat, they didn't know what wheat was, so another worker interpreted and they STILL didn't know what wheat was. *sigh* And they let people who don't even know what food is made out of vote and operate heavy machinery? :P

Electra Enthusiast
Electra
Posted
my favorite is when they ask what kind of bread would you like. I say no thanks, I can't have wheat. The response is usually oh, well how about white bread then. What do they think it is made out of -marshmallow fluff? Ignorance is bliss.

-Laurie

LOL Laurie, before I found out about Celiac I would have done the same thing. I am 34, but could never stand wheat bread, and I had no clue that white bread or my crackers were made out of wheat (I did know that wheat thins were made of wheat though lol). I just never looked at the lables for that. I've read a lot of lables in my time too but I always looked for fat and protein and things like that, but then after I found Celiac I realized that my flour had always said bleached flour so it all made sence after that. I am a very educated women too, but my interest was not in what my Ritz Crackers were made out of LOL. All I cared about was that they taste good hehe!!

Granny Garbonzo Apprentice
Granny Garbonzo
Posted

You wouldn't believe how many times I've said "I can't eat wheat" and the waiter/waitress says "Oh that's ok, we don't have wheat bread, we have white bread."

Even what is obvious to most of us has sometimes never occurred to others.

Granny Garbonzo Apprentice
Granny Garbonzo
Posted
Yeah, I was in a fast food restaurant once trying to explain to people who barely speak english that I couldn't eat wheat, they didn't know what wheat was, so another worker interpreted and they STILL didn't know what wheat was. *sigh* And they let people who don't even know what food is made out of vote and operate heavy machinery? :P

When the language barrier is there, I've started going inside and asking other customers if they can interpret for me. It works much of the time. And I've found that many of the people waiting on you speak better english than I do, but it is convenient to act as theough they are not able to understand. And some just like to play with us who are not multi-lingual. I know, I was married to a multi-lingual for many years.

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zansu Rookie
zansu
Posted
When the language barrier is there, I've started going inside and asking other customers if they can interpret for me. It works much of the time. And I've found that many of the people waiting on you speak better english than I do, but it is convenient to act as theough they are not able to understand. And some just like to play with us who are not multi-lingual. I know, I was married to a multi-lingual for many years.

that's why I didn't eat in the fast food restaurants AT ALL when I lived in the DC area.

trigo y pan son muy mal por me. solamente carne, por favor.

but it still couldn't guarantee they got it (and I didn't!) :lol:

Generic Apprentice
Generic
Posted
LOL Laurie, before I found out about Celiac I would have done the same thing. I am 34, but could never stand wheat bread, and I had no clue that white bread or my crackers were made out of wheat (I did know that wheat thins were made of wheat though lol). I just never looked at the lables for that. I've read a lot of lables in my time too but I always looked for fat and protein and things like that, but then after I found Celiac I realized that my flour had always said bleached flour so it all made sence after that. I am a very educated women too, but my interest was not in what my Ritz Crackers were made out of LOL. All I cared about was that they taste good hehe!!

I suppose if you don't have to worry about it, then it wouldn't cross most people's minds. Good point, I never thought about it that way. :ph34r:

I thought it was common knowledge. My mom taught me all about balanced meals and what everything was made out of by the time I was 4 years old. We had cards to help me learn the food groups and everything. I guess I had a overly health conscience mom? LOL

-Laurie

Sillyyakdidi Apprentice
Sillyyakdidi
Posted
my favorite is when they ask what kind of bread would you like. I say no thanks, I can't have wheat. The response is usually oh, well how about white bread then. What do they think it is made out of -marshmallow fluff? Ignorance is bliss.

-Laurie

lol omg that is my favorite too, when i say,at chipotle, i can't have wheat, they say, no these are flour tortillas, youa re fine.... they say that at chipotle, which is a great place to eat gluten-free, and practice your spanish too, but good luck trying to explain the flour has wheat thing to someone who doesn't speak english. (I'm a spanish major, so now i just go in and nicely explain in spanish and they're always great!) lol yes, too bad white bread isn't made of marshmallow fluff...then we could eat it, right?

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
Yeah, I was in a fast food restaurant once trying to explain to people who barely speak english that I couldn't eat wheat, they didn't know what wheat was, so another worker interpreted and they STILL didn't know what wheat was. *sigh* And they let people who don't even know what food is made out of vote and operate heavy machinery? :P

Unfortunately this seems to be the trend, along with the fact that its becoming increasingly "cool" to be ignorant?

Sometimes I wish Newton had not made his "standing on the shoulders of giants" quote (you can just google for the whole thing) ...

but I guess we have to accept that most people have no wish to know how most of the things around them and that they use everyday work or how they are manufactured.

I find it equally mind boggling that people use a car without understanding how an internal combustion engine works or watch TV without understanding how it works...

I guess food should be different, afterall we are putting it into our bodies but some people see provision of food as some-one-elses problem.

zansu Rookie
zansu
Posted
Unfortunately this seems to be the trend, along with the fact that its becoming increasingly "cool" to be ignorant?

...

I guess food should be different, afterall we are putting it into our bodies but some people see provision of food as some-one-elses problem.

wierd visions of soylent green..... :ph34r:

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
wierd visions of soylent green..... :ph34r:

LOL.... I'd so forgotten that film "it's people ... " LOL but its not far off the point...

stef-the-kicking-cuty Enthusiast
stef-the-kicking-cuty
Posted

Yes, I don't like that restaurant problem either. Some don't even listen, when you explain it to them. We wanted to eat out with our gymnastics group. It was a chinese restaurant. Now all the women in our women's gymnastic group know very well about my problem. So the one woman said 'No problem, I know the people, that own this restaurant. I wil talk to them.' Well, when we got there that day, the woman that owns the restaurant came to me and said real proud 'We are not using MSG in any of our products'. Yeah, right, whatever!

Oh, and another thing, that boggles my mind. I went to WalMart the other day to stock up on our food supply :P . And when I came to the asian section I saw this little baggy with noodles in them. It said 'Real Rice Noodles' on top of the bag. When I turned them around, the first ingredient the noodles had was wheat flour. I was like 'Yeah right, what a scam'. I mean, common, no wonder, people don't know what is what with wrong stuff like that everywhere. I almost bought it. Thanks god, I checked...

Stef

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted
Yeah, I was in a fast food restaurant once trying to explain to people who barely speak english that I couldn't eat wheat, they didn't know what wheat was, so another worker interpreted and they STILL didn't know what wheat was. *sigh* And they let people who don't even know what food is made out of vote and operate heavy machinery? :P

Also scarey is here in US people who are born and raised here don't know about foods and contents of foods. They've been showing the food pyramid for decades so for US born & bred workers ignorance is no excuse. The food pyramid clearly shows grains in one picture with wheat shaft and corn cob.

jkmunchkin Rising Star
jkmunchkin
Posted
So I went to a restaurant tonight...I asked the server to check with the cook about whether or not the veal piccata contained a wheat ingredient....she came back and happily told me that NO, there's no wheat on the chicken, only a bit of white flour dusted on the veal before cooking. Sigh...I had to tell her that the white flour is made from wheat!!! This came from the cook, but the server was also equally clueless!! My conclusion: Restaurants are often a real crap shoot!

When I was 1st diagnosed I quickly realized how many people don't know that white flour is wheat. Same goes for bread that is not specifically called wheat bread, ect. ect. For that reason when I go to restaurants I ask if anything has wheat, and tell them this includes and flour or breading. I've yet to have someone seem offended that I assume they don't know that.

blueeyedmanda Community Regular
blueeyedmanda
Posted

I have only ventured to Outback and Issacs and this cute little cafe in Cape May which serves gluten free pasta. I have heard well its only flour or have white bread too many times....not worth the frustration, once I get worked up it all goes down hill. Thankfully my hubby doesn't like to dine out as much so we usually make dinner and kick up with a movie....real money saver these days.

mcsteffi Rookie
mcsteffi
Posted
So I went to a restaurant tonight...I asked the server to check with the cook about whether or not the veal piccata contained a wheat ingredient....she came back and happily told me that NO, there's no wheat on the chicken, only a bit of white flour dusted on the veal before cooking. Sigh...I had to tell her that the white flour is made from wheat!!! This came from the cook, but the server was also equally clueless!! My conclusion: Restaurants are often a real crap shoot!

Due to restaurant people... and most people in general... not knowing what is in their food, I usually just say my son is allergic to flour. They understand that much more than the wheat thing. lol. Or try saying I am allergic to wheat that includes anything made with flour.

Learning as I go!

Stef.

ArtGirl Enthusiast
ArtGirl
Posted

I guess no one reads "The Little Red Hen" anymore. :(

She planted and watered the seeds, they sprouted and grew into the wheat plant, she harvested the wheat, ground the wheat, and baked the bread. (All without help from her friends, I might add - who only wanted to help her eat it!)

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