Cool Vending Machine Story

[miles2go]

So, it's Tuesday and I'm already hitting up the vending machine at work. I know, I know...

I get there and Vending Machine Guy is filling it up with goodies. I almost scared him to death when he didn't hear my first salutation and I just waited for him to finish up. So I said to him, "more gluten-free!" and he said, "oh really? my sister is gluten intolerant and has been for 8 years." It just made my day. He even let me look at the back of our local edition of Funyuns before I bought two packages of beef jerky off of him. It seems the more I talk about this, the more peeps are understanding what I'm talking about. Does anyone else have this experience, too?

I'm not shy anymore!!

(Not that I was born that way anyhoo.)

[PeggyV]

Yes, I went to a resturant on a work function. They had the side room and a bit buffet set up....usually buffets mean I cant eat. I saw a chef in the corner and he knew all about celiacs! Walked me through the buffet line, showed me what I could eat and not eat and went back to the kitchen to personally prepare some scallops for me, so I could try them! Very nice experience. I will go back for dinner with my husband soon.

[Tritty]

I went to Texas Roadhouse for my first night out since my gluten free diet and the manager came out to talk to me. His mom and aunt are celiac. To say the least my food was excellent and I felt great afterwards!

I will definitely return!

[miles2go]

PeggyV and Tritty, I've had similar experiences in both those situations. Texas Roadhouse was the first time I was actually called a celiac, in fact and they were most accomodating with the manager coming out to speak to me personally. Talk about feeling "waited upon" from a former server. Another time I was at a food demonstration/seminar and the chef was very knowledgeable about celiac and was happy to talk to me about the dishes that she'd just prepared until I got bumped by another gluten-intolerant person who just usurped the conversation. It's all good.

[Lauren M]

I was leaving the grocery store the other day when a girl scout group asked me if I wanted to buy cookies. I told them I wished I could, but I could not eat wheat. One of the Moms said, "oh my sister-in-law is like that, she can't have gluten." I was so worried that they were going to think I was making it up, I was glad that someone new I wasn't!

- Lauren

[Jo.R]

I haven't been qiut so lucky. My favorite, is when my Pastor asked how I was (knowing I had problems). I told him I had celiac disease, and in answer to his puzzled expression, I said I can't have gluten. Still looking puzzled I told him I was allergic to wheat. He got a worried look and said......."as in pot?"

No, my pastors not an idiot, we were in a noisy area, and couldn't hear me very well, but it's a good example of what I'm getting. On the other hand, people seem truely interested in hearing what celiac disease is. And one of the local news stations ran a story on celiac disease last night. I was impressed.

[kbtoyssni]

Both yesterday and today I went to cnn.com and there were articles on celiac! For the first time I felt like this was common and that people know about it. It was awesome. I, of course, emailed all my friends in excitement!

Yesterday it was a video on a mom and son who have celiac (sorry, don't know how to post video links).

Today it wasn't so much about celiac but about the boom in gluten-free food products: Open Original Shared Link

[Tim-n-VA]

...He even let me look at the back of our local edition of Funyuns before I bought two packages of beef jerky off of him. ...

What brand of beef jerky was that? Most that I've seen here near DC are made with soy sauce and therefore (usually) with wheat.

[miles2go]

Tim,

They're Jack Links Open Original Shared Link Steak (Beef?) Nuggets flavored with A-1 sauce. Sorry, I'm on the dino computer at home and the site is spazzing it out. They've got way too many ingredients to be good for you, but I tried a couple of them today and they're not bad for times when I'm not completely prepared. Any day that I can get protein from a vending machine is a good day! Tarnalberry told me about Oberto jerky, which is supposed to be okay, too. I haven't bought any yet and I've never seen them in vending machines. Come to think of it, I've never seen jerky in a vending machine. Somebody please tell me if I've overlooked something...so far, so good.

Margaret

[Jestgar]

They've got way too many ingredients to be good for you,

I was eating over at my brother's house and I asked to see the package the meat came in. He said "I checked it, it's fine" I said "Are you sure? It can be tricky" He said "Yeah, the only things listed are completely chemical, it's fine for you"

[miles2go]

HA! Good one, Jestgar. I really liked that.

Margaret

- daughter of a retired chemistry prof

[Ashley]

I actually know someone that has Celiac Disease! I help the younger Sunday School class out and the teacher for it started described her symptoms to me. I told her about Celiac. Eventually, she went and got the tests done and wham---She has Celiac! I just thought that was cool to affect someone like that.

-Ash

[bookbabie]

It is really great when someone know what you're talking about. I usually say I have an allergy to wheat and every now and then someone say, "Oh you mean gluten?" On the other end of the spectrum is when I say I can't have wheat to a waitperson and they don't get that flour is made from wheat, and then my salad comes without croutons but with a giant hot breadstick laying across it