Amusing, If Painful, Restaurant Experiences

[anglepoise]

I have found that once I leave city limits, it's "anything goes," and "diner beware." Back before I found that I had Celiac, I preferred dining in Mom & Pop restaurants, but now, I prefer the big corporate chains who are more enlightened. I have had the most incredible experiences in out-lying communities in & around Virginia. Here's one instance: I order a plain salad with just chicken and explain that I'd brought my own dressing. The waitress brings it over & says "it looks so plain....you poor thing!"

Anyone have any amusing anecdotes from their dining experiences?

Angel

[lilliexx]

I can not believe that waitress said that to you!!!! I worked in the food service industry for years and believe me I have seen a lot stranger requests than no dressing on the salad!! In fact that is a rather common request. I think that waitress was just way out of line, and i seriously doubt most people in restaurants would treat you like that, so don't let that experience get you down!!

[capawa]

I have asked for a hamburger without the bun explaining I'm alergic to wheat and was asked if I would like bread instead. Seams a lot of people don't know how wheat is used. Oh well. I thought it was funny. Just learned to watch like a hawk when eating out and hope for the best.

[lilliexx]

wow...i can not believe these people how did they get jobs in the first place if they dont realise that bread has wheat in it!!!!!

I dont eat out often, but i did have breakfast in a restaurant recently and told the waitress to make sure there wasnt any toast on my plate!! She didnt ask why, but asked if i would like fruit instead!! ( so yes, there really are some food servers with a half a brain)

[tarnalberry]

I've gotten the "I couldn't live without" statement from people I'm eating with - even understanding people - and I think it's mostly a comment about how they don't feel they could cope with the changes. Eventually, though, we all can adapt. :-)

[rsavage]

Funny, I thought I was the only one to get really dense waiters. I got one who brought my meal and informed me that there we sugar in the fruit, since they had no sugar free fruit.

[ILhsmomof3]

I went to Subway recently and requested the meat and veggies from a sandwich, but put into a salad dish, since my son is allergic to the wheat. The girl looked at me and said, "oh but we have white bread and oat and honey bread." I could tell she was trying to be helpful so I smiled and said gently, "well those are all made from wheat flour, though." At least she didn't offer me a cookie! LOL

[lilliexx]

today i went to a pizza place i used to go to all the time, the guy asked me why i dont go in there and i told him i found out i cant eat wheat, and he actually said he didnt think pizza dough had wheat in it and since i ordered a salad w/ no crutons or dressing he put twice the amount of chicken and other ingredients

people usually seem to be pretty helpful and nice when you tell them about food intolerences.....even when they are ignorant about it.

[dkmb]

I went into a local Mom and Pop diner and ordered a breakfast item minus the toast, the waitress was curious and very nice and asked how I can live without wheat. She gave me a big bowl of fruit to fill in the empty space on the plate. As she was walking back to place the order she yelled out for all to hear: "This lady can't have wheat, so hold the toast". Of course everyone had to look to see what this "strange" individual looked like.

DK

[anglepoise]

I can not believe that waitress said that to you!!!! I worked in the food service industry for years and believe me I have seen a lot stranger requests than no dressing on the salad!!

And I haven't even told you about my most painful gluten-free Dining experience. It happened one evening at a mom & pop seafood resaurant somewhere in New Jersey. I first asked the waitress if they had a gluten free menu & she said "we don't serve gluten here." lol. Anyway, it turned out that most of the fish on the menu was breaded and I asked the waitress what fish didn't have bread. The place was packed & the lady was bitter that I was slowing her down & so I said, "how about the scallops in butter? Would you find out please if they make it with any bread?" She scurries off to the kitchen & says "it's fine," so I order that. We wait for our food for a full HOUR, then finally, she brings out my cold scallops, with, and I'm not making this up, a slice of toast embedded in the dish. I try gently to explain that that was what I was trying to avoid all along, but she took it personally, and takes my plate back to the kitchen. I'm starving at this point, and get to wait another 1/2 hour for a plate of over-cooked scallops, sans bread at least. That was the worst...

angel

[Guest ~wAvE WeT sAnD~]

Hey there!

Here's my first-ever experience eating out after my diagnosis. It's quite interesting...

Open Original Shared Link

[wally000]

Once I went out to eat with my family at pretty nice restaurant in San Francisco. After I went through my whole bit about how I will get sick if I eat anything with wheat in it, our waiter made a trip to kitchen to see if my dish could be prepared without wheat. He came back and assured us that it would not be a problem. He returned a half hour later saying that they had actually run out of the main ingredient in my lunch, and could I please select something else. No problem. When he came back with our food, all of the vegetables on my plate were lightly breaded. I asked the waiter about the veggies, he went back to the kitchen again to ask the cook. When he returned, once again, he confidently said "I double checked with the chef, and there is absolutely no wheat in that dish. It is made with flour."

Even though I ended just watching everyone else eat while I went through way too many glasses of iced tea, I really just felt bad for the waiter. I had made him run all over the restaurant on what turned out to be his first day. It was surprising that the chef did not know what flour is made out of - especially at a nice restaurant.

[anglepoise]

"I double checked with the chef, and there is absolutely no wheat in that dish. It is made with flour."

Hmmm...maybe english was his second language?

The other night, I went to a show at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis. At dinner there, I went through my gluten spiel to the waiter, who was polite in a militaristic manner, & who seemed eager to get things right. So we did the back & forth to the kitchen thing, and I placed my order. He asked if I wanted salad & I said that I would pass. In a few minutes, he came out with a salad anyway, heaped with croutons & a roll on the side. I jump like he'd placed a plate of scorpions in front of me & said "no...thanks...." Regardless, I ended up with some salmon and steamed veggies. A terrific meal.

Angel

[erica]

I've had too many experience like the ones listed to even begin. Just alittle tip for everyone... I've learned to just tell the waiter/waitress that I am allergic to flour. They will look at you with the same weird expression but it alleviates them from a lot of the thinking they can't seem to handle. On the reverse side, I once had a waitress who realized I had celiac disease and even went so far to find out if the soy milk they used to make my mashed potatoes had barley in it without me even asking. She didn't find out until after she serves me the mashed potatoes but rushed over right away and gave me half off my meal (again, without me even asking). I wish all waitresses could be like that!

[Deby]

When we go out, if we get an ignorant, rushed server, we leave. I know that seems awful, but I'm soooo sensitive to any contamination that I don't want to take the chance. I had a salad and asked for no croutons. Of course the salad came with them. The server took that back and too quickly brought another. I got so sick from eating that I determined that the croutons had been picked off.