Mashed Potatoes In Restaurants

[karenf]

Hi there

I will be visiting Florida in July and as we are going self catering we will be eating in various restaurants while we are there. Does anyone know if the mashed potatoes served in most restaurants are gluten and wheat free? Anytime i`ve had them in the past they taste delicious but there seems to be bacon and other stuff mixed in!

Also can anyone recommend good restaurants that cater for celiacs in the Kissimmee area of Orlando.

Thanks

Karenf

[Ursa Major]

I don't know. I've always assumed mashed potatoes are gluten free (after all, who would be so dumb and put wheat in, anyway?). But when we were in Mexico just recently, I got glutened because there the restaurants actually DO put wheat into mashed potatoes!

You will need to ask what the ingredients are before you order your mashed potatoes.

What I usually say is, for instance, "I will have the mashed potatoes with gravy, but please check what the gravy is thickened with, if either has wheat in it I will have ............ instead".

That way the waitress doesn't have to run back and forth. Many times they'll just automatically serve the alternative, because there was wheat in the gravy and/or the potatoes.

Or you can ask to see the ingredients list if there is doubt (many restaurants will have one). I once wanted something, and the waitress couldn't figure it out but thought it was gluten-free. When I read the list I found out that there was soy sauce in the dish, and the ingredients (in brackets) for the soy sauce included wheat.

[mamaw]

I agree why do places have to put wheat/gluten in a product when it doesn't have to be....... but I have found many places do put wheat in mashed potatoes, & scrambled eggs is another I find just crazy......

It is very deceiving so one must always be on the look-out...

I find MOM & POP joints never seem to put other stuff in but then there's the CC you must deal with.....

hth

mamaw

[pixiegirl]

Well we are talking two different questions:

is there wheat in mashed potatoes and why do they put flour/wheat in these types of foods?

The second question I can not answer, it honestly blows me away when they do that, when flour is added to a food that, not only traditionally does not have flour in it but that I can not come up with any conceivable reason for the addition of flour.

However I eat out a lot, I travel often (biz and leisure) and I can tell you that I often have come across plain old mashed potatoes in restaurants that I can NOT eat. I ask. I never go out to eat and not ask to speak to the chef and many times (maybe 45%) when I have asked about mashed potatoes they get an odd look on their face and say "NO you can't eat the mashed but the baked are fine). Since I'm a guest in their restaurant (and often with business associates) I don't get all huffy and ask why the heck they would add flour to something as simple and good as mashed potatoes, but it slays me when they do.

So sadly the bottom line is - never assume.

Susan

[karenf]

Thanks for the replies.

I was only diagnosed in October last year having been ill for years so it`s all still quite new. I used to like eating out but I now find it a bit of a nightmare! I feel as if when I ask if something is gluten free etc the waiters/waitresses think I`m just being a fussy eater and a bit of a pest. I`ve been glutened a couple of times when I`ve not asked and just assumed it was ok.

Maybe I should stick to salads (minus the croutons of course!!!)