I Am Afraid To Eat Out

[huevo-no-bueno]

I am afraid to eat out now. I went to a restaurant and ordered a salad with grilled chicken and crumbled feta cheese. The cheese did not appear to be the pre-crumbled type. I explained (to the waiter, whose first language was obviously not English) that I had an allergy to both wheat and egg. I thought it would be easier to tell him that they were both an allergy because of the language barrier. I told him to make sure these were not in the meal, including the dressing, and clean off the work surface, etc.

By the time I left the restaurant everything was starting to rumble in me and the heartburn and D has continued to this morning. This can't be an egg reaction, because that does different things. I know it isn't the chicken, because I never get this when I fix chicken at home. It is gluten. But where?

I know that restaurants often use pre-made commercial bases in soups, that are gel-like and come in a tub. I wonder if they use something weird to coat chicken and if it comes that way to the restaurant from the supplier? I am wondering how to deal with this. I get this reaction the majority of times I eat out, even with the precautions I take. There's obviously some hidden gluten that is commonly used, or maybe I'm reacting to some sort of other ingredient that is commonly used in restaurants. I'm so discouraged by this.

[home-based-mom]

I'm beginning to think of restaurant dining as playing Russian Roulette with only one chamber empty while going blindfolded through a mine field. Sooner or later you will get sick.

My daughter was quite annoyed but I wouldn't let her take me out for Mother's Day. We finally settled on take-out from a near by Mexican hole-in-the-wall, because I do OK with their food.

Sigh.

[LuvMoosic4life]

yeah eating out sux. Its almost like you are gaurenteed CC. I went out last night to eat and ordered broiled haddock. It was an itailan resturant and every dish comes with some sort of pasta. The nice thing though is when I order the fish there the pasta comes in a seperate bowl and the only other thing on the plate with the fish is fresh itailan style veggies......I didn thave a problem with any of it.... I usually stick to plain broiled stuff when I go out.

[ShayFL]

broiled,poached and steamed are the best bet. Stick with meat and veggies. I tell them no seasonings of any kind. No coatings/breadings of any kind. No marinaded meats. Just plain meat with salt and pepper. Same with the veggies. I tell them olive oil is o.k.

[hippiegirl2001]

Even frozen chicken which a restaurant purchases can have gluten already added, or else the restaurant may marinate it in something with gluten, such as soy sauce, or a marinade with flavoring from barley, etc... Even grilled chicken at many fast food places which have gluten free options is Not Gluten Free (examples, McDonalds, Carls Jr.)... If I don't know beforehand that the chicken is gluten free (via a website or personal reply to an email question) unless the restaurant assures me that they only use fruit juices to marinate the chicken in, I don't eat it. It IS difficult to eat out, and it can be discouraging. I am starting to cook more and more at home. There is lots of good info on this forum, and many good people willing to share their experiences and knowledge. Research, research, and Take Care!

[missy'smom]

One option in situations like this is to go straight to the manager and let them handle your order.

I agree that the chicken could be problematic. I used to get fish tacos at a place here and they were safe but one day I went in and ordered and there was some subtle difference and they didn't quite look like the naked fish that I usually got. I ended up explaining and asking questions and sending them back three times(first time we thought maybe they didn't give me the one that was specially prepared for me, and on the final time they FINALLY told me that their supplier had changed and that they didn't know how they were prepped.

[huevo-no-bueno]

Thanks for all your helpful responses. I'll have to be a lot more particular with restaurants, and go into more detail for them, even if it is awkward. The only thing I seem to be able to order with no problems is a cheese plate. Yikes!