So Sorry To "trouble" You.. Ugh!

[mysecretcurse]

So I went to my local health restaurant/health food store the other day. The store is really good, it's a little grocery store and it's got tons of gluten free stuff from cake mix to pasta to pizza, etc. I get a lot of my stuff there. I was trying to see if they had any hummus, because the only hummus I've ever found at the grocery store, I had a reaction to.

So I ask the grocery store clerk and she says no, but they make fresh hummus in the deli/restaurant.

So I go over there and ask the restaurant hostess girl if they have hummus and if it's gluten free. And she looks at me and says:

"Well.. I don't know.. cuz you know, I'd have to like, go in the back and look at ALL the ingrediants and check them over to find that out..."

And I sort of stare at her, waiting for her to tell me she will be right back so she can go check and instead she just stares and says:

"Cuz you know.. that would take forever."

Needless to say I went home hummus free. So SORRY to trouble you, jerk! :angry:

[ShayFL]

That is pretty crappy service. I might have to complain to the owner. Afterall, they are there to serve you and health food stores would be out of biz without peeps like us.

On another note....hummus is one of the easiest things in the world to make and it is naturally gluten-free (when prepared from a recipe). You cant trust stores/restaurants though. Here is a simple recipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

* 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

* 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

* 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)

* 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

* 2 cloves garlic, crushed

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl and eat!!

[Jestgar]

Place in serving bowl and eat!!

Or just lick it out of the blender

I sometimes skip the olive oil and put in some sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

[mysecretcurse]

That is pretty crappy service. I might have to complain to the owner. Afterall, they are there to serve you and health food stores would be out of biz without peeps like us.

On another note....hummus is one of the easiest things in the world to make and it is naturally gluten-free (when prepared from a recipe). You cant trust stores/restaurants though. Here is a simple recipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

* 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

* 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

* 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)

* 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

* 2 cloves garlic, crushed

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl and eat!!

I've been wanting to make hummus for years and have been to like 10 different grocery stores around here and not ONE of them has had Tahini! Where or whereeeee do you guys get it at?

[Mother of Jibril]

Tahini is made from sesame seeds. I found this recipe:

Open Original Shared Link

Do you have any "ethnic" stores in your area? Lebanese would be perfect. Also, try looking in the nut butter section of your health food store... I think that's where mine keeps the tahini.

[mysecretcurse]

No theres no specialty stores like that around here. Just big ones like Wal Mart, Winco, etc.

[JNBunnie1]

No theres no specialty stores like that around here. Just big ones like Wal Mart, Winco, etc.

You may have to break down and order it online in that case.

[gfpaperdoll]

The reason that stores have managers is to correct any little unpleasantries that their employees do or say to the customers. Just ask for the manager. I bet he will have time to help you look for anything that you would like to purchase.

[jsb727]

I had an ok experience at my local grocery store today. They had samples out all over the store, which I normally try to avoid eye contact so they don't ask me. But these two guys asked me anyway (it was some bowtie pasta, and then some roasted chicken)... to which I said "only if it's gluten free." They sort of had blank looks on their faces, so I rephrased to just say I had a wheat allergy, and therefore the pasta sample was out of the question. The manager happened to walk by just then, and so she went to go check on the ingredients for the roasted chicken. While she was gone I gave the guys a brief lesson on celiac disease. Hey, they've gotta learn somewhere!

Anyway, the roasted chicken had modified corn starch, which was fine. And natural flavorings (which the manager told me she thought just meant the chicken's "natural juices"). Not too sure about that, but oh well. So, even if they don't know 100% of the time, at least they were willing to make an effort.

I really appreciate the people who make an effort, because I feel like I'm a big inconvenience already... It makes me feel even worse when they basically tell you you're wasting their time, like you're not worth the effort. Ugg.

[mommyof3]

I have made hummus many times using peanut butter instead of tahini. It tastes a little different, but good all the same. You could probably use any nut butter. You may need to thin it slightly with a little water since the peanut butter is thicker than tahini.

[lizard00]

I've never made hummus with tahini. Mostly cuz I never have it and forget to get it when I'm out. But, it always is fabulous.

I've started recently making it with white kidney beans, cumin, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Added some fresh cilantro last time and it was soooo good. MMmmm... I LOVE hummus!

[psawyer]

My wife and I own a retail business. Any employee who treated a customer like that once would be very strongly cautioned. If they did it a second time, they would be instantly unemployed. The customers are not an interruption to our business, they are our business.

[mysecretcurse]

I've never made hummus with tahini. Mostly cuz I never have it and forget to get it when I'm out. But, it always is fabulous.

I've started recently making it with white kidney beans, cumin, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Added some fresh cilantro last time and it was soooo good. MMmmm... I LOVE hummus!

So you just throw it all in a blender? I don't have a food processor.

And psawer, I absolutely agree. This place is a small family business that is having to compete with big stores and restaurant chains in the area. It's nuts to me that they would treat their customers like they could take them or leave them like this. In hindsight I feel very annoyed that I didn't go to the manager at the time. Honestly I don't even remember what the girl looked like now other than that she was a twentysomething brunette. I hate complaining because I don't want to get anyone in trouble and have to feel weird when I go back in there. But I do think it was warranted in this case.

I was silly even thinking I could trust them anyway. There was another time I ate there, and told them I was celiac. I had a burrito without the tortilla. There must have been something in the rice (even though the guy said it was "just rice") because I was sick for two days after. Even if this girl had gone and checked for me I shouldn't trust her.

Gah. Why must it be so hard.

[Ashley]

I would have said, "Well, 'cause it takes forever to find my wallet, I guess I won't have to pay for my groceries today, huh?" Actually, I probably would have told her to do her job or I'll ask for management. I can't stand stupid people like that. Sorry you had to deal with that :[

-Ash.

[knitaddict]

I know how you feel...this is TOTALLY not Celiac related....but I went to TJ Maxx to put some stuff on layaway for Christmas. I was in a SUPER kick BUTT mood because I was getting a headstart on all my shopping.... So I had filled my cart to the point of BURSTING and I went back to layaway to get it all checked out....I stood there for 20 MINUTES. I'm NOT JOKING...20 min....then when someone FINALLY came up to help me...they jumped MY butt because I didn't pick up their little "courtesy phone" to let anyone know that I was there. It took everything that I HAD to not cuss that dude and call him such imaginative names that would cause a SAILOR to blush with SHAME. I looked at him and said, "Well, perhaps if there were a SIGN posted above the courtesy phone, I would've KNOWN to pick it up and call someone."

THEN--he checked out all my stuff and, because I was in a HUGE RUSH to pick up my kid from school...I didn't realize until I got home...he DOUBLE CHARGED me for my Mom's Christmas present.

I got her an Aigner bag....it's SO PURTY!

[ShayFL]

Bad service stinks! And it is even harder for me because I am in sales and run my own business. I expect everyone to be as attentive and professional as I am. I am often so very disappointed......

[msmini14]

Winco has a lot of gluten free items, you just have to take at least an hour to look around the store. If you have a Stater bros by you, they do have a gluten free hummus, so goood! I only buy every now and then because I eat it all lol. There are a few different types of hummus at staters but the one I buy is safe, check the labels though because the one I am talking about is gluten-free. They keep it in the bacon/sandwich meat section.

[mysecretcurse]

Thanks! Yes Winco is definitely awesome, especially the big bins of quinoa and brown rice and other things you can just scoop out of. They also carry Pacific foods organic soups most of which are gluten free. And lots of other good yummy stuff. I don't eat meat either so it's even harder for me. I want to try making hummus now really bad! I think I will try and order some tahini online.