2012 Darwinian Nominations

[Marilyn R]

Nominate anybody you'd like, manufacturer, relative, co-worker, retailer...all in good fun and a place to share our angst and sense of humor.

My nomination: The manufacturer (that starts with an "A") for prominently promoting their grits as gluten-free in bold type on the label. I was waiting for my tea to steep this morning and read the only recipe on the back of the package. The recipe called for 2 T. of whole wheat flour.

[Takala]

There's so many..... where would I start.

The waitress last weekend, at a restaurant which has a gluten free menu, that we eat at once in a while, who proudly announced that the brand of beer they carried was gluten free. It wasn't.

Fortunately I have the knack of remembering details AND I don't drink beer anyway, but imagine how many others she may have gotten. I haven't gotten glutened at this place, btw. Yet. Knock on wood.

[IrishHeart]

Like Takala, I have so many I could tell you, but let's start with this most recent one:

My friend Jim told me yesterday that he ate at a chain restaurant (that begins with an A) that offers a gluten-free menu.

He ordered the gluten-free burger ----as he has many times.

When it came out, he thought the roll did not look like the gluten-free roll they usually provide there.

He called the waitress over and asked about it.

Her reply?

"Oh, the chef ran out of those, so he gave you a normal one. That's okay, right?".

[Marilyn R]

Ewwwww. Both of those are bad, so good nominations for the 2012 Darwinian nominations.

[Adalaide]

It hurts this much just to read those! (BTW: Yes, I could possibly maybe be more than a little mildly obsessed with ponys. So?)

[Adalaide]

Because, beyond the boundless realms of stupidity and ignorance we all deal with I still have a worst and can't get past it.

I'll email my old neighbor for you, she had some way of kneading bread to beat the gluten out of it.

[Marilyn R]

Because, beyond the boundless realms of stupidity and ignorance we all deal with I still have a worst and can't get past it.

I'll email my old neighbor for you, she had some way of kneading bread to beat the gluten out of it.

She should meet my BIL then, because he can COOK the gluten out. Uh huh.

[IrishHeart]

And then there's the person I know who can just pluck those croutons off the salad and VOILA! no more worries, mate!

[IrishHeart]

It hurts this much just to read those! (BTW: Yes, I could possibly maybe be more than a little mildly obsessed with ponys. So?)

I see nothing wrong with this pony obsession, but I am obsessed with bunnies, so what do I know?.

Loving this head banging pony....I feel like this often

Last night at dinner.

A basket of bread is brought to the table by the "bread guy" (this seems to be his only job) , despite the fact the server for our table has just my "gluten-free order" and the host/owner knows what celiac is and they provide a full gluten-free menu with separate prep areas in the kitchen..

Hub's caesar salad arrives with croutons (he can just pick them off--he is not celiac or NCGI) but he has not eaten gluten in nearly 2 years and we said he was also gluten-free to her.

After dinner:

Hubs: Is that "gluten-free flourless chocolate cake" made here?

Her: Oh no We have that delivered.

Me: FROM????

Her: Sysco

Me: SYSCO...SYSCO? who mass produces wheat flour baked goods for all the area restaurants?

Her: uh huh, I guess so.

Hubs: just bring us a creme brulee--your chef makes that, correct?

Her: uh huh. but what's wrong with the cake? No flour in it, right?

Me: I could give you a lecture now on cross contamination, but we have tickets to the theater, so let's

just cut to the chase. A creme brulee, the check ....and please, stop telling people the Flourless chocolate cake is gluten-free, because it isn't.

Her: (all haughty) Why not?

Hubs, seeing my face turning red even in the candlelight: My wife will write a letter to the manager explaining why.

Come to find out, their "gluten-free pizza shells"--also mass produced in this place.

Me in the car: (insert head banging pony you posted)

[Marilyn R]

I hope the creme brulee (and theater) was fabulous.

Wouldn't it be fun to take one of those creme brulee torches to the restaurant with you? When the bread guy shows up, you ignite the torch and tell him you'll brulee his fingers if he tries to stick that nasty basket of bread on your table. Whoa! Word would spread through the kitchen that table #9 was a celiac maniac. The manager would come over to check on you frequently.

I haven't eaten at a restaurant since I got glutened at O--- Garden off their gluten-free menu. (The local place that dusts their cheese graters with flour.)

That was definitely a Darwinian experience for you and dh last night....

[IrishHeart]

We had a good time, thanks!

Saw "Wicked"--very funny and well done.

Marilyn, I have not been out past midnight in YEARS.

All part of my "getting back to doing normal things this year" pledge I made.

and I can report, 2 days later....no glutening...

I got hit back in August (stupid waiter) and had symptoms for weeks and my hair fell out again....

[Adalaide]

Well, nearly 8 and I am up on a Saturday morning. The um... new season of My Little Pony started last week.

That is some epic fail from that restaurant. And she asked why it isn't gluten free!!! This is a moment where my husband would interject with a similar statement, but for a different reason, I embarrass him.

I found a Go Picnic meal at one of the local stores in the gluten free section. Normally I steer clear of all shared facility stuff but though, they're highly recommended I might try one to see if they suck or not and keep a few around the house. I picked it up and it had WHEAT CRACKERS!!! My immediate response was, I need to go tell someone. My husband was like, chill out, it isn't the end of the world. There were crackers... made of poison... in the clearly labeled gluten free section. I went back to the store without him to tell them.

So I think he just attempts to shut me up before I get going, because I can really get going. I can be especially vitriolic if I think someone is being stupid.

[kenlove]

While in the hospital recovering from minor heart surgery, i got to see my chart which has a big celiac stamp on it and a note that i'm vegan not to have any animal protein-- so of course they gave me a tuna sandwich on whole wheat for lunch.

[IrishHeart]

While in the hospital recovering from minor heart surgery, i got to see my chart which has a big celiac stamp on it and a note that i'm vegan not to have any animal protein-- so of course they gave me a tuna sandwich on whole wheat for lunch.

.............And we have a WINNER!!!!!!!

Holy crap, that's just insane, Ken. But I am not really surprised. Years ago, when I was in the hospital the night before my gall bladder surgery, they brought me HOT DOGS for supper--because of course, those are easily digested and have no fat, right?

(I never do this, but sorry guys, I believe the famous" WTF?" is appropriate here.)

[kareng]

Well, nearly 8 and I am up on a Saturday morning. The um... new season of My Little Pony started last week.

That is some epic fail from that restaurant. And she asked why it isn't gluten free!!! This is a moment where my husband would interject with a similar statement, but for a different reason, I embarrass him.

I found a Go Picnic meal at one of the local stores in the gluten free section. Normally I steer clear of all shared facility stuff but though, they're highly recommended I might try one to see if they suck or not and keep a few around the house. I picked it up and it had WHEAT CRACKERS!!! My immediate response was, I need to go tell someone. My husband was like, chill out, it isn't the end of the world. There were crackers... made of poison... in the clearly labeled gluten free section. I went back to the store without him to tell them.

So I think he just attempts to shut me up before I get going, because I can really get going. I can be especially vitriolic if I think someone is being stupid.

Public Service Announcement:

Just to clarify on the Go picnic - They do make some that are not gluten free. Most of them are gluten-free . They say gluten-free on them right on the front. Second - its not exactly a "shared facility". Go Picnic purchases the products straight from the other companies. They come to Go Picnic packaged in the small sizes, with each companies full logo and packaging. All Go Picnic does is put the little parts together in a box. I find them convinent when you need something to grab or something that does not require refridgerating.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

[Adalaide]

That explains a lot, thanks. It was quite a long time ago that I had checked them out and maybe I was just put off by the whole, having both thing. Still... having the one with wheat crackers in the gluten free section of the store? Morons much? One of two things was going to happen. Either, they would sit and rot and no one would ever buy them and no one at the store would ever figure out why OR some poor celiac in a hurry would grab it, knowing that they've always eating Go Picnic meals without issue. It is a store with a good reputation, they wouldn't put something like that there right? No need to read the label and BAM! I have been quite looking forward to them getting the gluten free ones but it hasn't happened yet.

[JNBunnie1]

I have seen a number of stores put regular crackers, cookies, whatever, in the

gluten free section, Mi-Del for example, and it's frequently a brand that also does

gluten free, so I agree, that is very misleading. Just another place where we have

to be ever-vigilant..... sigh....

[Marilyn R]

While in the hospital recovering from minor heart surgery, i got to see my chart which has a big celiac stamp on it and a note that i'm vegan not to have any animal protein-- so of course they gave me a tuna sandwich on whole wheat for lunch.

AKKKK! Yes, I concur. We have a winner, the dietary dept. at Ken's hospital. That's really bad.

[gatita]

I have seen a number of stores put regular crackers, cookies, whatever, in the

gluten free section, Mi-Del for example, and it's frequently a brand that also does

gluten free, so I agree, that is very misleading. Just another place where we have

to be ever-vigilant..... sigh....

Agreed. I was in a store last week that had a huge "gluten free" banner across a whole freezer case, but NO gluten free foods in it. At all.

When I asked the clerk, he just shrugged and said that stuff's getting more popular so maybe if I asked the manager they might start to carry it but probably not. Huh? That was a definite 'what the...?' moment.

[kenlove]

they were pretty stupid!

AKKKK! Yes, I concur. We have a winner, the dietary dept. at Ken's hospital. That's really bad.

[GFinDC]

I see nothing wrong with this pony obsession, but I am obsessed with bunnies, so what do I know?.

Loving this head banging pony....I feel like this often

Last night at dinner.

A basket of bread is brought to the table by the "bread guy" (this seems to be his only job) , despite the fact the server for our table has just my "gluten-free order" and the host/owner knows what celiac is and they provide a full gluten-free menu with separate prep areas in the kitchen..

Hub's caesar salad arrives with croutons (he can just pick them off--he is not celiac or NCGI) but he has not eaten gluten in nearly 2 years and we said he was also gluten-free to her.

After dinner:

Hubs: Is that "gluten-free flourless chocolate cake" made here?

Her: Oh no We have that delivered.

Me: FROM????

Her: Sysco

Me: SYSCO...SYSCO? who mass produces wheat flour baked goods for all the area restaurants?

Her: uh huh, I guess so.

Hubs: just bring us a creme brulee--your chef makes that, correct?

Her: uh huh. but what's wrong with the cake? No flour in it, right?

Me: I could give you a lecture now on cross contamination, but we have tickets to the theater, so let's

just cut to the chase. A creme brulee, the check ....and please, stop telling people the Flourless chocolate cake is gluten-free, because it isn't.

Her: (all haughty) Why not?

Hubs, seeing my face turning red even in the candlelight: My wife will write a letter to the manager explaining why.

Come to find out, their "gluten-free pizza shells"--also mass produced in this place.

Me in the car: (insert head banging pony you posted)

Well, the Sysco cake "may" have been gluten-free. Hard to tell. Sysco is a distributer of foods to the restraunt industry, so they resell many products that they don't make themselves. The restraunt would have to verify the manufacturer to see if it is really gluten-free. Most likely Sysco just receives it, puts it in a great big freezer or refrigerator, and then delivers it when restraunts order it. That's what they do with most food items they sell/distribute. They are kind of like the A-river word of the food industry. But they are a wholesaler, not a retailer. Lots and lots of restraunts use Sysco as their source for meats, cheeses, veggies, etc, etc etc. If the gluten-free cake was from Sysco, probably most of the other food items at your meal were from Sysco also. Often enough, when you go by a restraunt you will see a Sysco truck parked out back. That's what they are there for, to deliver food items for resale. Just some info from working in a restraunt years ago. Hope it helps.

[IrishHeart]

Actually, I have experience with this particular "flourless chocolate cake" that is distributed by the SYSCO here in NY.

It already bit me on the ass in another upscale place last year.

I posted about it because it was a terrible 2 week glutening episode.

No way it was anything else as the chef prepared everything from scratch and takes it very seriously.

I called the restaurant (after I became ill) and the chef called the manager of the SYSCO on my behalf

who told him she "goes by what the bakery" tells her. In other words, they have no clue.

So, I say it's not "gluten free enough".

[GFinDC]

Actually, I have experience with this particular "flourless chocolate cake" that is distributed by the SYSCO here in NY.

It already bit me on the ass in another upscale place last year.

I posted about it because it was a terrible 2 week glutening episode.

No way it was anything else as the chef prepared everything from scratch and takes it very seriously.

I called the restaurant (after I became ill) and the chef called the manager of the SYSCO on my behalf

who told him she "goes by what the bakery" tells her. In other words, they have no clue.

So, I say it's not "gluten free enough".

Could be it isn't, ouch! Here's a listing of their search results for gluten-free products. Three pages of hits.

Open Original Shared Link

Lots of hits and different suppliers. Getting them (Sysco) to do a good job on gluten-free products would help a lot of restraunts become more gluten-free safe. If there is a problem that is, since Sysco is a major food service supplier to oodles of restraunts. They supply raw vegatables also, so cooking from scratch doesn't mean they didn't get their veggies from Sysco.

[Marilyn R]

Good point, DC.

I worked for a Mich. pie company in the 70's. One of our biggest customers was Sysco. Mrs. Smith Pies bought us out and the federal court declared it would be illegal, creating an oligoply. Swear to God.

Happy thanksgiving to all, cheerios. (Oops, Rice Chex!)