How to Dine Gluten Free in Restaurants - Tip #2
Posted by: ross in Gluten Free Dining Tips, Gluten Free RestaurantsDon’t Say “Gluten”…at First.
Some words are simple, and only have one meaning. Unfortunately, gluten isn’t one of them. It can mean different things to different people.
For us, “gluten” is the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. But, for chefs, “gluten” is a much more expansive term, and can also include plant proteins found in many cereal grains, including some that are safe for the gluten free diet. Common terms like “glutenous rice” just add a further layer of confusion. Without context, a chef may interpret instructions for a “gluten free” meal to be free of flour, rice, corn, and other starches.
That’s why I recommend spelling out “no wheat, rye, barley (and oats in a restaurant setting)”, and avoiding the word “gluten” the first time you visit a new restaurant. It reduces the chances that a chef will be overly restrictive and unnecessarily limit the options he can present you.
Good strategy or bad? What do you think?
For the archive of all tips published to date, visit our Gluten Free Dining Tips section.
Entries (RSS)
April 9th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I can’t tell you how many times I have said “gluten” and had them say “glucose” right back to me….I swear some of these people needed to go back to school….
April 9th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I have had better results telling waiters and other restaurant staff that I have a wheat allergy. I know it is not an allergy, but if I say that first, I get them thinking in the right way, then we can discuss the details and get through to them.
Just tonight, I ate at a place that advertises “fried trout every night”. I told the cook I was allergic to wheat, which is used to bread the fish before frying. He offered to bake one for me. It was the most delicious fish ever!
April 15th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I find that it also helps to include “flour” in the list of prohibited items, especially at unsophisticated restaurants. I’m amazed at the number of restaurant staff who don’t realize that most mainstream flour is made of wheat!
April 16th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I bought the book “Living Gluten-Free for Dummies” and it is an awesome source for many questions re:celiac disease/allergies! You can find this book at B.Dalton Book Stores, for one.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I love this blog, I paid $79.00 for Gluten Free Online, so far not impressed with it, this looks like will be very helpful, Yes the books are great, too My husband and I were eating the pretels on the way home from Whole Foods, both thought they were good, I’m the one with Celiac but he eats pretty much same as me.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I have 2 celiac children; one 15 years old (diagnosed at age 1) and one 8 years old (diagnosed at age 3). My husband and I learned the HARD way not to try to explain celiac disease and gluten intolerence to waiters and waitresses, as we were counseled to do 14 years ago.
We say, “they are alergic to wheat; please ask the chef to be careful with their food preparation”. If we would have been advised this 14 years ago, WOW, we would have saved tons of time and frustration on our part as well as the resteraunt staffs!
April 19th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Great tip!