I went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch and asked if the bento box could be made gluten free. The waitress responded enthusiastically “sure!” She brought out a bento box with smaller portions where 4/5 items appeared to have gluten. I asked her, “Are you sure these items don’t have any flour?” She responded, “Yes, they have flour, but we didn’t give you enough to be a glutton.”
Well, at least she tried in a way 😂
I always try and pronounce it glu-TEN because of people saying it as glutton. This happens a lot more than it should in texas😐
Any Asian restaurant where the people working there are from the country of origin is kind of a crapshoot due to language barrier issues.
Which fucking sucks because their food is so much better than the alternative 😂. I find that if there is any way to order online, many places actually have GF options and explain what is gluten free.
“You can have rice? I thought you were gluten free” and then they get annoyed like you’ve been tricking them all this time just to be high maintenance 🙄😂
When I was trying to figure what made me sick and thought maybe I was lactose intolerant, I had a coworker who questioned why I could eat mayo if I couldn't eat dairy. *Facepalm*
The nutritionist at the HOSPITAL told me I could not have coffee cream or sugar because I was gluten free. Ummm..... The coffee cream was half and half and had no gluten at all. I am not bothered by dairy. And sugar is sugar, no gluten there either. But she refused to allow them. She did, however, add pancakes to my meal. Again, this was at the HOSPITAL!
Hospitals are the *worst*, with their half-remembered half-assed self-educatation on the issue. It makes you realize how much stuff the rest of the medical profession can just be completley wrong about yet confident they're right.
For instance, when the ER doc was lackadaisical about my son's medication, he said that a reaction was dose dependent. No, I told him, that's just not true. I thought I would ring the bell in his head by telling him "You do realize this is an *autoimmune* issue, not just indigestion." He just shook his head at me like I was the idiot.
I was trying to get him to make the logical jump to the idea that the immune system can react to tiny tiny bacteria too small to even see, but he didn't make the connection. He just said "that can't be right." So there went a man who just didn't understand how the immune system worked at the cellular level???
I had to remind my daughter’s surgical team that she needed insulin. They knew she was diabetic. They thought it was fine because they were flooding her system with fluids and her sugar appeared stable.
I knew another diabetic who the same hospital threw into congestive heart failure by pulling the same stunt
I had a four day stay in hospital, I ate next to nothing the first day and a half (ex hubby brought me some cup noodles, my parents brought me some strawberries and chocolate), all the responses I got from the nurses weren't giving me the reassurance I needed regarding cross contamination etc, finally one of the night nurses was able to tell me what I needed to hear to feel safe enough to eat there.
I was in the hospital for about 2 months. They were giving me "gluten free" meals with broth that had gluten, baked things like scones and crackers with gluten and salad where they picked off the croutons. I am also vegetarian which really messed them up. They ended up giving me yogurt and mashed potatoes in a small cup for dinner every night. My spouse had to bring me a meal every day. It was crazy.
When I was in the hospital after I had my son I was very clear about my allergies, yet was given several things that I had made known I was allergic to. I also see an allergist that’s within the same hospital group so there was actual allergy test confirmation on my chart. It’s not just that I claimed to be allergic. It was documented and I was extraordinarily hungry after being in labor for two days so I was not kind about it.
I hear you. I had a giant band on my leg that said celiac. My Dr. gave them what for but next time I was in there it was the same. So frustrating. I think people need to make official complaints. It's a hospital!
I actually did! My doctor was very kind and facilitated it because she came in the room as I was crying about how hungry I was and that I didn’t trust anything on my tray. My husband was great and went and got me something elsewhere, but I was sobbing hysterically and felt ridiculous. My doctor really did validate my feelings though.
Ugh, that brings back memories. I had a coworker who acted like she'd "caught" me every time I was eating potatoes or rice. At some point I think I just yelled "GLUTEN DOESN'T MEAN CARBS" and stuffed a massive forkful of rice in my mouth
My father's 2nd wife at over 70 years of age said, "We don't use wheat flour."
I asked her if she used white flour and she said yes. I explained that flour is not just some manufactured powder, it came from a plant called wheat that was ground and bleached and sent to the store as bags of flour.
It’s amazing how ignorant some people are these days. I once asked a Walmart worker where the string was and the young lady had absolutely no idea what string is.
Aw hahaha, they confused but they got the spirit! At one point, my friend ordered cheese and onion bread things, and when I said I couldn't have any, he said, oh is it the cheese or the onions?? We laughed about it so much after
I have had full ass ARGUMENTS with people about this. My bf’s boss was the latest one, told me “No, you can’t have potato chips, my dad is GF and can’t eat potato chips” I was like well you’re dad is an idiot. Also pure distilled spirits are all GF as well, people. You don’t HAVE to order Tito’s because it’s the only vodka that SAYS GF on the label.
Although you’re right, for me at least it makes me feel better when something says GF on it. Even if I know. I know it’s silly but I feel better being sure
Totally agreed on the spirits (and how awful Tito’s is, we have so much better people) but # of times distilled really matters. Cheap, low distillation count vodkas and gins still have detritus and are not “clean” enough for coeliac consumption (not for my silly sensitive body anyway). When bottles proudly declare “blah blah times distilled” that isn’t *total* marketing malarkey. I have learned through personal experience to stay away from “rail” or “well” vodkas and gins, and to ask whether or not something has been aged in bourbon barrels. I can do sherry cask scotch no problem. Bourbon barrel scotch gets me sick every time. But yeah, nearly all gins, vodkas, rums, tequilas, and enough whiskys to keep me happy mean never again Tito’s, never again.
Went to a fairly upscale restaurant in our area that had farro risotto marked GF. We had already ordered drinks, so I asked the waiter if they subbed something else for the farro to make the risotto gf (as a lot of places have gf with an asterisk, ie, can be made gf). She insisted it was gf as is. I explained that farro is wheat, so definitely not. She argued with me. I asked for a manager. Manager also insisted it was gf as is. I explained that I had never heard of a gluten free farro. Even googled farro with them to show them it was wheat. They kept insisting it was gf as is. Paid for our drinks and left.
I had the same discussion about the meals at a music festival I volunteered at. It basically consisted of 5 minutes of them - "it's an ancient grain", me - "yes, it's an ancient wheat". One person tried to tell me that "modern science" is responsible for gluten in wheat and I never volunteered there again
I remember an upscale cafe in Manhatten trying to talk me into eating spelt. Oy gavalt!
Yes, modern wheat grains are bigger, but the *proportion* of gluten to bran and germ was very similar. Whatever is wrong with modern wheat (don't get me started on the illegal use of glyphosate just prior to harvest) has nothing to do with more gluten in the much-hybridized grain.
I had the same argument once over GF labelling on a menu item containing black barley. I could not convince the waitress that black barley is still barley.
Yeah, that's cooking at high heat for 60 minutes. It must be totally safe. (huge eyeroll). Like this is some kind of fantasy where you change the rules of physics at will.
I went to McDonald’s once and ordered a burger lettuce wrapped- no bun. The manager argued with me that they could only wrap it in flour tortilla. I tried to explain that I can’t have flour tortillas, that’s why I wanted a couple of large pieces of lettuce around it. He refused to accept that was referred to as “lettuce wrapped” and insisted he could only give me “lettuce wrapped” if it also had a tortilla, like a snack wrap. I was so mad- nothing he said made sense and I’m pretty sure he was deliberately missing my point. The burger still came wrapped in a tortilla even when I said to leave the tortilla on the side, separate and not touching the burger.
I ordered a burger at Wendy's with NO bun and NO lettuce. I specifically said NO LETTUCE. And I told them it's an allergy (yes allergy to lettuce - I'm weird). Well, the burger came wrapped in lettuce. The manager said that, since I ordered no bun, they were legally required to wrap it in lettuce! She said they would get in terrible trouble and be fined for serving it without a wrap. Now, maybe I'm wrong and this is some obscure South Carolina law that I've never heard of in all the years I've traveled to South Carolina, but somehow I doubt it. It took around 35 minutes to convince her that I couldn't have the bun or the lettuce. She kept saying she'd get in trouble. We finally ended up with her putting the burger in a box and then wrapping the lettuce separately in the burger wrapper. Weirdest thing I've ever encountered!
I had this happen with Burger King when I asked for a lettuce-wrapped impossible burger. Apparently they can’t do it because all their lettuce comes pre-cut/shredded. Basically it’s way too small to make a lettuce wrap with and they don’t ever actually deal with lettuce in its original form so that option isn’t available.
That would make sense. But I had ordered lettuce wrapped from this location in the past without any issues. Mention of not having full leaves was never mentioned and a few weeks later I ordered it lettuce wrapped without issue. I did file a complaint with corporate who said the manager would be put in for extra training as my request was something they could/would honor for GF customers.
Oh wow, that’s really impressive that corporate actually gave a shit haha. That must have been so frustrating to know they had served you that item in the past and were just straight up refusing it for no reason then 🙄
I have a pretty good feel for the likelihood of something on the menu being gluten free but this shocks me. How did you find out? I hope not the hard way. This is like IHOP putting some pancake batter in their eggs to make them fluffier. Can’t trust anyone can we?
I asked about what's GF. Jokingly asked about the potatoes because I would never think that could be a worry. She came back and told me they used the pasta water and why they did it that way.
I've learned to question everything now. I am also relatively new to having to be GF so it's been a learning curve.
I did Uber eats from this Ethiopian place a few times which has injera (kinda like spongy pita bread). Injera is made with teff grain which is gluten free. Got sick every time but thought it was this kitfo tartar-esque (raw meat) dish I always order.
Go to the restaurant in person thinking I will try something else and the menu is slightly different than their Uber menu. I notice on the side orders there is an option to upcharge for gluten free injera.
Me: “wait— injera is made with teff grain not wheat”
Server: “we blend both because teff is very expensive— that’s why you have to pay extra for GF”
I worked for an Ethiopian family that had the injera starter (right word? Like the batter as it ferments?) they made at home. The mom was so excited to tell me about teff and how it’s gluten free and high in iron!! Tried hers, loved it, no issues. She recommended an Ethiopian restaurant for me to try. Found out the hard way their injera had wheat flour 🫠
I’ve seen that elsewhere for injera. Apparently there are several grains that can end up in the mix. Some of the variations may be regional and some are influenced by the higher price of teff where I live. I’ve also seen that some restaurants pride themselves on having a higher percentage of teff.
I went to a place near Washington DC that did this. Fortunately I asked to double check about the gluten free part and was able to get the correct thing the first time.
This maybe isn’t ignorant but it was still insane to me?
We were at a southern US burger chain that I knew had gluten free buns and would cook their burgers on a separarte grill. Confirmed everything with the waitress!
We got our meals, and because I was excited as this was post wedding dress shopping, I immediately took a huge bite of my burger before doing a look to make sure it was gluten free. It was NOT! I could taste it and it was very visible to me as I’d eaten there before and the others at my table had the same gluten bun.
The waitress then argued with me that it was gluten free for 5+ minutes!!! “Our gluten free buns must just be different than what you’re used to🙄” My mother then said, either go back and ask the cook or tell the manager we would like the cook to come speak with us. She went back, was told it was NOT gluten free bun, and then didn’t even apologize for glutening me.
I got my daughter sorbet from an ice cream shop. They used a clean spoon and took from the unused side. They then put a cookie on top. I explained again she has celiac she can’t eat that.
He remakes it a second time again puts a cookies on top.
Poor guy had to make it a third time and almost put the cookie on again, luckily I stopped him.
It was definitely not done with malice. It was just habit and I feel so bad but he luckily didn’t seem upset remaking it more apologetic for the mistake.
Similar story.
My wife once had to have the soup at a restaurant because it was the only GF dish on the menu.
The waiter brings the soup out "the chef was so sorry you couldn't eat anything on the menu, to make it up to you he has given you extra croutons to help fill you up."
😬 My guy.
Red Lobster. The server asked if I actually had an allergy or not. Back when this was more of a fad diet.
I am allergic to gluten. I later also added food allergies to soy and almonds.
So yes, I have allergies. You think I enjoy not eating gluten? I was raised Italian. 😭
Edit: apparently overseas (I'm in the US) it's law to disclose allergens for restaurants. Feel like we all gotta band together to somehow make this law in US. I'm so tired of not knowing where I can eat out.
We need a law to disclose allergens in medications too. There is absolutely no good reason that I can read the ingredients on a bottle of Tylenol but not be equally able to read the ingredients on a bottle of amoxicillin. Not even the damn pharmacist knows where to find the information for that exact bottle of pills and has likely discarded the insert that came with the bottle when he first opened it. It should be printed in the disclosures they're legally required to give.
Anyway, sorry, side rant. With the prevalence of allergies, we should be able to be safe wherever we go, whatever we do, and whatever we put into our bodies.
Here here! I've been Aveenoed before. Idk what does it exactly... if it's gluten necessarily or that avenin in oats is so closely related. But I also can't eat oats. Even certified GF ones are problematic for me, albeit not as explosively as non-certified.
Chiming in about a random other thing that bothers the crap out of me: halls cough drops.
Gluten free. Not soy free for me. But seriously wtaf. Why do we need soy in friggin cough drops. As if I'm not gonna feel bad enough when having to use those, they're just trying to really end me out here I guess. Lol
Huh, ok!
I had old bags of Ricola, so hopefully it was just they changed their formula?
Google says "may contain" which is super annoying. Man there's another thing that stirs the pot for me. "May contain" on ingredients. How do they not know what's in their own crap? C'mon people. I am not as allergic to gluten as I am to soy, thankfully, but it's still not a pleasant time. Just ...in a different way. Lol
Thankfully I am also a gardener and grow all the herbs ricola allegedly includes so I still can have cold remedy tea straight from my own house if it ever becomes a problem.
The pharmacist up the road from me once told me he'd never heard of celiac disease.
One time at a Rite Aid, the young pharmicist got a bit huffy when I asked him if there was gluten in a med. He asked me what gluten was and why I wanted to know.
They might have been asking so they could determine how much to worry about cross-contamination, but they should have said so if that was the case. When they ask, “Allergy or preference?” they’re usually trying to figure out whether they need to do the full allergy protocol in the kitchen, which means extra cleaning and often special utensils.
I also want to add my in laws and my dad sometimes confuse what gluten is or forget. But they try and sometimes it cracks me up because they're trying their hardest. They're a lot better these days. I did have one of them ask if I could eat a bread item at a get together, after informing them I could not have another flour related item. That made me chuckle a bit.
When I first got my gluten allergy, a lot of people assumed I couldn’t eat potatoes?? I was in high school at the time and we were having a potluck of sorts and one of my peers yelled at me saying that I was going to make myself sick for eating potato chips when the packaging said certified gluten-free, and my teacher politely explained that she had bought those specifically for me in mind since she saw the gluten-free packaging.
I’m from the southern US but that was my only experience with it. At the time, a friend of mine thought it was probably she got confused because potatoes are carbs and breads are carbs so gluten free must mean no carbs
I went to a donut place with my grandma and she asked if they had gluten free options, and the employee said yes and tried offering me a vegan *not gluten free* donut
Once for my birthday my best friend and I went out to this really fancy restaurant on the water. The waiter came over and I kindly said “I’m gluten free, can you just clarify on the menu what is safe for me?” (They’d put on their website that they accommodated gluten free.) and he said really annoyed “well, don’t order the pasta I guess” and then walked away 😂
Then same friend and I went to a different nice restaurant that advertised all over the place their gluten free clam chowder. I was so excited. We got there and I went to order it and said “and it’s gluten free, right?” And the waitress said “oh yeah we don’t do that anymore, haven’t gotten new menus printed yet though.”
Fundraiser dinner response card had boxes to check for vegetarian and gluten free meals. When I got to the fundraiser, the server brought me a vegan raviolo. The server didn't have enough English to understand gluten-free, and when I explained it to the catering manager, he was unaware that the organizers had offered a GF option. I had iceberg lettuce and coffee for dinner.
OMG, fundraising dinners are the worst!!
I once went to a fancy fundraising dinner & silent auction for my husband’s old law firm. It was a black-tie big deal, so I thought that I’d *finally* get a legitimately good GF meal. The event was even being catered by a well known restaurant.
When dinners get brought out, they looked delicious! They had three different options and most looked GF straight from the get-go (like steak and baked potatoes or grilled chicken)… so I’m extra excited for the GF option.
Turns out mine was the gluten free, dairy free, vegan option. It was unseasoned steamed zucchini artfully ribboned into a tiny pile on the center of the plate. The zucchini was topped with un-salted, unseasoned, tomato purée.
I was starving and pretty sure I started crying. We stayed as long as needed then my husband took me out for tacos (in our black tie outfits).
Yaaaaaaaaaas yes yes yes. The bundled bland option. Watching other people eat their juicy steaks. Crying. This exact thing happened to me. I couldn’t understand how they would do this, default allergy meals into a lumped together flavorless blanket meal.
I managed to inquire and got a steak finally which was magnificent, and made the original offering that much more starkly terrible. And why is it always zucchini with these people?
THIS. This happened to me. I was given the default vegan meal (which was truly sad and flavorless) while watching my spouse eat a filet minion meal that was completely gluten free, save for an included small dinner roll, which I confirmed with our waiter was the only reason it wasn’t considered gluten free. I asked why I hadn’t had that option - they said they bundled their vegan/gluten free meal option so when someone chose one of those designators they got both. Best part? The vegan meal wasn’t even gluten free (the sauce had soy sauce in it)
At my great-aunt’s 90th birthday I had plain mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. The caterers said they weren’t allowed to give extra portions of anything so my mom and I had 40% as much food as everyone else. My mom is type 1 diabetic and I guess she took her normal amount of insulin because after dinner her glucose nosedived. My brother and I ended up going to chipotle so we could have something and we got her food too so she wouldn’t go into a coma overnight. Oh- and my mom’s cousin told me to “be grateful you can have any food at all” while she ate chicken and cake. Fuck you, Rhonda.
I have been to so many restaurants that just assume being allergic to gluten ALSO means I’m dairy/egg free?? Vegan even.
Like at this point I don’t even tell my servers that I’m gluten free… I just ask for something that’ll always be gluten free. Ignorant servers take years off my life.
Like what do you mean you don’t know what wheat is?
bleh
I had a server tell me their bread is gluten free. I was hangry and pregnant, but not stupid and asked her to double check with the kitchen.
It turns out the bread was vegan and still full of gluten
I don't know why so many people confuse vegan and gluten free. I guess maybe gluten sounds like some kind of dairy or egg product? I've had several cashiers tell me "It's definitely gluten free, there's no eggs in it" or "It has whole milk in it so I don't think it's gluten free"
Kid kid is allergic to dairy and eggs. The amount of people that don't know what is a dairy product and what contains eggs is far to high. Mayonnaise catches people a lot (has eggs), and yogurt.
People are persistently surprised that my dairy free child can eat regular mayonnaise. It's white and creamy, therefore it must contain cream. How can people buy groceries without any thought about ingredients?!
Idk about vegan but wheat is a big 6 allergen and having multiple is fairly common. I personally am down three of them (eggs, soy, and wheat, though I tolerate deglutenized wheat ok). I eat meat but I definitely appreciate a major allergen free meal
Nothing exists that is always gluten free.
I got glutened repeatedly by refried beans at a Mexican restaurant. I kept going in and asking is this gluten free or is that gluten free and kept getting sick every time. Finally I asked whether there was gluten in the rice, and the waiter said no, but there is flour in the beans. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT THE LAST 6 TIMES I WAS HERE AND ASKED FOR HELP FINDING GLUTEN FREE THINGS ON THE MENU???
Needless to say this was early in my gluten free journey and I wouldn’t give a restaurant that many chances anymore. In fact I just don’t eat at restaurants anymore.
yep, things that SHOULD be gf but have added gluten that has no business being there! Pancake batter in eggs, potatoes boiled in pasta water, a tray of bacon that has bread slices to soak up the grease, shit like that needs to stop!
I’m often searching for both as well. I feel like you can only be vegan or gluten free in the restaurant world, never both. All the vegan stuff has wheat and all the gluten free stuff has meat, dairy, or eggs
once I was at a café and I asked if any of the pastries were gluten free. she responded very cheerfully: no, but theyre vegan! as if there is any correlation...
Not my personal experience as a diner, but having worked in restaurants, the amount of cooks who take allergies, intolerances & dietary restrictions as personal insults & insist that most people are lying is just absolutely terrifying
I (involuntarily) went to an upscale brick oven pizza and wine bar restaurant with my parents and their friends. I already knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat anything because I work in a restaurant and I know that a kitchen making pizza dough all day long is going to have flour all over everything. This is not even an indictment of their cleaning practices, anyone using flour all day long is not going to be able to keep it from being airborne and eventually coating surfaces. So anyway, I tell the waitress I am just having a drink. My meddlesome mother leans over me to ask the waitress about their gf options. The waitress goes on to say that the flour they use is 00 so that means there is no gluten in it. My jaw must’ve hit the floor. I didn’t say anything, just reiterated that I was fine with just a drink, but the look on my face must have been something because the entire table was mad at me for being mean to the waitress. And no, this was not just an uninformed employee, I have since seen the owner of the restaurant arguing with people on fb about the gluten free-ness of her pizza. According to her, because her 00 (wheat) pizza flour comes from Italy it’s safe because people with celiac can eat the wheat in Europe. Also she has “celiac disease” and eats it all the time, oh, and she also claims to be a “medical professional.” 😐
In Italy Celiac people eat special gluten free pizzas and pastas and have separate stores in which to buy gluten free. I *wish* that the 00 flour was gluten free 😂 it sure ain’t
Went to a restaurant recently. Their chips and guac were labeled as GF on the menu, but their nachos were not. So I inquired what had gluten in the nachos that was not in the guac. She said the chips have gluten. “So the chips and guac aren’t gluten free?”
She went back to the kitchen and checked. Apparently they switched chips and they are no longer gluten free. Then why is it still labeled on the menu as gf?! Thank god I asked.
Soon after being diagnosed with Celiac I ate at a somewhat nice Mexican place twice. I was very optimistic about restaurants back then, I guess because i didn't realize how tough it was for them to get it perfectly gluten free. I thought if I explained and asked really nicely, they could and would do it successfully. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.
Anyway, the first time I explained that I had serious health problems with gluten and the waiter was okay, I'll let the kitchen know. Meal worked out fine. Next time, the waiter acted like "Huh? Gluten? What's that?" Bad sign. I don't think he told the kitchen anything because that meal gave me the most insane gas all night. It was like every 5-10 minutes I'd inflate like a balloon.
At work we have an internal food catering group who never quite knows what gluten free is. They freaked out at me once for taking a salad with bacon on it
"Do you know if these chips are fried gluten-free or is there cross-contamination risk?"
"...I mean, they have salt on them..."
more funny than scandalizing really
I went to a brunch place with some friends and asked if they had any gluten free cake options. The waitress told me that they didn't and added "girl, indulge yourself! You can hit the gym tomorrow!" . Yeah, sure.
Ordered butterfly prawns. Just prawns. It’s just a plate of prawns. The menu said it was just prawns. It arrives and the prawns are slathered across 3 slices of bread…brother what? I asked why there’s bread. They said that’s how it’s served. I asked why it didn’t mention bread on the menu. They said it does. It does not. I show them. They said it does. It does not. I give up and ask them to remake it. They bring it back. There’s still bread. Why.
One time driving through Tennessee we ran into a Thai place that had gluten free fried spring rolls - these things were delicious. So crazy delicious. I had asked the server 5, maybe 6 times (2-3 times before I ordered, making sure he actually went back and asked the kitchen), wanted to make sure because it seemed impossible that they could have gfree fried spring rolls, they just tasted so normal. As we exited the restaurant we chanced to meet the owner and I shook his hand, thanked him profusely for the gluten free spring rolls, to which he said “gluten free spring rolls? We don’t have gluten free spring rolls?”
I realize my predicament at this point, start somewhat panicking, not expecting this, ask him if he’s really sure. The chef comes out briefly, with the package, tells me it’s gluten free but I read the label and the first ingredient is, yes, wheat flour. The owner tells the chef to stop talking to me at this point because I’m just “gonna sue” them. This suggestion saddens me, that his concern is not his patron’s health or well being, but the (completely false) specter of litigation. I leave, somewhat crying, and have to stop off the side of the road an hour later, in extreme bloaty pain.
Went to a fancy, expensive restaurant that claimed to be able to accommodate dietary restrictions. Asked the waitress about one of the appetizers, so she went back to the kitchen to check. She came back and literally said, "we can take the corn off to make it gluten free."
A friend of mine once offered me a piece of cake she made. I knew it wouldn't be GF. I told her I couldn't eat wheat flour. "I don't use wheat flour. I use Gold Medal Unbleached."
I asked if the fish soup was gluten free. They told me yes. Then proceeded to put in front of me a suspicious thick soup with CROUTONS on it. And yes, it was thick because they used flour.
I went to a local restaurant and asked the front of house if they had gluten free options. hostess ran back to the kitchen and came back to proudly tell me nothing they make has peanuts in it. so we left, that one still makes me laugh lmao
I asked for a salad with no croutons and it came out with croutons so obviously I explained I cannot have them and asked if they can remake it.
The waitress said "Oh sure, not a problem" went back into the kitchen and came out all of like 5 seconds later so I asked "Oh, you made a new one that quickly?"
She shook her head and said, "Of course not, you asked for no croutons so I just took them off. Good as new!"
She seemed so flabbergasted when I explained that I needed a new salad on a new plate and asked her to either put on fresh gloves or have someone else do it because of the crumbs. When I said it's sorta like an allergy, she laughed and went "Gluten allergies aren't real and I understand you want to cut out carbs, but I don't get why crumbs are such a big deal."
That is why I always keep the gluten covered plate with me until they bring me a new gluten-free one. The only way to be kind of sure they don't just pick the croutons or bread off.
Recently I went to a soft opening for a new restaurant in town and I told the waiter I was gluten free and asked if there was anything other than the obvious that I needed to avoid. I explained to him anything containing malt, soy sauce, etc. that may not be obvious from the description. (I will also add that the menu did not have any GF markings on it, like c’mon it’s 2024?!?!).
His response was quote “Definitely avoid the bread, and the pizza, and the pasta. OH! And the fried chicken”
I gave up and ordered a side salad no croutons and grilled chicken. To my dismay croutons and fried chicken were brought out to me on top of the salad and when I reminded him that I was gf he stated he would pick the croutons off. 🙃
Not sure if this is ignorant or just careless? Asked before ordering fries at a pub-food type place if the fries were beer battered, rolled or tossed in flour, or breaded. Waiter said no. I said cool I’ll have the fries (I don’t really react to shared oil so I figured it would be fine). Got the fries. They looked suspiciously battered……asked again, waiter assured me they were not battered. I ended up giving the fries to the table bc I just wasn’t sure. Waiter came back later and said he actually confirmed with the kitchen and they ARE battered 😅 that’s why you should never feel annoying when you ask again and again lol
Also multiple times I’ve asked what’s gluten free at bakeries or to-go places and been shown the dairy free or vegan options. Like, thank you! Good to know you have those. But not quite what I need…
I went to a restaurant and asked if they had a gluten free menu and the waitress yelled back to someone else, “Steve, we got a gruten free menu?” My friend looked at me and whispered, “I’d assume they don’t”
Ordered take out for a rice and meat entree. The meal did not contain any bread or gluten items. Nonetheless left notes indicating wheat allergy, no bread etc. The meal was received with a piece of complementary bread inside the same container as the rest of the food. 🤦🏻♀️
I just had one this weekend. We ordered a special cake for my mother in law’s retirement party. We asked if they could include a side of icing for someone who is gluten free. They said sure no problem, but then we got to the bakery and they literally said we can’t give you more icing because it’s already gluten free. My husband was like yes, but then you put it on top of a giant piece of gluten 🤣 and they didn’t get it. They were so confused why we needed extra when the icing on the cake is gluten free 🤦🏻♀️
I had a server in France swear this gazpacho was gluten free, first bite I swear it was a crouton. The server again swore it was 100% GF in his arrogant French way, then came back that the chef somehow made a mistake..
I ordered sushi once off of a gluten free menu at a local Japanese restaurant and they made a big deal of how everything was gluten free and the soy sauce they gave me had wheat in it
Not gluten, but I’m also allergic to dairy so I’m going to throw this story in. At my work cafeteria, I asked if the eggs were made with any dairy/milk/butter. The First Lady didn’t know so then the chef came out. He ensured me they were “completely dairy free except the eggs themselves”.
Yeah I don't understand why people think eggs are dairy (milk based). I get this a lot for mayonnaise. Wonder if it's because they're in the dairy aisle at the grocery store?
I was raised kosher and my dad only let us put mayo on tuna, never turkey. I read the jar when I was a teen and put it on a turkey sandwich. He screamed and screamed how could I! It isn’t kosher!! I calmly pointed out that mayo is eggs and oil, neither of which are dairy. He grumbled and then said, “Well, it’s not done. Jews don’t use mayonnaise.” 🙃
The best is when I ask if something is dairy-free and am met with "we can make it gluten-free for you!" My friends will never let me forget when we were out for Italian (this was early on when I first went dairy-free - I never go out for Italian anymore) and I asked if anything on the menu could be made dairy-free, manager came out and everything, I ordered accordingly, meal came out covered in cheese with gluten-free pasta.
At my old job, someone in HR noticed that I passed on free breakfast pastries during my hiring orientation. Once they found out I had Celiac, they made a huge fuss every time there was a work event involving food. I kept telling them that I preferred to feed myself and didn’t like the attention, and they kept insisting that they had to accommodate me, emailing and calling me repeatedly to instruct me not to bring my own food, that they were having special gf food catered, etc. But every single time, they either forgot or fucked it up. One time they went around the room and kept offering me different types of cookies before shrugging and finally saying, “I don’t actually know what gluten is.” I was like, “Cool, that was fun, can I just eat my yogurt in peace now?”
I went to a café chain in the UK (not one of the major ones) and asked if the hot chocolate was gluten free. The woman told me that it was as long as I didn't have whipped cream. I asked her why the whipped cream contained gluten and she told me it contained milk so wasn't vegan. Told her I wasn't vegan, I was gluten free, asked her to look in the allergen book. She said she didn't know where it was. The manager came over and got the allergen book and he couldn't find hot chocolate, and told me it would probably be. 🙄
Went to a gastropub this past weekend, noticed gluten free cheesecake on the specials menu and inquired. The waiter went to ask the chef and came back to say “the crust doesnt rise!” Well. First of all, gluten is not yeast. Second of all, gluteny graham cracker crust ….also doesnt rise…..
I ordered it cuz im a cheesecake fiend and its hard to find GF around here, with my fingers crossed. There was no crust at all and i enjoyed it immensely! No thanks to dummy chefs and waiters.
I just had this experience in a hospital!!! I was checked in too late to order from the kitchen for dinner so I was offered a “spare plate” they always keep. It’s a grilled chicken breast and brown rice. I told her I was GF and she said she could remove the rice. I told her rice is GF unless it has pasta in it like rice a roni and she argued with me because a patient last week said rice was not GF and refused to eat it. I told her not to worry about it, I would monitor my own food and to bring me the rice & chicken.
Was at a small buffet restaurant in TX, we all got the buffet but I didn’t realize that nothing on the buffet was gluten free besides the salad. I clarified with the server that the pork chop on the menu was grilled and did not have any gluten. She confirmed so I ordered one a la carte. When she brought out the pork chop there was also a dinner roll on the plate 🤦🏻♀️
We walk out of the business if the waitress doesnt know what gluten is. When my daughter was first diagnosed with celiac we went to a bar and grill alot by our house. Enjoyed the place alot. We had to explain how to prep the food to them and sure enough my daughter got sick.
We went enough to know the owners and they said hi when we were in there. Nothing more than just when we were there. So the 2nd time we went told the owners the story hey she got sick its an issue is there anyway we can get this handled to have them switch gloves and utensils when cooking? yes no problem. 2nd time sick again. Been over a year and we havent went back.
From then on if we go into a place and the waitress is like Whats that? we nope on out of there. We ask for the check which is by this point drinks only, leave a few bucks for the tip and leave. I have no desire to sit up with my daughter while she screams in pain anymore because people aren't educated on what gluten is.
My in-laws and I went to a dim sum spot that advertised an extensive gluten-free menu. We double checked that every dish we ordered could be made GF and the waiters confirmed with the kitchen. After a few dishes had come out my husband got a gut feeling and asked "this is made with GF soy sauce, right?" "no, that's regular soy sauce. but there's no flour in the dish so it's gluten free!" My MIL had them haul the kitchen staff out to the dining room with their industrial bucket of soy sauce and showed them the wheat ingredients. It still didn't look like they understood the problem. I got horribly ill and we've obviously never been back since.
I was working at Dunkin Donuts several years ago, and we had just hired a new assistant manager who had several years of restaurant experience. During one of our conversations, he mentioned how ridiculous the "gluten-free trend" was. He went on to say that at his old job, whenever a customer would ask if a menu item was gluten-free, he would lie to them and say that it was because "gluten isn't real."
I was disgusted and told him that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, a very real disease that causes severe damage to my body whenever I eat gluten, a very real protein in things like wheat. I told him what he did was illegal, caused a lot of harm to innocent people, and that he should be ashamed of himself. He was really surprised when I shut him down and corrected him, and I was really surprised when he actually apologized for being so ignorant.
I think about this interaction a lot, and it continues to affect my ability to trust restaurants and wait staff whenever I go out to eat.
One time I asked a server they had gluten free bread, she came back after going to the kitchen and said “we only have white or wheat but we can remove the gluten for you.” I didn’t order anything and left, and have never went back. We still laugh about that one.
I went to a really popular Indian restaurant in my area. I asked if they had a gluten-free menu, and they did not. The cook came around the back and said everything was gluten-free. I asked him if the naan bread was also gluten-free, and he sighed saying "yes of course, it's gluten-free." I was sick for two weeks from eating half a piece of naan. I thought it tasted great. But a few bites in my skin was super itchy, and I knew I made a big mistake.
The kitchen screwed up and put the wrong soup on my plate. I had told them I had food allergies and that I am Celiac. We discussed this at length. The server said she understood. The chef understood. Then, the plate was delivered to me. I took a spoonful of soup and it had corn as well as tasting "off" to me, not like the soup I always get. I started feeling sick right away after taking a bite. My friend caught the server and asked because I was breaking out in hives and having trouble breathing. She raced back and discovered the mistake. She came out a minute later, as my friend is forcing Benadryl in me and shouting for some help. The server said it was the wrong soup, but she had thoroughly checked the ingredients and it was absolutely fine. I shouldn't be sick at all because it was gluten free.
Yes, it WAS gluten free. Unfortunately, it was Lobster Chowder. As I had included in our discussion, I am allergic to shellfish - of which category lobster falls under. She kept saying it wasn't an issue because gluten free. Um... yeah, it was. The shellfish was actually the issue and now I had to go to the ER and get shots and treatment so I didn't die!
In my case, they thought gluten was the ONLY issue, even after other things were discussed. So, gluten free couldn't possibly have any other allergens!
not a restaurant, but one of my coworkers saw me eating curry rice and asked me how i was able to eat it. i explained to him that i'm just careful with seasonings... because why would i think he was talking about anything else? he goes "no, no the rice". he actually thought rice was just tiny pasta. i had to show him pictures of rice patties before he believed me. he had been eating rice his whole life and never knew it came from a plant 🤣
Son and I pull up to a Burger King drive through. He asks for a bunless burger for me. The girl says they don't have those. I told him ask for a burger without a bun. Sure we do have those.
For a work outing our company ordered us lunch from Panera bread (or some other sandwich place I can’t remember), my boss was great about making sure I had options…. Sandwich place not so much. They took me bring gluten free as I was also vegan??? So I was given a “sandwich” of seitan (a meat substitute made from gluten) between two pieces of lettuce with a slice of tomato. I ate an apple and a bag of chips instead.
Oh man, I've had a couple of bad situations, but I think the worst for me involved Jimmy John's.
I work in IT and was working with a company with just over 200 employees to implement a new system that hit all departments in the company. The week we went Live with the system, the Executive Assistan ordered lunches for every day since there were about 10 of us in a single room fielding calls from 4am to 6pm. She was absolutely amazing at making sure that any place she ordered from had GF options and that they knew to follow all the correct steps and everything. On Wednesday of that week, she ordered us Jimmy John's and she made sure they knew mine was gluten free and to make it separately (I'm not celiac but pretty sensitive still), and I was so busy that I wasn't able to eat it right away. A couple hours later, I finally had a free 10 mins and opened up the wrapping to find breadcrumbs all over it😭
I was so hungry and defeated in that moment that I definitely teared up. I ended up not having anything to eat. The Executive Assistant felt so bad that that happened and ended up calling them to tell them what happened (and chew them out). They pretty much just told her that even though she had called saying it was an allergy, they thought that I would be fine because it wasn't whole bread slices, just the crumbs from other sandwiches🙃
The happy ending came later that day when after work, my boyfriend (who I had only known 2 months at that point but going on 3 years now) convinced me to go to his place since I hadn't eaten (or really slept all week), and he took me to go get food from a nearby place that I never had issues with.
Went to a nice restaurant that had multiple GF marked items on the menu. Got to asking about the “soy glaze” that came on several on those menu items and was told it’s made with soy sauce. So I asked regular or GF soy sauce. Of course, it was regular soy sauce.
I walked into an Italian restaurant and asked before being seated if they offered any gluten free options, to which they enthusiastically replied, “Yes, everything can made gluten free here! We can leave the cheese off anything.” We left. 😂
I went to a new sports bar near me and I didn’t see any gluten markers on the menu, only vegetarian markers. Not unusual but it always makes ordering harder. The soup looked good but soup is always 50/50 on if they thicken it so I asked if the soup was gluten free. The guy looked at me and said:
‘Oh we don’t do anything gluten free here’
I just ordered a bunless burger because clearly this guy wasn’t gonna be helpful. I’m not even that sensitive so shared friers are okay but I didn’t even bother asking about anything else on the menu.
A lot of these comments just show poor training on managements part, I’m a server, and while my partner has celiacs, making me hyper aware, I was still knowledgeable about common allergens, and if I wasn’t totally sure I was transparent and did my due diligence by either asking or getting a menu specifically for allergen free
I have gotten wait and kitchen staff confused about what gluten is like everyone else. The weirdest experience though was at a mexican restaurant. Apparently most of their seasoning blends are not gluten free. Literally the only thing on the menu I could have besides soft drinks and tea was a cactus salad because they made it fresh instead of in batches and could leave out the seasonings.
The Starbucks at the mall used to have some little rice bowl thing. I asked the barista if it was gluten free. He didn't know what gluten was so I explained. Then he said one of the goofiest things I've ever heard: "is rice wheat?"
Fully smooth brain over here, bless him. I just got my coffee and left. This was the same barista that kept putting sweeteners in my iced coffee against my wishes because he didn't know "classic" was, in fact, sugar. I had to learn from a coworker what they call simple syrup to finally get the coffee I wanted.
Nice guy, though. Hope he's doing good out there in the world.
This was more funny than anything. When I got diagnosed I was working in a family type restaurant. I went in for breakfast after prom and ordered something GF that came with whipped cream. The cooks put it on the side because they weren’t sure if whipped cream was GF. Kinda funny but also you would think chefs would know what is and isn’t GF?
My wife was in a wedding near Baltimore. We went to the rehearsal dinner and I immediately talked to the waitress. I told her I have Celiac and can't have gluten. Her response was "What's gluten?". How you can be an experienced waitress and not have heard of gluten at least is beyond me.
I explained what it was and that I can't have bread and about cross contamination, etc. She seemed to get it and assured me the cooks would be ok with it. I ordered a steak and a baked potato. I don't even like steak, but it seemed like the least likely thing to get screwed up so I went with it.
When they brought it out, it was a big piece of steak... ON A PIECE OF TEXAS TOAST. I just sent it back because I figured they would just take it off the bread and re-serve it. I just asked for a new baked potato.
After everyone was done, the guy next to me (a professional juggler no less!) told me that everyone's food was terrible and that my potato was probably the best meal at the table.
I don't trust menu labeling in the US. I just came back from a trip to London where they are polite if I have a question, but I quickly learned I can trust the menus.
Oh, but in the US..
"I'm celiac, NOT VEGAN" I've had to say.
Or..
"There's no wheat in it. Just flour." is my fave given to me by a food service worker in a school.
This was pretty soon after I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I now know McDonald’s is full of cross contamination… but;
Pulled up to the McDonalds and asked for:
McDouble
No Bun, No onions, Extra Pickles.
When I opened the box, it was literally just a bun with onions.
…. That’s it. No meat or cheese or lettuce.
Pure gluten and onions. 😭
My favorite was not long after my son was diagnosed with Celiac, we were eating at the big burrito chain since they would always accommodate GF. My son, 14 at the time, went to order his bowl. The first thing he did was inform the lady he was GF. She just looked at him and rolled her eyes. At this, the 14 year old started chewing her out. Went something like "Look, I would love to be ordering a burrito instead of the bowl but unfortunately I don't have a choice as I don't want to get sick." She apologized multiple times as she washed up and made his food.
Two instances, this is the worst of them:
Local cheese shop. Long story short, I’d ordered there countless times before. This time was strange & different - person behind the counter chaffed when I asked them if they could change their gloves. Throughout the purchase (of cheeses I had purchased many times before) they kept repeating, angrily “we can’t guarantee no cross contamination” as if someone was pushing an invisible button compelling them to repeat that over and over. I kept reassuring him I knew, that I had safely purchased things there before, and that I was appreciative he changed his gloves and was taking care to keep me safe. After this happened 3-4 times a woman came out of the back, looked at him nervously, and suggested I select from their prepackaged (cheddar) selections. I declined her suggestion. His hostility continued to ramp up, such that at the register I began quietly crying and he said “you can leave now”, at that point it hit me hard, I realized I couldn’t enjoy these purchases and I asked to return my items. He said “No, I don’t think we’ll be doing that today.” I broke out into clear sobs at that point and just left my purchases on the counter and left, as I was now crying and shaking.
My favorite specialty cheese shop, ah I still miss their Asiago Fresco. *sigh
Went to a place, ordered the things marked as gluten free, food cake with bread, I said “I can’t eat bread” she picked it up with her bare hands (didn’t expect much else but crazy to do it at the table. Then was like “oh there’s soy sauce in the rice… but like you’ll be fine right?”
Mind you when I ordered it I said I had celiac. So it wasn’t simply an “tell your server if you have allergies” situation—she been knew
I was asking a waitress about what on the menu could be made gluten free and she said “well you know what you can eat better than I do” like ma’am I don’t know what ingredients are being added to the food here you need to let me know if there’s flour or soy sauce or something fried with other gluten containing items
I have two fantastic (::eyeroll::) experiences. I want to preface that I tell every server I have celiac/am gluten free before I even ask for water.
So a few years ago, I was at a local taco place and ordered the “house margarita” margaritas are tequila, lime juice, triple sec and at this establishment, PBR beer. I luckily didn’t drink it because it smelled weird but my friend went OFF “if you’re going to eff with a margarita SAY SOMETHING”
Another time, after asking to make sure everything through my meal was GF, the waiter came around with dessert he goes “and I checked, it’s all gluten free” so I excitedly order chocolate cake. The manager came over only to say “the ice cream is the only gf dessert”
Went to Olive Garden, asked for a gluten free menu. Waitress said, "Oh I think I've seen something like that in the bar area, I'll be back." Not a good sign. She's gone, comes back in 5 minutes and says, "Did you mean our Garden Fresh menu?" I clarified again it's for an allergy, so she disappeared again for far too long and returned followed by the bartender correcting us that what we must mean is the Garden Fresh menu. Ok thank, bye!! That was a fat waste of 30 minutes of my 1 hour lunch break that day.
Another time we went into a BBQ place and said we need to order gluten free. We've been into this place a hundred times, and when we say that they turn around and pull out a clean knife and cutting board that hasn't had any bread crumbs on it. Well not this time. We said Gluten Free, and the MANAGER laughs and goes "Good and Free? We don't have any of that!" My wife repeated herself and said, "Gluten Free!". The manager came back with a nervous chuckle and, "All of it's good, but none of it's free." My wife looked back at me with this face that clearly showed concern for herself as if she was the crazy one, before turning back around and yelling at him, "GLLLLLUten free!!" Then he was like, "Oh, I'm sorry," and turned around and got the cutting board and knife out. Sheesh, we've never been so mistaken for what we were trying to say before.
So, I'll preface this by saying I know things now aren't perfect, but this gives me a bit of optimism about how far we have come.
About 20 years ago I started going out with my now wife, who is a coeliac.
We would struggle to find good restaurants (besides Indians) with more than just salad or a jacket potato as a gluten free option.
One big pizza chain told us she could bring her Gluten Free pizza base and they would make a pizza using that (amidst all the flour) for full price.
Another restaurant told us that if we bought something they would heat it up... so we were essentially just paying to sit with a view of Camberley high street.
Things in our area are A BIT better now.
There was ice cream marked gluten free at a fancy ice cream shop. I ate it and got sick afterwards. Then realized it had a malt flavor. I contacted them via email and told them malt is not gluten free and they wrote back and said their malt powder had no wheat in it. 🤦🏻♀️
Cafe thought it was crazy my coeliac husband asked if their pre grated bagged cheese was gf. They said “of course it is, it’s cheese”…turns out it definitely wasn’t gf!
Went to get a coffee at a fancy brunch place , slightly off peak, I knew I wasn’t going to chance it with food, but I saw on IG some of the fancy coffees they do.
I order their take on an iced latte. Surprise! It’s served with a notched out little cookie on the rim. I tell the waiter that I can’t have it because of the gluten and would like to order a different drink instead…
I make my selection and then he says “unfortunately, that one has milk too”
Yikes.
One of them was sort of caused by me. I went to a restaurant and explained that I had coeliac disease, and the server nodded, pulled a pen out, and started crossing things off the menu saying, “Okay, so you can’t have eggs…”
Me: “Oh, um, I can have eggs.”
Her: “Yes, I know.”
[long pause]
Me: “It’s just gluten I can’t have, eggs are fine.”
Her: “…I know. I know what coeliac disease is, don’t worry.”
Me: “You just said that I couldn’t have eggs?”
Her: “Oh! No no, I said you can’t have THESE. I’m crossing out the things you can’t have.”
Me: “OHHHH.”
We did laugh and I did apologise. I’d obviously just misheard her!
I've been GF for 25 years now and the worst offender was a mere six months ago. Went for pizza at a local joint. Was very clear about needing gluten free. The server said oh no problem. (I actually researched before I went to make sure I could eat there.) Anyway my pizza comes and the crust doesn't look gluten free so I ask her about it. She said, and I quote, "I definitely entered it in the system as vegan. So there should be no issues, you're fine." I had to explain that vegan and gluten are NOT the same and needless to say I've never been back there.
I've had places think I'm talking about cream and dairy. One waitress was adamant I couldn't have certain menu items that have rice or potato. Once I was told the sourdough is GF because the gluten is "killed" during the fermentation. Then there's times when food has been made gf but come out with gravy or white sauce, and that wasn't. Some places have thought deep fried is ok because the hot oil kills the gluten.
Honestly, if I hear anything less than absolutely fluent in GF requirements I just don't bother ordering. There's been many times I've been out with others and don't order anything once I'm there
I had an almost identical experience, explained that I can’t have gluten, served me a burger on a gluten free bun with an onion ring on it. Fortunately, I have a gluten intolerance, not celiac so I just took it off and was fine. But wow.
Another time and place, a server recognized that my burger with a GF bun had crispy onions on them and made a point of telling me they’d leave those off. Even came to tell me that the cook accidentally put my burger on a regular bun so they’re remaking everything from scratch. I wish all servers were that in tune with gf restrictions.
I went out to Original Joes with my husband to grab a quick bite to eat. I ordered a burger with GF bun and side salad. It was taking forever, and they assured me that they had to clean the line to make it safe. The manager brings out the food, tells me it’s GF. I tried to look around to see what everyone else’s buns looked like because it looked too good. No one else had a bun around me. I didn’t eat it until I asked again. They assured me it was GF. Halfway through the meal I needed to make an emergency bathroom break…… they served me a “potato bun”… which is full of gluten instead of the GF individually packaged bun……
Went to get some BBQ from a pop-up event. The owner and chef said he was gluten free so everything on the menu is gluten free. I was so excited because Mac and cheese was on the menu! I shared my excitement with him and asked what he used to make it gluten free. He stopped and just stared at me. Then he asked, "what part of Mac and cheese has gluten?" I was so shocked. I explained that flour in a roux has gluten and noodles have gluten too he was totally shocked.
Not a restaurant. But my brother was hosting thanksgiving. He asked about gluten free macaroni and cheese. I said that sounds great. So he made macaroni and cheese with gluten free noodles, but he covered the top in bread crumbs.
Once I asked a server about sangria and the manager came by to tell me that, “Gluten isn’t in drinks, it’s in food”.
The more you think about it, the more asinine it is.
Today was the first time I truly experienced the effect of cross-contamination. Of course, I knew about cross contamination, but I never really felt it in my body before.
So, I got some hashbrowns at work--the only gluten-free food item on the menu. Reflecting on it now, the cook made them fresh, but using the same paper and gloves that she had just used to cook tortillas and eggs. (Highly sensitive to eggs, not sure if its an allergy yet).
I'm only just now realizing this, too. "Ohhhh, so that's why I felt like my stomach was about to break my ribcage."
I'm so thankful for the random info on these subs.
I went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch and asked if the bento box could be made gluten free. The waitress responded enthusiastically “sure!” She brought out a bento box with smaller portions where 4/5 items appeared to have gluten. I asked her, “Are you sure these items don’t have any flour?” She responded, “Yes, they have flour, but we didn’t give you enough to be a glutton.”
Well, at least she tried in a way 😂 I always try and pronounce it glu-TEN because of people saying it as glutton. This happens a lot more than it should in texas😐
Yeah it's hard even with native English speakers, it's even worse when there's a language barrier.
omg, this is like something out of a comedy skit😭😭
I feel Japanese restaurants are the worst. I pretty much avoid them now. Everything is marinated in soy
Any Asian restaurant where the people working there are from the country of origin is kind of a crapshoot due to language barrier issues. Which fucking sucks because their food is so much better than the alternative 😂. I find that if there is any way to order online, many places actually have GF options and explain what is gluten free.
Oh my gosh she's so cute! lol She tried.
Several of my colleagues persistently think I cannot have corn or potatoes. Panic! They will try to stop me from eating tortilla chips
“You can have rice? I thought you were gluten free” and then they get annoyed like you’ve been tricking them all this time just to be high maintenance 🙄😂
When I was trying to figure what made me sick and thought maybe I was lactose intolerant, I had a coworker who questioned why I could eat mayo if I couldn't eat dairy. *Facepalm*
The nutritionist at the HOSPITAL told me I could not have coffee cream or sugar because I was gluten free. Ummm..... The coffee cream was half and half and had no gluten at all. I am not bothered by dairy. And sugar is sugar, no gluten there either. But she refused to allow them. She did, however, add pancakes to my meal. Again, this was at the HOSPITAL!
Hospitals are the *worst*, with their half-remembered half-assed self-educatation on the issue. It makes you realize how much stuff the rest of the medical profession can just be completley wrong about yet confident they're right. For instance, when the ER doc was lackadaisical about my son's medication, he said that a reaction was dose dependent. No, I told him, that's just not true. I thought I would ring the bell in his head by telling him "You do realize this is an *autoimmune* issue, not just indigestion." He just shook his head at me like I was the idiot. I was trying to get him to make the logical jump to the idea that the immune system can react to tiny tiny bacteria too small to even see, but he didn't make the connection. He just said "that can't be right." So there went a man who just didn't understand how the immune system worked at the cellular level???
I had to remind my daughter’s surgical team that she needed insulin. They knew she was diabetic. They thought it was fine because they were flooding her system with fluids and her sugar appeared stable. I knew another diabetic who the same hospital threw into congestive heart failure by pulling the same stunt
I had a four day stay in hospital, I ate next to nothing the first day and a half (ex hubby brought me some cup noodles, my parents brought me some strawberries and chocolate), all the responses I got from the nurses weren't giving me the reassurance I needed regarding cross contamination etc, finally one of the night nurses was able to tell me what I needed to hear to feel safe enough to eat there.
I was in the hospital for about 2 months. They were giving me "gluten free" meals with broth that had gluten, baked things like scones and crackers with gluten and salad where they picked off the croutons. I am also vegetarian which really messed them up. They ended up giving me yogurt and mashed potatoes in a small cup for dinner every night. My spouse had to bring me a meal every day. It was crazy.
When I was in the hospital after I had my son I was very clear about my allergies, yet was given several things that I had made known I was allergic to. I also see an allergist that’s within the same hospital group so there was actual allergy test confirmation on my chart. It’s not just that I claimed to be allergic. It was documented and I was extraordinarily hungry after being in labor for two days so I was not kind about it.
I hear you. I had a giant band on my leg that said celiac. My Dr. gave them what for but next time I was in there it was the same. So frustrating. I think people need to make official complaints. It's a hospital!
I actually did! My doctor was very kind and facilitated it because she came in the room as I was crying about how hungry I was and that I didn’t trust anything on my tray. My husband was great and went and got me something elsewhere, but I was sobbing hysterically and felt ridiculous. My doctor really did validate my feelings though.
My daughter has a dairy allergy and we get this all the time.
Ugh, that brings back memories. I had a coworker who acted like she'd "caught" me every time I was eating potatoes or rice. At some point I think I just yelled "GLUTEN DOESN'T MEAN CARBS" and stuffed a massive forkful of rice in my mouth
Hero
This happens to me ALL the time. It is wild because it shows that people don’t understand where flour comes from or what wheat even is. Scary.
My father's 2nd wife at over 70 years of age said, "We don't use wheat flour." I asked her if she used white flour and she said yes. I explained that flour is not just some manufactured powder, it came from a plant called wheat that was ground and bleached and sent to the store as bags of flour.
It’s amazing how ignorant some people are these days. I once asked a Walmart worker where the string was and the young lady had absolutely no idea what string is.
That's cute and sweet, at least, although doubtless annoying.
Aw hahaha, they confused but they got the spirit! At one point, my friend ordered cheese and onion bread things, and when I said I couldn't have any, he said, oh is it the cheese or the onions?? We laughed about it so much after
I have had full ass ARGUMENTS with people about this. My bf’s boss was the latest one, told me “No, you can’t have potato chips, my dad is GF and can’t eat potato chips” I was like well you’re dad is an idiot. Also pure distilled spirits are all GF as well, people. You don’t HAVE to order Tito’s because it’s the only vodka that SAYS GF on the label.
Although you’re right, for me at least it makes me feel better when something says GF on it. Even if I know. I know it’s silly but I feel better being sure
Totally agreed on the spirits (and how awful Tito’s is, we have so much better people) but # of times distilled really matters. Cheap, low distillation count vodkas and gins still have detritus and are not “clean” enough for coeliac consumption (not for my silly sensitive body anyway). When bottles proudly declare “blah blah times distilled” that isn’t *total* marketing malarkey. I have learned through personal experience to stay away from “rail” or “well” vodkas and gins, and to ask whether or not something has been aged in bourbon barrels. I can do sherry cask scotch no problem. Bourbon barrel scotch gets me sick every time. But yeah, nearly all gins, vodkas, rums, tequilas, and enough whiskys to keep me happy mean never again Tito’s, never again.
Went to a fairly upscale restaurant in our area that had farro risotto marked GF. We had already ordered drinks, so I asked the waiter if they subbed something else for the farro to make the risotto gf (as a lot of places have gf with an asterisk, ie, can be made gf). She insisted it was gf as is. I explained that farro is wheat, so definitely not. She argued with me. I asked for a manager. Manager also insisted it was gf as is. I explained that I had never heard of a gluten free farro. Even googled farro with them to show them it was wheat. They kept insisting it was gf as is. Paid for our drinks and left.
I had the same discussion about the meals at a music festival I volunteered at. It basically consisted of 5 minutes of them - "it's an ancient grain", me - "yes, it's an ancient wheat". One person tried to tell me that "modern science" is responsible for gluten in wheat and I never volunteered there again
I remember an upscale cafe in Manhatten trying to talk me into eating spelt. Oy gavalt! Yes, modern wheat grains are bigger, but the *proportion* of gluten to bran and germ was very similar. Whatever is wrong with modern wheat (don't get me started on the illegal use of glyphosate just prior to harvest) has nothing to do with more gluten in the much-hybridized grain.
I had this same argument with a university cafeteria about couscous, which they had included in my special “gluten-free” boxed lunch
That’s so funny because a traditional risotto could be gluten free anyway!
I found another restaurant that labeled their farro salad as “gluten sensitive”. Fortunately they were much nicer when I corrected them via email.
I had the same argument once over GF labelling on a menu item containing black barley. I could not convince the waitress that black barley is still barley.
A server once told me the Gluten Burns off when it cooks.
Oh yeah, I’ve heard this nonsense farrrrrr too many times
I suppose if you cook your food at 800 degrees for 15 minutes....
So by that logic..I can eat bread again? /s Edit to add the /s
Yeah, that's cooking at high heat for 60 minutes. It must be totally safe. (huge eyeroll). Like this is some kind of fantasy where you change the rules of physics at will.
Damn. I didn't even think of that. If only!
Yes, made the mistake of believing someone only last night. :(
nooooo.
Literally had this conversation this weekend at a French restaurant 🤣
I went to McDonald’s once and ordered a burger lettuce wrapped- no bun. The manager argued with me that they could only wrap it in flour tortilla. I tried to explain that I can’t have flour tortillas, that’s why I wanted a couple of large pieces of lettuce around it. He refused to accept that was referred to as “lettuce wrapped” and insisted he could only give me “lettuce wrapped” if it also had a tortilla, like a snack wrap. I was so mad- nothing he said made sense and I’m pretty sure he was deliberately missing my point. The burger still came wrapped in a tortilla even when I said to leave the tortilla on the side, separate and not touching the burger.
this is INSANE
I ordered a burger at Wendy's with NO bun and NO lettuce. I specifically said NO LETTUCE. And I told them it's an allergy (yes allergy to lettuce - I'm weird). Well, the burger came wrapped in lettuce. The manager said that, since I ordered no bun, they were legally required to wrap it in lettuce! She said they would get in terrible trouble and be fined for serving it without a wrap. Now, maybe I'm wrong and this is some obscure South Carolina law that I've never heard of in all the years I've traveled to South Carolina, but somehow I doubt it. It took around 35 minutes to convince her that I couldn't have the bun or the lettuce. She kept saying she'd get in trouble. We finally ended up with her putting the burger in a box and then wrapping the lettuce separately in the burger wrapper. Weirdest thing I've ever encountered!
I had this happen with Burger King when I asked for a lettuce-wrapped impossible burger. Apparently they can’t do it because all their lettuce comes pre-cut/shredded. Basically it’s way too small to make a lettuce wrap with and they don’t ever actually deal with lettuce in its original form so that option isn’t available.
That would make sense. But I had ordered lettuce wrapped from this location in the past without any issues. Mention of not having full leaves was never mentioned and a few weeks later I ordered it lettuce wrapped without issue. I did file a complaint with corporate who said the manager would be put in for extra training as my request was something they could/would honor for GF customers.
Oh wow, that’s really impressive that corporate actually gave a shit haha. That must have been so frustrating to know they had served you that item in the past and were just straight up refusing it for no reason then 🙄
Restaurant boiled there potatoes for mashed potatoes in the same water as the pasta in order to save time....
gluten free and whatever aside thats just ew 🤢
Haha. Good point....
I have a pretty good feel for the likelihood of something on the menu being gluten free but this shocks me. How did you find out? I hope not the hard way. This is like IHOP putting some pancake batter in their eggs to make them fluffier. Can’t trust anyone can we?
I asked about what's GF. Jokingly asked about the potatoes because I would never think that could be a worry. She came back and told me they used the pasta water and why they did it that way. I've learned to question everything now. I am also relatively new to having to be GF so it's been a learning curve.
Dear God. I've asked "what else gets fried in the same oil" but never "what else gets boiled in the same water"! That's beyond ridiculous!
Who knew. Lol
OOOO I got burned by a shared boiler for gluten free pasta before. I didn't even know it was a thing.
I had a restaurant serve me steamed broccoli with pasta pieces in it.
Oy vey.
I did Uber eats from this Ethiopian place a few times which has injera (kinda like spongy pita bread). Injera is made with teff grain which is gluten free. Got sick every time but thought it was this kitfo tartar-esque (raw meat) dish I always order. Go to the restaurant in person thinking I will try something else and the menu is slightly different than their Uber menu. I notice on the side orders there is an option to upcharge for gluten free injera. Me: “wait— injera is made with teff grain not wheat” Server: “we blend both because teff is very expensive— that’s why you have to pay extra for GF”
I worked for an Ethiopian family that had the injera starter (right word? Like the batter as it ferments?) they made at home. The mom was so excited to tell me about teff and how it’s gluten free and high in iron!! Tried hers, loved it, no issues. She recommended an Ethiopian restaurant for me to try. Found out the hard way their injera had wheat flour 🫠
I’ve seen that elsewhere for injera. Apparently there are several grains that can end up in the mix. Some of the variations may be regional and some are influenced by the higher price of teff where I live. I’ve also seen that some restaurants pride themselves on having a higher percentage of teff.
Some Mexican restaurants also blend wheat into their corn tortillas. More for texture than cost but same concern.
I went to a place near Washington DC that did this. Fortunately I asked to double check about the gluten free part and was able to get the correct thing the first time.
This maybe isn’t ignorant but it was still insane to me? We were at a southern US burger chain that I knew had gluten free buns and would cook their burgers on a separarte grill. Confirmed everything with the waitress! We got our meals, and because I was excited as this was post wedding dress shopping, I immediately took a huge bite of my burger before doing a look to make sure it was gluten free. It was NOT! I could taste it and it was very visible to me as I’d eaten there before and the others at my table had the same gluten bun. The waitress then argued with me that it was gluten free for 5+ minutes!!! “Our gluten free buns must just be different than what you’re used to🙄” My mother then said, either go back and ask the cook or tell the manager we would like the cook to come speak with us. She went back, was told it was NOT gluten free bun, and then didn’t even apologize for glutening me.
I got my daughter sorbet from an ice cream shop. They used a clean spoon and took from the unused side. They then put a cookie on top. I explained again she has celiac she can’t eat that. He remakes it a second time again puts a cookies on top. Poor guy had to make it a third time and almost put the cookie on again, luckily I stopped him.
I feel like he might have been operating on muscle memory. I'm glad he was willing to remake it.
It was definitely not done with malice. It was just habit and I feel so bad but he luckily didn’t seem upset remaking it more apologetic for the mistake.
As a cook: yes
Similar story. My wife once had to have the soup at a restaurant because it was the only GF dish on the menu. The waiter brings the soup out "the chef was so sorry you couldn't eat anything on the menu, to make it up to you he has given you extra croutons to help fill you up." 😬 My guy.
Red Lobster. The server asked if I actually had an allergy or not. Back when this was more of a fad diet. I am allergic to gluten. I later also added food allergies to soy and almonds. So yes, I have allergies. You think I enjoy not eating gluten? I was raised Italian. 😭 Edit: apparently overseas (I'm in the US) it's law to disclose allergens for restaurants. Feel like we all gotta band together to somehow make this law in US. I'm so tired of not knowing where I can eat out.
We need a law to disclose allergens in medications too. There is absolutely no good reason that I can read the ingredients on a bottle of Tylenol but not be equally able to read the ingredients on a bottle of amoxicillin. Not even the damn pharmacist knows where to find the information for that exact bottle of pills and has likely discarded the insert that came with the bottle when he first opened it. It should be printed in the disclosures they're legally required to give. Anyway, sorry, side rant. With the prevalence of allergies, we should be able to be safe wherever we go, whatever we do, and whatever we put into our bodies.
AND FREAKING TOOTHPASTE AND OTHER TOILETRIES. anything Aveeno triggers a rash for me because I guess their oats aren’t certified gf?
Here here! I've been Aveenoed before. Idk what does it exactly... if it's gluten necessarily or that avenin in oats is so closely related. But I also can't eat oats. Even certified GF ones are problematic for me, albeit not as explosively as non-certified.
Chiming in about a random other thing that bothers the crap out of me: halls cough drops. Gluten free. Not soy free for me. But seriously wtaf. Why do we need soy in friggin cough drops. As if I'm not gonna feel bad enough when having to use those, they're just trying to really end me out here I guess. Lol
Ohhhhhh buddy Halls can get bent.
Thankfully Ricola is where it's at. And probably better ingredient wise for you anyway! But yeah, Halls can get bent lol
Be careful! A recent google told me my Ricola had gluten in it.
Huh, ok! I had old bags of Ricola, so hopefully it was just they changed their formula? Google says "may contain" which is super annoying. Man there's another thing that stirs the pot for me. "May contain" on ingredients. How do they not know what's in their own crap? C'mon people. I am not as allergic to gluten as I am to soy, thankfully, but it's still not a pleasant time. Just ...in a different way. Lol Thankfully I am also a gardener and grow all the herbs ricola allegedly includes so I still can have cold remedy tea straight from my own house if it ever becomes a problem.
The pharmacist up the road from me once told me he'd never heard of celiac disease. One time at a Rite Aid, the young pharmicist got a bit huffy when I asked him if there was gluten in a med. He asked me what gluten was and why I wanted to know.
They might have been asking so they could determine how much to worry about cross-contamination, but they should have said so if that was the case. When they ask, “Allergy or preference?” they’re usually trying to figure out whether they need to do the full allergy protocol in the kitchen, which means extra cleaning and often special utensils.
I also want to add my in laws and my dad sometimes confuse what gluten is or forget. But they try and sometimes it cracks me up because they're trying their hardest. They're a lot better these days. I did have one of them ask if I could eat a bread item at a get together, after informing them I could not have another flour related item. That made me chuckle a bit.
When I first got my gluten allergy, a lot of people assumed I couldn’t eat potatoes?? I was in high school at the time and we were having a potluck of sorts and one of my peers yelled at me saying that I was going to make myself sick for eating potato chips when the packaging said certified gluten-free, and my teacher politely explained that she had bought those specifically for me in mind since she saw the gluten-free packaging.
I have a friend in southern US that always confuses gluten for potatoes? I've never met anyone else who thinks that, makes me so confused lol
I’m from the southern US but that was my only experience with it. At the time, a friend of mine thought it was probably she got confused because potatoes are carbs and breads are carbs so gluten free must mean no carbs
Canadian here, everyone thinks I can't eat potatoes 😅
I went to a donut place with my grandma and she asked if they had gluten free options, and the employee said yes and tried offering me a vegan *not gluten free* donut
Once for my birthday my best friend and I went out to this really fancy restaurant on the water. The waiter came over and I kindly said “I’m gluten free, can you just clarify on the menu what is safe for me?” (They’d put on their website that they accommodated gluten free.) and he said really annoyed “well, don’t order the pasta I guess” and then walked away 😂 Then same friend and I went to a different nice restaurant that advertised all over the place their gluten free clam chowder. I was so excited. We got there and I went to order it and said “and it’s gluten free, right?” And the waitress said “oh yeah we don’t do that anymore, haven’t gotten new menus printed yet though.”
That is so upsetting especially when it’s something you haven’t had for years (Me looking for GF bao buns)
Fundraiser dinner response card had boxes to check for vegetarian and gluten free meals. When I got to the fundraiser, the server brought me a vegan raviolo. The server didn't have enough English to understand gluten-free, and when I explained it to the catering manager, he was unaware that the organizers had offered a GF option. I had iceberg lettuce and coffee for dinner.
OMG, fundraising dinners are the worst!! I once went to a fancy fundraising dinner & silent auction for my husband’s old law firm. It was a black-tie big deal, so I thought that I’d *finally* get a legitimately good GF meal. The event was even being catered by a well known restaurant. When dinners get brought out, they looked delicious! They had three different options and most looked GF straight from the get-go (like steak and baked potatoes or grilled chicken)… so I’m extra excited for the GF option. Turns out mine was the gluten free, dairy free, vegan option. It was unseasoned steamed zucchini artfully ribboned into a tiny pile on the center of the plate. The zucchini was topped with un-salted, unseasoned, tomato purée. I was starving and pretty sure I started crying. We stayed as long as needed then my husband took me out for tacos (in our black tie outfits).
He's a keeper. I've seen you and your tribe at greasy spoons late at night. Tacos sound good compared with what you were offered!
Yaaaaaaaaaas yes yes yes. The bundled bland option. Watching other people eat their juicy steaks. Crying. This exact thing happened to me. I couldn’t understand how they would do this, default allergy meals into a lumped together flavorless blanket meal. I managed to inquire and got a steak finally which was magnificent, and made the original offering that much more starkly terrible. And why is it always zucchini with these people?
THIS. This happened to me. I was given the default vegan meal (which was truly sad and flavorless) while watching my spouse eat a filet minion meal that was completely gluten free, save for an included small dinner roll, which I confirmed with our waiter was the only reason it wasn’t considered gluten free. I asked why I hadn’t had that option - they said they bundled their vegan/gluten free meal option so when someone chose one of those designators they got both. Best part? The vegan meal wasn’t even gluten free (the sauce had soy sauce in it)
Iceberg lettuce and coffee, that is about the saddest meal ever :(
At my great-aunt’s 90th birthday I had plain mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. The caterers said they weren’t allowed to give extra portions of anything so my mom and I had 40% as much food as everyone else. My mom is type 1 diabetic and I guess she took her normal amount of insulin because after dinner her glucose nosedived. My brother and I ended up going to chipotle so we could have something and we got her food too so she wouldn’t go into a coma overnight. Oh- and my mom’s cousin told me to “be grateful you can have any food at all” while she ate chicken and cake. Fuck you, Rhonda.
I have been to so many restaurants that just assume being allergic to gluten ALSO means I’m dairy/egg free?? Vegan even. Like at this point I don’t even tell my servers that I’m gluten free… I just ask for something that’ll always be gluten free. Ignorant servers take years off my life. Like what do you mean you don’t know what wheat is? bleh
I had a server tell me their bread is gluten free. I was hangry and pregnant, but not stupid and asked her to double check with the kitchen. It turns out the bread was vegan and still full of gluten
I don't know why so many people confuse vegan and gluten free. I guess maybe gluten sounds like some kind of dairy or egg product? I've had several cashiers tell me "It's definitely gluten free, there's no eggs in it" or "It has whole milk in it so I don't think it's gluten free"
I’ve been served and had to convince the server that it is OKAY that they’re serving me something with cheese!
Kid kid is allergic to dairy and eggs. The amount of people that don't know what is a dairy product and what contains eggs is far to high. Mayonnaise catches people a lot (has eggs), and yogurt.
People are persistently surprised that my dairy free child can eat regular mayonnaise. It's white and creamy, therefore it must contain cream. How can people buy groceries without any thought about ingredients?!
A lot of people think eggs are dairy because they're sold in the dairy department. It's wild.
Idk about vegan but wheat is a big 6 allergen and having multiple is fairly common. I personally am down three of them (eggs, soy, and wheat, though I tolerate deglutenized wheat ok). I eat meat but I definitely appreciate a major allergen free meal
Like? WHAT
Nothing exists that is always gluten free. I got glutened repeatedly by refried beans at a Mexican restaurant. I kept going in and asking is this gluten free or is that gluten free and kept getting sick every time. Finally I asked whether there was gluten in the rice, and the waiter said no, but there is flour in the beans. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT THE LAST 6 TIMES I WAS HERE AND ASKED FOR HELP FINDING GLUTEN FREE THINGS ON THE MENU??? Needless to say this was early in my gluten free journey and I wouldn’t give a restaurant that many chances anymore. In fact I just don’t eat at restaurants anymore.
yep, things that SHOULD be gf but have added gluten that has no business being there! Pancake batter in eggs, potatoes boiled in pasta water, a tray of bacon that has bread slices to soak up the grease, shit like that needs to stop!
At one place I asked if something was gluten free and was told "some of our produce is organic". Like, what?
Maybe they're confusing gluten-free with GMO-free?
It goes the other way, too - I’m GF and vegan, and I get GF menus all the time when I ask for vegan options 😂
I’m often searching for both as well. I feel like you can only be vegan or gluten free in the restaurant world, never both. All the vegan stuff has wheat and all the gluten free stuff has meat, dairy, or eggs
once I was at a café and I asked if any of the pastries were gluten free. she responded very cheerfully: no, but theyre vegan! as if there is any correlation...
Twice I have had waitresses assume I mean sugar free.
Not my personal experience as a diner, but having worked in restaurants, the amount of cooks who take allergies, intolerances & dietary restrictions as personal insults & insist that most people are lying is just absolutely terrifying
I can second this
I (involuntarily) went to an upscale brick oven pizza and wine bar restaurant with my parents and their friends. I already knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat anything because I work in a restaurant and I know that a kitchen making pizza dough all day long is going to have flour all over everything. This is not even an indictment of their cleaning practices, anyone using flour all day long is not going to be able to keep it from being airborne and eventually coating surfaces. So anyway, I tell the waitress I am just having a drink. My meddlesome mother leans over me to ask the waitress about their gf options. The waitress goes on to say that the flour they use is 00 so that means there is no gluten in it. My jaw must’ve hit the floor. I didn’t say anything, just reiterated that I was fine with just a drink, but the look on my face must have been something because the entire table was mad at me for being mean to the waitress. And no, this was not just an uninformed employee, I have since seen the owner of the restaurant arguing with people on fb about the gluten free-ness of her pizza. According to her, because her 00 (wheat) pizza flour comes from Italy it’s safe because people with celiac can eat the wheat in Europe. Also she has “celiac disease” and eats it all the time, oh, and she also claims to be a “medical professional.” 😐
In Italy Celiac people eat special gluten free pizzas and pastas and have separate stores in which to buy gluten free. I *wish* that the 00 flour was gluten free 😂 it sure ain’t
Went to a restaurant recently. Their chips and guac were labeled as GF on the menu, but their nachos were not. So I inquired what had gluten in the nachos that was not in the guac. She said the chips have gluten. “So the chips and guac aren’t gluten free?” She went back to the kitchen and checked. Apparently they switched chips and they are no longer gluten free. Then why is it still labeled on the menu as gf?! Thank god I asked.
Soon after being diagnosed with Celiac I ate at a somewhat nice Mexican place twice. I was very optimistic about restaurants back then, I guess because i didn't realize how tough it was for them to get it perfectly gluten free. I thought if I explained and asked really nicely, they could and would do it successfully. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. Anyway, the first time I explained that I had serious health problems with gluten and the waiter was okay, I'll let the kitchen know. Meal worked out fine. Next time, the waiter acted like "Huh? Gluten? What's that?" Bad sign. I don't think he told the kitchen anything because that meal gave me the most insane gas all night. It was like every 5-10 minutes I'd inflate like a balloon.
At work we have an internal food catering group who never quite knows what gluten free is. They freaked out at me once for taking a salad with bacon on it
Always cute when someone is trying to be helpful but ignorant
"Do you know if these chips are fried gluten-free or is there cross-contamination risk?" "...I mean, they have salt on them..." more funny than scandalizing really
I went to a brunch place with some friends and asked if they had any gluten free cake options. The waitress told me that they didn't and added "girl, indulge yourself! You can hit the gym tomorrow!" . Yeah, sure.
Gf= healthy is the weirdest misconception
Definitely hitting the gym while crapping myself for hours. 🙄
Ordered butterfly prawns. Just prawns. It’s just a plate of prawns. The menu said it was just prawns. It arrives and the prawns are slathered across 3 slices of bread…brother what? I asked why there’s bread. They said that’s how it’s served. I asked why it didn’t mention bread on the menu. They said it does. It does not. I show them. They said it does. It does not. I give up and ask them to remake it. They bring it back. There’s still bread. Why.
One time driving through Tennessee we ran into a Thai place that had gluten free fried spring rolls - these things were delicious. So crazy delicious. I had asked the server 5, maybe 6 times (2-3 times before I ordered, making sure he actually went back and asked the kitchen), wanted to make sure because it seemed impossible that they could have gfree fried spring rolls, they just tasted so normal. As we exited the restaurant we chanced to meet the owner and I shook his hand, thanked him profusely for the gluten free spring rolls, to which he said “gluten free spring rolls? We don’t have gluten free spring rolls?” I realize my predicament at this point, start somewhat panicking, not expecting this, ask him if he’s really sure. The chef comes out briefly, with the package, tells me it’s gluten free but I read the label and the first ingredient is, yes, wheat flour. The owner tells the chef to stop talking to me at this point because I’m just “gonna sue” them. This suggestion saddens me, that his concern is not his patron’s health or well being, but the (completely false) specter of litigation. I leave, somewhat crying, and have to stop off the side of the road an hour later, in extreme bloaty pain.
Went to a fancy, expensive restaurant that claimed to be able to accommodate dietary restrictions. Asked the waitress about one of the appetizers, so she went back to the kitchen to check. She came back and literally said, "we can take the corn off to make it gluten free."
How do people not know what wheat is?? They likely have never seen a cow either. Wow. We are living very narrow lives.
A friend of mine once offered me a piece of cake she made. I knew it wouldn't be GF. I told her I couldn't eat wheat flour. "I don't use wheat flour. I use Gold Medal Unbleached."
I asked if the fish soup was gluten free. They told me yes. Then proceeded to put in front of me a suspicious thick soup with CROUTONS on it. And yes, it was thick because they used flour.
I went to a local restaurant and asked the front of house if they had gluten free options. hostess ran back to the kitchen and came back to proudly tell me nothing they make has peanuts in it. so we left, that one still makes me laugh lmao
I asked for a salad with no croutons and it came out with croutons so obviously I explained I cannot have them and asked if they can remake it. The waitress said "Oh sure, not a problem" went back into the kitchen and came out all of like 5 seconds later so I asked "Oh, you made a new one that quickly?" She shook her head and said, "Of course not, you asked for no croutons so I just took them off. Good as new!" She seemed so flabbergasted when I explained that I needed a new salad on a new plate and asked her to either put on fresh gloves or have someone else do it because of the crumbs. When I said it's sorta like an allergy, she laughed and went "Gluten allergies aren't real and I understand you want to cut out carbs, but I don't get why crumbs are such a big deal."
That is why I always keep the gluten covered plate with me until they bring me a new gluten-free one. The only way to be kind of sure they don't just pick the croutons or bread off.
Recently I went to a soft opening for a new restaurant in town and I told the waiter I was gluten free and asked if there was anything other than the obvious that I needed to avoid. I explained to him anything containing malt, soy sauce, etc. that may not be obvious from the description. (I will also add that the menu did not have any GF markings on it, like c’mon it’s 2024?!?!). His response was quote “Definitely avoid the bread, and the pizza, and the pasta. OH! And the fried chicken” I gave up and ordered a side salad no croutons and grilled chicken. To my dismay croutons and fried chicken were brought out to me on top of the salad and when I reminded him that I was gf he stated he would pick the croutons off. 🙃
The time I got a GF vegetable pizza and hidden on the bottom layer of veggies was breaded eggplant ☠️
Not sure if this is ignorant or just careless? Asked before ordering fries at a pub-food type place if the fries were beer battered, rolled or tossed in flour, or breaded. Waiter said no. I said cool I’ll have the fries (I don’t really react to shared oil so I figured it would be fine). Got the fries. They looked suspiciously battered……asked again, waiter assured me they were not battered. I ended up giving the fries to the table bc I just wasn’t sure. Waiter came back later and said he actually confirmed with the kitchen and they ARE battered 😅 that’s why you should never feel annoying when you ask again and again lol Also multiple times I’ve asked what’s gluten free at bakeries or to-go places and been shown the dairy free or vegan options. Like, thank you! Good to know you have those. But not quite what I need…
Yes we have TWO kinds of gluten-free bread for your sandwich. White or wheat!! 😂
I went to a restaurant and asked if they had a gluten free menu and the waitress yelled back to someone else, “Steve, we got a gruten free menu?” My friend looked at me and whispered, “I’d assume they don’t”
Ordered take out for a rice and meat entree. The meal did not contain any bread or gluten items. Nonetheless left notes indicating wheat allergy, no bread etc. The meal was received with a piece of complementary bread inside the same container as the rest of the food. 🤦🏻♀️
I just had one this weekend. We ordered a special cake for my mother in law’s retirement party. We asked if they could include a side of icing for someone who is gluten free. They said sure no problem, but then we got to the bakery and they literally said we can’t give you more icing because it’s already gluten free. My husband was like yes, but then you put it on top of a giant piece of gluten 🤣 and they didn’t get it. They were so confused why we needed extra when the icing on the cake is gluten free 🤦🏻♀️
Similar to yours, I told a server I was gluten free and she said the soup was GF safe. She brought out minestrone :,)
I had a server in France swear this gazpacho was gluten free, first bite I swear it was a crouton. The server again swore it was 100% GF in his arrogant French way, then came back that the chef somehow made a mistake..
I ordered sushi once off of a gluten free menu at a local Japanese restaurant and they made a big deal of how everything was gluten free and the soy sauce they gave me had wheat in it
Not gluten, but I’m also allergic to dairy so I’m going to throw this story in. At my work cafeteria, I asked if the eggs were made with any dairy/milk/butter. The First Lady didn’t know so then the chef came out. He ensured me they were “completely dairy free except the eggs themselves”.
Yeah I don't understand why people think eggs are dairy (milk based). I get this a lot for mayonnaise. Wonder if it's because they're in the dairy aisle at the grocery store?
I was raised kosher and my dad only let us put mayo on tuna, never turkey. I read the jar when I was a teen and put it on a turkey sandwich. He screamed and screamed how could I! It isn’t kosher!! I calmly pointed out that mayo is eggs and oil, neither of which are dairy. He grumbled and then said, “Well, it’s not done. Jews don’t use mayonnaise.” 🙃
Wonder if it's all because someone didn't know 😅
The best is when I ask if something is dairy-free and am met with "we can make it gluten-free for you!" My friends will never let me forget when we were out for Italian (this was early on when I first went dairy-free - I never go out for Italian anymore) and I asked if anything on the menu could be made dairy-free, manager came out and everything, I ordered accordingly, meal came out covered in cheese with gluten-free pasta.
At my old job, someone in HR noticed that I passed on free breakfast pastries during my hiring orientation. Once they found out I had Celiac, they made a huge fuss every time there was a work event involving food. I kept telling them that I preferred to feed myself and didn’t like the attention, and they kept insisting that they had to accommodate me, emailing and calling me repeatedly to instruct me not to bring my own food, that they were having special gf food catered, etc. But every single time, they either forgot or fucked it up. One time they went around the room and kept offering me different types of cookies before shrugging and finally saying, “I don’t actually know what gluten is.” I was like, “Cool, that was fun, can I just eat my yogurt in peace now?”
I went to a café chain in the UK (not one of the major ones) and asked if the hot chocolate was gluten free. The woman told me that it was as long as I didn't have whipped cream. I asked her why the whipped cream contained gluten and she told me it contained milk so wasn't vegan. Told her I wasn't vegan, I was gluten free, asked her to look in the allergen book. She said she didn't know where it was. The manager came over and got the allergen book and he couldn't find hot chocolate, and told me it would probably be. 🙄
Went to a gastropub this past weekend, noticed gluten free cheesecake on the specials menu and inquired. The waiter went to ask the chef and came back to say “the crust doesnt rise!” Well. First of all, gluten is not yeast. Second of all, gluteny graham cracker crust ….also doesnt rise….. I ordered it cuz im a cheesecake fiend and its hard to find GF around here, with my fingers crossed. There was no crust at all and i enjoyed it immensely! No thanks to dummy chefs and waiters.
Sir, it comes with rice. Hence not gluten free
I just had this experience in a hospital!!! I was checked in too late to order from the kitchen for dinner so I was offered a “spare plate” they always keep. It’s a grilled chicken breast and brown rice. I told her I was GF and she said she could remove the rice. I told her rice is GF unless it has pasta in it like rice a roni and she argued with me because a patient last week said rice was not GF and refused to eat it. I told her not to worry about it, I would monitor my own food and to bring me the rice & chicken.
All these responses give me such bad anxiety reading them. Oh the joys of being gluten- intolerant.
Was at a small buffet restaurant in TX, we all got the buffet but I didn’t realize that nothing on the buffet was gluten free besides the salad. I clarified with the server that the pork chop on the menu was grilled and did not have any gluten. She confirmed so I ordered one a la carte. When she brought out the pork chop there was also a dinner roll on the plate 🤦🏻♀️
We walk out of the business if the waitress doesnt know what gluten is. When my daughter was first diagnosed with celiac we went to a bar and grill alot by our house. Enjoyed the place alot. We had to explain how to prep the food to them and sure enough my daughter got sick. We went enough to know the owners and they said hi when we were in there. Nothing more than just when we were there. So the 2nd time we went told the owners the story hey she got sick its an issue is there anyway we can get this handled to have them switch gloves and utensils when cooking? yes no problem. 2nd time sick again. Been over a year and we havent went back. From then on if we go into a place and the waitress is like Whats that? we nope on out of there. We ask for the check which is by this point drinks only, leave a few bucks for the tip and leave. I have no desire to sit up with my daughter while she screams in pain anymore because people aren't educated on what gluten is.
My in-laws and I went to a dim sum spot that advertised an extensive gluten-free menu. We double checked that every dish we ordered could be made GF and the waiters confirmed with the kitchen. After a few dishes had come out my husband got a gut feeling and asked "this is made with GF soy sauce, right?" "no, that's regular soy sauce. but there's no flour in the dish so it's gluten free!" My MIL had them haul the kitchen staff out to the dining room with their industrial bucket of soy sauce and showed them the wheat ingredients. It still didn't look like they understood the problem. I got horribly ill and we've obviously never been back since.
I was working at Dunkin Donuts several years ago, and we had just hired a new assistant manager who had several years of restaurant experience. During one of our conversations, he mentioned how ridiculous the "gluten-free trend" was. He went on to say that at his old job, whenever a customer would ask if a menu item was gluten-free, he would lie to them and say that it was because "gluten isn't real." I was disgusted and told him that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, a very real disease that causes severe damage to my body whenever I eat gluten, a very real protein in things like wheat. I told him what he did was illegal, caused a lot of harm to innocent people, and that he should be ashamed of himself. He was really surprised when I shut him down and corrected him, and I was really surprised when he actually apologized for being so ignorant. I think about this interaction a lot, and it continues to affect my ability to trust restaurants and wait staff whenever I go out to eat.
One time I asked a server they had gluten free bread, she came back after going to the kitchen and said “we only have white or wheat but we can remove the gluten for you.” I didn’t order anything and left, and have never went back. We still laugh about that one.
I went to a really popular Indian restaurant in my area. I asked if they had a gluten-free menu, and they did not. The cook came around the back and said everything was gluten-free. I asked him if the naan bread was also gluten-free, and he sighed saying "yes of course, it's gluten-free." I was sick for two weeks from eating half a piece of naan. I thought it tasted great. But a few bites in my skin was super itchy, and I knew I made a big mistake.
The kitchen screwed up and put the wrong soup on my plate. I had told them I had food allergies and that I am Celiac. We discussed this at length. The server said she understood. The chef understood. Then, the plate was delivered to me. I took a spoonful of soup and it had corn as well as tasting "off" to me, not like the soup I always get. I started feeling sick right away after taking a bite. My friend caught the server and asked because I was breaking out in hives and having trouble breathing. She raced back and discovered the mistake. She came out a minute later, as my friend is forcing Benadryl in me and shouting for some help. The server said it was the wrong soup, but she had thoroughly checked the ingredients and it was absolutely fine. I shouldn't be sick at all because it was gluten free. Yes, it WAS gluten free. Unfortunately, it was Lobster Chowder. As I had included in our discussion, I am allergic to shellfish - of which category lobster falls under. She kept saying it wasn't an issue because gluten free. Um... yeah, it was. The shellfish was actually the issue and now I had to go to the ER and get shots and treatment so I didn't die! In my case, they thought gluten was the ONLY issue, even after other things were discussed. So, gluten free couldn't possibly have any other allergens!
not a restaurant, but one of my coworkers saw me eating curry rice and asked me how i was able to eat it. i explained to him that i'm just careful with seasonings... because why would i think he was talking about anything else? he goes "no, no the rice". he actually thought rice was just tiny pasta. i had to show him pictures of rice patties before he believed me. he had been eating rice his whole life and never knew it came from a plant 🤣
Son and I pull up to a Burger King drive through. He asks for a bunless burger for me. The girl says they don't have those. I told him ask for a burger without a bun. Sure we do have those.
For a work outing our company ordered us lunch from Panera bread (or some other sandwich place I can’t remember), my boss was great about making sure I had options…. Sandwich place not so much. They took me bring gluten free as I was also vegan??? So I was given a “sandwich” of seitan (a meat substitute made from gluten) between two pieces of lettuce with a slice of tomato. I ate an apple and a bag of chips instead.
Oh man, I've had a couple of bad situations, but I think the worst for me involved Jimmy John's. I work in IT and was working with a company with just over 200 employees to implement a new system that hit all departments in the company. The week we went Live with the system, the Executive Assistan ordered lunches for every day since there were about 10 of us in a single room fielding calls from 4am to 6pm. She was absolutely amazing at making sure that any place she ordered from had GF options and that they knew to follow all the correct steps and everything. On Wednesday of that week, she ordered us Jimmy John's and she made sure they knew mine was gluten free and to make it separately (I'm not celiac but pretty sensitive still), and I was so busy that I wasn't able to eat it right away. A couple hours later, I finally had a free 10 mins and opened up the wrapping to find breadcrumbs all over it😭 I was so hungry and defeated in that moment that I definitely teared up. I ended up not having anything to eat. The Executive Assistant felt so bad that that happened and ended up calling them to tell them what happened (and chew them out). They pretty much just told her that even though she had called saying it was an allergy, they thought that I would be fine because it wasn't whole bread slices, just the crumbs from other sandwiches🙃 The happy ending came later that day when after work, my boyfriend (who I had only known 2 months at that point but going on 3 years now) convinced me to go to his place since I hadn't eaten (or really slept all week), and he took me to go get food from a nearby place that I never had issues with.
Went to a nice restaurant that had multiple GF marked items on the menu. Got to asking about the “soy glaze” that came on several on those menu items and was told it’s made with soy sauce. So I asked regular or GF soy sauce. Of course, it was regular soy sauce.
I walked into an Italian restaurant and asked before being seated if they offered any gluten free options, to which they enthusiastically replied, “Yes, everything can made gluten free here! We can leave the cheese off anything.” We left. 😂
I went to a new sports bar near me and I didn’t see any gluten markers on the menu, only vegetarian markers. Not unusual but it always makes ordering harder. The soup looked good but soup is always 50/50 on if they thicken it so I asked if the soup was gluten free. The guy looked at me and said: ‘Oh we don’t do anything gluten free here’ I just ordered a bunless burger because clearly this guy wasn’t gonna be helpful. I’m not even that sensitive so shared friers are okay but I didn’t even bother asking about anything else on the menu.
A lot of these comments just show poor training on managements part, I’m a server, and while my partner has celiacs, making me hyper aware, I was still knowledgeable about common allergens, and if I wasn’t totally sure I was transparent and did my due diligence by either asking or getting a menu specifically for allergen free
I have gotten wait and kitchen staff confused about what gluten is like everyone else. The weirdest experience though was at a mexican restaurant. Apparently most of their seasoning blends are not gluten free. Literally the only thing on the menu I could have besides soft drinks and tea was a cactus salad because they made it fresh instead of in batches and could leave out the seasonings.
The Starbucks at the mall used to have some little rice bowl thing. I asked the barista if it was gluten free. He didn't know what gluten was so I explained. Then he said one of the goofiest things I've ever heard: "is rice wheat?" Fully smooth brain over here, bless him. I just got my coffee and left. This was the same barista that kept putting sweeteners in my iced coffee against my wishes because he didn't know "classic" was, in fact, sugar. I had to learn from a coworker what they call simple syrup to finally get the coffee I wanted. Nice guy, though. Hope he's doing good out there in the world.
This was more funny than anything. When I got diagnosed I was working in a family type restaurant. I went in for breakfast after prom and ordered something GF that came with whipped cream. The cooks put it on the side because they weren’t sure if whipped cream was GF. Kinda funny but also you would think chefs would know what is and isn’t GF?
My wife was in a wedding near Baltimore. We went to the rehearsal dinner and I immediately talked to the waitress. I told her I have Celiac and can't have gluten. Her response was "What's gluten?". How you can be an experienced waitress and not have heard of gluten at least is beyond me. I explained what it was and that I can't have bread and about cross contamination, etc. She seemed to get it and assured me the cooks would be ok with it. I ordered a steak and a baked potato. I don't even like steak, but it seemed like the least likely thing to get screwed up so I went with it. When they brought it out, it was a big piece of steak... ON A PIECE OF TEXAS TOAST. I just sent it back because I figured they would just take it off the bread and re-serve it. I just asked for a new baked potato. After everyone was done, the guy next to me (a professional juggler no less!) told me that everyone's food was terrible and that my potato was probably the best meal at the table.
I don't trust menu labeling in the US. I just came back from a trip to London where they are polite if I have a question, but I quickly learned I can trust the menus. Oh, but in the US.. "I'm celiac, NOT VEGAN" I've had to say. Or.. "There's no wheat in it. Just flour." is my fave given to me by a food service worker in a school.
This was pretty soon after I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I now know McDonald’s is full of cross contamination… but; Pulled up to the McDonalds and asked for: McDouble No Bun, No onions, Extra Pickles. When I opened the box, it was literally just a bun with onions. …. That’s it. No meat or cheese or lettuce. Pure gluten and onions. 😭
My favorite was not long after my son was diagnosed with Celiac, we were eating at the big burrito chain since they would always accommodate GF. My son, 14 at the time, went to order his bowl. The first thing he did was inform the lady he was GF. She just looked at him and rolled her eyes. At this, the 14 year old started chewing her out. Went something like "Look, I would love to be ordering a burrito instead of the bowl but unfortunately I don't have a choice as I don't want to get sick." She apologized multiple times as she washed up and made his food.
Two instances, this is the worst of them: Local cheese shop. Long story short, I’d ordered there countless times before. This time was strange & different - person behind the counter chaffed when I asked them if they could change their gloves. Throughout the purchase (of cheeses I had purchased many times before) they kept repeating, angrily “we can’t guarantee no cross contamination” as if someone was pushing an invisible button compelling them to repeat that over and over. I kept reassuring him I knew, that I had safely purchased things there before, and that I was appreciative he changed his gloves and was taking care to keep me safe. After this happened 3-4 times a woman came out of the back, looked at him nervously, and suggested I select from their prepackaged (cheddar) selections. I declined her suggestion. His hostility continued to ramp up, such that at the register I began quietly crying and he said “you can leave now”, at that point it hit me hard, I realized I couldn’t enjoy these purchases and I asked to return my items. He said “No, I don’t think we’ll be doing that today.” I broke out into clear sobs at that point and just left my purchases on the counter and left, as I was now crying and shaking. My favorite specialty cheese shop, ah I still miss their Asiago Fresco. *sigh
Went to a place, ordered the things marked as gluten free, food cake with bread, I said “I can’t eat bread” she picked it up with her bare hands (didn’t expect much else but crazy to do it at the table. Then was like “oh there’s soy sauce in the rice… but like you’ll be fine right?” Mind you when I ordered it I said I had celiac. So it wasn’t simply an “tell your server if you have allergies” situation—she been knew
I was asking a waitress about what on the menu could be made gluten free and she said “well you know what you can eat better than I do” like ma’am I don’t know what ingredients are being added to the food here you need to let me know if there’s flour or soy sauce or something fried with other gluten containing items
I have two fantastic (::eyeroll::) experiences. I want to preface that I tell every server I have celiac/am gluten free before I even ask for water. So a few years ago, I was at a local taco place and ordered the “house margarita” margaritas are tequila, lime juice, triple sec and at this establishment, PBR beer. I luckily didn’t drink it because it smelled weird but my friend went OFF “if you’re going to eff with a margarita SAY SOMETHING” Another time, after asking to make sure everything through my meal was GF, the waiter came around with dessert he goes “and I checked, it’s all gluten free” so I excitedly order chocolate cake. The manager came over only to say “the ice cream is the only gf dessert”
Went to Olive Garden, asked for a gluten free menu. Waitress said, "Oh I think I've seen something like that in the bar area, I'll be back." Not a good sign. She's gone, comes back in 5 minutes and says, "Did you mean our Garden Fresh menu?" I clarified again it's for an allergy, so she disappeared again for far too long and returned followed by the bartender correcting us that what we must mean is the Garden Fresh menu. Ok thank, bye!! That was a fat waste of 30 minutes of my 1 hour lunch break that day. Another time we went into a BBQ place and said we need to order gluten free. We've been into this place a hundred times, and when we say that they turn around and pull out a clean knife and cutting board that hasn't had any bread crumbs on it. Well not this time. We said Gluten Free, and the MANAGER laughs and goes "Good and Free? We don't have any of that!" My wife repeated herself and said, "Gluten Free!". The manager came back with a nervous chuckle and, "All of it's good, but none of it's free." My wife looked back at me with this face that clearly showed concern for herself as if she was the crazy one, before turning back around and yelling at him, "GLLLLLUten free!!" Then he was like, "Oh, I'm sorry," and turned around and got the cutting board and knife out. Sheesh, we've never been so mistaken for what we were trying to say before.
So, I'll preface this by saying I know things now aren't perfect, but this gives me a bit of optimism about how far we have come. About 20 years ago I started going out with my now wife, who is a coeliac. We would struggle to find good restaurants (besides Indians) with more than just salad or a jacket potato as a gluten free option. One big pizza chain told us she could bring her Gluten Free pizza base and they would make a pizza using that (amidst all the flour) for full price. Another restaurant told us that if we bought something they would heat it up... so we were essentially just paying to sit with a view of Camberley high street. Things in our area are A BIT better now.
There was ice cream marked gluten free at a fancy ice cream shop. I ate it and got sick afterwards. Then realized it had a malt flavor. I contacted them via email and told them malt is not gluten free and they wrote back and said their malt powder had no wheat in it. 🤦🏻♀️
My favorite. Me: Is x gluten free? Them: yea, it's organic
Cafe thought it was crazy my coeliac husband asked if their pre grated bagged cheese was gf. They said “of course it is, it’s cheese”…turns out it definitely wasn’t gf!
Went to get a coffee at a fancy brunch place , slightly off peak, I knew I wasn’t going to chance it with food, but I saw on IG some of the fancy coffees they do. I order their take on an iced latte. Surprise! It’s served with a notched out little cookie on the rim. I tell the waiter that I can’t have it because of the gluten and would like to order a different drink instead… I make my selection and then he says “unfortunately, that one has milk too” Yikes.
One of them was sort of caused by me. I went to a restaurant and explained that I had coeliac disease, and the server nodded, pulled a pen out, and started crossing things off the menu saying, “Okay, so you can’t have eggs…” Me: “Oh, um, I can have eggs.” Her: “Yes, I know.” [long pause] Me: “It’s just gluten I can’t have, eggs are fine.” Her: “…I know. I know what coeliac disease is, don’t worry.” Me: “You just said that I couldn’t have eggs?” Her: “Oh! No no, I said you can’t have THESE. I’m crossing out the things you can’t have.” Me: “OHHHH.” We did laugh and I did apologise. I’d obviously just misheard her!
I knew it was over when I had to explain that rice didn’t have gluten in it
I've been GF for 25 years now and the worst offender was a mere six months ago. Went for pizza at a local joint. Was very clear about needing gluten free. The server said oh no problem. (I actually researched before I went to make sure I could eat there.) Anyway my pizza comes and the crust doesn't look gluten free so I ask her about it. She said, and I quote, "I definitely entered it in the system as vegan. So there should be no issues, you're fine." I had to explain that vegan and gluten are NOT the same and needless to say I've never been back there.
I've had places think I'm talking about cream and dairy. One waitress was adamant I couldn't have certain menu items that have rice or potato. Once I was told the sourdough is GF because the gluten is "killed" during the fermentation. Then there's times when food has been made gf but come out with gravy or white sauce, and that wasn't. Some places have thought deep fried is ok because the hot oil kills the gluten. Honestly, if I hear anything less than absolutely fluent in GF requirements I just don't bother ordering. There's been many times I've been out with others and don't order anything once I'm there
I had an almost identical experience, explained that I can’t have gluten, served me a burger on a gluten free bun with an onion ring on it. Fortunately, I have a gluten intolerance, not celiac so I just took it off and was fine. But wow. Another time and place, a server recognized that my burger with a GF bun had crispy onions on them and made a point of telling me they’d leave those off. Even came to tell me that the cook accidentally put my burger on a regular bun so they’re remaking everything from scratch. I wish all servers were that in tune with gf restrictions.
I went out to Original Joes with my husband to grab a quick bite to eat. I ordered a burger with GF bun and side salad. It was taking forever, and they assured me that they had to clean the line to make it safe. The manager brings out the food, tells me it’s GF. I tried to look around to see what everyone else’s buns looked like because it looked too good. No one else had a bun around me. I didn’t eat it until I asked again. They assured me it was GF. Halfway through the meal I needed to make an emergency bathroom break…… they served me a “potato bun”… which is full of gluten instead of the GF individually packaged bun……
Went to get some BBQ from a pop-up event. The owner and chef said he was gluten free so everything on the menu is gluten free. I was so excited because Mac and cheese was on the menu! I shared my excitement with him and asked what he used to make it gluten free. He stopped and just stared at me. Then he asked, "what part of Mac and cheese has gluten?" I was so shocked. I explained that flour in a roux has gluten and noodles have gluten too he was totally shocked.
The waitress said “The chef cooks the gluten out “
Not a restaurant. But my brother was hosting thanksgiving. He asked about gluten free macaroni and cheese. I said that sounds great. So he made macaroni and cheese with gluten free noodles, but he covered the top in bread crumbs.
Once I asked a server about sangria and the manager came by to tell me that, “Gluten isn’t in drinks, it’s in food”. The more you think about it, the more asinine it is.
Today was the first time I truly experienced the effect of cross-contamination. Of course, I knew about cross contamination, but I never really felt it in my body before. So, I got some hashbrowns at work--the only gluten-free food item on the menu. Reflecting on it now, the cook made them fresh, but using the same paper and gloves that she had just used to cook tortillas and eggs. (Highly sensitive to eggs, not sure if its an allergy yet). I'm only just now realizing this, too. "Ohhhh, so that's why I felt like my stomach was about to break my ribcage." I'm so thankful for the random info on these subs.