Everyone living gluten free must practice “defensive dining”, even when eating at an allegedly celiac-friendly restaurant. No messages published on websites (including this one) or printed on menus can relieve you of that responsibility. It is not realistic to pretend that every waiter or even every cook is well trained.

To help you in this struggle, I’m reprinting parts of two letters written by people who successfully practiced defensive dining. I deleted the names of the restaurants because that is not the point; these problems happen everywhere.

E-mail received 9/9/08:  Beware of *********!!! Staff are not trained to follow Gluten Free Menu guidelines. I actually had them create my meal incorrectly, and someone "pulled off" the top layer of offending items, leaving the entire plate contaminated. Manager told me that if I could explain to him how to make my food, he would do it for me. Don’t risk it!!

E-Mail received 916/08:  I ate two times at ******** from their gluten free menu. The first time, in Las Vegas, our waiter was excellent. I ordered the mashed potatoes, steamed unseasoned, broccoli and grilled chicken. The only part I questioned was the barbecue sauce. But, it was on the gluten free menu, it was served separately, and I didn’t have any reaction at all to it, AND IT WAS DELICIOUS. After getting back from Las Vegas however, we went to our local ******** in New London, CT where the waitress was wonderful, but her cook may have been confused. I ordered the exact same meal I’d had in Vegas a few days prior, but they served it with a seasoning on the chicken. Before eating it however, I asked her to ask the chef if the seasoning was gluten free, and she did. The place was busy, and she was patient. She said he said yes, and that it was on the menu. But when we checked the menu, it was listed as coming with the barbecue sauce, not the seasoning.

Paul’s Point-of-View: Both these people handled the situation well. They visited  restaurants that have an official policy of catering to the gluten free community. Even though they knew that this improved their “odds” greatly, they remained diligent and spoke up when they did not receive an appropriate meal.

Here are two suggestions that work for me and improve my chances of receiving a gluten free meal:

When I make a reservation or put my name on a restaurant waiting list, I immediately state that I have a “wheat allergy”. That term is not technically correct, of course, but at least people know what I mean. Many restaurants instruct their staff to contact a manager or chef whenever they hear the word “allergy”. I find that when I use that term I am usually greeted by a chef or manager and/or assigned to knowledgeable waiter.

I do lots of homework but I seldom this fact to the staff until the end of the meal. I’m convinced that the best way to find out if someone knows what they are talking about is to ask lots of questions.

 Defensive dining is risky at best. But it is also risky to worry about every bite of food you eat. Do your best, then relax and enjoy your meal! Send me an e-mail at gfceliac@gmail.com or leave a comment at the end of this article if you have had experiences that need to be shared here.

Published 10/01/08