How’s your summer going?
If you’re like me, you’ve been taking full advantage of these warm, lazy summer days and enjoying time outdoors with your family.
Along with picnics and long bike rides, summer is also a time for vacations and travel.
I haven’t taken my vacation yet, but it’s coming right up and I can hardly wait!
Meanwhile, for those of you who might be traveling, be sure to read this and this, plus this excellent post from Whole Life Nutrition.
And you’ll be on your way.
Of course, you might find your Gluten-free lifestyle challenged over and over again while on vacation.
I know I’ve had my share of ‘unique’ situations.
Case in point, last year I spent a couple of weeks at a charming lakeside resort and frequented the fabulous health food store at the center of town.
Turns out, there was a little café located right next door – specializing in crepes.
You can imagine my delight when I noticed a menu posting had gluten-free, dairy-free, plus egg & soy-free options!
This seemed too good to be true…and in fact, it was.
We stopped in for lunch one day, and I was practically salivating in anticipation, only to find out that, while the wrappers themselves were gluten-free and vegan – the fillings were not.
Of course, this doesn’t make any sense, whatsoever.
Why would a restaurant go to the trouble of featuring a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free crepe and not extend those features to ALL the ingredients?
What made even less sense, was the fact this restaurant was linked to a well-stocked health food store, with easy access to ingredients for special diets – including vegan cheese.
Puzzled, I mentioned this to the proprietor, but she didn’t seem to understand, or see that there was a problem.
She emphasized the fact that all the ingredients were organic, grass-fed, and so forth, which is certainly commendable – but I went away feeling that she missed the point entirely.
It is precisely this kind of restaurant experience that continues to challenge me.
I leave feeling frustrated, wondering what I might have done differently to better navigate the menu.
I had a similar dining experience at one of my favorite ‘go-to’ restaurants in the Seattle area, where I know I can order a gluten-free meal anytime.
What I had missed previously – on my many visits to this restaurant – was the small asterisk (*) after the words ‘gluten-free’ – featured in small print throughout the menu.
The asterisk, it turns out, meant that those particular foods were cooked in the same oils also used to cook their regular menu items.
Say again?
For those of you who are new to the gluten-free lifestyle, the issue here is cross-contamination.
It’s the same reason you do not want to eat French fries at any facility that doesn’t have a dedicated fryer – if any foods are breaded, or battered and cooked in the same oil, then the fries are not gluten-free.
I was stunned to read this, realizing that the menu was misleading.
If you didn’t happen to read the fine print – you would simply assume, as I had many times previously, that an item listed as gluten-free would be safe to eat.
This is a classic example of a restaurant, or individual, not fully understanding the gluten free diet.
It is also a great example of the pitfalls so many of us face on a daily basis.
Which are often quadrupled when you’re traveling!
So, wherever your adventures take you this summer – be sure to plan ahead, read the fine print, and ask as many questions as necessary.
Then you can sit back and enjoy your vacation along with everyone else.
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