One of the things in this life I really enjoy is going out with my girlfriends. It gives me a chance to have my own space. I mean, I love my kids and my husband....but I really like my friends.
The other day I was going to a Dave Matthews Band concert with the bestie. I was stoked. She rode the train down and I was going to pick her up. I knew she would be hungry so I decided to stop and get her and myself some dinner so we didn't have to do things like spend 5 dollars on a water and 10 dollars on a burger. Zupas is a yummy place. The only problem is ... my bestie is a Celiac.
This means if she even looks at gluten...she dies. Okay maybe she doesn't die, but it is pretty close to that.
This Celiac problem is a huge bummer. There are like 4 places we can go to and know she will be safe. One of which is Costa Vida. Costa Vida is awesome. They change their gloves when she tells them she needs it Gluten Free. They have tortillas that are gluten free. Etc.
Zupas on the other hand.....they wouldn't even tell me what dressings they have are gluten free. They didn't know. They weren't educated. While they can't guarantee that any one thing is 100 percent GF they should be able to tell me which items are GF ingredient wise.
I am baffled at how many restaurants don't know what GF even is. With the amazing amount of people going GF either by diagnosis or for health reasons shouldn't these businesses be trying to educate themselves?
Cooking GF foods isn't that hard. In fact I cook quite often in a GF fashion. It just takes education. It isn't that much more expensive either. Yes they would have to use a different pan and cutting board but really I feel that isn't that hard to do.
Things they should be able to do on request:
Instead of Breading chicken....grill it.
Don't add Croutons to the salads
Assure them it will be cooked in a different pan
Know what GF friendly ingredients are/aren't
All of those are easy easy things to do. And it would make my life easier.
Try it next time you go out to eat. Ask to see their gf options. See if they are educated. A good majority of them aren't. It is sad. Especially for those of who are bff's with Celiacs. But hey....I won't hold it against her intestines.
