Dining in with Details

    Many of us work our way through school with menial customer service jobs and can relate to the impossible to please customer.  There are many times when it may feel that requesting modifications to menu items makes you feel like that customer.  You should never let someone make you feel this way.  Simply asking ahead of time makes everyone's life much easier, and remembering that what you are doing is requesting, not demanding.  It is always much better to approach a situation with the understanding that if what you are asking for is simply not possible you don't mind.  Having a duologue that makes the server feel that honesty is what you are looking for, not simply to have what you want reduces the risk of accidental contamination.

    For this I will refer to dear friend of mine with many years of experience in the restaurant industry, both in service and management.  In her blog Jennyforum she describes how as a server she takes great care to accommodate food allergies and how honesty is the best policy for both the restaurant and the guest.  For most people gluten is not a life threatening allergy, however it does make life unpleasant when oversights are made.  Dining out is expensive, so on the occasions you decide to splurge make it worth it.

    There are several places in the Dallas area that have embraced the gluten free lifestyle and offer dedicated menu items.  The Company Cafe has two locations and offers gluten free chicken fried steak and gluten free chicken and waffles.  They are each are priced and $14 not including the tip, but for the atmosphere and service, it beats most other options at that price point.  Pei Wei has many locations as well, and offers a separate gluten free menu.  It is defined as casual dining, with an ordering counter, so a tip is not required.  Most of the options put the total under $12, and the servings are enough to have leftovers.

Request Ettiquite

    With the holidays on just around the corner and many family gatherings that are food centered, there are many times when requesting separate food seems necessary.  Giving notice to the host is always appreciated.  With most family gatherings the food is served buffet style and a simple request that some things just be separated is reasonable.  Simply asking for the meat and gravy to be separate is polite, and still offers you the opportunity to partake in the holiday meal.  If there is something specific that you want and are concerned about having, just ask if it is okay to bring it yourself.  Always be sure to bring enough to share.  Sometimes people are just curious and that gives you the opportunity to teach someone a little about what being gluten free means. 
 
    It would however be a little unreasonable to ask for a separate portion of something.  "Please make some green bean casserole with out the fried onions" is a bit much to ask of someone trying to feed a large number of people.  If you are concerned that the host may not be able to accommodate you, it is always appreciated when someone offers to help.  This gives you access to kitchen space and makes the host feel less pressure to accommodate you. 

    If you are stuck on campus for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, there are many places that will prepare a meal for you with options for Gluten Free modifications.  The Whole Foods prepared food department has many selections for the holidays.  If you are like me the only real reason for the meal is the pie, which their frozen food department has many gluten free options for.  

Fast Food Fix

    Now that midterms are over our patterns can come back to normal.  We get a respite until finals when we don't have to think about cram sessions and all night study groups.  Sleep comes back to us, as does a regular eating.  However, when finals roll around and you are looking for a way to get calories and not spend time on cooking, there are a few fast food places that not only offer modifications to make their food gluten free, some offer it at no additional cost.

Free Gluten Free Substitution

    There are several fast food places that offer lettuce as an alternative to a bun at no extra cost.  Jimmy John's will gladly make and deliver you an "unwich" for no additional cost and they offer gluten free chips as well.  In 'n Out also offers their burger "protein style" and because the only fried item they serve are fries, there is no worry about contamination.  Carl's Jr. has recently overhauled their menu and now offers a "low carb" burger which is wrapped in lettuce, however they are happy to make any of their sandwiches lettuce wrapped for you.  

Gluten Free Substitutions at Additional Cost

    Subway offers a gluten free bun to replace their sub bread, but the cost versus yield is a little higher than I would like.  If you're in a pinch they are quite careful to make sure only one person with clean gloves handles the gluten free sandwiches.  Dominos Pizza is the most unexpected of the fast food chains to offer gluten free alternatives.  They are very careful to warn that the gluten free pizzas are sent through the same oven as the regular ones, so for extreme allergies and Celiac patients, they do not recommend it.  They are also quite expensive considering the serving size is a personal pizza, but costs twice as much as a medium.  They do offer promotions for online orders at 50% off, which you can be made aware of by signing up for email offers.

   School is stressful enough without worrying where to go for gluten free food.  With a little planning and awareness of fast food menus, you can meet for study group and have 24 hours with no sleep and be fed.  These options should help you do that without breaking the bank.

Grocery Budget

When I worked for a natural foods grocery chain, the biggest perk was the 20% discount I received on all items, including gluten free foods.  The store however would run a quarterly sale on all gluten free items at a discount of 25%.  Upon relocating I found that commuting was too much and resigned my position.  The sale stuck around, and with the some crafty storage ideas, I took full advantage. 

A similar chain in the area I live now called SproutsFarmers Market just finished one such sale.  This is what I’ve learned about taking advantage of their “Gluten Free Jubilee”:  

• ·         Make a list and stick to it.
• ·         Stay out of the isles that don’t carry the gluten free sale items.
• ·         Take only the amount of money you have budgeted to spend.
• ·         Pay attention to the prices as they ring up at the register.

We often make lists for the grocery store, but rarely stick to it.  If you are shopping a gluten free sale, only purchase gluten free things.  Staying out the isles that do not carry gluten free things removes the temptation to purchase other things.  By taking only the money you have to spend, you can’t go over budget.  And finally the register is a tool used by a person, thus not always perfect.  Paying attention to the screen can save much headache in the customer service line. 

Welcome

Have you ever wandered through the grocery store wondering "why does my gluten free food have to be SO much more expensive?"  I do all of the time.  As a full time student with a full time job, I find myself wondering how it's all going to come together in the checkout line.  And forget about eating out, when I find a place with a gluten free menu I find that the option for gluten free portion is for a single and the price is for a triple.  I have been gluten intolerant my entire life, but didn’t find out however, until I was a 20 something sophomore in college. 

All of the sudden there was a new line item in the budget for Gluten Free Food.  No more hot dogs at a cook out, no more nacho cheese at the baseball game, no more bread bowl for my soup.  Then there was the never ending reading list of ingredients.  Xanthan gum and modified food starch and, is this a preservative, or a new way to sneak wheat into my salad dressing?

After a lot of research and two years working at a natural foods grocery store, I made friends with experts and found a doctor who embraced my frequent “contamination” visits with a smile. What I’ve learned I hope to share in a useful way that not only sheds light on what being gluten free means, but can stretch grocery dollars farther.  Maybe even change a mind or two about how cheap and gluten free can coexist. 

Baic, S. Living Gluten-Free For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lee, A. R., Ng, D. L., Dave, E., Ciaccio, E. J., Green, P. H. R. (2009). The effect of substituting alternative grains in the
              diet on the nutritional profile of the gluten-free diet. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, 22 (4), 359-363.

Gluten-free diets: vital or vogue? (2012, August 25). Lancet, 380 (9843), 704-704.

Tanpowpong P, Broder-Fingert S, Katz AJ, Camargo CA Jr. (2012). Predictors of Gluten      

Avoidance and Implementation of a Gluten-Free Diet in Children and Adolescents without Confirmed Celiac Disease. The Journal of Pediatrics, 161 (3), 471–475.

Weir, M. (2011). GLUTEN-FREE CONFUSION: Let the Gluten-Free Buyer Beware! Share Guide, 118, 14-31.