By Eleanor Lewis, WacoFork guest blogger
I have been gluten-free since February 2011. As of now, that isn't a very impressive date, but check back in, say, 10 years. It's going to look like a major accomplishment.
What does that mean? To go gluten-free?
Firstly, what is gluten? Gluten is a protein that is formed in some grains. Wheat, barley, rye, (and pretty much anything else they make bread out of) have gluten in them. Goodbye bread, goodbye pasta, goodbye pizza, crackers, cookies, cake, and pie. But that's not all! You can also say goodbye to anything that has "modified food starch" in it. Or, how about "natural flavors?" MSG? Dextrin? Malt (which is made out of barley)? What about beer? What about soy sauce?
Yup, say goodbye. Oh, and my favorite, "caramel coloring." That's right, soda. You'll have to find your happiness somewhere other than Coke.
There are a lot of ways that people can be sensitive to gluten. You could have Celiac's disease (a severe and dangerous reaction to gluten), or you could have an allergy, sensitivity, or an intolerance. Gluten issues manifest in a million different ways (I am exaggerating, but only slightly. Celiac's disease has over 300 documented symptoms), and I have a totally unfounded theory that we are all allergic to a certain extent. Regardless, sensitivity to gluten makes it impossible to eat a typical diet, which makes finding suitable restaurant fare something of a nightmare.
So, how do you eat out in Waco if you are similarly afflicted? I am going to help you. Hopefully. At the very least, I am going to give you the benefit of my four months of limited experience.
Here goes:
In my experience there are two options for "gluten-free menus" when eating out.
One option is menu items that are naturally gluten-free. Corn tortillas? No gluten. Rice? No gluten. Still, you want to be careful. If the restaurant hasn't specifically told you it is gluten-free, it might not be. Spice mixes are often gluten-esque (a term I am coining as of this moment), as are sauces. So, be careful. The best places for naturally gluten-free meals are Mexican restaurants, which mean sit-down Mexican restaurants like Ninfa's, Chuy's, or On The Border.
Fast food does not count.
Taco Cabana has a few (very few) options, Taco Bueno has absolutely nothing I can eat, and everything at Taco Bell is suspect simply on principal. I have no idea what they do to their corn tortillas in the back, but it makes me nervous and I am not eating them. Also, I am pretty sure their "chips" are flour tortilla skins. Not safe.
Chinese and Pan-Asian Cuisine restaurants also fit into the safe category. However, soy sauce is not gluten-free, so again, be ye careful or ye will regret it!
Menu option number two are dishes that have been altered in some way to make them gluten-free. For example, the Pei Wei Spicy contains breaded meat. Gluten-free Pei Wei Spicy? "Breaded" in corn meal and therefore totally safe. That is, provided they weren't cooked in the same oil as the other meat and therefore cross contaminated.
That's right, this tricky jerk is easily passed from one surface to another or one utensil to another, so if you are allergic enough to have issues with cross contamination, lets just say you aren't eating out any time soon. Unless you can find a restaurant that has two kitchens (is that really too much to ask?).
Most places with a separate gluten-free menu will include a disclaimer somewhere letting you know that they don't have a separate kitchen so, if you are sensitive enough that it could kill you, you should go home and make yourself some lentils.
Wonderfully, Olive Garden and Carinos are separate-menu restaurants. Olive Garden even offers gluten-free penne pasta, and Carino's will serve any of their entrees over really delicious steamed spinach instead of pasta. However, Carino's does bring out some of the best looking bread to your table as an instrument of torture; so weigh your self control and proceed with caution. I have only visited each of these restaurants a single time since swearing off gluten, so I can't give you really definitive, snooty, food-critic style advice here. Just know that you have options and they are good.
I am going to continue to write reviews for WacoFork highlighting gluten-free offerings around town. I hope they are helpful. And, who knows? Maybe my persistent picky patronage will start making a difference in the way local restaurateurs think about their food. Perhaps we will start seeing those great luxuries – gluten-free pizza and gluten- free desserts – cropping up around town. A girl can dream.
One more bite: This blog originally stated that Dr Pepper was out for gluten-free diets. Turns out Dr Pepper is safe.
