Rebecca Weger

I had an increasingly common moment today where I found out that another co-worker of mine is also gluten-free.  I feel like we’re in a secret club and we should all have a secret handshake.  A decoder ring would be great too – especially for figuring out how to navigate a world that sometimes feels like its full of poison.

Gluten is a kind of protein that is found in wheat, rye and barley.  Increasingly it seems to make some people sick.  Celiac disease and gluten intolerance are the primary conditions that come to mind, but other blame gluten for autism, allergies, and any number of other problems.  The treatment is to never. eat. gluten. at. all.  And in case wheat, rye and barley wasn’t enough, most oats and some proportion of buckwheat are generally cross-contaminated.

Here are some foods I never eat in their normative state:

• bread
• pizza
• pasta
• pita
• bagels
• soy sauce
• beer
• cookies
• cake
• pie
• croutons
• couscous
• crackers
• flour tortillas
• pretzels
• oatmeal
• granola
• onion rings, mozzarella sticks, etc.
• veggie burgers (some new gluten-free ones are entering the market now)
• most vegetarian meat substitutes
• tofu-kan (a great sadness)
• cream soups
• gravy

And then there are all the more hidden ingredients!  It can be a really overwhelming shift for people when they find out they have to change their diet, but gluten-free resources are expanding exponentially. Recipes and products that are truly tasty are becoming readily available.  I’ve made some formidable inroads into gluten-free baking and I have many friends and colleagues who would readily testify that I don’t cook bad food – especially of the gluten-free variety.

Here in Ithaca there are a few small companies specializing in gluten-free products.  Emmy’s Organics and Le Garden Bakery are two.  GreenStar Coop makes gluten-free bread and stocks hundreds of gluten-free ingredients.  Wegmans also caries hundreds of products, and labels all their store-brand food if it is gluten-free.

Some local restaurants have gone through their menus and taken notes about what is gluten-free and what can be made gluten-free.  The two I know of are Taste of Thai and Taste of Thai Express.  Viva! knows all their ingredients and can answer questions easily, as does Just a Taste. (I believe their warm chocolate souffle is gluten-free)  Smart Monkey Cafe has gluten-free bread.

A recent discovery of mine was Triumph Dining, and particularly their Triumph Dining Cards.  I *hate* having to ask 20 questions and draw attention to myself when I go out to eat, and these cards written for 10 different cuisines and multiple languages make it easy to send it back to the kitchen with a server to verify what I’m about to order is safe.

I’m always happy to share resources and always delighted to hear new ideas and tips.