Move along

Wheat is listed second in the ingredient list! 

Funny things happen when you're seeking a restaurant with gluten-free offerings. A while back, Doug and I wanted to eat at a popular sushi restaurant where we had dined before my diagnosis. Now, I've found that it's quicker to get the gluten explanations and questions out of the way before we even allow the hostess to seat us to avoid having to walk out after drinks have been served.

In this instance, I started by asking, "Do you have gluten-free soy sauce?" (Most of you are probably aware that many soy sauce brands have wheat in them. "Why?" I must ask.)

The hostess, obviously not a native speaker of English, didn't understand the question, so I asked her again, adding a bit of explanation.

"Oh, yes!" she answered, "Our soy sauce is always free."

Needless to say, we gave up and left, unable to communicate my needs. I'm sure our hostess never understood my problem.

Another time, when I was trying to explain my issues to a waitress, I told her I couldn't eat gluten.

"Gluten--you know, the stuff in flour," I offered, when she didn't quite understand.

"Oh, no worries!" she said. "Our flour doesn't have gluten in it."

Sometimes you know you're just better off to move along.

By the way, while the most popular brands of soy sauce contain wheat, the store brands often do not. As always, check the label!