My daughter and I went to Wagamama's, a restaurant in Fanueil Market, downtown Boston. We ordered a side dish of roasted asparagus (minus the sauce) and soup (to share - they're pretty big portions) - both listed as gluten free on the menu and both totally delicious. After asking if the chili sauce on the table was gluten free, the waitress returned to say that in fact it was gluten free AND she also brought us a bottle of San-J wheat-free tamari for the asparagus, reserved for *special* customers. This must be a new practice, because I've gone to this restaurant numerous times and ordered from the gluten free menu, but have never been offered the San-J wheat-free tamari. Not that I'm complaining mind you - I practically got up and did the mambo, but didn't want to embarrass my daughter, so I restrained myself and instead profusely thanked the waitress.
We also asked for an order of edamame (soybeans in their shells). The waitress placed our order and then returned to our table to tell us that the edamame is cooked in the same water as the wheat noodles and therefore cannot be considered gluten free. You could've knocked me over with a feather!!! I often order edamame at restaurants, never even thinking to ask about how they're cooked. Man oh man, just when I thought I had this gluten free thing licked. You can bet your sweet patootie that I'll be asking in the future. It's certainly possible that other restaurants cook their edamame in a dedicated pot, with dedicated water. But it doesn't hurt to make certain.
So, buyer beware. Never ever, no no no. Do not make assumptions about the gluten free status of food you'll be eating. If you're not preparing it (whether the food is from a restaurant or someone else's house or is something you bought at a store thinking it was gluten free), you must check and doublecheck and sometimes even triplecheck to make sure that it is not only inherently gluten free but is cooked to avoid cross contamination.
Yeesh. What a pain in the tush. I already knew all of this, but I guess I've gotten a bit sloppy and complacent. Oh well, today's a new day. Try, try again, as the old adage goes.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the beans taste starchy to some people then??
I'm going to ask when we go back to our favorite sushi house again.
Thanks for this post!
-Kate
wow, good catch on their part. i'll have to ask about that at japanese places...thank you for sharing. i've only eaten at the wagamama in harvard square. i'll have to check out the asparagus, sounds tasty. i had some type of tofu rice noodle bowl and they added some type of liquid smoke i think which was super-strong (and unpleasant) but otherwise liked the freshness of the place.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate,
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that they've never tasted starchy to me, but that almost makes it more dangerous for people who don't ask whether they're cooked in the same water as wheat pasta.
Gina,
Sometimes I go to the Whole Foods in Cambridge - it's nice to know I could easily hop over to the Wagamama in Harvard Square for a quick bite. Liquid smoke - I just read somewhere that you have to be careful about it because it can contain gluten. Eek.
Funny thing.
ReplyDeleteToday I was offered some Twizllers, and I rtook one.
As I am chewing the guy asks me what do I think is the main ingredient?
I say: Sugar.
He says: Flour.
My stoamch hurts now.
So silly of me not to check.
Arghhhhh.
Sheesh. I hate the fact that you have to ask questions that you never knew to ask. My favorite was the time, early in my gluten-free life, when I asked if something had wheat in it. The server said, "no" but when it was brought to me it was breaded. When I complained, the wait person said, "you never asked if it had FLOUR in it."
ReplyDeleteSpelling mistakes: Ah, twizzlers. I used to eat them practically by the case. I always always always had a wicked stomache and always always always thought it was because I ate too many of them.
ReplyDeleteJeanne: we can never take it for granted. People might have the best of intentions, but they simply don't have the information or motivation to know what we know. So, keep asking! I will too!
From what I understand, some places do this with steamed veggies as well. Olive Garden will cook their veggies in the pasta water. It's very scary eating out!
ReplyDelete