There are ways to minimize the risk, such as speaking with your server, the manager, or even the chef or cook who will be preparing your food. But the risk is still there. In some cases, I know that we don't get taken seriously, and sometimes someone who thinks the special requests are coming from someone on a fad diet will be the one taking your order. But even under the best of circumstances, in professional kitchens, gluten cross contamination can happen at any time. Of course there are steps that the kitchen can take to ensure the safety of the food, but accidents can still happen. How do I know accidents can still happen even when all safety measures are taken? Well, because I have glutend myself in the process of making food in a professional kitchen.
I am very careful while preparing foods in school. In fact, I usually try to alter what I am making so that it will be a gluten free version of the recipe that I am given. However, it is not always possible for me to cook exclusively gluten free at school. One Saturday I was assigned stuffing. There was no gluten free bread to use at school, so I threw on some rubber gloves and started cutting chunks of french bread. After the bread was cubbed, I took off my rubber gloves and started to cut up pieces of fruit and nuts to put in the stuffing. Well, that's where my first problem came. Because I was not cooking for myself, I didn't think to change cutting boards, and I took a bite of crisp and juicy apple. As you can probably guess, there was one or two small crumbs on the apple, and I spent most of the afternoon fighting off the urge to spend the rest of class in the bathroom, (pleasant I know).
I couldn't believe I had done it to myself! I will spend an extra five minutes detailing every little thing for a server while I order, but I couldn't spare the extra thought to using a different cutting board, or even, cutting the fruit and nuts first? How can I get so upset at servers, and kitchen staff when they gluten me, when I have done the exact same thing to myself at school?
This brings me to gluten free areas. I think that if a restaurant is going to claim that they serve gluten free food, they should be trained in how to really keep it separate. Having a specific part of the kitchen, with specific tools is the only way to keep cross contamination to a minimum. Even better yet, restaurants that use little to no flour at all should be promoted in our community. I know, it's a pipe dream to think that restaurants will start marketing to the gluten free community this way because most people hear "gluten free" and they think flavorless, or paleo, or natural, or any number of ways of saying that the food couldn't possibly be good. However, food does not have to contain flour and wheat. There is no hard and fast rule that pasta must be served with Italian food, or that sauces must be made with a flour based roux. Especially in fine dining, it is possible to make a rich and delishous sauce by reducing cooking liquids and wine. If you must thicken your sauce, arrowroot flour is a perfect thickener.
I do think it is very important for people with Celiac or other gluten intolerances to understand that eating out can be risky, but I also wish that restaurants would take us more seriously. I understand that currently many people are going gluten free for fad dieting purposes, but that doesn't change the fact that many and probably most of us making special requests regarding gluten actually need the kitchen to take us seriously. It shouldn't even matter if it is a fad dieter that comes into a restaurant. I believe that everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect. If a person orders a gluten free bun, but then eats the french fries from a common frier, that's their choice, and they will have to deal with the consequences. However, for myself, and others who really cannot eat gluten, I would suggest being very specific with your server. Don't talk down to them, and don't make too many unnecessary requests, but do make sure that they know that this is a serious condition, allergy, or health concern, not just a fad diet. I still get the occasional eye roll when ordering, but when I actually explain to a server my condition, I find that they are much more willing to work with me, and they become invested in my not getting sick.
Just the other day I was at a restaurant and ordered a salad and had it altered to be gluten free. I explained to the server that it was a serious allergy (no I'm not Celiac, but it doesn't make it any less serious), and that I wasn't ordering like that to be bossy, demanding, or expectant, but it was a matter of health. After that I asked for the dressing on the side, which I joked with the server was just to be picky, he laughed, and appreciated my joke. I think many servers start rolling their eyes when a person wants to order gluten free because so many people act like they are on a high and mighty mission to convert the world to a gluten free way of life.
All in all, I think it is important to continue a social life after gluten! It is great to be able to go out and enjoy food and restaurants like everyone else! However, you do need to be careful about how you order, and you need to understand that accidents can still happen, even under the best circumstances. Servers are people too, and let's be honest, they are the person who is going to interact with the kitchen on your behalf. If you treat them poorly, do you think they are really going to want to go the extra mile in the back of house to make sure you don't get sick from accidental cross contamination? Probably not. But on the other hand, if you're nice to them, explain your health concerns, they can be your champion in the kitchen! Considering all the potential hazards of cross contamination in the kitchen, I know I want the server on my side!
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