Question:
What are some things I can ask when I’m eating at a restaurant? My parents usually order for me, but I want to learn how to do it.
Answer:
I used to be bad at asking questions at restaurants, too. One thing that really helped was buying a restaurant card. The cards explain what celiac disease is, what you can and can’t eat, and how your food needs to be prepared.
If you don’t feel like getting the cards, make a list of things you want to eat on the menu and ask your waiter or waitress to talk to the chef about whether your choices are fried with anything that’s not gluten-free, if choices are thickened with wheat flour, or if any of your choices are breaded. Don’t be afraid to ask if the chef can come out so you can talk to him or her yourself. Also make sure to tell them that if they’re using something that’s packaged, they can bring it out for you to read the ingredients if they’re not sure if it’s gluten-free.
Once you find something based on the answers to those questions, ask them to make your food using clean utensils, a clean preparation area, and a clean pan (or pot, or grill, etc.).
– Molly
