Celiacs In The Restaurant Business, And Work Discrimination

Today, I been thinking a lot about restaurants, and wondered how many Celiacs work in a non Gluten Free restaurant. I was thinking how hard and awkward it must be to be a waiter or waitress in these restaurants. In restaurants, patrons often ask how a certain dish tastes, and this would be difficult for a Celiac to answer, since we cannot eat food containing Gluten. This would put the waitress and the patrons in an uncomfortable situation. What if a restaurant the Celiac is working in does not have a Gluten Free menu? This would make things even worse.

This is why I think it is important for all restaurants to have a Gluten Free menu. For most meals, you can make a Gluten Free option. The waiter/waitress may be better able to help the patron in making their meal choice. The Celiac may not know what the dish tastes like exactly, but, they can give the patron a good idea of what the meal would taste like.

Work Discrimination
Despite the fact that most places state that they are an equal opportunity employer, Celiacs that are looking for jobs in the restaurant business may have a slightly higher chance of not being hired due to their dietary restriction. Not only because we are unable to taste test the food, but, also the fact that if we are "glutened," we can become very ill, and unable to work. I'm not saying that this will happen, I'm saying that there is a chance of this happening.

Any thoughts on this? Celiacs in the restaurant business, have you encountered discrimination in the workplace? Have you had an awkward experience talking to patrons about the food at the restaurant?

Celebrities who have Celiac Disease

Getting diagnosed with Celiac Disease can be pretty tough (believe me, I remember how hard it was for me). You may be the first among your family and/or friends that has been diagnosed as Celiac. It can be lonely (even though my grandmother had it, and I was partially raised by her, she had been gone for a few years when I was diagnosed. I had no one). What gave me some comfort was that I was not alone. Some of the celebrities I look up to were also Celiac Disease sufferers. People like Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Emmy Rossum had been living with the disease for years before I was diagnosed. I researched both and learned a lot from them. Also, learning that my first celeb crush has 2 Celiacs in his family really helped me feel less alone. Here is a list of celebs who have diagnosed Celiac Disease: Elizabeth Hasselbeck (public figure) Emmy Rossum (actress) Wil Wheaton's mom and sister Meg Cabot (author) Sarah Joy Brown (actress) Joe C (rapper who frequently performed with

To Eat Gluten Free Oats, or Not To Eat Gluten Free Oats?

When you're diagnosed with Celiac Disease, you are given a list of what food you cannot eat. Wheat, Barley, Rye, and Oats. However, you find that there is such a thing as gluten free oats. You wonder if it is safe for you to chance eating it. You think to yourself: "It's gluten free, so it cannot be too bad, right?" Depending on how sensitive your Celiac is, it may be bad. While a majority of Celiacs may be able to stomach gluten free oats, and granola, there are a small percentage of us that cannot handle GF oats and granola. I fall into the sensitive category. I loved eating oatmeal, before I was diagnosed with Celiac. After I was diagnosed, I was lost. It was not until a month or two after my diagnosis, where I discovered gluten free oats. I picked some up, and started eating it every morning for breakfast. It was not until day 3 of eating GF oats, where I began to feel sick. My stomach was cramping, I was fatigued, I was nauseated. I thought I had been "

South Park's Gluten-Free Ebola Episode

photo credit: southparkdigital Greetings Celiac Warriors! Recently, South Park did a gluten free episode that got a lot of attention in the gluten free and Celiac communities. For the most part, the reaction has been positive. Many folks, including myself, found it hilarious. You may be wondering what the episode was about. I'm going to give you the cliff notes version: The episode starts off with the kids returning to school after their start up company fails. Then the show cuts to the teachers lounge where the teachers are discussing Mr. Mackey who has gone gluten free. Mr. Mackey comes back and starts blaming all the world's problems on gluten. A co-worker becomes annoyed by all the gluten free talk and starts screaming at Mr. Mackey to shut up. Mackey states that behavior problems are due to gluten consumption. A female teacher expresses interest in going gluten free. Later on, the boys are on the radio promoting an "epic" party. Callers ask the boys i

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