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San Francisco restaurant closes early, states that they "don't give a **** about gluten free..."

 
 photo credit: sfeater

Recently, a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, California closed their doors early after the owner became disgruntled with patrons' questions about what is in the food. The owner was so livid, that he made a sign in front of the restaurant that reads the following:
"We are closed because of you (customers).
So... yes, we use MSG!
So... we don't believe in organic food
And... we don't give a s**t about gluten free."   

James Cho (the restaurant owner) had had a pretty stressful day on Thursday. He had one group of people refuse to pay for their food because it was "too spicy." After taking so many dietary requests, he snapped and decided to throw down.
According to the restaurant's Facebook fan page, many people across the country are in support of the restaurant. They applaud the owner for taking a stand against "trendy dieters."

We Celiacs know that people are rather tired of the whole gluten free "thing." It's everywhere, it's on everything, and there are commercials about gluten free chex every 5 seconds. What people fail to realize is, 1% of the population is MEDICALLY REQUIRED to be gluten free, and that is the Celiac Disease community.
Sure, any restaurant should be able to serve what ever they want. We all know that not all restaurants cater to the gluten free community. Chinese restaurants are not exactly known for having a gluten free option. At that point, you pretty much have to use common sense and either get a steamed chicken and veggie meal, or go elsewhere.

I have a problem with the way Mr. Cho approached the issue. It was childish and unprofessional. Maybe the gluten free customers that were in his restaurant were a part of the trendy dieters association. Maybe they were being too pushy. What ever the case may be, there is no need to be rude.

Fellow Celiacs, if you are new at this gluten free living thing, I urge you to do research on ingredients and food...research everything! If you want to dine out, use common sense. Keep in mind that not all restaurants offer gluten free options. It's best to just call ahead or look up the restaurant's menu online.

As far as Mr. Cho is concerned, I understand where he is coming from, but he needs to learn how to vent his frustrations in a more professional way. Yes, he is entitled to his opinion, but people like him need to understand that some of us aren't being "trendy." We are dragged, kicking and screaming through the gluten free world. None of us like being gluten free, but we have to deal. We don't mean any harm. We just want to eat food and have a good dinner out.

If you click here, you will see the news story about the whole ordeal. The news reporters DO laugh at the gluten free thing, which kind of made me low-brow them. However, they DID bring up a good point: "Chinese food usually has soy sauce in it (soy sauce contains wheat/gluten). If you are allergic to gluten/wheat, or have Celiac Disease, you may want to dine elsewhere, or order something bland like steamed chicken and veggies."

Yes, my friends. It is a sad and unfortunate world that we live in, but we need to 'roll with the punches,' as they say. If you want Chinese food from your neighborhood take out place, order from the dietary section where they offer steamed meals. Stick with steamed chicken and veggies. That is what I always get. Yeah, it's boring. But it's safe and healthy. As for my boneless spare rub, lo mein, and eggroll cravings, I still have yet to make these items at home. Trust me, it's on my to-do list. I promise, my Chinese food will be gluten free and it won't contain MSG ;-)

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If YOU'RE looking to skip the Chinese restaurants and make Chinese food at home, you have to check out these amazing gluten free Asian cookbooks!
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