I am just so sad (and mad) about the recent post that Damian Cardone has posted on his facebook wall (screencap above). After several years of trying to gracefully bow out of dinners at places where I was absolutely certain I would get glutened inadvertently, I came across this disheartening post by way of Gluten Free Girl. It's only been in the past year or so that I've actually started getting more comfortable with the idea of eating out, and this just... well, it makes me irritated-- irritated and scared that someone who is truly uneducated about food despite being a chef is working in a kitchen I frequent.
I understand that for some people, a gluten free diet is a decision reached through research and CHOICE. They choose to avoid wheat and gluten because of other health benefits they have experienced by making a dietary change-- not because it causes some, ahem, explosive ramifications or destroys their intestinal lining. Truth be told, I am actually happy about the popularity of gluten free diets (whether medically motivated or otherwise) because of what it means for me and other people I know with Celiac and wheat sensitivities-- more options, more awareness, and tastier (truly) gluten free food.
Having said that, if I could somehow change my stomach so I could be able to eat all those things I still miss (donuts, pasta, and pizza, for instance!) and go out to eat without any fear of getting sick, I would. For some of us, we really don't have a choice in terms of our diet. When we eat wheat or gluten, we get very, very sick. And for someone to deliberately feed you the thing that makes you ill to begin with, is just sick. It's wrong. It's terrible. And this guy is doing it with abandon at some (so far) unnamed restaurant in Colorado.
Ugh.
