Tale of Ecstacy?

There is a topic over at the Celiac.com Forum about the possibility that Starbucks may introduce gluten-free brownies! Brownies! As you can imagine, a whole lotta people would like to see this happen.

If you are one of those people, here is a phone number to let Starbucks know what you think.

1 800 235-2883 X0

Hark! I think I hear the Hallelujah chorus!

Evacuation Woes

This week in San Diego County somewhere around half a million people were evacuated from the paths of several wildfires. They went wherever they could go - relatives, shelters, hotels, etc.

If you are on any kind of dietary restrictions, you kind of have to bring your own food, and enough of it to last until you are able to get back home - if your home is still there. The shelters only accept pre-packaged, professionally prepared (not home-made) donated food. I understand completely why they do that, but it puts some people in a position of bring your own, buy your own somewhere else, or do without.

Praise The Lord that I did not have to evacuate. I am still learning a lot about this gluten-intolerance stuff and I guess one of the things I am realizing is that I had better prepare an evacuation kit that contains stuff I can eat!

Tale of Success

My church had their annual Women's Fall Brunch today It was a pot-luck salad bar. Yes there were lots of things there that I could not eat such as dinner rolls and every dessert except the fresh fruit, but there was so much that I could eat!

There was more than enough healthy food to fill everyone up. There was laughter and conversation and as they say about every social event in every small town newspaper, "a good time was had by all."

Hamburger for the Gluten-Intolerant

Hamburger for the Gluten-Intolerant

Tale of Kindness

My church serves Communion on the first Sunday of every month. The unleavened bread (probably matzo ~ looks like an unsalted cracker) is laden with gluten.

The family responsible for preparing the Communion items has been gracious enough to go to Trader Joe's and buy gluten-free rice crackers for those like me who are gluten intolerant.

I did not ask them to do this - they just do.

I am grateful.

Tale of Resignation

I have an AWANA training conference coming up in about a week and a half. Lunch is included in the price, which means I can't choose to go and opt out of the lunch portion of the cost. I also cannot eat what is being served.

Breaded chicken on a bun.

So if I go I will pay for a lunch I cannot eat and then bring my own.

Oh, well.

Tale of Woe

It is really annoying when a product is advertised and promoted as being wheat and/or gluten free, and then it isn't wheat and/or gluten free at all.

Sometimes it is because the product is processed on equipment that previously processed something containing gluten.

Sometimes it is processed on dedicated equipment but in the same facility that processes a gluten-containing product and dust in the air cross-contaminates.

Either way, when you eat such a product you know quite soon that it is not gluten free, and you never buy that product again.

Such processing is "penny-wise and pound foolish." Yeah it might save a bit in processing, but just lost another long-term customer.

Bad business decision.