Gluten-free Cooking for Kids

Going out to eat is something most of us take for granted.  Choosing a restaurant comes down to location, budget, a previous experience or a recommendation and of course the menu.  If you are a coeliac, the menu comes top of the list.   Eating out with a coeliac child presents lots of challenges.  The menu is pretty key, but as with any child, the atmosphere and the physical space can be the making or the  undoing of many a family meal out. Friendly waiting staff, good service and some basic gf options are what you hope for.   

Today's experience has disconcerted me.  The level of parental anxiety is going through the roof at the moment and I am feeling quite anxious.  The reason for this comes down to the selecition of restaurant  for today's outing.  Normally we stay away from any Chinese restaurants.  Soy sauce is used liberally and in most cases is used in the marinades of most dishes making 99% of the menu a no go area.  Occasionally you do come across a Chinese restaurant where the food is made to order and they can tailor dishes to a gf diet. 

So why on earth did I select today's restaurant?  I can only justify myself by telling you that I telephoned before going.  I spoke to someone who sounded very knowledgeable and re-assured me that many of the dishes could be made to order. They had gf soy sauce. Also,a fellow coeliac had recommended it.  What more should I have done?  Well the truth is I should have gone there without the children and ordered as if I had coeliac disease.  Then I would have realised that this was probably not a great place to bring my kid. 

As per our previous outing to Wagamama, it is curious that the main issue when eating out is not so much about the food, but more about  communication.  What originally appeared as "not a problem" quickly became a series of mishaps. I realised my mistake 10 minutes after we sat down.  I should have gotten the name of the person I spoke to on the telephone. That would have made things a lot easier.  Instead, I kept leaping up from my chair  to have little private conversations with the teenage waiter with green hair and the nice manageress each time something appeared at the table.  The dish which started the panic is the one in the picture.  Hot chicken satay skewers in what appeared to be a light batter and coated with a syrupy sauce,really set the alarm bells ringing "Is that gluten free?  Are you sure?  Would you like to double check this with the kitchen?"   I must have asked these questions at least 15 times during our lunch.  It is possible that everything we ordered for our daughter was gluten free, but I didn't feel very confident they knew what they were doing and certainly my anxiety permeated throughout the table and made the atmosphere a little tense! Understatement of the year, I am told.

So here is my  personal dilemma which I would like to share with you:

• Is it better to take a few calculated risks then to deny your child the opportunity of enjoying and experiencing life to the full? 
• Is it irresponsible to let him/her eat something which you suspect may not be entirely gluten free? 
• Do you really need  to send in the gluten police before you comit to a restaurant? 

And more generally':

• What safeguards should be in place to ensure gluten intolerance is understood in the majority of eating establishments? 
• Is there a code of practice that should be followed by every restaurant?

I tend to lurk around different coeliac message boards and am always horrified by the postings where people say they categorically would never eat out and would never expose themselves of their children to possible cross contamination.  It would be very sad to live in a gluten free bubble.  I can't imagine not being able to go out and enjoy a meal out with my children,.  But as of today, I will definitely be re-thinking my strategy.   And when I find a good one, believe me,  I will be shouting it off the roof tops.  If you've had a good,  a bad or a funny gluten free restaurant experience  I;d love to hear from you.