09 Oct There’s no such thing as a [glutin] free lunch

Imagine washing your hands between preparing your kids’ sandwiches and your own, not ever licking your fingers after handing them cake and having your own separate butter tub and toaster. That’s what Joanne Scerri Valentino, 41, once a foodie, has had to do since she was diagnosed with celiac disease nine years ago. Although daunted by the discovery, the idea of managing her new diet and being content with the plain and bland, she tells Alison Bezzina it’s now just a part of her lifestyle.

I still remember well the mixture of relief and disbelief.  After months of feeling unwell and losing weight by the minute, I finally had a name to what was wrong with me and the only cure was to change what I was eating!  On returning home I took a good look at the fridge and larder and started to cry.  How on earth was I going to not ever again taste Maltese bread or Italian pasta?

Living on a strict gluten-free diet seemed overwhelming at first.  It is not just about avoiding wheat, barley, oats, rye and their obvious derivatives but also adopting seemingly obsessive habits that have now become second nature.   That includes washing my hands between preparing my kids’ sandwiches and my own, not ever licking my fingers after handing them cake (tough one), having my own separate butter tub and toaster, and a consistent check on the ingredients list of anything I buy at the supermarket. For even the most unlikely of processed products like yoghurts, hams, mayonnaise, spices and chocolate might contain these grains in the form of a starch, a binding agent or simply a filler.

To my dismay, dining out was also been robbed of much its pleasure and became an anxiety filled event.   Instead of sitting back to enjoy the evening, I needed to entrust my well-being in the hands of a complete stranger in a busy kitchen, whose mistakes would take a toll on my health.

My initial dining out experiences seemed to confirm these fears.  In fact the worst incident I ever had was in a five star hotel where I thought that staff would be well trained on the requirements of special diets (it’s closed down since, so no worries!).  When I called to enquire, the restaurant manager seemed to be very informed about the Celiac condition and insisted that I try their gluten-free penne.  But half-way through my meal I was shocked to find a strand of spaghetti at the bottom of my plate.  Even worse was the reaction of the waiter who stared down at my plate and said ‘B’daqshekk?’ (‘So what?’)   Along came the knowledgeable manager apologising profusely and blaming it on the kitchen hands who had boiled my pasta in a boiler that had been just used for normal pasta without being cleaned.

Experience would teach me it was not enough for a catering establishment to have the manager knowledgeable about food allergies and intolerances but that appropriate training needs to be given to everyone involved in the food preparation chain.  It’s pointless for restaurants to carry a gluten-free baguette on their menu, if whoever is preparing it has floured hands, knife and work surface from previously handling a Maltese ftira. Small details surely, might seem petty at face value; but to anyone with gluten intolerance it may mean being sick for days.

Another essential part of the dining experience is the pleasure of tantalising your taste-buds with something out of the ordinary, but with my gluten-free diet it seemed that I had to be content with the plain and the bland.  I found out that most caterers will readily accommodate the Celiac in their restaurant by simply eliminating the (usually tastiest) component of their dish.  Where’s the pleasure of ploughing through a plate of lettuce and tomatoes, or a fillet of beef with no mushroom sauce?  It’s like taking the kids to the park and telling them that they cannot use the swings and slides.

I once dined at a Chinese restaurant that was advertising a gluten-free menu.  To my disappointment my dishes were made up of plain dry-fried meats and vegetables served with white rice.   I was meant to enjoy Peking duck with no plum sauce and sweet-and-sour pork with no, uhm, sweet-and-souredness.

My husband and I happen to be veritable foodies and although daunted by these experiences I was not going to give up so easily on the pleasure of dining out.  Luckily the hunt for dining places where I can truly enjoy a gluten-free meal with peace of mind without much compromise on taste has yielded positive results.  Over the past nine years the number of restaurants across all price categories that cater for people with the Celiac condition has grown.

For fine dining I tend to prefer the smaller restaurants where the owner will greet you personally at the table while the back of their head has an eye on what’s happening in the kitchen.  These are the chef-patrons that have an intimate knowledge of each recipe on their menu and will readily adapt your dish of choice without taking the easy way out – and yes, sauces included.  What particularly wins me over is going that extra mile like being served a gluten-free bread basket to mop up those lovely juices.

Top of my list is Patrick’s Tmun and il-Panzier, both in Victoria, Gozo.  Pity they both happen to be in Gozo; I would dine there more often if I could.  In Malta I’ve dined exceptionally well at Zeri’s in Portomaso and at Tarragon in St. Paul’s Bay.   This list is not exclusive.  But they are the places that come to mind as having truly enjoyed a gluten-free dining experience without feeling like I’ve missed out on something.

 One thing I would love to see improved in fine restaurants is the gluten-free dessert offering which is usually restricted to fruit.  Now who really wants to finish off an evening with fruit salad unless you’re counting the calories?  I’d love to see chefs be more creative with their dessert ingredients in a way that can only harm my waistline but not my insides.

Casual dining remains more of a challenge.  Once you strike off the pizza and pasta pages, the American style ribs and grills (because they’ve all been marinated with sauces out of large jars), and the deep-fried battered stuff you’re usually left with the delicate choice between tuna and chicken salad (minus the dressing and the croutons)  Pfff!

Luckily, there has been an increase in establishments offering gluten-free pizza and pasta on their menu.  Cuccagna in Sliema remains my all time favourite for a decent sized gluten-free pizza that’s as close to the real thing as much as my taste buds can remember.  And for kid-friendly places, Irrera in Ta’Xbiex has a dedicated gluten-free menu with a good selection of different dishes.

Other establishments are also catching up.  Jubilee Café in Gzira serves gluten-free pasta and denotes other gluten-free items on its menu.  Veduta Restaurant in Rabat also offer both gluten free pasta and pizza.

Franchises seem to be better equipped at enabling their waiting staff to give out information on food allergies.  Waga Mama in St. Julians has a special diets menu list for their meals making it easy for even their most inexperienced of staff to guide you through what you can or cannot have.   (What you can have is actually a very narrow selection but at least you know what’s safe for you).  And whenever we treat the kids to a Happy Meal at McDonalds, they will also give you an allergy information list for all the items on their menu.  Gluten-free burgers at McDonalds and Burger King are usually served on a bed of lettuce minus the bun, so take your own gluten-free bread with you if you want your meal to be more substantial. 

So the list is growing on and hopefully more restaurants in all categories take on!  While it is true that Celiac diners are a small minority, restaurateurs might want to keep in mind that they may also be the ones to keep away or bring to their doorstep a much larger group.  Whenever we dine out with family or friends the choice of restaurant usually rests with me because of my condition!

Some tips to make the most out of dining out gluten free

• Always check beforehand if the restaurant can serve a gluten free meal.  If whoever is taking your booking greets you with enthusiasm about the many dishes you can enjoy you are probably in for a good evening.  But if on the other hand they seem unsure proceed with caution – chances are you’re going to be disappointed.
• Better to book a day or two ahead.  It will give the restaurant a chance to stock on gluten free items that they may have run out of.
• State that what you have is a medical condition both when booking and when giving your order.  Somber as it may sound, it is the truth, and implies that more care needs to be taken by the kitchen than when dealing with patrons who choose gluten free as an alternative diet.
• Be your own advocate and don’t be afraid to ask in detail what ingredients are included in your dish of choice and how it will be prepared.  A gentle reminder about clean surfaces, pots and pans won’t go amiss. If choosing a rice or gluten-free pasta dish, do ensure it’s going to be boiled in separate clean water from other wheat based pasta.
• Politely does it.  Don’t be rude or offensive to waiting staff that are not well informed on your condition.  It’s not their fault if they haven’t been trained enough.  If you are disappointed on something ask to speak with the restaurant manager.
• When in doubt, do check it out before leaving out! A courteous request for more information has had waiting staff willingly bring out from the chef’s kitchen bottled sauces, bags of frozen chips and ice-cream tubs for a check on the ingredient’s list.  You might be in for luck that you can have it after all!

First published on Pink Magazine September 2012

To view the original article click here 

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