(taquerias) Re: frustrated, need to vent and get advice

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I used to eat at taquerias until I really started to pay attention to how food is handled. I noticed that when putting most items into a flour tortilla (e.g., beans, rice) the utensil clearly touches the flour tortilla, thus contaminating the utensil and then the whole container of food as well; and for other items, such as cilantro, onions, cheese, the server uses their hands -- so even if your server washes her hands beforehand, chances are someone else has already contaminated the items... If anyone has a taqueria they can recommend where these cross contamination issues don't exist, please post! I miss going out for a super veggie taco with my kids!

I think these are issues at a lot of restaurants, only we don't see what's going on in the kitchen so easily. I think there are a lot of items that are just grabbed by hand, and who knows what that hand previously touched... I witnessed this kind of cross contamination at several high end restaurants that have open kitchens, including Betelnut, which has a gluten free menu. It's discouraging, but I think when ordering things at a restaurant it helps to ask very specific questions about cross contamination, always keeping in mind that nothing is guaranteed gluten free, unless it's a gluten free restaurant (pica pica, cafe gratitude...).

Sent from my tin can and string. Please excuse mumbling and static.

-----Original Message-----

From: alisonjhughes25 <alison.j.hughes@...>

Sent: Fri, Sep 10, 2010 12:46 pm

Subject: [ ] Re: frustrated, need to vent and get advice

Thanks all for your responses! it makes me feel better to know i'm not alone in this and that it's just going to take time to adjust to this big change in my life. i am going to try not eating out except at places i know are really safe like pica pica (i live in SF). its harder in the city because we dont have chains like outback and pf changs. i live in the mission and eat at taqueria's often enough. i will ask about 100% corn tortillas but i think i need to be asking about how the tortillas are heated (like if they are heated in the same thing as flour or touching the flour tortillas, and asking how/what the meat is cooked in?).. i'm not sure exactly how to handle the traveling aspect, but bringing a cooler with foods is a great idea and I will just have to research quite a bit before traveling where to eat... I have a couple trips planned this fall to santa rosa/healdsberg, denver, possibly santa barbara. so its going to take some research before going.

i do have housemates but have keep my food separate, and also have a designated space for my own silverware and other utensils, pots and pans, dishes, cutting boards and bakeware. i have my own sponge and dishtowel.. i bought new teflon and bakeware and utensils at diagnosis... i'm still using dishes and silverware that was used back in the day with gluten... i do share glasses with my housemates though. i think at some point in the sort of nearish future- when its financially possible i'll get my own place, so i can have a gluten-free house! also, at baseline i got a dexa bone scan and blood work- it was all good except i'm anemic (have been ever since i can remember-- at least since i was 12) and my vitamin d was "normal" but basically only one unit above the lowest limit. i take lots of supplements.

i think at this point i need to sweep through the bath products and get more serious about eating out.

thanks for your help!