Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Carey,

Thank the gods, I have neither vegans nor gluten-free folk to deal with (fingers crossed). Although I suppose if I went gluten-free raw vegan, I'd lose that 30lbs I've been trying to get rid of, in a hurry ...

Have you decided what to make? I have more ideas for you than for me... Moosewood's vegetarian moussaka with a bunch of mezzes beforehand?

Mary

Fuzzy,

Not sure life would be worth living at that point. I can make tasty vegan food, or tasty gluten free, but not both. I've been served both, and it made me want to cry (gluey pasta like substance drowned in bitter and overcooked zuchinni, burnt garlic, and some kind of non-olive oil, finished with chalk-like tofu carob pudding). A drive through was hit at the end if that meal, and that's saying something as I generally avoid faux food like the plague!

Funny story about the gluten-free vegan thing though. The people I know who make the biggest deal about eating gluten-free and vegan (making them horrible dinner guests, in addition to having the distinct honour of serving me the above-mentionned worst meal of my life) are known to chow down on pork buns at the dim sum place like there is no tomorrow. Maybe pork buns are magically vegan and gluten free on weekends? Another "gluten-free vegan" friend will harass waitstaff endlessly a la Meg Ryan in when Harry met Sally, and then gobble most of the meaty and wheaty food off of my plate without asking, to the point where I get little of my own food. I always wonder how long it will be before a server dumps something on her. Both do the gluten free thing on the advice of a naturopath, even though neither have any evidence of Celiac's disease (for which I have enormous sympathy and will go gluten free all day long with no complaints).

It may solve some weight issues, but I think a drop-off of friends is the unintended side effect.

In many cases, extreme special diets are more about getting attention than they are about actually having a special diet. In the Jewish-American world, there's this thing called "inconvenience kosher", which means "I keep kosher only if it will put someone else out."

This is particularly irritating with people who claim to have food allergies just to avoid things they don't like. It puts other people with actual food allergies in danger of not being taken seriously.

This is something, like many things, that is what I call a "media induced illness". Since gluten free foods are much more expensive, getting more people to think they have this illness means more profit. Lactose intolerance was the trend years ago, gluten intolerance is the trend now, what will be next?

Something related to this, that I have seen many times, is people saying they are allergic to hot foods (therefore for family gatherings I would make a double batch of things - one with, and one without), yet I see them eating things in restaurants like buffalo wings. If I can feel the heat, it is hot, yet they can eat that? Maybe not the things you have to sign a waiver for, but still hot. Which is why I make only the desserts for those things anymore. Fortunately, no gluten/lactose free people so far, and if they develop these problems, I'll made a dish of jello for them.

I have friends who actually have gluten and lactose intolerance, so I try to accommodate their needs. I also have a lot of vegetarian (not vegan) friends. Thankfully I no longer have any friends who pretend to have an allergy or who are obnoxious about their dietary restrictions. (When we lived in WV we had a wife of a dear friend who was "allergic" to everything, and was lactose intolerant at my house but ate ice cream and butter when we went out together. Grrrrrr.)

For my holiday gathering I am making fresh Vietnamese spring rolls with a peanut sauce, an anchovy-free tapenade w/rice crackers, and hummus with veggies for the vegetarian/gluten free crowd. All of those are vegan, too, by coincidence. I'm making other vegetarian things that have gluten (empanadas), and of course there are bacon-wrapped stuff dates & Swedish meatballs for the carnivores. Obviously I have no coherent theme, but there's wine and liquor to distract people from noticing that.

A sit-down meal would present more of a challenge.

Hi Fuzzy,

Just hoping your meal goes well tonight!

Carey,

Thanks!

Actually, as it turns out, the guest who can't eat fish cancelled. So we're doing dungeness crab, caesar salad, homemade sourdough-semolina bread, and sweet potato fries, with lemon icebox cake for dessert.

I'll be making more use of ideas on this thread tommorrow.