Tradition in Britain has always been to kill those who refused to eat fish on fish day. Fortunately, the churches antiquated laws concerning forced fish eating was done away with. However, the discrimination that occurred because of this law still exist in most of Britain today. Those who were allergic to Fish, would die or starve because they were banned from eating meat on fish day. What about those who are allergic to gluten? Gluten is on fish in Britain in all the pubs. Isn't this the tradition to serve fish with gluten along with chips?
I love Gluten Fish with Chips. Problem is that no one with Coeliac can eat Gluten on Fish without committing a slow suicide. Why is British pubs so out of the loop when it comes to food allergies? Yes, there exist ONLY (that I've found online) TWO pub owners who actually serve gluten free fish - The Robinhood, and a pub south of London with 4 locations that I can't remember the name of and want to find again!
Indeed, restaurants in most of Britain do not accommodate those with food allergies at all, and refuse to do so. They insist that gluten must be had. Many pubs, however, do not even have the ability to accommodate because their kitchen lacks the resources to even cook fish without gluten. It is for this reason that most pubs hate Coeliacs. They couldn't even accommodate even if they wanted to, and can only do "no" so many times before they feel like pulling their hair out because people should KNOW what to expect at a Pub. Its a Pub for God's sake! So deal with it and bugger off! Funny that Coeliacs have money and actually pay to eat out. We would be better off pooling our funds and creating a "Normal" restaurant that discriminates against those without food allergies and then invite all those owners of those "priviledged" restaurants and all of Parliament to eat there. Then, laugh when they find nothing they can eat because they don't have the "right" food allergies". Seriously! LOL Yeah right!
The solution: We Coeliac's ban together and have sit ins at all the pubs until we get more options for our bellies. Currently, with my food allergy and intolerance list, if I can get a gluten free batter without alcohol contamination, then I have a winner. Failing this, I still won't be able to eat out in Britain hardly anywheres. Most restaurants do not accommodate people who are allergic to Meats, Poultry and Mustard/Cabbage Family and is Coeliac too. What about those who can't have Allium either, like me? Good luck! They just assume you went elsewhere. For the record, I get the same treatment in Minnesota too! However, we do have one very expensive restaurant that can accommodate me to the Nth degree. And, another restaurant that is cheaper who accommodates. Pizza Luce` and Noodles and Company. Cross-contamination is still possible, especially at Noodles and Company, but I've not gotten sick yet (but not anaphylaxis either to gluten!)
I have long ago decided to move to England. However, if I really wanted to eat out, I'd have to start my own restaurant just to be accommodated. Because of this, I have decided that the best place for me to live, if I still wanted to eat out once in while, is in Greater London area, where the only Gluten Free Fish and Chips shops exist. Alas, I forget their name, but they do have four location, all in Southern England. There are some other restaurants around London that do accommodate, but in the Hertfordshire area, and in many areas outside of London, I swear they don't even know what Food allergies are! Granted this is strictly ONLINE research! Go there on foot, and see what they refuse to advertise. Some restaurants don't even have website, however, my experience has been that most places without a website are ma and pa shops that wouldn't accomodate anyways. The exceptions are the minority, and not the majority. The majority still discriminates, albeit inadvertently in most cases. They just don't know how to accommodate.
What happens if too many people get Coeliac? Who would frequent our pubs then? What about restaurants? More people are becoming diagnosed with food allergies and intolerances every day. If no one will accommodate us, we won't eat out. And, you lose even more money. Some of you will close due to lack of business. How can we have our meetings if you won't serve us? We take our business meetings elsewhere. We can't advertise by word of mouth how great you are because we think you suck pig manure and grin it in your teeth while you dis us with your refusal to learn how to accommodate us. And, I'm talking more about those who can eat allium family and less about me. No one wants to accommodate me because its beneath them to slam sloppy fish on a plate and throw chips on there without seasoning it or adding tartare sauce. You insist you must do something to it. I don't need anything done to it. I don't care if the fish splits into millions of splinters as it splatters on that plate. All I care about is that its cooked such that I won't get sick. I don't care about presentation, spices, and so on. I am just overjoyed if I can even EAT out, the very thing you bloody arses take for granted!
What do I sometimes wish? That this world would change to where food allergic are the vast majority and all you without food allergies are the minority where you throw up if you smell "allergy free food". Then you will know what it is like to be us, when you go to restaurant after restaurant and see people eating from a menu that refuses to accommodate you. You will starve and go home with knots in your stomach from hunger. Am I exaggerating? No, I am not. I've done this too many times. I have to make almost everything from scratch. If I had a corn allergy, I wouldn't be writing this post. Why? Those with corn allergies have it even worse then me because they often react to the greenbean that touched corn. Fortunately, I've not gotten sick yet on the rare occasion I can eat out. But, I'm not anaphylacxis to dairy yet either. I just bloat up and feel like my stomach is going to pop.
Please work with Coeliac organizations to help accommodate us. We need more options besides bring the food with us in a cooler and hope no one cares we are bringing outside food into a restaurant for that business meeting. Oh wait, we eat that food in the car on the way to the business meeting and then just order water or juice. Yeah, healthy meal! Juice. Count the proteins in it. :P Or, we just sit there with our free water and you get NO MONEY from us! You prejudicial bastards!
TO BE FAIR! MOST Chef schools, refuse to even bother with teaching about food allergies and accommodation! And most Chef schools think that Vegans are assholes who should just kill that animal and have done with it because they will never ever ever get a Vegan chef job! This attitude I hope has changed at the more popular Chef schools because Vegan restaurants are all over the place (except where I live because they just can't stay in business!)
Thanks!
