Chick Fil-A is a restaurant chain which is based right here in Georgia. They have good chicken sandwiches and are very popular. You must remember this though, they are always closed on Sundays. (By the way, filet is pronounced "fil-a" in America, but did you know it is pronounced like this- "Fill- It" in England? Sorry for my English side to break in here...back to my story!)
Today, I learned that Chick Fil-A has come out with a gluten free bun! My husband has celiac disease and must be on a gluten free diet. I thought that was wonderful news...until I read a bit further.
First of all, the buns are made in a bakery and then shipped frozen to the restaurant. Also, there will be an additional $1.15 added to the price of the sandwich (which is already fairly pricey, in my opinion). You will then be asked to MAKE YOUR OWN SANDWICH as Chick-Fil-A can't guarantee that the food will not be cross contaminated with gluten in the kitchen.) Okay then, that is fair enough...but I read further, and their website states that they have grilled chicken and tomatoes and lettuce and mayo...that ARE considered gluten free but they can't guarantee that those food items will be completely free of gluten as they are around, you guessed it, other foods which contain gluten! Got that?
So... what is the point of having that gluten free bun if you can't guarantee that the chicken is safe for those with celiac disease?
Well, it must mean that the restaurant has been responding to the public's insistence on the "healthy gluten free" life style that I have been reading about, for those who are eating this way to either lose weight or because they know it cuts out many processed foods. You would think that it would be a good thing for gluten free to become a trendy thing, but I find that it is a double edged sword...one must be very careful and read the fine print, just as if you are entering into a legal contract.
Oh well...I saw a TV advert for Chick Fil-A today that I really liked, it was a woman singing the song "In The Summertime"...with the words just changed slightly. I would find it for you if I could! I have been singing this all today and it is perfect really...today is the first day of summer! Might as well give you the original song by Mungo Jerry, and you know the band was British! (Lead singer-Ray Dorset.) This was their biggest hit and well deserved, I think.
Happy Summer everyone!
I have never eaten at Chick Fil-A so I have no comment. However I love the song. The words are terribly mysogenistic
ReplyDeletebut the song is still fun.
You can change the word "women" to "swimmin'" and it fits just right! "You got swimmin, you got swimmin on your mind"! The TV ad might have done this or I thought of it myself, can't say for sure...
DeleteThe biggest problem for places that serve any kind of bread at all is that they cannot guarantee you that not a tiny speck of a crumb of the regular bread was near the gluten free bread. They don't have the space or equipment to guarantee that a slice of regular bread didn't sit on that counter a minute ago where the gluten free is now.
ReplyDeleteOften they try very hard to keep everything separate, but they cannot absolutely say there is no risk at all of cross contamination. Some Pizza Hut stores offer gluten free pizza, but they only offer cheese or pepperoni. They keep the gluten free crust, along with sauce and cheese and pepperonis, in a separate pack, and bake it on a separate pan. If you ask for any other ingredients on your pizza, though, they cannot guarantee that the person who rolled out regular dough and then cut the onions didn't contaminate the onions or whatever other ingredient you ask for.
We had a bakery here that guaranteed everything was free of gluten, soy, egg and dairy, it was fabulous. The landlord wouldn't fix the sewer issues and they had to close, and we are still mourning.
I love the sound of your bakery, so sorry that it had to close!
DeleteYes, we have also had a gluten free pizza at a local chain, we had to laugh when we saw it...it was as if a steamroller had run over a tiny piece of dough and it was so thin, that it was like a cracker! Light as air!
I understand that restaurants find it hard to keep things separate, I get it, I really do...it's just that the advertised gluten free bun gave me hope, you see, and my hopes were dashed!
I hope you didn't get too much rain...we are being pounded with quite a bit but I shouldn't complain, Louisiana looks drenched.
I've never eaten at a Chick Fil-A but my kids seem to like it. I don't have any problems with gluten but I've been avoiding flour and sugar lately and feel much better. (Plus I've lost a few pounds so that's a good thing too!) Love the song and the big sideburns remind of Jack back in the day..he rocked it! Happy Summer to you!
ReplyDeleteJack rocking it with those big sideburns! (They are called in sideboards in England...or they used to be anyway!)
DeleteHmm...avoiding flour and sugar...I don't have much flour because or Richard but hey, I like my sugar!!
Happy summer!
In Wisconsin there's a hamburger-and-frozen-custard chain called Culver's. If you request a GF bun they ask "is this an allergy or a food preference?" If you respond "allergy", they sterilize the grill before making your sandwich, and take all necessary precautions to avoid cross-contamination of any ingredients. That's taking celiac seriously!
ReplyDeleteAs you say, the GF trend is a double-edged sword. It's great that awareness has been spread, but with it has come the false idea that eating GF is just a diet choice - when for some it's a very serious health issue indeed.
One thing many people don't realize is that GF versions of baked goods are usually MUCH higher in starch, and actually not that great for your health. If carbs are your concern, it's better to avoid them than to choose "gluten-free" versions of things.
Here's a link you might find interesting (you'll have to take out the spaces and change the "dot" into a ".":
http: // www.thehealthyhomeeconomist dot com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/
Food for thought! :)
Thanks for the link! The use of Round-up on the wheat crops does not surprise me. I see that the Netherlands have totally banned Round-Up...and did you know that they are the tallest people in the world? Just goes to show...
DeleteWe find that most of the breads and baked goods that are labeled "gluten free" are not only expensive but they taste AWFUL. And let's not even get into the cakes and cookies that are overly processed and overly spiced and sugared!
Richard and I have cooked gluten free since our marriage in 1983 but doggone it, I thought it might be possible for him to go to Chick Fil A and get a sandwich! (We sometimes go to Wendy's and get a baked potato...that is about the only thing he can have at a fast food place!)
Thanks for your comment, Sue!
I don't think I've eaten at that restaurant, but now I'm curious!
ReplyDeleteIt's good but they made a few changes the past few years, they did away with their coleslaw and carrot salad (which had bits of pineapple in it) and I loved those!
DeleteHappy Summer to you, too, dear Kay!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that what sounded like a good thing for Richard turned out to be both unsafe and expensive. How glad I am that I do not have any disease or allergy to consider when it comes to my food - I simply eat what I like, and when I like it.
I know you are very good at making gluten-free cookies and other nice things at home for Richard; you'll just have to come up with your own recipe for chicken sandwich for him :-)
As you know, I also can eat whatever I like but since Richard cannot, I eat very little bread around him.
DeleteThe restaurants should learn from me...I have bread but it is never near any of his food, and I make sure to never use any food utensil that might have been near anything breaded.
You are right...I will work on it and make a chicken sandwich that is gluten free that is BETTER than the one from the restaurant! Look out for the recipe in a future post! I am determined!
It is often the same in Australia - restaurants make a token attempt to be gluten-free or help with allergies - but they don't do it properly. I have questioned about menus, as I have a few bad allergies, and they tell lies or just don't know what is in the food. You won't want to be dining there in future!
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten all about Mungo Jerry - thanks for the reminder :)
Richard ordered a salad once and said no dressing and no croutons...he ate some of it and then, found the croutons hidden at the bottom of the bowl under the lettuce! We just don't eat out, we can't trust folks to understand.
DeleteIt's very hard and expensive too for those that must be on a gluten free diet. Thankfully I don't have that problem. Fast food usually isn't very healthy any way you look at it. But it's very popular. I choose to eat the food I like and enjoy right at home. Certainly is one way to make sure of what you are getting. Good thing I like my own cooking. Ha!
ReplyDeleteFast food isn't very healthy, that is true but sometimes when we are busy and out doing things, it would be nice, just now and then, to have the option of being able to just buy a dang sandwich and not have to come home and cook! And AHEM...I hope to become a good cook one day, but like the 8ball will say, the outcome doesn't look good! :-)
DeleteI tried to go gluten-free for a while as I suspected a gluten intolerance. It certainly isn't the easiest thing in the world. It's also very expensive. One upside of it becoming trendier is that prices are coming down as the demand increases, but it's still a slow and steady process.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the gluten free choices in England are better.
DeleteI have fond memories of a gluten free quiche from Marks and Spencer, it was good enough to serve to company!
Chick fa la is one of my favorite places to eat. I know it must be hard when you must eat special foods, to eat out.
ReplyDeleteHappy Summer!
Our son absolutely loves Chick Fil A, loves it! I was hoping that Richard could go to see him and they could eat there together but maybe something will change about the gluten free info, I will let you know!
DeleteHappy summer to you too! What about all this rain? It's crazy!