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| Pretty good with milk. Too crispy to be my favorite. In California, Trader Joe's had my FAVORITE store-bought gluten free cookie (even 'regular' folks would eat 'em)-double chocolate cookie: texture and flavor expertly created- I liken it to a brownie/cookie hybrid-a touch of a crispy outside with chewy, chocolately innards. It used to be my PMS favorite. Sadly, the TJ's in GA does not stock them. |
I'm curious about your Trader Joe's experience, Bree. It was long one of my very favorite grocers pre-Celiac diagnosis. But my experience is that they do a terrible job of offering gf food, and much worse, I find that they are downright fraudulent in their gf advertising. They advertise "No Gluten Ingredients" & then post disclaimers on most of their packages stating a risk of cross contamination based on manufacturing processes. "No Gluten Ingredients" does not mean gluten free, and I think it can be very misleading to customers who are not language-savvy about gluten-freeness. :-( Do you recall if those chocolate chip cookies were truly labeled "Gluten Free"? I have talked myself blue in the face w/the TJ's staff until I've been in tears & had a headache, to no avail whatsoever. They just do not respond w/any kind of empathy or concern, nor do they say that they'll do anything to pass along my concerns. It's been a terrible disappointment to me, but now I simply walk in once every several weeks, stock up on their wild caught fish, and walk out.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I know what you mean about store clerks and managers lacking in knowledge. I'm glad that the term "gluten free" is more widely recognized now, but at the same time, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. (Contrary to popular belief, gluten free isn't akin to sugar-free, or low-fat, for example.) Cross-contamination is a difficult concept for the general public to grasp. Attempts at explaining cc are usually met with either boredom, blank stares, or a look that implies you are a hypochondriac with too much free time.
As far as the labeling issue, that has been a long war with many battles still to come.
In my experience, having met many, many celiacs, it seems each person has to make their own choice as far as what labels are acceptable, whether to eat items prepared in non-gluten free certified facilities, whether to eat foods on a buffet or salad bar alongside gluten-containing items, whether to allow gluten in the home with shared utensils and opportunities for a jar of jelly to get crumbs in it or someone to "forget" and use the wrong toaster or sip from the wrong cup.
So, while I can only decide for myself, I'm glad you are reading about the issue and informing the managers at stores, because gluten free isn't easy!
My personal choice is that I do NOT allow gluten in my house. I have separate glasses from which I drink. My boyfriend cannot kiss me unless he has brushed and rinsed a lot. My cats eat gluten free cat food. We don't use shampoo or other non-edible products containing gluten. I eat products that are packaged and made in facilities with non-gluten free products. I have a separate toothbrush and paste that I use after an accidental gluten episode. I eat out several times a week (which is quite risky), and I do not go home when I get glutened because I refuse to let gluten alter my life in any way that I can control. (I don't feel any better laying in my bed than I do sitting in a movie theater or at a comedy show or at a friend's house. Distraction actually helps me the most.)
Lastly, once we have decided these things for ourselves, we must remember we can only control ourselves. We can vocalize our concerns and raise awareness, but ultimately we can't know if someone is picking the gluteny toppings out of our salad and bringing it to our table, or topping our pizza from the same bins as used by the gluteny gloves placing goodies on other pizzas. The road to full awareness, labeling, training, etc. is a long one.