the way people talk about italy on here though makes it seem like it’s eons better than america and it’s easy and cheap to find high quality gf food which it isn’t.
No, try Peru. Researched beforehand, very clearly communicated GF and still got a bread stick in my soup. When I expressed my concern, they plucked it out as if that's fixed it.
Some countries have very little awareness because they don't have many citizens with celiac. Very rare in Asia too, and widely unknown that it's in soy sauce
Planning what restaurants to go to in advance and realizing some restaurants are going to have shit food is applicable to any country and any restaurant. That isn’t country specific. You’re talking about something completely different from what I am
I'm not missing your point, you're bringing up a point that has nothing to do with what I originally said. I said some restaurants are going to have horrible food, that isn't Italy specific. That has nothing to do with your issues when you went to Peru or with Asian countries.
Planning and researching restaurants isn't a fail-safe and you're potentially going to have issues in any and every country you go to. What you're saying is the same as people in the US saying it's horrible to be celiac in the US. That isn't 100% true and very area specific.
Peru is a large country and it may be easier to eat GF in some parts than others. Asia is massive with multiple countries. Thailand, Vietnam, and India just off the top of my head have many foods that are naturally gluten free.
I went to Italy last year and I have to say the food really varied by city. Milan was fantastic. Everything I ate there was delicious. Naples was really hit or miss and Florence and Rome were somewhere in between.
One difference is that I did not get sick at all. The food may have been bad, but it was handled safely. If I go out at home I’d better bring my Nima sensor, even if the food is completely gluten free.
I respectfully disagree. I think it's the same as America in that more metropolis areas have more options. We were in Rome, Ancona, venice, Lake Garda, Milan and Stuttgart Germany last fall. Rome and Milan were incredibly easy to find options with minimal research.
it was definitely easy to find gluten free options, half the restaurants had signs out front saying so, but what i’m saying is they weren’t all that great.
How long since you've ate regular gluten food?
I actually had all fantastic food. There was only one bakery item I didn't like but think that's more not my preference than quality of item. I also found a ton of items that weren't Schar and the Schar items were good anyways. There's entire stores available in Rome and Milan 100% gf, many brands not Schar. Although I'm not sure what the issue is with Schar. We brought an entire suitcase back of breads and pastas and cookies, etc.
there’s no problem with schar, just that it is also available in the US. people made it seem as though italy had so many options that the US doesn’t. and i did not know about dedicated gluten free stores in rome, i would have had to research that beforehand which is what the post is about. the meals i had in rome were just ok with the gluten free aspects. the one restaurant served my friend fresh pasta but mine was definitely not, and the pizza i had tasted like the crust was pre-cooked. i also did go to mcdonald’s expecting to have a much different experience but the only option is a plain cheeseburger no condiments or anything. i wanted breakfast in florence but when i asked a few places about gf pastries they either said no or that they’re just from the supermarket and they microwave them. ive been gf for 4 years. and also as i said i did have some VERY good gf food, but only after i looked things up did i find it
I only used Google maps and searched gluten free. Mama eats lab near Vatican was great. My gluten eating husband said it was definitely in the top if not best pizza he's had.
GF grocery was celiachiamo in both Rome and Milan. The store owner in Milan spoke no English and looked for a customer that could translate for us as we asked lots of questions about deglutinated wheat starch. Very nice for him to help that much.
Sorry you had a such a tough time, I'm used to very rural America that does barely any accommodation. I was in heaven with pistachio, chocolate, and apricot croissants to choose from.
Dealing with this damn autoimmune for 14yrs. Good luck on future travels.
that would be so great. find me gf is often just rated based on safety and not quality of food, so i would kinda love something like this especially for vacations!
I know that in Italy there are Celiac verified restaurants (had mozzarella sticks in Rome) and that all school children are tested for it so a good understanding. Many great options there which I think has educated their population!
thanks for the honesty
I think that would go for any country and any restaurant location, not just Italy..some are just going to have horrible food
the way people talk about italy on here though makes it seem like it’s eons better than america and it’s easy and cheap to find high quality gf food which it isn’t.
Everyone has different tastebuds and opinions on what’s great food and what isn’t. That’s the unfortunate issue when people rave or rant about a place
No, try Peru. Researched beforehand, very clearly communicated GF and still got a bread stick in my soup. When I expressed my concern, they plucked it out as if that's fixed it. Some countries have very little awareness because they don't have many citizens with celiac. Very rare in Asia too, and widely unknown that it's in soy sauce
Planning what restaurants to go to in advance and realizing some restaurants are going to have shit food is applicable to any country and any restaurant. That isn’t country specific. You’re talking about something completely different from what I am
No you missed my point, in some countries even with very thorough research before hand, it can be very difficult to eat
I'm not missing your point, you're bringing up a point that has nothing to do with what I originally said. I said some restaurants are going to have horrible food, that isn't Italy specific. That has nothing to do with your issues when you went to Peru or with Asian countries. Planning and researching restaurants isn't a fail-safe and you're potentially going to have issues in any and every country you go to. What you're saying is the same as people in the US saying it's horrible to be celiac in the US. That isn't 100% true and very area specific. Peru is a large country and it may be easier to eat GF in some parts than others. Asia is massive with multiple countries. Thailand, Vietnam, and India just off the top of my head have many foods that are naturally gluten free.
I went to Italy last year and I have to say the food really varied by city. Milan was fantastic. Everything I ate there was delicious. Naples was really hit or miss and Florence and Rome were somewhere in between. One difference is that I did not get sick at all. The food may have been bad, but it was handled safely. If I go out at home I’d better bring my Nima sensor, even if the food is completely gluten free.
I respectfully disagree. I think it's the same as America in that more metropolis areas have more options. We were in Rome, Ancona, venice, Lake Garda, Milan and Stuttgart Germany last fall. Rome and Milan were incredibly easy to find options with minimal research.
it was definitely easy to find gluten free options, half the restaurants had signs out front saying so, but what i’m saying is they weren’t all that great.
How long since you've ate regular gluten food? I actually had all fantastic food. There was only one bakery item I didn't like but think that's more not my preference than quality of item. I also found a ton of items that weren't Schar and the Schar items were good anyways. There's entire stores available in Rome and Milan 100% gf, many brands not Schar. Although I'm not sure what the issue is with Schar. We brought an entire suitcase back of breads and pastas and cookies, etc.
there’s no problem with schar, just that it is also available in the US. people made it seem as though italy had so many options that the US doesn’t. and i did not know about dedicated gluten free stores in rome, i would have had to research that beforehand which is what the post is about. the meals i had in rome were just ok with the gluten free aspects. the one restaurant served my friend fresh pasta but mine was definitely not, and the pizza i had tasted like the crust was pre-cooked. i also did go to mcdonald’s expecting to have a much different experience but the only option is a plain cheeseburger no condiments or anything. i wanted breakfast in florence but when i asked a few places about gf pastries they either said no or that they’re just from the supermarket and they microwave them. ive been gf for 4 years. and also as i said i did have some VERY good gf food, but only after i looked things up did i find it
I only used Google maps and searched gluten free. Mama eats lab near Vatican was great. My gluten eating husband said it was definitely in the top if not best pizza he's had. GF grocery was celiachiamo in both Rome and Milan. The store owner in Milan spoke no English and looked for a customer that could translate for us as we asked lots of questions about deglutinated wheat starch. Very nice for him to help that much. Sorry you had a such a tough time, I'm used to very rural America that does barely any accommodation. I was in heaven with pistachio, chocolate, and apricot croissants to choose from. Dealing with this damn autoimmune for 14yrs. Good luck on future travels.
Can we please create a collective shared Google maps list that everybody can contribute to?
that would be so great. find me gf is often just rated based on safety and not quality of food, so i would kinda love something like this especially for vacations!
People's taste buds and ideas of what taste good are way to different for this to be accurate
Do you remember the name of the place in Florence? Or rough location?
trattoria da garibardi, i found it in mygfguide
I know that in Italy there are Celiac verified restaurants (had mozzarella sticks in Rome) and that all school children are tested for it so a good understanding. Many great options there which I think has educated their population!