Author Topic: Eating in restaurants requires asking questions  (Read 6410 times)

Offline misfitguy

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Eating in restaurants requires asking questions
« on: February 16, 2011, 08:55:51 AM »
It can get tiresome, but if anybody is sensitive to MSG or other excitotoxins, they must ask some basic questions when ordering in a restaurant.  These are some of those:

   1.  "Does your lettuce come in a bag or do you chop it yourself?"  Lettuce in a bag usually has a fixative on it to keep it from browning.  You will probably react to it.  In  fact if they say they chop their own lettuce, then ask if they soak it anything to keep it from browning.  Another hint to bagged lettuce is if there are small carrot peelings in the salad.  This is a sure sign of bagged lettuce.

   2.  "Do you use any spicing on the potatoes or chicken or whatever you order?"  If they say yes, then ask them if they can cook it without any spicing.  Most of the spicing that is used in a restaurant is a combination of spices, such as Lawry's Seasoned Salt, or Mrs, Dash's, or a poultry spice or a lemon spice for fish, etc.  Most of these have MSG or other excitotoxins in them.  It isn't worth it to the sensitive person to go ahead and eat them.  Either order the food non-spiced or find something else to order.  (A side note...My wife asked, at a restaurant in Parker, AZ recently, if the potatoes were spiced and the waitress said no they only had peppers and onions mixed in them.  When they came, we could see spicing on them and when we asked, we found out they used Lawry's.  The waitress then told us she thought they only used salt and pepper.  Remember she had said they used no spices.  Many people do not understand how sick some people can get with MSG.)

   3.  "When you cook the pancakes, french toast, eggs, etc., do you use a special butter to cook them in?"  A fairly new product introduced a few years ago is a special butter that has at least three incidences of excitotoxins.  My wife found this out in Algona, Iowa in a family restaurant while eating pancakes.  She looked up at me and said, "I'm starting to get a reaction."  She quickly took some Benadryl, and we began the quest to find what caused it.  Pancakes had been a safe meal for her in the past, but not anymore.  Fortunately, the owner of the restaurant was very cooperative, bringing out large containers of everything involved in making a pancake, so we could read the labels, until we found the culprit.  This product is being used more and more, because it makes lousy cooking taste good.

   4.  "Is the chicken breast breaded?"  This could be in a salad, stir fry, on a bed of pasta, etc.  If so, ask if they have a plain chicken breast that hasn't been marinated or pre-spiced.  Most restaurants do and most are willing to change the type of meat to make your meal. Breading almost always contains MSG or other excitotoxins.  Also, most processed breasts are breaded and the processed chicken always has MSG in them.  So say goodbye to chicken fingers or chicken McNuggets.

This should get you started on a script to help you find a safe dining experience.  Add to this if you have found useful questions.

Mick
« Last Edit: February 16, 2011, 08:59:26 AM by misfitguy »
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