F&G menu GF items-disappointing

[mckennarose]

I just read over the Flower and Garden menus and I’m really disappointed that there are only 7 gluten free menu items out of 48 total. (Only food, I didn’t look at drinks). I’m even more disappointed that my favorite item last year, the shrimp and grits, now has a brown gravy and not gluten free this year.

Last year they had 7 Gluten-free offerings out of 48 also.
They have 12 vegetarian options this year, down from 14 last year.

No offense to vegetarians; it’s disappointing to see more offerings for vegetarians who choose to eat that way than for those of us who have to eat gluten free for medical reasons. I’m not opening a debate or bashing vegetarians, nor am I saying that Disney has to do more to accommodate those of us who are gluten free. 7 menu items are far more than I could expect from any restaurant around here and I’m glad WDW is trying to accommodate us. It is a little surprising because gluten free eating has become a trend of sorts, and people are eating gluten free who don’t have to.

I do wish there were more gluten-free offerings at F&G, but it will not ruin my trip. I was just hoping for more than 7 menu items this year.

 

[cobright]

it’s disappointing to see more offerings for vegetarians who choose to eat that way than for those of us who have to eat gluten free for medical reasons.

To be fair, people who have to eat gluten free for medical reasons make up less than 1% of us as a whole. There are over three times as many vegetarians in the us. Also, many vegetarians do so to satisfy a tenet of their religious faith.

And while plenty of people who are not vegetarians still enjoy vegetarian options (we often call them side dishes), gluten free menu options are often simply less palatable. They managed to get 7 items onto this menu that do not contain one of the most common and useful culinary proteins available. I would score that as a win.

 

[LadyD]

I just read over the Flower and Garden menus and I’m really disappointed that there are only 7 gluten free menu items out of 48 total. (Only food, I didn’t look at drinks). I’m even more disappointed that my favorite item last year, the shrimp and grits, now has a brown gravy and not gluten free this year.

Last year they had 7 Gluten-free offerings out of 48 also.
They have 12 vegetarian options this year, down from 14 last year.

No offense to vegetarians; it’s disappointing to see more offerings for vegetarians who choose to eat that way than for those of us who have to eat gluten free for medical reasons. I’m not opening a debate or bashing vegetarians, nor am I saying that Disney has to do more to accommodate those of us who are gluten free. 7 menu items are far more than I could expect from any restaurant around here and I’m glad WDW is trying to accommodate us. It is a little surprising because gluten free eating has become a trend of sorts, and people are eating gluten free who don’t have to.

I do wish there were more gluten-free offerings at F&G, but it will not ruin my trip. I was just hoping for more than 7 menu items this year.

I do know that sometimes there are slight modifications to the menus from what is initially released as the booth menus and what actually debuts for vegetarian and GF friendly items. Hopefully there are more items that end up being vegetarian and/or GF friendly. There are items like the Beef Tenderloin Tips, Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce, Whipped Potatoes with Garden Vegetables listed on the menu that by the name alone indicate no reason for the item to not be GF, so it makes me wonder if what has been released thus far is labeled accurately or not.

Overall I can see why there are more vegetarian options listed than GF. There is a medical need for items listed as GF to actually be GF. Cross contamination is a much bigger safety issue for someone needing to adhere to a GF diet. Fewer people are vegetarian for medical reasons compared to those who follow a GF diet. While Disney takes dietary restrictions seriously across the board, particularly when they are the result of medical necessity, you're likely to have a lot fewer vegetarians complain about being poisoned by Disney for cross contamination than those who need GF items.

I suspect that there are items that are likely technically GF from a recipe standpoint on the menus that are not listed as such, but because of where they're prepared or stored, they are at risk for cross contamination more so than items listed as GF. I suspect this because I have a weird allergy, and at several meals I've had at Disney, they've told me not to eat items that are by nature free of the particular item I'm allergic to, but since pieces of the recipe were prepared and packaged outside of the restaurant, they cannot guarantee cross contamination did not happen.