I can’t help thinking of the movie The Princess Bride from a short interaction this evening at dinner. At least a few times tonight, I just wanted to ask “Are you sure you know how this menu item is made?”

Remember when Wallace Shawn’s character kept saying “inconceivable” and Inigo Montoya had to say “I don’t think that word means what you think it means…”

We were out to dinner with good friends (some who may or may not read my blog – I guess I will find out tomorrow…) and one of us asked about not just one item but a few on the menu – a simple question –  “Is this item gluten free?”

It has gotten more and more popular that people are either allergic, intolerant or avoiding gluten for various reasons. (I mean, really.  Unless it occurs naturally, why do we need to add it to foods? But, that is an entirely separate conversation.)

We were told, shockingly…”No, sorry, the creme brulee is not gluten free.”

Since when does creme brulee have gluten? (We may as well have been asking, “since when do green beans have gluten…?”)

I just wanted to ask… Are you sure you know how this is made? In the end, another item was chosen, which was a good idea because if they don’t know how to combine eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla to make a custard – and then top it with more sugar, torched into a caramelized glaze on top – well then, we probably don’t want to risk it.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl