Ep 194 Finding a Restaurant Solution After a Long Diagnosis Journey

October 13, 2021 /

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

Everyone has a diagnosis story, and I enjoy listening to and sharing many or them.  This episode of the podcast is a conversation with Beau Bristow of Nashville TN.  Beau was diagnosed as an adult and had a long list of symptoms, which to him were unrelated.  Of particular note, was the brain fog, which by reason of the name, you don’t realize at the time, and only once the fog has lifted do you understand what you were missing.  Finding suitable restaurants is a pain point for most of us, but in Beau’s case, he was determined to help solve this problem, not only for those of us on a gluten free diet, but for people suffering from other allergies. 

The approach of the website https://picknic.app/ is to help someone requiring a special diet to find a restaurant that understands and follows suitable procedures for you to eat safely.  You can signup on the website to receive new information.  The website will soon be an app, to be downloaded, but at the moment it is focusing mostly in the Nashville area to get it right – how to onboard restaurants and the rate them as a “pick” for your special diet or not.  Beau has also asked for feedback from those on a gluten free diet and you can reach him at info@picknic.app.  You can also find Picknic on Facebook and Instagram @gopicknic.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I knew a few years ago, when I started using the “Find Me Gluten Free” app on my phone, of its shortcomings.  I distinctly remember going out of our way on a vacation to find a small restaurant that had changed owners since the review was written.  On the same trip, I tracked down a restaurant that appealed to me because I could get something or other, but it wasn’t a place the others in the car wanted to eat.  This is the main problem with crowd-sourced information – it changes.  The reviewer at the specific time is trying to give a faithful review of the restaurant and the meal, but as we know, we all see things differently, and have different standards.  The only standard I mostly look for is the understanding of gluten free.

I find the different approaches to solving the restaurant problem very interesting.  As I said in the podcast, I can easily see my daughter (who is 30) looking for a specific meal at a restaurant, then looking to see if there is something that would please the others who will be with her.  If you listened to Ep 191, you’ll realize that we approach the gluten free diet very differently.  My approach to finding a safe, appetizing meal is to first find a restaurant that I think understands the diet, then once I’m there, I ask specific questions on something that is either on their gluten free menu, or that appears that it can be made gluten free.  I am a question asker – on the other hand, my daughter is not.

Something I’ve learned, speaking with different app developers is that although it appears we all want the same thing, there are different ways to get there.  It’s those differences that suit different people.  Many of the apps I’ve looked into are still in development.  They are shying away from being crowd-sourced (yeah!), but the downside of that is likely there will be a subscription of some form to gain access to the curated information.  I’m fine with that, as long as the app can give me what I’m looking for.  Maybe that’s where we will all get confused.  What are we looking for – besides a safe meal – is it finding a suitable place to eat, having all our questions answered, finding a restaurant that will accommodate different issues and our other guests?  I suppose we’ll know it when we find it.  It’s exciting that smart people are spending so much time on finding solutions to eat out – maybe I’ll try them all! (the apps, not the restaurants).