Learning to live with Celiac Disease one day at a time

Friday, March 16, 2012

Disappointment!

I'd heard rumours, and so imagine my delight when I saw it with my own eyes...Asian Home Gourmet really does make Gluten-free sauces!  It says so RIGHT ON THE PACKAGE! I can't say I jumped up and kicked my heels, but my whoop could probably be heard throughout the grocery store.  I could choose from so many Asian kinds of sauces...from Korean Bulgogi to Hainian rice, Tom Yum Soup to a variety of curries.  I've already tried the Indian butter chicken and loved it.

Making a recipe from scratch is one thing.  Usually it tastes pretty good, and it's a thrill when someone has no clue that it's the gluten-free version and loves it.  However, it's a real treat to get to open a package, add it to some cooked meat, and wah-lah, there you have your meal.  Around here, that's hard to find (ummm, unless you have a maid who whips something up from scratch...that's something that is a real treat too!).

After standing in front of the sauce package shelf for a while, I began to really check out the ingredients.  Butter chicken still passed.  Hainian rice passed.  Both said 'gluten-free' on the front...but so did the Korean bulgogi, and one of the ingredients listed on the back was "wheat flour."  Same on the majority of the other AHG packages labeled 'gluten-free.'  Unless I'm mistaken, gluten-free means no wheat, no gluten, no derivatives.  Talk about disappointing.  I was actually quite frustrated.  Why take the time to label something gluten-free when it isn't?  At least they have clearly labeled the ingredients on the back, and I didn't spend a bunch of time trying to figure out why I was hugging the toilet once again.

If you're reading this and you know something about AHG foods that I don't know, please enlighten me.  Until then, it's back to scratch for me.