Sunday, August 1, 2010

Citizens UNITE!

I recently took a trip to Madison WI. As every good gluten free traveller does, I hopped on Google and searched "gluten-free restaurants + Madison, WI". What came up was truly inspiring.
There is an organization called MAGIC, the Madison Area Gluten Intolerance Chapter. These very nice (and apparently very organized) folks have compiled a list of all restaurants in the area that can accommodate gluten-intolerant diners. Each entry has a blurb about what is offered and the best approach is to ordering. As I scrolled down, I was expecting to see only a few entries....but I kept scrolling and scrolling. This list is pretty long and also includes restaurants outside of Madison, in surrounding towns. I was so excited that I almost extended my trip so I could try all of these places out.
It got me thinking....wouldn't it be great to have SPAGIC? Okay, so the name needs a little work, but the idea is wonderful. If we can have access to lists of restaurants that use local products as the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign has so effectively done, why can't we also have some direction to those that are allergy-friendly? I know it can happen. It's widely accepted that the Madison area is a bit more progressive than central IL, but I don't see why we can't catch up. My dream is to no longer get confused looks when I ask about gluten-free items. Who's with me?

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