
It's the thrill of validation: gluten free is no longer just the province of movie stars (one can just imagine peronal chefs whipping up delightful gluten free breads with ooh-so-expensive almond or coconut flour, for instance) and urban hipsters: if gluten free has merited mention in a Hallmark or Up movie, it's officially reached into every corner of all the dining rooms in America!
However (such a painful word; there's usually a proviso that follows), the mention in a recent movie -- "An Evergreen Christmas" (2014), though humorous, echoed the portrayal in a good portion of films and entertainment that gluten free eaters are not only picky, but snobby. But, o.k., I admit it: sometimes we are! For instance, I have been known to refuse a proferred salad dressing because it contained too much corn syrup or various unpronounceable ingredients, even though it didn't contain gluten! In other words, eating GF does give one a pass, in a way, to examine labels and otherwise be picky with reason.
In the film, the main character's boyfriend has accompanied her back to the ranch where she grew up; her father has died.
Evie, the main character, is sitting in a local diner with Chez, the boyfriend. In a scene that so many of us can relate to, Chez opens the menu, scans it, and asks, "And why is there gluten in everything here?"
Evie responds: "Will you dial back the whining a bit, please?"
Yes, Chez is portrayed as a citified snob -- just before opening the menu, he had once again tried to get cell service and asked if it was possible to have "negative bars;" earlier in the movie, he didn't know that he needed to bait a fishing line. (On the positive side, however, he does drag Evie out of bed each morning for a jog down gorgeous farm roads.)
In the diner, Chez goes on to order a salad -- I didn't write these down, so my memory may not serve here, but I believe he asked for no dressing and croutons on the side -- and, just as with many such gluten free scenes in movies, he delivers his order with a side of deft arrogance.
So, regardless of the fact that Chez is portrayed badly, I love the acknowlegement of gluten free, no matter how it's portrayed!