I'm getting the butterflies!!!!

Ten more days until I go on the biggest trip of my life!!  My stomach feels like it is in the circus, it is jumping around so much.  I keep reminding myself to calm down.  It's not working very well ha ha ha.  I have learned how to say "hello, goodbye, thank you, and where is the bathroom."  I bought new packing cubes, and a toiletry bag, as well as a few different secret money pouches.  I have done a little something special for the wonderful man in my life, so he doesn't forget me when I'm half the world away from him, as well as purchased extra food, treats, and toys for all the critters so they won't forget me either.  I'm pretty much ready except for the actual packing step!  I still can't believe that in 10 short days I'll be in beautiful Italy!!!  Wow!  I feel excited, scared, and at a real loss for the perfect words to describe everything I'm feeling as I get ready for the trip.

One of the most important steps I took to get ready for this trip was to let the travel agency know that I am gluten intolerant.  I think I may be one of the first customers of theirs to mention gluten as a condition.  When I first heard about the opportunity to take the trip I wanted to go, but I wanted to make sure that I would be able to eat, and enjoy eating during the tour.  It would be miserable to take a food tour through Italy and to not be able to eat anything!  Well, I emailed the travel agency and I asked if it would be possible for me to go, and to still be able to eat.  The email I got in return was a little less than reassuring actually.  It said something along the lines of "well, if she can't have gluten, don't eat pasta or bread."  Um, yeah I know, I've been going strong totally gluten free for over a year and a half now, and I was more concerned about hidden gluten and cross contamination.  Obviously, I have decided to take a chance.  I think it's important for me to jump on an opportunity like this, regardless of a possibility of gluten contact.

I have stocked up on antacids, allergy pills, and, just in case, my meds for extreme nausea.  I have also come up with a game plan just in case things are not as simple as they should be where food is concerned.  The first city that we will be visiting is Parma, and it just so happens that what the city of Parma is famous for is cured meat and cheese!  I plan to stock up on jerky and cheese while I'm in Parma just in case gluten becomes an issue later on in the trip.  I hope that it won't, and in fact, I am actually pretty sure I'll be fine, apparently Celiac's Disease is very common in Italy, I won't even start on the irony there.  I also purchased the "Gluten Free Guide to Italy" which has a warning card inside, written in Italian, that I can pass on to servers to let them know that I cannot have gluten.  I have taken every step I can think of, and some that I did not think of (I have such great friends!) to make sure that I am prepared, and I really think I am!

Ten days just seems like no time at all!  In fact, it's less time than I will be spending on this trip.  I think that's why the butterflies are fluttering so frantically in my belly.  It has finally hit me that this trip is not only real, but that wild horses couldn't stop me from jumping on the plane!  Despite all my concerns, legitimate as they may be, I am excited!  This truly is the trip of a lifetime, and the countdown continues!!

A Word On Eating Out

Something has been on my mind for a while now.  As a member of the gluten free community who likes to go out to eat, cross contamination is a very real concern.  As someone who likes to eat out, and as someone who has also had a chance to work in school kitchens, and a limited amount in other professional kitchens, I know that eating out can be a huge risk.

There are ways to minimize the risk, such as speaking with your server, the manager, or even the chef or cook who will be preparing your food.  But the risk is still there.  In some cases, I know that we don't get taken seriously, and sometimes someone who thinks the special requests are coming from someone on a fad diet will be the one taking your order.  But even under the best of circumstances, in professional kitchens, gluten cross contamination can happen at any time.  Of course there are steps that the kitchen can take to ensure the safety of the food, but accidents can still happen.  How do I know accidents can still happen even when all safety measures are taken?  Well, because I have glutend myself in the process of making food in a professional kitchen.

I am very careful while preparing foods in school.  In fact, I usually try to alter what I am making so that it will be a gluten free version of the recipe that I am given.  However, it is not always possible for me to cook exclusively gluten free at school.  One Saturday I was assigned stuffing.  There was no gluten free bread to use at school, so I threw on some rubber gloves and started cutting chunks of french bread.  After the bread was cubbed, I took off my rubber gloves and started to cut up pieces of fruit and nuts to put in the stuffing.  Well, that's where my first problem came.  Because I was not cooking for myself, I didn't think to change cutting boards, and I took a bite of crisp and juicy apple.  As you can probably guess, there was one or two small crumbs on the apple, and I spent most of the afternoon fighting off the urge to spend the rest of class in the bathroom, (pleasant I know).

I couldn't believe I had done it to myself!  I will spend an extra five minutes detailing every little thing for a server while I order, but I couldn't spare the extra thought to using a different cutting board, or even, cutting the fruit and nuts first?  How can I get so upset at servers, and kitchen staff when they gluten me, when I have done the exact same thing to myself at school?

This brings me to gluten free areas.  I think that if a restaurant is going to claim that they serve gluten free food, they should be trained in how to really keep it separate.  Having a specific part of the kitchen, with specific tools is the only way to keep cross contamination to a minimum.  Even better yet, restaurants that use little to no flour at all should be promoted in our community.  I know, it's a pipe dream to think that restaurants will start marketing to the gluten free community this way because most people hear "gluten free" and they think flavorless, or paleo, or natural, or any number of ways of saying that the food couldn't possibly be good.  However, food does not have to contain flour and wheat.  There is no hard and fast rule that pasta must be served with Italian food, or that sauces must be made with a flour based roux.  Especially in fine dining, it is possible to make a rich and delishous sauce by reducing cooking liquids and wine.  If you must thicken your sauce, arrowroot flour is a perfect thickener.

I do think it is very important for people with Celiac or other gluten intolerances to understand that eating out can be risky, but I also wish that restaurants would take us more seriously.  I understand that currently many people are going gluten free for fad dieting purposes, but that doesn't change the fact that many and probably most of us making special requests regarding gluten actually need the kitchen to take us seriously.  It shouldn't even matter if it is a fad dieter that comes into a restaurant.  I believe that everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect.  If a person orders a gluten free bun, but then eats the french fries from a common frier, that's their choice, and they will have to deal with the consequences.  However, for myself, and others who really cannot eat gluten, I would suggest being very specific with your server.  Don't talk down to them, and don't make too many unnecessary requests, but do make sure that they know that this is a serious condition, allergy, or health concern, not just a fad diet.  I still get the occasional eye roll when ordering, but when I actually explain to a server my condition, I find that they are much more willing to work with me, and they become invested in my not getting sick.

Just the other day I was at a restaurant and ordered a salad and had it altered to be gluten free.  I explained to the server that it was a serious allergy (no I'm not Celiac, but it doesn't make it any less serious), and that I wasn't ordering like that to be bossy, demanding, or expectant, but it was a matter of health.  After that I asked for the dressing on the side, which I joked with the server was just to be picky, he laughed, and appreciated my joke.  I think many servers start rolling their eyes when a person wants to order gluten free because so many people act like they are on a high and mighty mission to convert the world to a gluten free way of life.

All in all, I think it is important to continue a social life after gluten!  It is great to be able to go out and enjoy food and restaurants like everyone else!  However, you do need to be careful about how you order, and you need to understand that accidents can still happen, even under the best circumstances.  Servers are people too, and let's be honest, they are the person who is going to interact with the kitchen on your behalf.  If you treat them poorly, do you think they are really going to want to go the extra mile in the back of house to make sure you don't get sick from accidental cross contamination?  Probably not.  But on the other hand, if you're nice to them, explain your health concerns, they can be your champion in the kitchen!  Considering all the potential hazards of cross contamination in the kitchen, I know I want the server on my side!