Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Gluten Free Friendship

Nine years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and I was lost.  Back then your average big-box store didn't have a designated gluten free aisle, and the products that were available were incredibly expensive.  I purchased a ton of gluten free cookbooks, but found myself put off by the cost of the ingredients and the lack of success I was having.  Where was a girl to turn?  Ricecakes.  I ate lots and lots of plain ricecakes...slathered with hummus or peanutbutter, or standing in as a sad open-face sandwich substitute.  My family and friends did their best to accomodate me during meals, often creating a dinner for me and a dinner for everyone else.  Needless to say it was time consuming and frustrating.  For quite a while I did not join people in dining out, as it seemed impossible to find a restaurant willing to deal with my game of fifty questions. 
"Can you ask the chef if there is a roux in the soup?"
"Is all of the meat dredged in flour before being cooked?  If so will chef cook it without?"
"Is it possible to get the french onion soup without the crouton?.... Yes I still want the cheese!"
"Are your french fries cooked in a designated gluten free fryer?  You don't know what I mean?  Okay, I'll have a salad....no croutons."
Fast-forward nearly a decade and here I am.  I recently moved back to the Capital District in Upstate New York, after living for five years in Florida, and I have managed to carve a niche for myself.  I can safely navigate the restaurant scene, I know who has the least expensive GF products, and I can even bake a mean cupcake that nobody knows is gluten free.  I have made myself a regular at a handful of restaurants, and am no longer seen as a pest.  Sure, sometimes people still make the assumption that a burger with no bun means I'm on the Atkins Diet and therefore want no fries, but for the most part people don't even seem surprised by my requests anymore.
Often I'm contacted by friends now, who know someone who just found out they can't have gluten.  I usually bombard them with way too much information about the cost of rice pasta versus corn, and where to get the best piece of chocolate cake when you don't feel like baking.  That's what friends are for, right?
Recently, it dawned on me...everyone needs a gluten free friend!  If only there had been someone for me to turn to, all those years ago.  Some seasoned celiac who had blazed a path so that I might take some solace in an otherwise sad and confusing time.  So, whether you or a loved one suffers from Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance, I am here to answer as many questions as possible.  My goal for this blog is to create a guide for fellow members of the gluten-freed in the Capital District.  I will be visiting local restaurants and stores and finding you the best options for your restrictions.  I'll post recipes, ideas, and perhaps a few questions of my own.  Please let me know, in the meantime, if you have GF questions. 
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.....
-Kate

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