(The Frugal) Celiac Road Trip

Well, it's that time of year! Off to the Beach, the Mountains, or wherever for vacation fun!

I had a brief overnight at the Outer Banks (NC) this weekend, and I will fill you here in on the details of my gluten free eating while on this trip.

There is an essential item for every Celiac for any road trip, however brief. I can't think of anything more useful or more helpful.

Do you know what it is?

It's a COOLER!

Are you the type of person that hates to worry about tomorrow, hates to make food ahead, or loves to eat out?

Well, I want to encourage you to reinvent the way you think about food while traveling.

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Almost everywhere I go for more than a day, I take a cooler. I even take a cooler on many day trips, with lunches and/or dinners. This not only ensures that you can know with 100% certainty that your food is safe to eat, but also saves you money by preventing you from buying food and beverage!

And it's not like it takes up that much room in the car.

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What's in Emily's cooler?

You might be thinking: If it's a bunch of cold leftovers, I'll have to say, "no thanks."

Right. Well, I agree. Nothing like choking down that last piece of leftover chicken out of obligation (but you do have to do that now and then).

This overnight trip (noon Friday to noon Saturday) I filled my cooler with:

• 4 water bottles
• 3 diet coke bottles

• 2 Larabars
• 3 Attune probiotic white chocolate bars
• 1 Envirokids crispy rice bar

• 2 yogurt cups
  
• 4 frozen Pamela's Lemon Shortbread cookies
• 1 sliced tomato
• 4 pcs. sliced mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves
• 1 frozen Glutino plain bagel

• Don't forget Ice Packs

That sounds like a lot, but it's just a few drinks, snacks and meal food.

So what did I eat?

On the 3 hour trip going, I drank one water and ate one Attune bar.

For dinner, I went out to eat, at the Full Moon Cafe in Manteo, NC. I had their nacho plate. The waitress checked and they use Utz corn chips, which only have corn, oil, and salt. (remember, some restaurants, especially if they make their own chips, have corn chips that are not gluten free). It was good, no reaction for me.

For after-concert snack back at the hotel, while unwinding with friends--I had the mozzarella, tomato, and basil. MMM.

For 2nd day's breakfast, I had hotel coffee, 2 hard boiled eggs from the hotel's continental breakfast, my rice bagel heated in my room's microwave (topped with cream cheese from the hotel).

For lunch the 2nd day, I lunched at Adrianna's Restaurant on the water in Manteo, NC. They didn't have too much to choose from, but I had a Kobe burger without bun, and a house salad. It was very filling, and tasted very good. On my receipt it said "GLUT ALLERGY", so whether or not they really know what to do, they at least have it in their computer that they should do something.

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So was I completely isolated and did I hide in my hotel eating cheese and crackers out of my cooler? (Oh, cheese and crackers are good!).
--no! I was out and about, eating and asking questions.

Did I save money by not having to go out for breakfast and evening snack (2nd dinner)?
--absolutely!

But this little bit of planning ahead helped fill in the cracks of snacks and incomplete meals (like hotel breakfast). I always had something I could eat, so I knew I wouldn't starve. I didn't eat everything I took, but I could have if I needed to. And I could mix-n-match my food with the food I found (like using the hotel cream cheese).

What came home with me in the cooler?

• Yogurts
• 2 Larabars
• 1 Envirokids bar
  
• 1 Attune bar
• 3 Diet Cokes
• 1 water

Had I been staying longer, I'd have done a little more to eat things frugally in my hotel room. But this was a short trip and I had a carpool friend (so eating out was the better choice for some meals).

Maybe you are wondering--How did I keep all that from spoiling?

---ICE PACKS! and the hotel had a fridge in my room.

Oh, no! you say. What if my hotel doesn't have a fridge? How can I be a happy celiac traveler then?

--Easy. Old traveling musician trick. Keep all items in cooler. Take along a couple gallon-size ziplock freezer bags. When you arrive at the hotel, take the bags to the ice machine, and fill up with ice. Voila-- you have instant ice packs. You can keep refilling them as long as you stay at the hotel.

Underground tip: Don't stress out. Pretty much you can take all kinds of stuff to eat on road trips. Just plan ahead and think of what you'll need beforehand.

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Epilogue. The Pamela's Lemon Shortbread cookies. Did you notice they were unaccounted for? I don't know what happened, but they didn't make it home. Those cookies are missing in action. Where could they possibly have gone?? (read: my tummy says "mmm").

GF Italian in Wilmington, NC

Hello, blogland!  Where to begin?  I have been on the road lately and working a lot.  Not much time for cooking, or blogging.  But that's why I've got quantities of food frozen ahead and Glutino bagels.  Trader Joe's frozen Enchiladas.  Brown rice flour tortillas and corn tortillas to make quesadillas (AKA mexican grilled cheese).  Bags of frozen veggies to cook up in the microwave, in a hurry.  These types of things.

Wilmington, NC

While I was there, I did an internet search for gluten free dining, and

 found a really great place to get some GF Italian food!  I hadn't eaten out for pasta/Italian for about 3 years until I went to Bella Monica in Raleigh a few weeks ago with the Gluten Free Greenie Blogger (Wendy).  But now, it seems that new opportunities are surfacing all over for GF dining.  This is so amazing compared to even just a couple years ago!

I was able to talk a carpool friend of mine into going with me to Toscana Cafe in Wilmington.  I could hardly contain my excitement--you always feel like such a wet blanket when you say, "no, I can't eat out Italian."  I asked this friend if Italian was OK, and he said, "I love Italian!"  So I felt like way less of a buzzkill...  

Toscana Cafe.  I had the Penne (Tinkyada) w/Grilled Shrimp, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes in a tomato cream sauce.  It was amazing, and I was so delighted.  I haven't had good Italian food in so long (not counting Bella Monica).  It was very simple for them to just substitute the GF pasta with their sauce and ingredients.  But it was so far beyond anything I ever make for myself at home, and such a treat.  I hope more independent (mom & pop) restaurants realize they can substantially grow their customer base by offering safe GF choices!  If they cook it, we will come!

I met the manager, and the owner, and they both were very nice.  They explained they have more and more people, of all ages (even 60s, they mentioned, many recently diagnosed) who are ordering GF pastas all the time.  I thanked  them for providing the option for us.  They were very careful and I think they understand how to minimize the chance of cross-contamination.

I was very pleased, and hope you are, on your next vacation to Wilmington when you drop in for some Penne!

Bella Monica

I went to Bella Monica tonight with my friend Wendy, and she beat me to writing a review!  Please check it out:

Gluten Free Greenie Blog

They were very nice and accommodating.  What a treat that this is a part of our local scene and what an excellent example they are to other establishments--your restaurant too can be gluten free!

Thanks, Bella Monica!

One fine weekend out

Hello GF friends!

I had a great GF valentine's weekend, hope the same for you all. I had a concert Sat. evening, then met up afterward with some friends at The Village Draft House in Raleigh. Because this is a great (quieter) hang out in a great central location, I often find myself there surrounded with wonderful company.

And what is newsworthy about this trip: after a good 6 months of asking them (every single time): "Don't you have any gluten free beer?" --and adding, "Hey, if you guys just had a 6-pack on hand, I definitely would buy one every time I came in here..."

So what happened Saturday? This time--"Yeah, actually we do have a GF beer. I think it's called 'Lakefront.' We just got it in."

I said, "Alright," I would have one of those, "thanks!"

The server brought me a cool, crisp bottle of New Grist. She asked me how it was. (I have not had any gluten-containing beverages since 2005. I am not really sure why she asked me this...just to say something, or be nice?)

Whether you drink beer or not is not the issue. The point is that, little by little, our specialty dietary needs continue to slowly creep into the mainstream, one Draft House at a time (and after we ask, ask, ask and ask).

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The next day, I made it out to Zpizza in North Raleigh. I convinced two wheat-eatin' friends of mine to split two kinds of GF pizza with me. When I thought about it, I hadn't been out for pizza in over 3 years. Which is kinda funny to think about, because with being able to make it at home, I don't feel particularly deprived.

We had the American and the Provence. The taste was amazing. Even the wheaties agreed.

Also, the staff was extremely conscientious about cross-contamination.
It was a great experience, and you all should go when you get a chance.

(My favorite moment was the moment after the cashier took our order, we went to get our fountain drinks, and her voice rang out like a bell, "Gluten Free Alert!" I thought, if I could save that soundbyte and have it as a ringtone. If only....)

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Best wishes for a happy and safe week for everyone!

Good Restaurant Bad Restaurant

I'm catching up on my Gluten Free log of events. I'll start with last weekend. I ate out in Raleigh on both Saturday and Sunday. I had two very different experiences.

Saturday

Lunch with a violinist friend, to catch up on things and enjoy hanging out. We went to Noodles & Company at Cameron Village, and I thought I could try it out because a few of their dishes are made with rice noodles. I was fairly confident and didn't check their website before going, we just went!

When I asked the cashier about gluten free options, I was delighted when she went under the counter and brought out a large laminated paper with graphs that had checkmarks corresponding to allergens in their foods. They could tell me for sure!

The only gluten free option was: PAD THAI, and a tomato/cucumber vinegar salad. So I ordered them both, and they were delicious! It's funny that their Pad Thai was GF, because at a lot of Thai Restaurants, that is one that is pre-made with soy sauce that can't be served gluten free, I have found. So now I know where to go get some GF Pad Thai, right in my neighborhood! They were fast, and reasonably priced.

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Sunday

I played in two matinee concerts on Sunday and went to lunch with two orchestra colleagues in between. We went to Greek Fiesta in Raleigh, on Western Blvd. I thought, this could work fine. They have lots of kabobs, hummus, salad, etc.

So I asked the cashier if the chicken/steak for kabobs was marinated in something. He said, "yes." So I asked if he would be so kind to please check the ingredients to see if they were gluten free, for example, did they have any soy sauce, modified food starch, carmel color, etc.?

He said that one man makes the marinade, and brings it to their 5 locations, and he is the only person who knows what is in it.

I said, "you are serving something and you don't know what it is?" The guy just looked at me like I was a complete jerk for asking any kinds of damn questions and I should shut up and order. I told him I didn't mean to be a pest, it's just that I could become sick if I ate any wheat or gluten. We went back and forth for a minute or two; I guess I'm just getting really used to places being cool.

So I ordered the Greek Veggie platter, hold the pita bread.

What did I get?

Iceberg lettuce salad with cucumbers, yellow peppers, feta cheese, one purple olive (yes, just one olive!), with Cucumber Sauce, 3 small grape leaf wraps--with 6 pita wedges sitting on top. Yeah, thanks, guys. This cost 7.99.

What could I do for 7.99 in my kitchen at home? At the very least, one box of GF mac 'n' cheese (Trader Joe's or DeBoles) is about $2, a bag of salad is $2-3, a yogurt is .75 cents. None of these things will make me sweat, fog up my brain, or break out a dermatitis herpetiformis rash all over my body.

Needless to say, I don't think I'll be going back over there.

Epilogue: And what happened with the pita wedges? When I told them I didn't ask for them and didn't want them, they brought a plate out to the counter and took them back into the kitchen. Do you think they'd re-use them? They had that ikky cuke sauce on them. Did they give them to the next people who came in?