Food

Eating in NYC (Gluten Free!)

/ Tara Taft / Leave a comment

In New York City, we all ate well, and the gluten eaters were as satisfied as the gluten-free eater. We ate crepes, bread sticks and pizza, panini and Reuben sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, French fries, cupcakes and cheesecake, and all were gluten free.

Risotteria in Greenwich Village for dinner:  What celiac wouldn’t love a place where the bread sticks are gluten free? We shared so much pizza and panini that we were too full to try any of the gluten-free desserts.

Crepes in Chelsea Market for breakfast: Ask for the gluten-free crepes at Bar Suzette. Made with lentil and rice flour, the crepes are delicious with Nutella and strawberries.

Lunch at a New York Deli: The gluten-free Reuben sandwich at Bloom’s Deli was piled so high with corned beef, my daughter could eat less than half at one sitting. We brought the rest back to our hotel fridge.

Dinner on the Upper East Side: Another deli, we ate this time at Peters’ Restaurant where everything can be made gluten free except for a few items marked with an x (e.g., wraps, focaccia, bagels). While some of us ate pasta and Greek chicken, our gluten-free diner chose meatloaf and French fries.

Macaroni and cheese in the East Village: S’Mac cooks up a variety of macaroni and cheese options though we all chose the gluten-free pasta so we could share and sample the different flavors we chose (spinach, olives, garlic and goat cheese; Manchego cheese, fennel and onions; Gruyere and bacon). S’Mac offers regular elbow macaroni as well as whole wheat and rice pasta. You can eat vegan there, too.

Cupcakes: We tried two gluten-free cupcake establishments, both located on the Lower East Side. Most everything (banana bread, cupcakes, brownies) at Babycakes is not only gluten-free but vegan as well. They also offer a few baked goods made with spelt flour. Tu-Lu’s Gluten-Free Bakery, a few blocks away, caters to those looking for the gluten-free not so healthy but delicious alternative. And when the gluten eaters elected to imbibe at Magnolia Bakery on Fifth Avenue (which is NOT gluten free), my daughter was happy with a Klondike bar bought at a market down the street.

Our only disappointment was trekking across town for gluten-free bagels at Vic’s Bagel Bar on 36th Street and 3rd Avenue, only to discover that they had none that day. Another day, we called and they were all out. So, if you want to check out this place, be sure to call and to show up early. They only make one batch of gluten-free bagels first thing each morning before making the regular bagels.

New York, Two Teens, Three and a Half Days

/ Tara Taft / 2 Comments

With all its lights and energy, shows, museums, restaurants, and tours, New York City will stimulate and entertain even the most disinterested of teenagers. Here’s how we spent a few action packed days during February break in New York City.

Day 1: Arrival in NYC, NBC Studios Tour, Dinner in Greenwich Village, Walk through Times Square.

After an early check in at our hotel, we walked a few blocks to Rockefeller Center for a tour of NBC Studios. The highlight – seeing the Saturday Night Live set and learning how much of what we see on TV is an illusion. Dinner in Greenwich Village followed by an after dinner stroll through Times Square and a visit to Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue.

Day 2: Chelsea Market, High Line Park, Lunch at a New York Deli. Broadway Matinee, Dinner on Fifth Avenue.

After energizing ourselves with lattes from Ninth Street Espresso and crepes at Bar Suzette in Chelsea Market, we walked the High Line. The High Line is an elevated railroad bed turned into park and walking path along the lower west side of New York. Instead of walking on the streets between the buildings, we walked above or among them, seeing the city from a different perspective.  Lunch was consumed at a deli before a 2 p.m. Broadway show (“Wicked”). Dinner was followed by cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery.

Day 3: Liberty and Ellis Islands, 9/11 Memorial, Tenement Museum, Dinner on the Upper East Side.

After going through airport-like security, we boarded the 9:30 a.m. ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands (buy your tickets in advance and arrive plenty of time before departure). Although the Statue of Liberty is closed for renovations, we were able to walk around Liberty Island while listening to an audio tour and learning why the French gave the U.S. her gift. On Ellis Island, our audio tour taught us about the many trials and tribulations of immigrants arriving in New York during the first part of the 20th century.

Back to Manhattan, snacks from a street vendor and a quick walk to the 9/11 Memorial (tickets are free but must be reserved in advance) where we waited in line to remember and to reflect.

Later at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, our engaging tour guide took us into the apartments of a family who lived in the building during the 1870s and another family who lived in the building during the Great Depression.

Day 4: Museum of Modern Art, Tour of the UN, Dinner on the Lower East Side.

After a leisurely morning and late breakfast, we headed to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), a short walk from our hotel. We took another audio tour (this one was free with admission) and browsed art by Monet, Picasso, Chagall, Rousseau, Cezanne, Matisse and many others, learning about a few of the artists’ techniques and inspirations and pondering what actually makes art. Then across town to the United Nations Headquarters where our tour guide, a young man from Peru, took us into the Security Council Chamber and the General Assembly Hall. Fascinating for all of us but especially for my kids, who both participated in Model UN during middle school. After a quick dinner, we headed home to our small town a few hours away, happy but exhausted from a few days in the Big City.

Getting there. Whether you fly, take the train, bus or drive yourself, allow plenty of time to acclimate to the hustle and bustle once you arrive before any scheduled tickets or tours. We found a great online deal and parked for $16 per day in a garage on 38th and 1st, much better than the $56 a day our hotel was offering. For parking deals before you arrive, check out Trip Advisor’s parking website guide.

Staying there:  Staying in NYC is not cheap, but there are many options and many promotions or deals. This trip we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn, only a short walk to Times Square. The hotel’s price included two bedrooms, a sitting area and kitchenette plus a large buffet breakfast.

Trip taken February 2012.

Gluten Free on Safari

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When I made reservations to stay at Umlani Bush Camp in South Africa, I told them my daughter had celiac disease and was on a gluten-free diet. “Not a problem,” I was told. “We’ve had several guests who eat gluten free.” So I relaxed a bit, knowing that Umlani was one of our last stops at the end of a 4-week trip.

Arriving at Umlani just in time for lunch, I was apprehensive, wondering what she would eat for the next 3 days. The light lunch was anything but: butternut squash and sweet potato soup with fresh bread, salad, pasta with sundried tomatoes, chicken and artichoke hearts in a creamy sauce, and cheese and chutney for dessert. The soup was gluten free but not the bread and not the pasta. Then the owner appeared with a small dish of gluten-free pasta made just for her.

Before the animal game drives, while everyone congregated in the boma for wheat rusks and coffee, my daughter drank the hot chocolate (after verifying that it was gluten free) and skipped the rusks or brought her own, bought in a supermarket near Kruger National Park.

At breakfast, she ate eggs, tomato, bacon, and fresh fruit and gluten-free muffins baked especially for her. When lunch included spring rolls for the rest of us, the chef cooked the spring roll ingredients in eggs and served it without the skin. When lunch included lasagna, a gluten-free potato version was offered instead. Sundowners (a stop for a cocktail in the bush as the sun was setting) included potato chips and biltong (which she avoided, just in case) and Appletisers or Grapetisers for the kids.

Dinners included pork on skewers with pineapple and apricots, vegetables and potatoes and salad; impala stew with veggies, polenta and salad, strawberries and cream for dessert; and chicken (made without bread crumbs for the gluten-free eaters), risotto, veggies and salad.

Eating gluten free was easy and delicious at Umlani. At no time did my daughter feel deprived. At no time did she feel nauseous or sick. Instead, she ate well like the rest of us, and maybe even gained a little weight.

Trip taken 2011.

Eating in Lesotho

/ Tara Taft / 2 Comments

I was apprehensive about our trip to Lesotho, not knowing what the food would be like, not knowing how I would communicate the need to eat gluten free in a language I didn’t speak. Every time I spoke to someone at World Vision by phone or in emails, I emphasized the need for my daughter to eat gluten free. The last thing I wanted to do was offend the family of our sponsored child as they fed us a meal. On the other hand, I didn’t want my daughter to get sick!

Before we left, I researched the food of Lesotho and was relieved to learn that their diet consists mainly of corn, vegetables and meat. As we traveled to the World Vision offices, we reminded Julius, our translator, of my daughter’s dietary restrictions, and as we were served a feast, buffet style, we depended on another World Vision employee who was fluent in English and very articulate to ask the questions we would normally ask: “Does this dish contain any wheat or any flour or any bread crumbs?”

With the help of our World Vision friends, we learned which dishes contained gluten and which dishes our daughter should avoid. We put our trust in their understanding and in the translation, and she never got sick. This is what we ate:

  • Roasted chicken wings, thighs and drumsticks
  • Nyekoe – sorghum, pumpkin and beans
  • Carrots with beans and curry spices
  • Beans with onion and carrots
  • Pumpkin (served like boiled squash)
  • Samp (aka pap) – finely ground maize boiled until stiff, similar to polenta
  • Lentils
  • Lipabi – ground roasted corn served for a snack
  • Motoho – a traditional porridge made from sorghum, similar to apple sauce in texture and in sweetness
  • Dried peaches
  • Bread (contained wheat)

Later that evening, we experienced our second Lesotho culinary experience while eating at our hotel’s restaurant in Butha Buthe. Accompanied by simple green salad and rice, we had a choice of chicken, T-bone steak, or rump roast. The meat was prepared simply, the chicken stir fried with peri peri spices and served with peach chutney. Delicious and gluten free. For breakfast at the hotel the next morning, we ate a traditional English style breakfast with cereal, yogurt, fruit and bread to start followed by eggs cooked to order, bacon and stewed tomatoes. Lunch the next day included chicken, beet salad, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and pineapple Fanta.

Avoiding gluten in Lesotho was easy, especially since wheat is not a traditional staple, but trusting in people and their understanding of our dietary restrictions was important for our peace of mind as well as the health and comfort of our daughter.

Trip taken August 2011.

Eating Gluten Free in South Africa

/ Tara Taft / 1 Comment

When my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease, I couldn’t imagine traveling in a country where I didn’t speak the language. How and what would she eat? Eleven years later, we were ready to give it a try, and though we don’t speak Xhosa or Sesotho or Afrikaans, our 4-week trip to South Africa and Lesotho was almost entirely gluten free.

Before we left:

  • We ordered a gluten-free meal for the plane but brought along snacks just in case.
  • I researched the type of food we were likely to encounter and learned that in the villages, maize (corn) is a staple (called pap).
  • I googled “gluten free in South Africa” and discovered that gluten-free products do exist in health food stores and in major supermarkets (Pick n Pay, Clicks, Woolworths) in the big cities.
  • We packed dried food meals that only require boiling water to cook (check out Trader Joe’s for a few gluten-free options). We also packed gluten-free oatmeal and lots of gluten-free bars (Think Thin and Lara bars).
  • We chose to “self cater” many nights which was a less expensive option than eating every meal out and gave us the opportunity to cook for ourselves.
  • When booking a bed and breakfast, I always asked what type of breakfast was included and told them that one of us ate gluten free.

What we discovered:

  • On the plane (we flew Lufthansa and South African Air), the specially ordered gluten-free main meal was always gluten free (e.g., salmon, rice and veggies with rice cake and fresh fruit or omelet with potatoes and fresh fruit). But the snacks were not (ham sandwiches on a roll with a granola bar or oatmeal cookies).
  • Just like in the U.S., each supermarket varies in the products it carries. We found gluten-free bread and crackers at Woolworths and gluten-free pasta at Pick n Pay. We found gluten-free bread and cookies at a small health food store in Cape Town’s Sea Point, gluten-free granola in the town of Ladybrand and even gluten-free rusks at a Pick n Pay just outside of Kruger National Park. Some supermarkets, especially Woolworths, carry ready-to-eat food which worked well for a spontaneous picnic lunch (cheese, fruit, veggies, hummus). Many brands carry gluten-free labels, and all ingredients were listed.
  • Having bars and dried gluten-free food gave us peace of mind and when dinner at the lodge was not gluten free, no worries, we just boiled up some water and cooked some freeze dried Indian food in minutes. GF cookies were handy as a substitute for the many wheat-based desserts (e.g., cake with custard sauce, milk tart, or apple crumble) we were served.
  • Breakfasts were easy. We ate several English breakfasts, complete with eggs cooked to order, stewed tomato, bacon and fruit. Just say no to the toast or pancakes on the side (and be sure to check for cross contamination).

When we didn’t speak the language, there was always some one who did. Since English was not the first language of our translators, we had to put some faith and trust in them. In the villages, the people cooked simply from whole foods so we rarely had to worry about hidden ingredients (e.g., barley malt). When we told them no flour and no bread crumbs, the first response was always, “Shame!” but they listened and told us when a meal was not gluten free. Though we carried paper bags with us and Pepto Bismo and Tums, there was never a need. In 4 weeks of traveling throughout South Africa, my daughter never got sick and never went hungry.