Making my way through the planets: Venus Restaurant Review

Hello Friends!

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but haven't got around to it. Without further ado, here is my review on Venus!

~~~

After many months of wanting to try Venus, I finally got the chance to try it out with one of my good friends, Debbie. (On a side note, I think it’s pretty funny to see how many restaurants and bars in Berkeley that are named after planets- Jupiter, Saturn and now Venus. I’m waiting for the other planets to open up!)

Venus is a cozy American fusion restaurant, situated on Shattuck and tucked into the walls of the street. They specialize in high quality farm-to-table cuisine and attract many street strollers in for a meal with their savory menu items. We headed in around 7:30PM and the place was packed! The restaurant is already limited in space with crammed tables and customers rubbing elbows with their strangers next to them. Despite the cramped space, the aroma from the kitchen was incredibly inviting and we took our seats without much complaint.

After looking at the menu, Debbie decided on the Mandarin Lemongrass Hoffman Farm Chicken and I chose the Butternut Squash Napoleon that I had been previously eyeing before I came into the restaurant. The great thing about the menu is that the items that are gluten free are marked clearly and so that took out much of the guesswork and questioning I usually have to do.

We waited around 15-20 minutes until we got our food. Here’s a look at our dishes:

  

Layered ricotta and parmesan cheese, spinach, shallots, and butternut squash with a pistachio and saffron cream

Chicken with basmati rice and wilted kale 

My dish was just perfection in my mouth! The butternut squash was sweet and tender, swimming in a sea of rich cream and melted cheese. The garlic roasted vegetables on the side were a nice touch in contrast to the heaviness of the main dish.

Debbie’s dish was a bit plain for the price. The chicken was tender, but without much flavor. The kale had minimal taste and was unimpressive. Of course, I venture to guess that the chicken dish is a healthier option in terms of calories, but I would order my squash dish again before I ordered this chicken.

All in all, I had a good time. The food was above average, the service well done, and our waters were consistently filled. The ambiance was decent enough, but still very crowded. The price is about $20 per person, which is not a typical college student type budget, so save Venus for a nice occasion. And as always, the company was the best part of my meal. J

Until next time,

Kris 

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Rangoon Superstar: Burmese Style Cuisine

Happy Thursday my friends! 

Thanks to the contributions of our US Presidents back in the day, I was able to happily enjoy my Monday off as well as a shortened week of school. I'm SO glad tomorrow is Friday! :)

Anyway, today's post is about Rangoon Superstar, a Burmese ethnic cuisine place down Telegraph Ave. My mom came to visit me and I wanted to take her to a place she has not tried before here in Berkeley. So at around dinner time, we found ourselves standing in front of Rangoon Superstar, ready to fill our tummies with delicious Burmese food. 

Rangoon Superstar is a branch off from Burmese Superstar, their main restaurant in Oakland. The food is similar with the exception that Rangoon tends to have more of a Thai style twist while Burmese has, well, Burmese style foods. The inside of Rangoon was very pleasant, with hardwood floors and floor to ceiling windows letting customers glance at the beautiful views of cars rushing past on a busy Thursday afternoon (hah, not really...). Well, the windows were nice even though the view could be improved. The place was smartly decorated with Burmese style art pieces and the lights were dimmed for a more enjoyable dining experience.  

I had previously read reviews about this place and they recommended the Tea Leaf Salad. And of course, when everyone raves about a food, I naturally have to try it for myself and be the judge. One thing I have to mention is that the service here is exceptional. Right when they put down the appetizer of shrimp chips, the waiter told us the allergens in the food!! (!!!) I know, right? This NEVER happens (at least at the places I go to!) 

So, as you can imagine, I'm thoroughly impressed (and I haven't even ordered anything yet!) The waiters were all very nice and attentive to our needs. My water glass was never empty for more than 5 minutes. I mean, if that isn't great service, I don't know what is! 

My mom and I decided that we had to try the popular Tea Leaf salad and we also ordered the mango chicken. The waiter asked us if our party had any food allergens (rare, I know!) and I told him that I had a wheat/gluten allergy. He immediately went to the kitchen to inform the chef of this and came back and said the mango chicken had a little bit of wheat in the mango puree sauce. He asked me how sensitive I was and since I know my sensitivity level is pretty low, I went ahead and ordered it. Since my track record has been decent with cross-contamination, I figured a tiny bit in the sauce wouldn't hurt much. Again, I want to make a brief disclaimer that if you are very sensitive, pick a different menu item or do not eat here. I'm sure since the service was so great that the waiters would help you find something that is suitable. I feel a bit guilty to my body, but I really wanted that mango chicken because I just adore mangoes! 

The tea salad came out first. Here is a snapshot before the waiter mixed the salad together: 

 

The tea leaf salad is an authentic, popular Burmese dish that has romaine greens, beans, tomatoes, peanuts, fried garlic, sesame seeds, shrimp powder, a squeeze of lemon topped off with Burmese tea leaves. The presentation was very colorful and quite attractive. I was excited to dig in. 

Unfortunately, I did not like the salad that much. I blame it on my preference for sweetness and the fact that I am not familiar with traditional Burmese food. The salad was more on the savory side with a bit of sourness from the lemon, crunch from the fried garlic and nuts, and bitterness from the tea leaves. If you enjoy those flavors over sweet then you would probably enjoy this salad. I admit that I was unaccustomed to the taste and could not fully appreciate the complexity of flavors. I hope that one day I may be able to enjoy this dish when I acquire a broader range of taste buds than the ones I have now. Of course, years later, I still might not enjoy this dish, but only time will tell. 

The mango chicken came out a bit later. Here is a nice picture:

  

The mango chicken is originally spicy, but since my stomach is not good at handling spicy foods because of its delicate nature, we decided to go for mild spice and err on the side of caution. Apparently mild means no spice, so it came out not spicy at all and mostly sweet. I enjoyed the sweetness because of my sweet tooth, but my mom thought it was only average. The fresh green mango in the chicken had a delightful crunch yet soft, sweet insides. The chicken was very tender, although a bit lukewarm. Not my idea of a good chicken. Chicken, in my opinion, should have some steam when it comes out. But that may just be me. I like foods that are hot when they come out of the kitchen. 

All in all, Rangoon had average food with nice decor and excellent service. The service really saved my impression of this place. If not, I would not even think of coming back. When their food improves (ie, get a new chef), and the service remains the same, you'll be sure to see me sitting at Rangoon eating my meal and staring out those floor to ceiling windows gazing at the magnificent view of traffic on Telegraph Ave. 

Take care and until next time,

Kris

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Saturn Cafe

Greetings my dear readers!

I hope your holiday season was lovely and full of tasty food, fun and other shenanigans. My last semester at Berkeley has already started and I must say I have a rather nasty case of senioritis and the work has not even begun yet!

Today, I wanted to share another foodie destination spot that most Berkeley folk have eaten at or passed by on the way to class near the Starbucks on Center and Oxford. I’m talking about Saturn Café. I was one of those students who always passed by the retro looking place and thought it too hipster for my taste even though it has the words “GLUTEN FREE FOODS” glaring at me from the shop windows. Saturn Café also is famous for serving vegan and vegetarian friendly foods as well.

I was back in Berkeley one week before classes started and my good friend, Jen, called me up and asked me if I would like to have dinner. And when someone asks me to go to dinner with them, I almost always say yes (well, unless it is an impromptu visit to Chez Panisse at which point I would run and hide my wallet!) As we were searching for dinner selections, Saturn Café popped up in my mind and I offered the suggestion. Next thing I know, I’m sitting down in one of those retro booths with colors screaming from every direction ready to try out this restaurant that I have always glanced at as a passerby but never found the will to go in.

Once Jen arrived and we received our menus, both of us unanimously decided that the Crunchy Potato Taco Plate was the best thing on the menu so we ordered two plates.

Close up shot of our Crunchy potato taco plate

I seem to always wear this shirt to go to new restaurants! 

I think now I know why I never had too much of an inclination to go to this restaurant beyond a minor interest. The food did not really impress me at all and reminded me of food I could easily make at home. The tacos were nice and crunchy but we were only given two small tacos (hardly could satisfy my rather voracious appetite that day), the black beans were simply opened from a can, scooped and warmed up, and the salad was fresh but without much substance. I could get more selection on my salad at the dining commons. One thing that was nice was that all the salad dressings are gluten free- I tried the cilantro lime dressing which had a pretty nice taste.

Overall, service was slow (although I didn’t mind as much because I was too busy chatting up a storm) but the waitress was nice and kept our waters filled. Food was average and they could really use some interior upgrading. I had to move booths because the one the waitress seated us at had a huge slash through the fabric revealing the yellow foam on the bottom. The price is also a bit expensive considering they didn’t give us much food- however, I understand why they have to mark it higher seeing as how they market themselves as a specialty diner.

Next food adventure, I think I’ll skip the glittery columns and the retro themed music and just save up for my long awaited trip to La Note, Gather or Chez Panisse. Although, I wouldn’t count Saturn Café out just yet because I found out they actually have seasonal gluten free cupcakes!

Many thanks to Jen for her company and the gorgeous pics! The pics make the plate look infinitely better.

Until next time,

Kris

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Sweet Treats for my Gfree Peeps- Halloween Edition!

Hi All!

I know this is super late, but as Halloween is tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to write about safe candies for gfreers to eat. 

Most candies are usually gluten free except for ones that have cookie bits or other flour products inside the candy or are processed in a facility that also processes wheat. Here is a non-exhaustive list of safe and not safe products to eat: 

GLUTEN FREE CANDY

• Baby Ruth
• Butterfinger Original
• Laffy Taffy - this stuff is nastyyy in my opinion (no offense to LT lovers out there! I still love you, don't worry. Oh and I always threw away the banana flavor for some reason. Did anyone else do that??)
• Milk or dark chocolate plain
• M&Ms original (other M&Ms might have cross contamination so check the label!!)
• 3 Musketeers Bar
• Milky Way- Midnight and caramel 
• Dove chocolate (YUM)
• Snickers bar
• Tootsie rolls (these things get stuck to my teeth really bad... therefore not my #1 choice)
• Dots
• Junior Mints
• Tootsie Pops
• Andes
• Smarties
• Almond Joy 
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses
• Heath Bars
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
• York Peppermint pattie
• Jelly Belly (has anyone tried any of those Harry Potter flavors and LIKED it? Comment below!)
• Mike and Ike
• Most gummies (gummy worms, gummy bears etc)
• Candy Corn

NON-GFREE CANDY (and therefore not delicious and you shouldn't ever buy them) hahaha jk, but no, really don't buy them.

• All the Butterfingers besides original (yeah I never liked Butterfinger anyway)
• Wonka Nerds
• Sweetarts 
• 100 Grand Bar
• Milky Way original (why they would not make the original bar gluten free is beyond me)
• Mars Bar (anyone know what this is??) 
• Hershey's Cookies 'N' Creme Bar (I used to love this so much... goodbye old friend...)
• Mr. Goodbar
• Symphony Bar
• Crunch bars (malt in crunchy rice bits)

As always, READ THE LABEL. I can never stress this enough. Also, call the company if you are unsure about anything at all. They should be able to answer most of your questions. And if you just don't want to do the previous, just use common sense! 

And that's it! Happy Halloween to all and stay safe everyone! 

And now some candy pics to get you pumped for whatever you're doing on Halloween. Enjoy! 

GUMMIES!!! Aren't they cute?

An army of gummies!

A handful from this bowl multiplied by 100+ houses gives you...

A PILE OF CANDY YOU CAN DIVE INTO

 *Photo credits to Google search. These are not my photos.

~Kris

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Are we getting too sensitive??

Hi everyone!

So, I admit that I've been absolutely terrible at keeping up with the blog posts. I hate to use the phrase, 'life happens' because that would just be an even more terrible excuse as to why I haven't been posting. I believe that in life, if something is important to you, you WILL make time for it. No excuses. No if, ands, or buts.

Although my sorry excuse of not having time to post kinda is the truth, I think it's because there hasn't been a great deal of inspiration for me to write. Until last week.

I was at an event for one of my clubs and the idea struck me out of the blue.

Here it is: Why are celiacs or those on a gluten free diets so damn sensitive? 

Okay, so maybe I didn't need to use the word 'damn' but I think it just goes to show how much I didn't realize how sensitive I was about my own diet and people's opinions about it.

Let me key you in on this. Everyone knows that those with restricted diets who have to watch every single morsel that goes in their mouth have a difficult time finding safe, allergen friendly foods. But, where do we, as celiacs or gfree dieters, draw the line between not caring about our diet at all and caring too much? And is there even a possibility to care "too much"? It is our health in any case.

I'll give you an example: my family has been so supportive since my diagnosis and start of my gluten free diet. But on occasion, I'll get some of these comments:

Why are you being so picky? That's why you're so skinny and can't gain weight. 

A little bit is not going to hurt you- stop being so scared of everything. 

Etc etc the list goes on. So, how do I react to this? Of course, I react defensively. Here I am, having to eat a restricted diet that is hard as hell to follow and my own family is telling me how I should eat and making sneering comments about my diet and ultimately my personality. Sometimes, I'll get moments of complete support, almost over-supportive, and other times I'll get the comments above or get sarcastic replies to my questions of "Can I eat this? Is this safe?"

I get it. It's frustrating for those who aren't on a specialized diet to cater to those that are. Over the weekend, I learned a phrase that is surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) fit for this situation. It is from St. Francis who said, "...grant that I may not so much seek to be understood, as to understand." This quote symbolizes the traits of an effective listener, and in my case where I reacted defensively to my own family, I sought to be understood by them instead of trying to understand why they acted the way they did. This puts things in a whole new perspective.

For example, did I ever stop to think about how hard it would be for them to have to suddenly cater to a restricted diet? What about their own sacrifices in what they wanted to eat because they wanted to make me feel included so they perhaps sacrificed flavor, favorite foods or certain restaurants because of me? Did I ever think about how much they have already done for me and how much they have supported me thus far?

The answer is no. No, I really haven't. And now when I write this, I feel apologetic and guilty. Guilty for being defensive and for overreacting and self-victimizing myself.

So many celiacs I read about online and know in real life seem to self-victimize themselves. They have the mindset that no one can ever understand them, that they have to stick together because it's them against the world. But, I'm here to tell you that this mindset is so backwards. It actually hinders us from working toward a brighter, more accepting future for celiacs and those on gluten free diets.

If your friend gives you food with gluten, accept it with kindness and share it with someone who will enjoy it even if you can't eat it. It's not about the food, it's the thought that counts. If someone doesn't understand what gluten is or constantly forgets you're on a special diet, try not to take it personally. My motto is "educate, don't hate." If someone goes out of their way to cook something gluten free for you, don't sneer and give a disgusted face because you know it's full of cross contamination. Again, accept with kindness and graciousness knowing that in your heart, you are appreciative of their efforts to cater to you. Politely decline and give a thorough explanation without being overly sensitive. Remember that those who aren't on specialized diets will never truly understand what it's like to be on your diet, but appreciate those who make an effort to try and understand.

In the end, what I'm saying is again summed up by St. Francis's words: Seek to understand, not to be understood. So much of what we do and say powerfully affects the people around us. Be conscientious, be kind, and in the words of one of my good friends, always be charitable.     

~Kris 

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Ooh la La Med

Hello Everyone!

Sorry that I've been M.I.A. for a while now.. I've been battling final exams for my summer classes and getting ready to apply for dietetic internships for next year! It's funny to imagine that just 3 years ago I was a high school senior preparing for college and now in one years time, I'll be moving on to the next chapter of my crazy life. Where I'm going... I'm not really sure. All I know is that exciting things are coming up in the future and I can't wait to see where life takes me!

For this weeks post, we're going to yet another Mediterranean restaurant that I've personally always wanted to go to but never found time to visit: La Med!

La Med is one of the many restaurants and small stores up on College Ave toward Elmwood. The restaurant is cozy with a outdoor patio area and a decent size interior.

Okay, so moving onto the FOOD!!

La Med offers a gluten free and vegan menu and all the servers seem very knowledgeable and accommodating, which is always a plus in my book!

So, I heard from various classmates that the Pomegranate Chicken was the best dish in the house and that if you ever went to La Med, that was the go to. Luckily, the dish is entirely gluten free!! And so here it is in all its pomegranity glory!

The servers even threw in some gluten free crackers to go along with their very tasty hummus. :)

The gfree crackers are on the left! Too bad the flatbread isn't. 

In terms of the chicken, I thought the flavor was interesting- it was lightly flavored with a slight sour taste because of the pomegranate but I thought it wasn't mind-blowing. The taste was mediocre for all the positive reviews it got but hey, some nights the chicken could be better or worse, right? The chicken was also a bit dry in the middle which also got it dinged a few points.

For sides, they offer soup, green salad, or Armenian potato salad. I decided to try something different and go with the potato salad. It was pretty disappointing- it was all sour and I ended up throwing most of it out. Don't order the potato salad unless you enjoy sour tastes.

The rice pilaf (all gluten free) and the hummus were amazing though! I could have gone with more rice and hummus to replace the icky potato salad.

The crackers were similar to those grainy rice crackers sold at Whole Foods. Not too tasty but decent with the hummus.

Overall, the experience was good. I was impressed with the service although bummed by the food. I would probably try this place again if someone really wanted to go, but I wouldn't be back here once a week.

Alright! That's it for this week and look forward to more posts coming soon!

Kris

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Getting my Crepe fix at Crepevine!

Hellooo to all my foodies out there! It certainly has been awhile...I've missed all of you! 

Today, I wanted to write a quick post on a delicious gfree food adventure I went on with one of my good friends that I've had the pleasure of knowing since my freshman year at Cal. She was feeling particularly brunchy that evening and so my search for a place that serves brunch meals for dinner led me to a delicious find: Crepevine! 

An array of almost too much selection

 I had researched this restaurant previously to make sure that they would have gluten free options and when I saw that they did, I was one happy camper! 

Crepevine offers gluten free crepes, pasta and pancakes- a very pleasant surprise on my part! Although they offer tons of awesome gfree selections, they are very clear that their kitchens are NOT gluten free. There is a sign posted by the cash register that warns gfreers that there is a certain amount of cross contamination for gluten free crepes since they make it on the same stove as the wheat crepes. If you are very sensitive, it's best if you take caution before you eat anything here. I believe that this place also has salad options if you don't want to risk getting cross contaminated. 

I am fortunate that I am not that sensitive so I went ahead and got the gluten free crepe. Just FYI, the gluten free crepes are a $1 additional add on to whichever crepe you order. 

So I got a great suggestion from one of my other good friends to try the Santa Fe and so I did! The Santa Fe crepe has grilled chicken apple sausage with scrambled eggs, green onions, provolone and salsa fresca. I would say I enjoyed this crepe since I'm obsessed with chicken apple sausages (Ohmygodsogood)- however, it wasn't a woo hoo! instant favorite, but it definitely wasn't bad. I will certainly be back to try their other savory crepes.  

The Santa Fe with house potatoes and a side salad! HUGE PORTIONS! 

 My friend was also so kind as to treat me to a delicious gfree sweet dessert crepe called the Santorini. The presentation of the dessert crepe was lacking in my opinion, but the taste made up for that small hiccup. The Santorini has walnuts, pistachios, brown sugar, coconut, cinnamon and mascarpone wrapped in a lightly browned buttery crepe with a scoop of deliciously sweet and creamy vanilla ice cream and some soft whipped cream on the side. To tell you the truth, I was SO full at this point. But for some reason, no matter HOW full I am, there is always room for dessert. (:  

The Santorini- not a pretty presentation, but the flavor was SO amazing!!

 Many thanks to my beautiful friend, Jennifer, for feeding me delicious desserts and for her wonderful company! 

I think in the future all my profile pictures will be me posing with food. 

Until next time,
Kris

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Asha Tea House: Finally!! And some announcements... :)

After I wrote my Boba in Berkeley post, I figured that if I didn't get my butt down to Asha Tea House now, I never would.  

Why you may ask?

Well, that's simple. I'm lazy to walk, I'm a cheap college student and I know boba is unhealthy. Most days, at least one of the three apply.  

But I knew today was a good day to get boba because 1) my lovely friend, Mayra, was driving, 2) I didn't feel that cheap today, and 3) I had a "screw-the-unhealthy-part-of-boba" mentality. So off to Asha I went! 

Beautiful interior with lovely tea selections to match

The Tea Board

I yelped this place beforehand to see what their signature drink was and it turned out to be this lovely fellow: behold, The Matcha Green Latte with Pearls 

I didn't really know if I would like matcha flavored stuff, but it turns out that I do. I wouldn't recommend it to people who like syrupy tastes more than tea flavor because this drink is not that sweet (with the exception of the sweet tapioca balls) and the matcha chunks are bitter. I like it because I absolutely adore green tea, but hey, it might not be your thing. If that's the case, I would go with one of their other milk teas or fruit teas. But, the catch is that you MUST enjoy the taste of tea. Asha's is like the Peets of the coffee world. If you want strong coffee you go to Peets instead of Starbucks. Similarly, if you want good strong tea, go to Asha's instead of some random boba place in South Berkeley. The drivewalkbusbikeanymodeoftransportationtogetthere is worth it. Trust me. 

And I have to thank the lovely ladies who accompanied me. 

Cal Dining 4 Lyfe! 

Posing with my tea. Because that's what everyone does when they get boba, right?

Asha was well worth the wait after all this time. I stand behind my rating of 4.5/5 one hundred percent. I'm excited to go back and sample some more drinks! 

*********************************************************************************

Okay, so announcements! 

First of all, I apologize for not getting a post out every week. I've got a busy summer schedule, but I do plan on blogging as often as possible. It gets hard sometimes to find inspiration, but when I do, bam, you get your post. So, please be patient with me! I appreciate it!

Also, next post by me should be some type of article/you get to read my thoughts/rants/opinions on gluten free lifestyle and such. Those types of posts are my favorite, but if all our readers out there would like to shoot some ideas over to me, I would be happy to consider writing about those as well. 

Until next post,

Kris 

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Boba in Berkeley!

Helloooo everyone!!

I hope all of you are well and are enjoying summer as much as I am! Speaking of summer, one of my favorite beverages to drink during this hot season is bubble tea or boba. For those of you who are unfamiliar with bubble tea, let me give you a quick introduction!

Boba was first invented in one of Taiwan's tea shops around the 1980s and has skyrocketed in popularity since then. Bubble milk tea is a sweet tea base mixture typically accompanied by milk or fruit. Tea flavors can range from the classic black to green/jasmine to Thai etc. Milk tea can be served hot or cold and can have different consistencies depending on what toppings you put into your drink and if you have a fruit flavored tea vs a milk tea. Most of these teas are also accompanied by small, chewy and sweet tapioca balls otherwise known as "pearls" or the name we mentioned earlier, "boba." The best part of all? Most bubble teas and tapioca are gluten free! I must confess that these drinks are a guilty pleasure of mine- chalk full of sugar and calories but oh so delish... :)

This post will be your guide to discovering the world of boba and all the selection we have in Berkeley I have personally tried or want to try! Enjoy!

The Classic Pearl Milk Tea

Bubble Tea Sample Menu      
1) TEAS*
Black
Green/Jasmine
Thai 
Fruit flavored tea (pomegranate, passion fruit, peach, mango, strawberry etc)
Coffee/Mocha
Taro
Almond
Lavender 
*Powder or brewed tea. Most fruit flavored ones contain syrup.

Tapioca balls

2) TOPPINGS
Pearls (tapioca balls)
Small pearls
Fruit flavored jellies (apple, mango, rainbow etc)
Coffee flavored jellies
Pudding 
Sweet red beans

Rainbow jellies!!

BERKELEY BOBA
1) Moccaccino Cafe
A great place if you're first starting out drinking boba. The drinks are cheap especially if you get the drink special of $3.15 for 2 drinks. With this place, you get what you pay for- cheap drinks have a more watery consistency, less tea flavor and a lots of sugar. But considering the price, if you love it you will think its a steal, if you hate it, then you wouldn't have wasted much money. It's a win-win.
Rating: 2.5/5

2) Honeyberry
Famous for its boba bar and freshly baked roti buns (a type of sweet Asian pastry-not gfree though..), Honeyberry can stand as a competitor against Moccaccino. The featured boba bar allows you to load up on toppings while paying a standard price. The drinks are a decent price but definitely more than Moccaccino's. I like the concept of the boba bar, but since the toppings are left out they get somewhat dry and hard. Not my idea of a good boba. Also, the teas are a bit artificial tasting although not watery. I would only come here if you like toppings more than tea. If that's you, look no further!
Rating: 2.75/5

3) Quickly's
Quickly's is a chain store so their tastes are very chain store like. Their milk teas sell at a decent price (around $3), but Moccaccino stands on top with the lowest prices in Berk for milk teas. Quickly's uses a soy based powder that makes their drinks taste a bit funky if you're not into soy flavors, but the creamy taste is not objectionable. Quickly's is another Berk student favorite for those late night boba cravings.
Rating: 2.75/5

4) Sweethearts
Let me just say, I can't give a non-bias review for this place because my experiences here were just dreadful. On two separate occasions, my friend and I somehow got dead insects in our drinks (flies and ants) and the lady who worked the front register tried to convince us it was tapioca or a tea leaf. Since then, I have never gone back and I have told everyone not to give them your business. Unless you're in dire need for some protein in bug form, then by all means, I won't hold you back. But, just so you know, there are cleaner ways to fulfill your protein needs.
Rating: 1/5 (I want to give it a zero, but I guess the tea was bearable).

5) Lotus House
This is a Chinese restaurant that sells boba as a part of a drink special for ordering one of their meals. The drinks are as terrible as their food. I can't believe this place is still running (no offense to those of you who dig this place). The tapioca is hard as hell when you let it sit even for 30 minutes. The tea is unspectacular and clearly, not memorable.
Rating: 1/5

6) Sheng Kee Bakery
Ahh, Berkeley finally came to their senses and built a Sheng Kee right in the heart of student activity. I mean with the school housing more than 50% Asian, you know that this was a right move when you see hordes of Asians lining out the door enticed by the familiar scents of sweet Asian pastries. Unfortunately, Sheng Kee does not offer any gluten free products (save for naturally gluten free foods), BUT they do serve boba that is not half bad. The tea is pre-made, dispensed out of containers and you have an unlimited choice of toppings but the amount of the toppings is left up to their discretion. SK boba is a bit too sweet for me and the ratio between tea and boba is 3:1 so I always end up drinking all the tea and have a mountain of boba left on the bottom of my cup. For the price of $2.99, and some interesting tea blends, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and leave by saying their boba is not too shabby.
Rating: 3.5/5

7) Tea Fever
If anyone who comes to Berkeley asks me to recommend good boba places, I'll tell them to go to Tea Fever. Tea Fever ranks among one of the top boba places in my book to have a pleasant tasting boba for a relatively pleasant price. Their boba sells for around $3.15 and they offer some fun flavors like almond and lavender for example. They don't have different jellies but their tea is the highlight, not the add ins.
Rank: 4/5

8) Ucafe
You know, I'm starting to see a trend of pretty average teas for high prices. Ucafe does not escape this description. Their teas are pretty watered down and unspectacular as far as I can tell. They sell Asian pastries too, but at this rate, I'm almost positive that Sheng Kee will take them down unless they can step up their game.
Rank: 2.5/5

9) Asha Tea House
The one place everyone tells me to go to, but I haven't gone yet. I've been dying to try this place out because I'm a huge fan of authentic and strong teas and I heard that they really deliver in this department. If the tapioca is good, then that's another plus in my book. Let me know if any of you have tried this place and what you recommend!
Rating: TBD

And that's it! I hope this guide to Berkeley boba was helpful and I really encourage everyone gives this list a try except for the ones that got a 1 star rating. Those I would religiously avoid.

Treat yourself to this delicious Asian drink during this summer and keep one piece of advice in mind: when you're drinking boba, calories don't exist! =) Have fun boba drinking!

~Kris

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Help! I'm being bullied because I have Celiacs!

There has been recent news in the gluten free world surrounding a phrase I coin as "celiac bullying." This type of bullying has actually been around for a while now, but just recently has taken a disturbing turn of events.
Now we have the Today Show hosts poking fun and disrespecting those who have food allergies saying that gluten free men are a "turnoff" to them and those who ask what's in their food are picky eaters and not "manly." Also, the Disney Channel aired an episode of Jessie called "Quitting Cold Koala" that featured some not-so-funny gluten free diet jokes that grossly distorted the seriousness of celiac disease and strict gluten free diets. Luckily, with all the hard work of the celiac community and advocates of legitimate gluten free diets, the Disney Channel has pulled that episode off the air. (Come on, Disney, I expected a little bit more from you than this). Besides these two incidents, I'm hearing news of bullying occurring in middle schools and high schools across the country. Bullying includes anything from throwing gluten filled foods at those who eat gluten free diets, purposefully offering children with celiac disease foods with gluten, and even the unwillingness of adults in those schools to offer proper accommodations to these children.  

Okay, seriously, what is going on with the world today? This is just plain ridiculous. Either us celiacs are getting way too sensitive or the rest of the population is just getting stupider. I'm going to bank on the latter.

Since my diagnosis, I have fortunately been lucky enough to not have experienced much of this "celiac bullying" that is running rampant nowadays. I believe this lack of bullying is because my current surroundings and community are of academia and those who are in higher education tend to have a greater respect for me and my specialized diet. It also helps that I live in Berkeley- a very friendly place for gfreers!

But in all seriousness, this type of bullying is making me lose faith in humanity. I mean, would you poke fun at diabetes or breast cancer? MS or asthma? No, you wouldn't, because these medical conditions are serious and potentially life threatening.

Well, celiac disease is the same. If left untreated, individuals can suffer for their entire lives and end up with life threatening cancers and other diseases. I don't see anyone laughing now.

Gluten free diets are quickly snowballing into another one of Hollywood's infamous fad diets. Well, let me tell  you, it would be absolutely disgusting to see gluten free diets compared to the grapefruit diet. One is essential for those who are diagnosed with celiacs and the other is just one of many failed fad diets followed by the ignorant.

As someone who is diagnosed with celiac disease, and I believe I can speak for T as well, this type of bullying is completely unacceptable and should be stopped immediately. We are talking about influencing the future generation of kids who, if this continues, will think that making fun of kids who can't help their genetics is acceptable and that kids who have celiacs will be forever destined to be ridiculed and brought up in an environment that is not supportive of their needs. It is also scientifically proven that those who have celiac disease tend to have more suicidal thoughts as well and frequently enter into bouts of depression and feelings of low self worth. Think about it. If we let this continue, we may have an even larger issue at hand.

At the end of the day, I'm not trying to point fingers. I fully understand those who are ignorant of celiac disease- hey, I used to be one of them. But, if you don't really know anything about what you're going to talk about, let alone poke fun at, save yourself the embarrassment and just keep your mouth shut.

For those who are being bullied right now or know someone close to you who is, please don't keep silent about it. Tell someone you trust that this is happening- you have a support group out there waiting to help you (including T and myself!!). Keep your head up and stay positive!

Besides, those who bully celiacs now will realize later exactly how idiotic their words and actions were. And if not, don't worry. You can always live with the satisfaction that their stupidity will not go overlooked.

Links to the stories referenced above:
1) Disney channel gluten jokes
http://www.teen.com/2013/05/22/news/entertainment-news/disney-channel-jessie-gluten-free-episode-pulled/

2) Hoda and Kathy Lee on the Today Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ueO0ttT33Qk     


       

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Gfree in Socal!

Hello all!

I just recently got back from a 4 day Socal vacation with my family and I am happy to say that it was a very pleasant trip! We went to the typical touristy places like the San Diego Zoo and of course, Disneyland!!

As always with vacationing, eating on a special gluten free diet certainly has its challenges. However, I was able to successfully eat gluten free for the entirety of the trip and didn't get sick! Yay!

For this post, I want to share some of the restaurants/eateries I went to that either offered gluten free accommodations or had plenty of gluten free dishes. I found that Socal is actually pretty friendly to celiacs if you do your research and know where to go.

Before I launch into the restaurants, here are some quick tips for all gfreers planning on vacationing:

• Do your research! Figure out if there are any gfree accommodations around the area you are vacationing. You can use a handy app called, Find me Gluten Free, available on all smartphones to look up gfree friendly restaurants and eateries. Pretty cool, huh? 
• Bring snacks! This is a cardinal rule. You must always bring snacks just in case you find yourself in a pinch without food you can eat. 
• Be prepared for some cross contamination! If you're not preparing your own food, there is always a chance for cross contamination. Use your best judgment and make wise decisions regarding how much contamination is acceptable for you. 
• Don't be afraid to ask for clarification on menu or food items! Many times during the trip, I got lazy and thought that a certain sauce or food would be fine for me to eat just based on my knowledge of naturally gluten free foods. However, gluten is tricky and just because it's not visible doesn't mean it's not there. I would take the most precaution on sauces. Ask for clarification on if a dish is gluten free if you are unsure. You won't regret it, trust me! 

Okay, so here we go! These are grouped by location.

SAN DIEGO
Lucha Libre Taco Shop, Mission Hills 

Mahi Mahi fish taco. OMG SO GOOD!

Carne Asada taco with guacamole and Pico de Gallo

Fresh handmade tortilla chips and dips

So, I was told by several friends of mine who are from the Socal area that Mexican food is to die for. Well, I must say that they were totally right. I died from sheer food happiness when I put that Mahi Mahi fish taco in my mouth. I have never tasted a fish taco that good before! The best part? Mexican food is almost 100% gluten free save for flour tortillas. Flour tortillas are overrated anyway. =P  

LOS ANGELES 
Din Tai Fung Dumpling House, Arcadia

Steamed House Beef Soup

Chicken Fried Rice minus the soy sauce

DTF famous dumplings. Unfortunately, not gfree, but they sure smell good :)

Not from DTF but from the dessert shop in the same plaza called, Phoenix Desserts. This is a sampler plate of gfree mochi. Flavors from left to right are: red bean, black sesame, mango (my fav!!), and taro. 

Din Tai Fung is a family favorite. Every time my family travels down to Socal, we make it a point to stop at DTF for dinner and to eat their famous steamed dumplings made fresh right in their kitchen. Unfortunately, those steamed dumplings are off limits to me now, but the good news is that DTF has a gluten free menu!! Let me tell you I was SO surprised and elated that they knew about gluten free diets and were so accommodating. There is hope for gfree Chinese restaurants in the future!!! Anyway, you can check out their website or go to any of their locations and on the menu, next to a gfree item will be a GF notation marking the dish as gluten free. This is so awesome on so many levels. Most of the dishes that are gluten free are fried rice with no soy sauce, soups, and some noodle dishes.

 Disneyland California Adventure Park, Anaheim

Chicken Rice Bowl with seared vegetables and lemon sauce

Disney dessert time with Mocha almond fudge and the waffle cone on the side

Really gross and sweaty by the end of the day...but ice cream fixes everything!

The novelty of Disneyland really never dies even after all these years. It must have been at least 10 years since I had last visited the Disneyland in Anaheim. We decided to go to California Adventure instead of Disneyland though because we knew that Disneyland would have WAY more people than its sister park just because it was Saturday and Memorial Weekend. It didn't matter much to me because I was able to go to the HK Disneyland this past Christmas so my Disneyland visit after all these years can finally have a check mark next to it!

Disneyland was super accommodating for gluten free diets. If you need or want to bring gfree snack foods into the park, according to their website, all you have to do is tell the attendant at the security bag check that you have a specialized diet and they'll let you take your food in. And that's it! There is no need to prove that you have celiacs with a written doctor's note or anything like other theme parks. It makes me love Disney that much more!

Once inside the park, when you are ready to order food, simply let the cashier know that you have a specialized gluten free diet and that you would like to know which items on the menu are safe to eat. My family and I ended up eating Greek food at the Opa! festival that Disney was having. Most Greek food is gluten free, but it is best to ask for clarification. What happens is that the cashier will notify the servers inside who will notify the chef or restaurant manager who will come out and let you know which foods are safe to eat. I had excellent service and they were very knowledgeable and helpful. Another plus for Disney! Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of my beautiful Greek dish- I believe it was a Lemon oregano chicken on a bed of white rice (they switched out the rice pilaf), a cucumber salad with creamy tzatziki sauce- I got too excited and wolfed it all down. Oops!

For dinner, I chose to eat a rice bowl. I went through the same process again and asked the chef to come out. The Asian rice bowl sauces all contained gluten so the chef specially prepared a lemon sauce for me to pour over the rice. Delicious, light and certainly much healthier than if the rice bowl was slathered with calorie rich sauce!

Downtown Disney, Rainforest Cafe 

Tuscan chicken with a balsamic, sun-dried tomato sauce accompanied with creamy red skinned mashed potatoes and fresh cucumber salad with kalamata olives and sweet red peppers

For our last day in Socal, we decided to continue our Disney adventures by checking out Downtown Disney. We ended up eating at one of my favorite themed restaurants, Rainforest Cafe! Rainforest Cafe is intricately designed with a Mayan temple structure, indoor aquariums, fake rainforest animals all amid a wildlife soundtrack. Although RC is beautifully decorated inside and out, it is on the pricier side with meals starting at $20 per person and a long wait time for food. However, I was happy despite those things because I got my special gfree accommodations! I asked for which items on the menu were gluten free and the restaurant manager came out and pointed out which dishes were safe to eat and alterations for other dishes. Did you know you can get the burgers gluten free? Just order it without the bun and you're good to go!

In conclusion to this long post, I hope this was helpful for those thinking about vacationing in Socal and all the wonderful food options you have available to you! I can't wait to visit again and try out even more delicious restaurants and eateries.

Until then, happy travels and have a great start to your summer!
Kris

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The Potato Gratin!

Hi everyone!
Finals are finally over for me and looking back on this semester, it has certainly been a journey! I still can't believe I'm going to be a senior next year!!  

Today's post will be a quick recipe post since I know some of you have been asking for more recipes and I recently made a potato gratin dish for my church banquet last week. It was the first time I made it and it turned out fairly well for the most part, but I'm looking forward to making it taste even better the next time around! Enjoy!

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 potatoes (russet or gold) -try to aim for around the same size for each potato
1 pint of heavy cream
1-2 garlic cloves
1-3 tbsp butter
Salt and black pepper
1 cup of shredded cheese (optional)
Thyme
Sprig of Rosemary
Nutmeg

Materials
1 standard casserole dish
Mandolin (can use a sharp knife if you don't have this)

Instructions
1) Preheat your oven to 365F (185C).
2) Prepare the casserole dish by spreading softened butter to grease the pan. Crush one or two cloves of garlic and rub the garlic cloves into the pan to let the juices mix with the butter. Save the garlic and finely chop- we will add this to the cream sauce.
3) Now it's time to prepare the potatoes! Wash and begin peeling the potatoes. Take your mandolin and slice the potatoes into round about 1/8th inch thick. We want the potatoes to be almost paper thin. If you don't have a mandolin, you must slice the potatoes by hand. My advice is to use a sharp knife and meticulously cut each potato into rounds as thin as you can get it while trying to keep each piece even in thickness.
4) After you finish slicing the potatoes, begin layering them in your casserole dish. Layer them so they lay on top of each other like.. fish scales? (that's all I could think of to describe this!) Fill the bottom of the pan until there is no empty space left.
5) Generously add salt and pepper to the first potato layer and to each subsequent layer as you move up. Continue layering and adding salt and pepper until you have no more potatoes left.
6) Time to prepare the cream sauce! In a separate bowl, pour out the heavy cream and add the chopped garlic cloves you used to flavor the casserole dish. Add one ground nutmeg, a sprig of rosemary and some thyme. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Mix together to combine.
7) Take your cream sauce and then pour it evenly over your casserole dish. Give your dish a little shake to even out the sauce distribution.
8) Take shredded cheese (optional) and add generously to the top of the potatoes.
9) Cover your pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 45 minutes to a hour. After 1 hour, take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes to allow for the cheese to brown to a nice golden brown  color.
10) Remove from oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

And there you have it! A beautiful potato gratin and a wonderful side dish to complement any meal. :)
I hope all of you give it a try and if you do, let me know in the comments or on facebook how it turned out!

So tasty and creamy!! 

Kris

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How often do you cheat?

So, what's the honest answer? Once, twice, three times? Or... is it too many times to possibly count?

Unfortunately, the last answer would be my honest answer. 

And no, I'm not talking about cheating on exams and the sort... well, even if I did, you would never know and I would never tell. 

AHEM. Well, no one's perfect yeah? :p  

Okay, so what am I talking about here? I am talking about cheating on your gluten free diet. 

Cheating, in this case, is purposefully breaking the strict oath you have taken as a gfreer to not consume any gluten containing products or use any dishes/utensils that have potential cross contamination and suffering the consequences afterward. 

Why in the world would anyone want to do that and risk their health?? 

That's actually a really good question to which I have some viable answers: 

First of all, no gfreer wants to be the spotlight of your dinner party/gathering with food. We can't help awkwardly standing out already since we have a restricted diet- yep, we're the ones analyzing the potluck food asking questions about what's in the sauce and holding up the line. <--I'm reallllyy good at that! But, hey sometimes, we cheat. And by cheat I mean if a food looks essentially gluten free except for maybe the sauce, some of us will eat it. I do. Sometimes I feel sick afterward, sometimes I have no reaction. It's really up to my GI tract's mood. The main point is, we do it to fit in. Which brings me to my next point...

Sometimes us gfreers find ourselves in a situation where the words "celiac disease" and "gluten" are non-existent. This has happened to me quite a few times when I eat at Asian restaurants or when I travel to Asian countries. NOBODY, and I repeat, NOBODY will know what you are talking about when you say you get stomach aches when you eat gluten. And although I could give them one of those nifty gfree dining cards, I bet you 10 million (well, if I had that much) that they would give me the wtf face and turn me away. So, what do I do? I cheat. I eat the stuff that's coated with soy sauce (although I try realllly hard to dip it in tea or wipe it off with a napkin before pushing it in my mouth). I eat gluten when I have no other choice. I eat it when it would be rude not to and when I'm not in the position to be making demands for food preparation. I do it so I seem like everyone else and not labeled as a "picky eater." 

I guess it can be difficult for those outside of the celiac circle to fully understand the plights of the gfreer, but I'm not expecting them to know everything there is to know about celiac disease and gluten. Although, if you make an honest and sincere effort to learn about it, let's just say that I will regard you highly. In other words, let's be best friends!! :) 

You know, one of the things I have learned since being on the diet is to be as accommodating and polite as possible while trying my best not to jeopardize my health and well being. One exposure to gluten, depending on the sensitivity of the individual, can take weeks or years to heal. I know that very well, yet I still do it. 

At the end of the day, it's impossible for me to be entirely gluten free unless I live in a cave (aka my apartment) and cook for myself all the time and never go out to eat... ever. And if I did, I would be the weirdo who would whip out some Tupperware, dump it on my plate and call it a day. Heck, maybe I'd eat right out of the container. 

Okay, mayyybe I wouldn't do that. At least not in public. The reality? I'd suggest a change of venue or eat beforehand and suggest a safe dessert place. 

Ahh, the subtle ways us gfreers can manipulate food choices!

Anyway, stay safe all you gfreers out there- make good choices and don't use me as a role model in this case. Everything else nice and good about my habits you can take, but do me a favor and leave my cheating habits behind if you can.  

After all, no one likes a cheater! 

-Kris

  

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Friday night thoughts and a Sample Menu!

Happy Friday (soon to be Saturday) everyone! 

I do hope that all of you have been well this past week and are taking some time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate over the weekend. 

As for myself, things have been crazy busy with school wrapping up in less than 2 weeks and finals just around the corner. And then my junior year in college will be OVER! What?! Yes, I know... time goes by so quickly. 

Anyway, I was super excited to find out that Berkeley now has a gluten free club on campus called, glutenX (cool name, right?!), which is a support group for celiacs and gluten intolerant individuals! It's a fledgling club so far, but I have no doubt that it will grow into something amazing for future generations of Berkeley students who have gluten allergies. Yay for support groups! As a side note, if you are a incoming freshman to UCB or if you're a current UCB student with any interest in celiac disease, gluten or food allergies, I highly encourage y'all to check the club out. They also have a Facebook page too, so feel free to peruse and maybe ask some questions, if you have any!    

Okay, moving on... ! 

Today's post will be a fairly short one, I promise! I know my usual posts tend to drag really long... eek! Sorry for those that dislike long writing! I just love to write so much and when I don't edit and filter, I tend to write really longgggg articles. But that's just because I love all of you. :)  

What's your typical weekly diet look like?

As a request from a fellow gfreer, I am providing a sample diet of my typical weekday meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks, and drinks. I'm going to be honest here and say that although I love and advocate healthy diets, my current diet isn't the best. This is just to give you an idea of what gluten free foods I usually eat that may help you develop a diet plan that works best for you. I try to be healthy as much as I can.. but hey, it can get difficult at times, as I'm sure all of you can understand. So without further ado...

Kris's Sample Menu

 

Breakfast

• Udi's gluten free plain bagels with cream cheese
• Gluten free cereal from Envirokids (I love the chocolate Koala one- I mean who doesn't love chocolate and cute koalas??)
• Gluten free frozen waffles from Trader Joes (best frozen toaster oven delicious waffles! These are better than Vans in my opinion) with peanut butter, berry jam, fresh berries and honey. Sometimes I throw in some butter because butter makes everything so yummy! :)
• Udi's gluten free bread (whole grain or white) which I use to eat toast or make French toast! 
• Any other gluten free pastry (as you can see, I'm a pastry girl in the morning...!) 
• Eggs (scrambled or hard boiled)
• Hash browns 

Lunch

• Sandwiches with gluten free bread
• Salads without the croutons, of course! 
• Pasta (if I have time to cook it!) <-- Trader Joe's Corn pasta tastes amazing! 
• Vegetables, meat and some type of grain

Dinner

• Rice (sometimes white or brown) with meat and vegetables. I always try to have both, but meat gets expensive so I go vegetarian a lot of the time!
• Pasta (my staple food)
• Gluten free pizza (I made it with Udi's gluten free pizza crust!) 
• Salad
• Go out to eat with friends- usually I make them eat Thai with me because Thai food not only has absolutely amazing flavors, but most of their food is gluten free! 

Snacks

• Fruits and nuts (any variety)
• Trail mix
• Yogurt- preferably thick, creamy Greek yogurt!
• Glutino's gluten free pretzels (omg, love love love these!) 
• Trader Joe's Tortilla Chips with Flax Seeds (I like the vegetable one better than the spicy one! Tastes great with salsa, guacamole, or just alone) 
• Popcorn (Kettle or popped) any brand. 

Drinks

• Water
• Tea, and lots of it. Green, black, white or any kind. I LOVE tea! I also drink milk tea in the morning with Lipton tea bags! 
• Juice (rarely nowadays) 
• Organic milk or soymilk 

And there you have it! There's alot of TJ and Udi's because I shop at TJ because it's the closest to my apartment and they sell relatively inexpensive gluten free foods and I have lots of Udi's products because I got a whole bag of free samples from my work. I love Cal Dining!! :D

Have a wonderful weekend and God bless,

Kris 

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