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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Gluten free in Hong Kong: Part 1

 Hello everyone! 

I hope all of you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Years! I was fortunate enough to be able to spend both holidays in Hong Kong with my family, this time including my aunt and uncle. It was so much fun revisiting after about 5 years since my last trip and spending time seeing all the beautiful Christmas decorations and experiencing the holiday cheer. The only difference between this trip and my trip 5 years ago was that this time, I had the challenge of eating ALL gluten free. 

Luckily enough, Hong Kong has LOTS of delicious, naturally gluten free goodies for you to enjoy! I will attempt to document my trip, my struggles but also successes as well as tips and tricks for eating gluten free. 

First off, and this is an important point, cross contamination is inevitable. Although I would love to say that all the naturally gluten free food is 100% safe to eat, truth is, it's not. In a place where the word, 'gluten free' pretty much doesn't exist, you're going to have to prepare the Pepto Bismol if necessary or eat very carefully in order to limit the amount of exposure to gluten especially if you're going to eat out. If you are planning on visiting Hong Kong, or any Asian country, and you don't speak the language, it is wise to bring a friend who can communicate with the chef or at the very least, can pick out some foods that are safer to eat for you. 

Okay, so let's begin, shall we? :)

As you may or may not already know, most long haul plane flights have specialized diet selections, including gluten intolerant meals. Make sure to select for a gluten free meal for the plane ride over and back so that there's no confusion in what you can and cannot eat once you're on the flight. Here are some sample pictures of what my meals looked like: 

Steamed veggies, rice, and a chicken breast with tomato sauce

Yay for gluten free on the plane!

The meals to and from Hong Kong were pretty basic: some starch, protein, grains, fruits, salad, and dessert. On the way back, I was surprised to find a gluten free dinner roll that was lightly sweetened. Put some butter on it and bam! delicious ;)  

Once my sister and I met up with the fam in HK, we were extremely jet lagged but happy to be there! The day we arrived, it also happened to be my 21st birthday, and my family was sweet enough to buy me a gluten free Haagen Dazs mango ice cream cake! I didn't even know they sold these!

What's better than ice cream? When it's put into a cake! 

After about 2 days of rest, we were ready to hit the streets and have some adventures! 

Besides the shopping and tourist attractions that make HK a great place to visit, the FOOD is just incredible! Looking back on the trip now... my most vivid memory is eating, and eating, and more eating! So can you still enjoy all the great food while eating gluten free? 

Absolutely! 

While visiting HK, rice will be your best friend. Rice and anything made of rice is generally a safe bet and a good way to go while dining and snacking. The only thing to really worry about is sauces, especially soy sauce. Most all dishes that are usually bland have soy sauce to flavor the dish, whether it is steamed fish or dim sum. If this is the case, make sure to find a way to communicate with the waitstaff to keep the soy sauce separate from the main dish. Also, if there are other people in your party that don't eat gluten free, make sure to get a good helping first or set out a separate utensil to avoid as much cross contamination as possible!

Fresh steamed fish from the harbor! Usually has soy sauce, so get a helping for yourself first. 

Surprisingly enough, I did not experience any stomach pain or other ailments I had during my previous trip, like diarrhea or feeling like I needed to vomit. This trip was mostly pain free, but for first time travelers to Asia, be cautioned that you will probably experience some discomfort and sickness due to different bacteria in the water and food. HK is pretty safe though, in comparison to China, but if you are still worried, make sure to bring some Pepto Bismol to soothe your stomach especially if you feel sick due to some small contamination. If you have very severe reactions to small amounts of gluten, I would advise you to be even more careful with what you eat. I, luckily, had the option of cooking some of my meals, but for those living in a hotel, that might be more challenging. You may have to eat at restaurants that are aware of gluten and celiac disease, which is usually at large chain hotels. This is probably a very pricey option for most people, but remember that your health is most important, so do what you feel comfortable doing.   

If you're not severely sensitive to gluten, like myself, you can get away with picking food on the menu that has the least amount of contamination. Here are some sample meals that I had while in HK:

Chicken and mushroom with rice with a side of Chinese broth

A simple meal at most HK cafes: chicken breast with veggies and rice noodles in clear broth. 

Preserved duck egg and pork congee. A delicious gfree option! 

Pan fried whole chicken with rice, corn and steamed veggies

Mushroom, bean sprouts, gai lan and rice noodles in fish broth with iced coffee 

Another great thing about HK is that if you're strapped for cash, there are meals as low as $3 (or around HK$24) that include the main dish, a side dish as well as a drink. These meals are usually eaten by most HK residents before they go to work and during tea time (normally around 3-5pm) when prices are lower. This is akin to  Happy Hour in the States. 

Stay tuned for part 2 when I talk about desserts and my experience at the Ritz Carlton for high tea! 

-Kris   

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Sticky Situation #4: Some words on Cross Contamination

Hey everyone!

I realized that I haven't written a post in forever, (thankfully my dear friend T was able to post one out for you all recently) and for that, please accept my little apology. :)

Anyway, I was struck with the inspiration of sorts to write about cross contamination because 1) We haven't really covered too much about cross contamination and its potential dangers since our blog's inception, and 2) My experiences at church prompted this topic.

In talking about the latter point, as I was sitting in church today and mass came to the point when the congregation was about to take part in the Eucharistic sacrament, I realized that all those, like me, who have gluten allergies cannot take part in eating the body and drinking the blood of Christ without risk of some serious gluten contamination. Firstly, for all those who don't already know, when Christians take communion, the communion wafer is made of wheat and the wine is, at least in Catholic church, poured in one cup that is communally shared. Many tend to take both the bread and wine and so when they drink the wine, the crumbs from the wafer may slip into the drink or even worse, they actually dip the entire wafer into the cup thereby contaminating it even further! So... I have now reverted to sitting in the pews patiently waiting until that part of mass ends.

Although this is unfortunate, I do know of the existence of gluten free communion wafers, so I should probably get my hands on some!

In talking about cross contamination, the key things to know are that...
1) Cross contamination is EVERYWHERE
2) Even if it is tedious, take precaution and if in doubt, do whatever it takes to ensure that what you're eating is free of contaminants before you put it in your mouth!

You may ask, "Okay, so if cross contamination is everywhere, how can I possibly avoid everything??"
The truth is, you can't. Since cross contamination IS everywhere, it is almost impossible to be 100% safe unless you're eating at home where you can control what you're eating and how it is prepared. So, let's start there.

HOME
1) If you're new to being gluten free, first, welcome to the community! Second, it is wise to change out ALL your silverware, glasses, utensils and pots/pans that you used to cook your previous gluten filled meals. All of those kitchenware items have a degree of cross contamination from the gluten, EVEN if you have washed it a bunch of times. To be perfectly safe, change them. However, if you are wary to throw out your favorite dishes and utensils (I can totally understand), you may choose to keep them and wash them with a NEW sponge in hot water and then run it again in the dishwasher. For me, I didn't have the heart to throw my dishware away and I also am not as sensitive as others, so I cleaned them to the best of my ability and I have not yet suffered any maladies (keeping my fingers crossed!).

2) If you're living with someone else or you live with your family whom is not eating gluten free, prepare some utensils and cooking ware that is dedicated just for you and inform your loved ones NOT to use it. Try placing it in a separate cabinet also, AWAY from their stuff. Distance is key :)

3) For all the shared food items, such as butter, jams and jellies, or anything that a gluten filled knife can contaminate, I would get a new jar for your own use or get a new jar and don't let your loved ones double dip! To be safe, I recommend getting your own jars/containers and marking it with your name.

4) Get your own small gfree refrigerator. No longer do you run the risk of your loved ones using your stuff when you can just store it all away in your own personal fridge! Now, isn't that nice! This is my personal favorite tip and most recommended!

5) Have a designated "gfree" cabinet or pantry shelf where you can put all your lovely gfree snacks and food goodies. Minimize the risk!

OUT AND ABOUT
1) If you're planning on going out, but you know, since Kris told you, that cross contamination is everywhere, try to eat at home before heading out to a night with friends. It's safer, you run less of a risk of falling ill, and you save money! Now that's always a plus.

2) Not sure where your friends are heading to eat? Refer to tip 1 in this section or if you're in a rush, pack some snacks in your purse/bag and get filled up that way.

3) If you're not as sensitive, like me, eating out is okay once in a while. Always remember to double check with the chef how the food is prepared, the ingredients, and also, if they wouldn't mind to use new, clean utensils to cook your meal. I know this sounds like a huge deal (and probably somewhat of an inconvenience to them, but it's for your health, so take every precaution!) If they're accommodating, make sure to leave a nice tip to show that you appreciate their concern and that they took the time to make accommodations for you. Not all restaurants and chefs are nice, so if you happen to get a good one, he/she is a keeper!

4) Take your dining card with you when you eat. Here's a link for a dining card written in English: http://www.celiactravel.com/file_uploads/cards/english-gluten-free-restaurant-card.pdf
If you're traveling, you can also download cards in multiple languages. I'll post the link here: http://celiacdisease.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=celiacdisease&cdn=health&tm=9&f=10&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.celiactravel.com/restaurant-cards.html
I found that it is SUPER important to tell the waiter that you have a food allergy and you'll get really sick. For example, if you want to order a salad with no croutons, but you don't say why, they may assume that you're just watching your weight or simply dislike croutons. They won't take it that seriously and there may be risk of some croutons placed haphazardly in your salad, and then just picked out before they give it to you. (Trust me, this happens quite frequently!!). If you present them the card, it just saves SO much time and explanation on your part and probably less confusion on theirs.

LABELS
1) A naturally gluten free snack is NOT safe to eat if it has been processed on the same machinery as wheat or gluten byproducts. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LABELS!

What tips do you guys have to minimize cross contamination? Comment below or on our facebook page!

Also, feel free to let me or T know what topics YOU would like us to talk about. Drop us a comment or email us. We love to hear from you guys!! :)

Eat safely and have a wonderful week!
-Kris

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