Monthly Archives: July 2011
Bowl Meals & Big Changes….
Gidget Goes Cruisin….
I traveled for 2 years with GF Guy on a bus & truck Broadway show tour. It was me, a mini cooler, & a hope & a prayer! I ate lots, and I mean lots, of tuna over those 2 years. I also ate some amazing food at little gluten-free savvy joints all over the country. It taught me amazing survival skills. However, that’s what it was… survival. Food was not enjoyable. It was not delicious. It was something to keep alive and that was all. Now, when we travel, GF Guy and I try to pick places where food won’t be a problem. We don’t always, however, plan the vacation….
For Christmas last year, my parents bought all the kids and their significant others a vacation, a cruise to Bermuda, be be exact. I lived in Bermuda for a few years when I was little. My little brother & sister were born there. This trip was our first time back in almost 20 years! Yes… I’m that old.
We boarded our cruise ship in NYC and set out on our voyage. Let me tell you what, it was HEAVEN!
Norwegian Cruise Lines was not a company I had heard about when researching gluten-free cruises. Because of this, I was slightly nervous about my food situation. I need not have worried. The crew aboard the Norwegian Gem, especially the Maitre d’, Richard Bull, were exceedingly attentive & wonderful. Each evening, I perused the next day’s menus & placed my “special order” to be prepared in the special food allergy kitchen. The chefs delighted me at every meal creating gluten-free, dairy-free twists on their recipes that never lacked for flavor or complexity. I was surprised with special desserts, muffins, and bread by Richard, the Maitre d’. Each plate was triple checked by the cooks, waitstaff, & finally the Maitre d’, himself, before being presented to our table. The family joked that Richard was my “special chef” because of the close attention he paid to me throughout the cruise.
I am now a Norwegian Cruise Lines devotee for life! If you have food allergies or celiac, know that you will be able to enjoy a wonderful vacation with NCL!
Here are some pictures from our amazing trip. Enjoy!
Officially a Local….
Something happened today. I think it was a moment of significance, but want your take on the matter. So, I was walking along the sidewalk on my way into the Gourmet Pizza Co. with a friend.
Incidentally, the Gourmet Pizza Co. has amazing gluten-free/dairy-free pizza, but I digress. As we were walking along, a black SUV pulled over, rolled down their window, & a voice shouted, “I might have known I would run into you at a gluten-free place. They have bangin’ pizza!” It finally happened! I ran into someone I knew out and about in town. It wasn’t a friend of GF Guy’s family. It wasn’t an acquaintance from work. It was just someone I know from dance class. It was the first time this has happened to me since moving here, and it was cool!
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the first time this has happened in my life. In fact, it happens every time I go to NYC, because that’s where most of my friends actually live. It was just the first time it has happened here. It made me happy!
If you haven’t already guessed, I can be pretty introverted when it comes to letting people really know me. I was always the shy kid reading in the corner. As I’ve grown, I have learned to adopt a work persona that makes me seem extroverted and extremely confident. Truth be told, I am still just as unsure as the pimply teenager about to ask the head cheerleader to prom. I just know how to hide it better.
It feels like no matter how old you are, there will always be a part of you that is stuck in junior high wired with braces and a mop of frizzy hair atop your head.
But that’s okay. That’s what makes us human.
This has been a long post just to say, I’m happy. I finally have an identity in this town. I think I’ve finally found a home.
Now that I’ve rambled for ever, let’s move on to dinner! Brace yourselves! You are about to see what I’ve been eating, or a variation there of, every night for the past few months. Every night, that is unless I have parked my behind at my in-laws kitchen table. Which, I am embarrassed to say, I do more often than not now that GF Guy has been away.
Here you have it…
Baked Cod with a cubed baked Sweet Potato, Steamed Broccoli & Spinach, & diced Tomato & Avocado. Sometimes I will have Tofu instead of fish, or throw some Garbanzo Beans in the mix. See, I told you it was boring.
Now, all I really want is cake, but I’m too lazy to make myself one. I guess I’ll go to bed and do a crossword puzzle like an old lady. At least I have this handsome man to snuggle with!
Tune in tomorrow to hear all about the amazing vacation I just returned from! Here’s a hint: It was a tropical island! Any guesses?