How Will I Manage A Wedding ?

[georgie]

Its a while off - but there is going to be a wedding to attend. How do I cope with that ? A set menu probably. Even if there is special food for me - could I trust the kitchen to be safe and not cross contaminate ? What do I do ? Bring my own? Pretend not to be hungry ? !!!

[Mango04]

I've been to three weddings since I've been gluten, dairy and soy-free. One was at a really upscale resort, so I spoke to the chef and managed to get a really nice gluten, dairy and soy-free meal that didn't make me sick. That's one option.

At another wedding there was tons of plain fruits and veggies everywhere so I just ate that stuff.

At the third one I think I ended up eating a piece of plain chicken, but didn't really eat much. It really is doable. Just make sure you eat lots before you go so you're not too hungry. I usually even make sure to carry Alpsnak bars and maybe fruit (or even a gluten-free cupcake lol) in my purse. It can't hurt to speak to the caterer or the chef either just to see what your options are. Whether or not you should trust the kitchen would depend on the response you get when you speak to them. Don't stress Just focus on enjoying aspects of the wedding that don't involve food

Edit: I also wanted to add...my one piece of criteria is I never say anything about it to the bride...not even ask for the caterers phone number or anything. I always just figure it out myself. That way it's not akward or uncomfortable for anyone

[tarnalberry]

I bring my own food. I also often double as a backup photographer, so that keeps me busy. But I just take my own food, and eat it at the table with everyone else.

[tracey*]

Definately eat beforehand, and pack a snack or two in the car or in your bag.

At weddings here, there's always time between the ceremony and reception, so if you can - eat in that waiting time.

[kbtoyssni]

The two weddings I've been to recently were both good friends who knew about my celiac and they talked to the chef beforehand about my meal. I offered to call and talk to the chef myself, but they did it themself. If it's not too ackward to ask, you could find out who the chef is and give him a call. Otherwise I'd bring a plate with food and I'm sure the kitchen can heat it up for you in the microwave. Maybe bring something in covered tupperware so the lid stays on and they can't contaminate.

[linds]

I was just wondering the same this since I just found out one of my bestfriends is getting married in March. Even though March is a long ways off I was already stressing out. This helped. Thanks. Also we are having brunch food at the wedding so I am sure there will at least be fruit!

[georgie]

Thanks for the tips. To make matters worse I will be in a foreign country ( Eng ) and don't even know what snack bars will be suitable. With Customs at airports so strict now I don't think I can carry that much food with me ( for 4 weeks ???) so its going to be areal challenge. Its next year - but am already starting to be scared.

How can I cope for 4 weeks w/out homecooked meals ????

[linds]

I am pretty sure that you can pack prepackaged food in a bag that you are checking you just can't bring it on as carryon. Also I am sure there are some members that would be willing to let you know what is ok in england. Hope you have a wonderful time!

[MistressIsis]

is it possible you could ship some non perishables to the hotel you'l be staying at? I've done that for extended business trips

[skoki-mom]

  georgie said:

Thanks for the tips. To make matters worse I will be in a foreign country ( Eng ) and don't even know what snack bars will be suitable. With Customs at airports so strict now I don't think I can carry that much food with me ( for 4 weeks ???) so its going to be areal challenge. Its next year - but am already starting to be scared.

How can I cope for 4 weeks w/out homecooked meals ????

From what I understand, England is a lot more gluten-free saavy than North America, as there is a higher incidence of celiac disease in the UK. If the meal is being catered at a hotel or restaraunt, I'd definitely talk to your friend and ask if a gluten-free meal can be arranged. If the food is being brought onto location by a caterer, your chances are slim. Eat before you go and try to take your own plate if you have somewhere to cook it in advance. I'm sure you could visit a celiac disease website from the UK to get a list of gluten-free foods available there. Good luck!!

[Mango04]

  georgie said:

Thanks for the tips. To make matters worse I will be in a foreign country ( Eng ) and don't even know what snack bars will be suitable. With Customs at airports so strict now I don't think I can carry that much food with me ( for 4 weeks ???) so its going to be areal challenge. Its next year - but am already starting to be scared.

How can I cope for 4 weeks w/out homecooked meals ????

I think there was somone on this board who travelled to England and said the gluten-free food was great. I was there several years ago when I was only casein-free..but the food labeling was really good. I ate lots and never had a problem. The grocery stores had a good selection of stuff. Where are you staying? In a hotel? Will you have access to any cooking facilities? A fridge and microwave? A cooler?

I'm about to embark on a crazy adventure in your country (backpacking down the east coast) so if I survive it in the end, hopefully I'll be able to help others here feel more confident travelling (but we'll see how it goes first LOL)

[kbtoyssni]

  georgie said:

Thanks for the tips. To make matters worse I will be in a foreign country ( Eng ) and don't even know what snack bars will be suitable. With Customs at airports so strict now I don't think I can carry that much food with me ( for 4 weeks ???) so its going to be areal challenge. Its next year - but am already starting to be scared.

How can I cope for 4 weeks w/out homecooked meals ????

England is much more celiac-friendly than the US! You will be able to find gluten-free bread and pasta and cookies in a regular grocery store. Food there actually has gluten-free labeling. And I find that gluten-free food in the UK tastes much better. Everything I buy tastes fine. The first time I went back to England after going gluten-free I was super nervous about the food. I'm leaving for England again on Friday and food is the least of my worries.

I am bringing food with me for the plane ride. You can bring food as long as it's not fruit/veggies. I think meat might be a no-no as well. I bring sealed packages of crackers, etc. I will bring some fruit and sandwiches for the trip - you just have to eat them before you get off the plane. I also bring homemade cookies with me, and I've never had a problem with them. It's sortof like my comfort food

[georgie]

I don't know where we will be staying but it may be with family for the wedding and then on the move through Europe. So, biscuits will be available but I can't really eat just fruit and biscuits for a month .... And even the plane flight is 24 hours and that seems a long time to eat sugary food. I am Insulin Resistant and am supposed to eat meat and protein.... This is starting to stress me !!! In my comfort zone here I am coping well with Celiac and have lovely meals - but - to go a month without decent food ...OMG !

[kbtoyssni]

  georgie said:

I don't know where we will be staying but it may be with family for the wedding and then on the move through Europe. So, biscuits will be available but I can't really eat just fruit and biscuits for a month .... And even the plane flight is 24 hours and that seems a long time to eat sugary food. I am Insulin Resistant and am supposed to eat meat and protein.... This is starting to stress me !!! In my comfort zone here I am coping well with Celiac and have lovely meals - but - to go a month without decent food ...OMG !

That is tough that you don't know where you're staying. Did you contact your airline for gluten-free food? I've flown American Airlines once since being gluten-free and they have gluten-free food. I still read the labels, though, because they did try serving me crackers with oat in them for one of the meals. Luckily they were individually wrapped so it didn't contaminate the rest of my food. I think I read on their website that they will heat up food for travelers with food restrictions that they cannot accomodate, but when I asked them to heat something for me they said no.

[Mango04]

  georgie said:

I don't know where we will be staying but it may be with family for the wedding and then on the move through Europe. So, biscuits will be available but I can't really eat just fruit and biscuits for a month .... And even the plane flight is 24 hours and that seems a long time to eat sugary food. I am Insulin Resistant and am supposed to eat meat and protein.... This is starting to stress me !!! In my comfort zone here I am coping well with Celiac and have lovely meals - but - to go a month without decent food ...OMG !

On 24 hour flights I order raw vegetarian meals, which basically consists of raw fruits and vegetables. I bring almonds, corn thins with peanut butter, cans of tuna, Organic Food Bars (you can get these in Oz), banannas and usually a cooler with chicken and more veggies.

When you're staying with family you'll have a kitchen so it shouldn't be a problem. When I'm cooking in dodgy kitchens I live off hard boiled eggs, raw fruits and veggies, corn thins, sometimes tuna and I cook chicken (or any kind of meat) in tin foil in the oven (to avoid cc). I'm against microwaves but if it comes down to it I'll get the ziplock bags that allow you to steam veggies and potatoes and chicken in the microwave and I'll cook that way. Cans of beans and lentils come in handy as well.

I always carry around sea salt, olive oil, my own stainless steel frying pan and my own spatula. If it comes down to it, I drain and rinse a can of chick peas, mix them with raw veggies, and add in my olive oil and sea salt.

When you're on the move, just make sure you find grocery stores along the way. Can you stay in hotels that will provide you with a microwave and a fridge? When I'm travelling like that I just eat REALLY basic foods (but a few hard boiled eggs and some veggies isn't bad...and it's always possible to find a place to boil eggs).

So basically, when I get to a place ...I find a grocery store(health food store if possible). I pick up eggs, tuna, cans of beans, lentils etc., almonds, veggies, fruit and meat, tin foil, ziplock steam bags and maybe a cheap stainless steal pan lol (I've bought three since I've been in OZ - keep leaving them behind and then wishing I hadn't)

I don't know if you can eat Orgran products...but they make really handy portable pasta with sauce (just add water) and some instant soups and what not. You could bring stuff like that along as well (I brought food into Australia from the States and they didn't stop me ).

You don't have to go a month without decent food. Your meals will just be more simple for a while

Oh - and I wanted to add...I know I'm travelling like this by choice and you're probably obligated to go to this wedding...so it probably is really scary and annoying...regardless...some of this boring food I posted really does taste good when you're travelling and hungry Hope it goes okay

[georgie]

Thanks Mango, There are some really good ideas in there. Normally I hate heat in a bag meals - but like you said - on the trip that may be necessary and its not forever - so can cope. Trouble is - my hubbie is a foodie and most of his enjoyment when travelling comes from small villages and eating local food. In France - we stayed in small villages last time and had lovely crepes at creperies ( can't have them anymore) and choc croissants for breakfast ( no no) etc etc We don't stay at Hotels - just small pubs with local familes. I insisted on places that had an ensuite - but you would never get microwaves or mini kitchens. That's how we travel - as a local.

Its just mind boggling on the changes I will need to make.....

  Quote

I'm about to embark on a crazy adventure in your country (backpacking down the east coast) so if I survive it in the end, hopefully I'll be able to help others here feel more confident travelling (but we'll see how it goes first LOL) smile.gif

Good luck with your trip Mango, You should find plenty of places with food. Quite a good chat on the Aussie/ International Forum. I like Leda Bars which are found at most Health Food Shops. Its really hard to find a meal at the local Pubs, but several cafe's and restaurants have a choice now. Its our worst drought ever here with Category 4 water restrictions nearly everywhere. Hope you like brown

[kbtoyssni]

You could also get some of these toaster bags:

Open Original Shared Link .com/Toaster-Bags-Set-of-...;s=gourmet-food

They're great if you want to make toast in a hotel toaster. Or if you want to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I've taken them to restaurants before and handed them a cheese sandwich in a bag. I ask them to toast it or put it in a toaster oven, just DON'T TAKE IT OUT OF THE BAG!!! This might be an option if your husband wants to eat at a local place that you're not comfortable eating in.

And you could try the foreign language celiac cards. I think you can order them through this site.

[tarnalberry]

Find places that have kitchens (bed and breakfasts often do) and go to grocery stores and cook - you'll still have you're home cooked meals!

[thinjim]

  georgie said:

Thanks for the tips. To make matters worse I will be in a foreign country ( Eng ) and don't even know what snack bars will be suitable. With Customs at airports so strict now I don't think I can carry that much food with me ( for 4 weeks ???) so its going to be areal challenge. Its next year - but am already starting to be scared.

How can I cope for 4 weeks w/out homecooked meals ????

Try this website. It's a list of health food stores in the UK that sell non-gluten food. Open Original Shared Link

[georgie]

thinjim, AMAZING LINK !! Thankyou !

[kasia]

Hi there,

Sainsbury's & Morrison supermarkets also have really good 'Free from' food ranges (Tesco & Waitrose are great too) & in terms of restaurants La Tasca (tapas) has gluten free dishes on the menu & I think is fairly widespread & Nando's too where most of the dishes are gluten free.

Also if you're travelling in Europe look on the coeliac.co.uk website ('gluten free living' then 'living' then 'travelling overseas') & they have travel guides for Holland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy & Spain.

Good luck

Kate

Sorry not help with the wedding as have yet to be inivited to one since diagnosis

Open Original Shared Link

[ajay]

  georgie said:

Thanks for the tips. To make matters worse I will be in a foreign country ( Eng ) and don't even know what snack bars will be suitable. With Customs at airports so strict now I don't think I can carry that much food with me ( for 4 weeks ???) so its going to be areal challenge. Its next year - but am already starting to be scared.

How can I cope for 4 weeks w/out homecooked meals ????

You can definitely check a reasonable amount of food. I have managed just fine with dried fruits and nuts, and on my last long international flight, I had a soft-sided cooler with a cooked chicken breast and other munchies for the flight. I took the cooler out of my bag to go through the x-ray machine, made sure my medic-alert necklace was prominently visible, and prepared for battle... and there was absolutely no problem whatsoever.

So it may depend a bit on your luck and the airport. Check the TSA website before you go, too, since the restrictions may be different in a few months. If possible, bring some documentation (like the restaurant cards!) with you in case you get an annoying security guard. One time I had a problem until someone higher-up on the food chain came by and ended up chewing out the woman who was giving me a hard time. So if you get attitude, you could (nicely) ask to speak with a supervisor. Total side note: I recently flew KLM. I requested and got a gluten-free meal. And a flight attendant even gave me some leftover gourmet cheese from first class as an alternative to pretzels!

Good luck! You will have challenges, but you may also have some very pleasant surprises. Here's hoping for more of the latter.

[Guest marshlakemom]

I recently attended a wedding, and I too was concerned about the menu. To my surprise, this plate of food came over my shoulder, and a little voice are you the lady who has Celiac Disease, I said Yes, and he handed me a gluten free meal.

When it came to the wedding cake, a gluten free cupcake was brought to me. I FELT SO SPECIAL !!!

Now wasn't that considerate of the couple who were getting married, I certainly thought so.

Deb