Mango04

OH, I forgot to mention, I'm asking for restaurant adresses because the trip won't be very long, but we'll still have a tight agenda/travel plan.

I don't think we'll have time to do much shopping, let alone a place to cook.

We will mostly move on hotels. On Spain we won't have much problems because we will stay on an apart-hotel, but elsewhere I'm in trouble - it doesn't help that I can't speak italian or french...

Don't overlook grocery stores/supermarkets/farmer's markets as places to get food when you travel, even if you won't be able to cook. Anywhere in Europe, you can run into a supermarket and quickly pick up gluten free things to eat for meals that don't need to be cooked.

You can just keep your food issues away from your boyfriend's mother. Don't cook at her house or eat with her, and if she tries to bring up the subject of food just tell her you're not comfortable talking about your personal health issue and would rather keep it to yourself. If it's a holiday or something an you have to eat a family dinner with her, bring your own food. I find this whole thing easier to deal with if I don't expect other people to understand or try to accommodate me. You really don't ever need to talk about food with this woman at all. You also don't ever have to eat food that she touches.

If you make it to the Del Mar area (it's not near Old Town but a nice place to visit) I'd recommend Rendezvous. It's a really great Chinese restaurant with a gluten-free menu.

Check out www.glutenfreeinsd.com

I just want to add that I think it takes no time at all to cook dried beans. I soak them when I get up in the morning. It takes about one minute to put them in a pot and fill the pot with water. Then I leave the house all day.

When I get home at night I drain the water from the pot, add fresh water, and bring to a boil. It takes a few minutes. Then I go off and do other stuff while the beans are cooking (for a few hours). When I come back I have cooked beans. It really only took a few minutes of my time (since I didn't sit there and watch the beans cook) and it cost almost nothing. I think dried beans are a lifesaver for food sensitive people on tight budgets!

I consider myself extremely sensitive to lactose and casein, but for some reason pharmaceutical-grade lactose in medication doesn't seem to affect me at all. You might be okay with it, too.

Corn tortillas are great for lunch. You can put anything in them - tuna, lunch meats, veggies and hummus....anything works. Heat them up before you make "sandwiches" with them. You can wrap them in foil so they stay together. (It doesn't matter if they aren't still warm when you eat them...warming them just helps them to not crumble).

It helps to have an insulated lunch bag to keep things cold. You can also get a good thermos to keep things hot (I have one that keeps things warm for hours - you can put soups or leftovers or anything it those)...

Germany is really easy. I once found gluten free bread for sale at the Dresden train station. Be sure to look for food in the drug stores (Rossman, DM, etc.) I've had a lot of luck in France too. Can't remember the names of specific places....just remember not having any problems grabbing gluten, dairy and soy-free food.

If you can stop at drug stores and grocery stores along the way (often in or very close to train stations) you shouldn't have any problems.

I travel a lot. The same rules you go by at home apply when you're traveling. If you're not sure it's safe, don't eat it. You don't need to eat at restaurants.

I've survived without kitchens it strange places. Assuming you're in some sort of town or city, it's always possible to find a grocery store, market etc. where you can get fruit, veggies and other simple things that are obviously safe.

I'm moving to San Francisco soon. It's a great city to be gluten-free! I like The Plant Cafe Organic and Amici's pizza.

It's wayyyy too early to tell. You could still be feeling the effects from gluten you ate several weeks ago. Give it a good month (at least) before you decide if it works for you or not.

I've never had trouble bringing food into the UK from other countries.

The UK is one of the most food allergy-friendly countries I have ever been to. You will have a wide variety of options at restaurants and grocery stores.

fish flavored eggs

Of all the creative breakfasts posted here this is the one I'm most curious about

platter of lunch meats and cheeses, big salad (can be meaty), big fruit salad, potato salad, etc.?

I don't know where you're from or what else you might be sensitive to, but in other countries I've been to, there are labels on some white wines that say "contains casein."

I'd assume there's a possibility that some white wine can contain milk protein in the US as well. Our labeling laws are just really behind a lot of other places. Not encouraging anyone to avoid wine. Just something I want to point out for anyone super sensitive to milk protein.

1. Other people (regardless of who they are or where you are) are not responsible for understanding your diet and providing you with food. Ever. You're now the only person who's responsible for that. Thinking this way will make your life much easier and save you a lot of disappointment at social events, when traveling etc. (Don't worry though, you will find some very special, generous and understanding people).

2. Travel is very, very, very possible on an extremely restricted diet. Travel if that's what you like to do.

I would imagine that you'd have a fairly easy time in any of the four countries you mentioned.

I second Australia and England being extremely easy places to live and eat gluten-free.

If you miss cheese try Daiya, recipes with cashews (blended into a creamy sauce), nutritional yeast and/or Parma (raw dairy-free "cheese")

sorry that doesn't help you w/ the jar of mayo...

Earth Balance

I like to just go ahead and contact the caterer directly so the bride doesn't have an extra thing to worry about. I've never come across one who wasn't accommodating.

now. By my count that is 3 artists so far so the ESL teachers better watch out! By the way my 2nd wife was an ESL teacher so they are a force to be reckoned with.

So my figuring is that there are lots more artists in reality than ESL teachers if we count all the repressed artists out there.

That would have been my original guess but who knows. Any other ESL teachers out there in the celiac world care to come forward?

I have to post simply because I'm the third ESL teacher here so far. Is there some sort of connection between gluten and ESL that I'm unaware of?

Like Tiffany said, you don't need them. But, you can get some good substitutes these days. So Delicious (coconut) for yogurt and ice cream. Earth Balance (soy free) for butter. Daiya for cheese. You can also make really tasty raw versions of creamy things with cashews.

Are you in a country other than the US? (I notice your spelling of flavoUr)

If so, make sure you are checking info specific to your country. Labeling laws and ingredients in a product vary greatly from country to country (even when it comes to the exact same product with the exact same name).

always, always bring your own food when you fly!