Difficult Dining Situations, restaurants, parties and weddings.

For all of us that cannot eat gluten, dining out can be especially difficult, although in recent years it has improved dramatically in Vancouver and Victoria, BC! We have all experienced be served by someone who seems annoyed by our requests, confused by our requests or the most scary is a language barrier because I have no idea if I've been understood or not. I have ordered from someone who did not speak English very well and I've received something with gluten in it, for example, I got a spicy tuna roll once ate two pieces only to realize there were bits of tempura in with the tuna! I did get sick from it and felt that anxiety, oh no, am I going to get sick? How bad will it be? Will I feel embarrassed at work?
Dinner Parties: If you are very close to the hosts then this is not usually a problem, they will accommodate you by leaving something out of the marinade or  not putting butter (for the dairy intolerant) in the mash potatoes or vegetables. I find that it is best to try and let the host/s know ahead of time when it is possible and offer to bring a dish that I can eat. Most people want to know so that they don't feel awkward and uncomfortable that I can't eat much of the dinner. I've had people say oh, I wish I had known because it would have been easy to...(not add this to that etc.) Many times, it is a simple modification to not add the gluten or dairy to the dish, like leaving a chicken breast plain or only adding salt and pepper.
At an event with finger foods only:  I have been in situations where I'm going to a person's house that I do not know very well, so what I have done in the past is to make something to bring and share that is gluten free and filling so I know I won't starve. If it is a more formal event, the best idea for me is to eat ahead of time. I went to a semi formal cocktail event this past December and there were lovely passed appies, none that I could have. There were also some cold items on a little buffet table, I was able to have some fruit and veggies and crab but nothing hot and filling. I had anticipated this and was not disappointed since I had eaten a decent dinner before hand.
Weddings: These are unique situations, sometimes it is an all-day affair and there isn't anywhere to go and eat. I went to a friend's wedding about 6 years ago and there was pretty much nothing I could have except for a little bit of salad. I ended up drinking too much wine that night and not feeling that great. It is a terrible feeling to go hungry and watch others eat. I went to a wedding a year before that and it wasn't quite as bad but I still mostly ate salad and ended up stopping for food late at night on the way back to the hotel. This past summer my sister got married and they were wonderfully accommodating. I had a delicious meal along with everyone else, all it took were some simple modifications. I think that this must be due to raised awareness to gluten intolerance and more people being properly diagnosed with Celiac Disease. In the event of a wedding where you may not know your hosts, I recommend being creative and bringing any kind of filling snacks that you can safely eat, like Lara Bars, fruit and nut bars, or anything else that will keep to eat during the evening, bring more than you think you might want to be sure. I know that these snacks are no alternative to a full meal, so try to fill up on salad or anything else you can safely eat.
Travelling: I started this blog because travelling to new places can be tricky. I haven't done much international travel, with the exception of Cuba. I have found that doing a Google search before I go travelling and looking a different restaurants online menus that offer gluten free items has been really helpful. The last time I was in NY City, I had a great dinner at a restaurant that served gluten free Chinese food, what a treat! It was a fusion restaurant, I will look to see if I can find the name of it.

There aren't simple solutions sometimes, when you are with someone who wants to just grab some fast food and go for example. I have worried that people will think that I'm being high maintenance on one hand but on the other I think that people should have empathy because I have a disease and it is not a personal lifestyle choice but a necessity.

Daiya's deliciously dairy free, gluten free frozen pizza!

I've been eating Daiya cheese for a few+ years now, it is the best cheese alternative that I've tried and it is soy free as well. They came out with frozen gluten free dairy free pizza a couple of years ago. There are four varieties, Cheese Lovers, Margherita, Fire Roasted Vegetable and Mushroom with Roasted Garlic. I've tried the first two, the Margherita being my favorite.
I normally add some of my own toppings to the pizza to customize it to my liking. In the photo, I've added black olives. I will often add ham and mushrooms too. It is so great to have one on hand in the freezer for those times that I don't feel like cooking. A really hungry adult could definitely eat the entire pizza but at 370 calories and 15g of fat per 1/3 of one pizza, I should probably stick to eating just half and having a salad.
I'm so happy that Daiya decided to create these pizzas, there definitely was a gap in the market. I have found other gf frozen pizzas but most have regular cheese, the one that I found with no cheese really wasn't very good.

Daiya's Margherita Pizza, black olives added!