News Flash

Here's something I didn't expect: when you write a blog, people suddenly start sending you pertinent information that your blog readers might enjoy. This has happened THREE times in the last few days. So I thought I'd pass it on, even though it's not breakfast related.

1) Bone Density

I got a sweet email from my friend in Switzerland the other day. Here's what she had to say: "I was thinking about you after I saw the blog, because I just had a bone density test done. If you have Celiac Disease, it puts you in a higher risk bracket for osteoporosis. I wanted to mention it to you because in my experience doctors aren't very good at making sure their gf patients get the test done and it's something pretty much asymptomatic (unless you get a fracture). "

I'd like to hear if any of you have success getting a "pro-active" bone density scan. I think doctors are reluctant to order that test unless their patient is in real danger (i.e. are over 65). Let me know. I'll ask my doctor and report back.

2) Tax Deductions

I also got an email from my supersmart accountant/sister-in-law who wanted me to let you know there are tax deductions available for people with celiac disease. You can claim some of the cost of food. From my understanding of it, you can claim gf baked goods, cereals, etc. and ingredients to make baked goods. You need three things: a doctor's note confirming that you have celiac disease and require these products, a little itemized list of the products you are claiming, and a receipt for each thing on your list. CRA then calculates the difference between what you paid and what you would be paying for a similar gluten-containing item. I can't tell if there is a limit.

Here's the link: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns300-350/330/clc-eng.html

3) Pete's

Aidan and Jen from Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet send out a weekly email full of helpful info. This week there was this juicy tidbit: "We are so excited to tell you that Pete's Frootique (Halifax) will be opening a Gluten-Free Cafe and Coffee Bar on Monday April 9^th (Easter Monday). We are thrilled to see a dedicated gluten-free venture open in Halifax. We are proud supporters of the cafe and will be supplying them with all of our products. Aidan and I will be at the opening on April 9^th sampling products. Come on down to support and check out the space!"

Happy Friday!

The Morning After

Do you remember the moment you stopped eating gluten?

For some people it is a single, definitive point in time - maybe the moment after the doctor tells you the results of a biopsy. For others it's more nebulous, a suspicion that leads into a half-hearted avoidance. Still sick, you go whole-hog.

I said goodbye to gluten with a piece of gnocchi. I carefully ordered my meal at Fid, made sure every morsel was free of the offending protein. I even asked about preparation practices and cross-contamination. But then my date's gnocchi arrived at the table and I just knew I was going to eat one. And I did. I ate just one. It was pillowy and toothsome at the same time. It had that mild nutty taste that is characteristic of wheat. The tomato sauce sung in my mouth. And that was it. I have never eaten gluten (intentionally) since.

I woke up the next morning totally committed to feeling better and avoiding gluten.

And that's where I want to begin. The morning after. You've decided that this protein is making you sick. It is hopeful and terrifying. Maybe you won't have searing pain in your tum-tum - yes, hooray, that would be great! But also, what the heck are you going to eat for breakfast?

This week I will be exploring the wonderful world of eating food in the morning. I have some big ambitions for this week: a survey of breakfast at the farmers market, a pancake mix taste test, and a homage to eggs. (My baby might railroad some of these plans, but not all of them. I hope.)

By the way, if this is your moment, right now, if you have, just now, started to rebuild your diet after being sick for months or maybe even years, let me tell you one thing I know to be true: even if it's a dry rice cake with butter, the morning after is better than the night before.

To Know Me Is To Trust Me

I like the internet as much as the next person. I like it for things like this and this and this. But I don't trust the internet. I don't look for medical information or parenting tips. And I never, ever, ever make a recipe that I found on the internet. I just don't trust it.

There are some exceptions, of course. I will search the recipe archive of cooking magazines. There are three bloggers whose recipes I will make right off their site (but I found all of them through books or magazines).

The reason I don't trust the internet is its lack of context. It's so hard to know where a recipe has actually come from. Has the recipe been tested? Will it work if I'm using an electric stove? Does it assume I have a lot of skill? Will it be delicious or just passable? If I make a recipe out of a cookbook or a cooking magazine I am pretty much guaranteed that it has been tested over and over again and it will work and will be good.

But there's something more important that I can't get from recipes.com and that's the recipe's personality. I am pretty good at reading a cookbook introduction and knowing if it's the kind of recipe I like. I can sniff out if the recipes will put health or gluten-free as a priority over flavour and texture. I can sense if it will lean towards difficult techniques and time-consuming preparations. I can avoid recipes that will call for equipment I can't afford or ingredients I won't be able to find in this city. I just can't do that on the internet.

Here's my dilemma: I want you to trust me. When I say, "this recipe is really delicious" or "Schoolhouse makes the best carrot cake," I want you to get excited. How can I ask you, stranger/reader, to trust me, anonymous blogger?

I think I have a solution. What follows is a succinct (if not incomplete) list of my biases. Read them, learn them, and then use them to follow or ignore my advice according to your own taste.

1) I don't have celiac disease.

Well, I don't know if I do. I made the mistake of cutting out gluten entirely before being tested, which makes being tested very difficult. (Did you know that? If you are considering going gluten free to see if you have celiac, DON'T. Read more about it here - especially the "Gluten Sensitivity FAQ") So I may not be as sensitive as someone with celiac. I tell people I have celiac disease because that's how careful I need to be. Just because I didn't get sick at a restaurant doesn't mean you won't. Please continue to be diligent and ask your own questions about preparation, cross-contamination, etc.

2) I am also sensitive to other things

I am sensitive to corn and soy. So, I won't eat a cob of corn or a hunk of tofu, but I will eat corn syrup in small amounts or soy sauce. I am breastfeeding my supersweet baby, who seems to be allergic to milk proteins, so, until he weans, I don't eat dairy. This means that I will tend to notice new products or recipes that avoid corn and soy (and, for a limited time, dairy). I will try to keep my eyes out for the rest of you who can eat these things, but I am not likely to get very excited about a new corn tortilla or soyogurt product.

(when my son is done breastfeeding I am throwing a dairy party and you are all invited - we will eat tubs and tubs and tubs of ice cream!)

3) I am a "foodie"

My friend Andrew first called me this word three years ago. I took offense because I think it's synonymous with "snob." But I am trying to be honest, so, yes, 80% of the time I am a foodie. I prefer food that is local, seasonal, organic and without added crap. I will pay $15 for a half pizza and a salad, if it's tasty. I don't like margarine or cooking with cans of Campbell's soup as a base. A lot of the gluten-free baked goods on the market are inedible to my taste. However, 20% of the time I love food that no real foodie would like. Ruffles chip dip, packaged waffles, Betty Crocker icing. I also don't get foie gras or truffles or almost any kind of booze. I hate olives. I don't think I would be let into the club.

Here's the deal: I will tell you about a product if it is available in Halifax and is gluten-free. I might mention whether or not I liked it, but I will try to provide information first and opinions second. I'll try.

4) I like to cook

I feel sorry for people who find out they are allergic to gluten and hate to cook. If that describes you, then I urge you to learn some basics because it will save you money and bellyaches. I like to cook. I am comfortable in a kitchen. If a recipe says "fold in the dried cherries" or "deglaze the pan" I know what to do. I don't mind recipes that require a little skill. I also have a fairly well-equipped kitchen with a pasta maker and a food processor and a standing mixer.

If you are intimidated by a more-than-basic recipe, but like the sound of it, email me. I will talk you through it. If I recommend a recipe that requires a piece of equipment you don't have, maybe you can borrow mine. Or I can tell you how to do it another way.

5) I am not a writer or photographer

I want my sentences to be clear and for you to understand me. I don't want to spell words incorrectly or give poorly researched information. I want to be helpful, informative, and up-to-date. I don't really aim for much more than that.

If I take pictures of my food (which I do every time I make something that takes more than 2 hours of work) it's more for memory than aesthetics. I probably won't post many pictures of food here, mainly because I don't think it would be an encouragement to eat whatever is pictured.

Forewarned is forearmed. As I learn more about you and what you want from this blog I will adapt and grow. For now, I will be led by my interests and biases, waiting for your comments and questions.

Day One

Everything starts tomorrow.

Saturdays are the beginning of the "food week." Every Friday night we sit down and decide what we want to eat for the week. We get excited about new dishes, give ourselves a break with old standbys on busy nights, and maybe plan a night out. We make a menu and a shopping list. I get excited, every time, about the possibilities ahead.

About five years ago this ritual became a lot more complicated. After months of illness and weight loss, I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy. I had to learn a lot about where gluten hides and how to cook and bake without it. While I do miss the convenience of eating gluten free, I actually feel lucky that my illness had such a simple solution.

In fact, I have learned so much about cooking and baking and health, not to mention new and delicious flavours, that I think I actually like being allergic to gluten.

I am starting this blog to help other people in this city feel the same.

I will provide tips on sourcing ingredients, restaurant reviews, updates on new products, and lots of recipes. I also hope this blog can be the meeting place for a community of people. Wouldn't you love to go to a potluck where you could eat everything? Starting this blog, tonight, as my husband soothes my infant son, could be the beginning of something amazing.

So, I guess, everything starts tonight, actually.