GF - The New Normal

This is the first post in a long time and may be the last post in a while...it is hard to say but I feel like writing tonight about something I've been encouraged to write about. A year ago I was told that I have celiac disease and as a result had to go gluten-free. It was a huge change for me as I was the person who rewarded myself with cakes, alleviated stress with bagels and made friends and allies of my gluten-filled treats. They were of course my enemy for a long time as any stress-eater knows but I didn't know they were actually causing real harm.

The change was instant for me. I didn't want to eat things with gluten any more. I craved them sometimes, sure, but the temptation to just take one bite or to just eat an entire cupcake and suffer the consequences hasn't appealed to me. I was told that in the long-term, continuing to allow damage to my small intestine could lead to cancer and short-term it would result in the problems I had been facing that lead me to get testing in the first place. That was enough for me.

I have complained about it; don't get me wrong, I find looking for "GF" on labels or asking a waitress for a gluten-free menu to be almost painful sometimes if not minimally inconvenient. But, I really haven't cheated consciously. One time, we had food at the office and I was embarrassed so I ate what I thought was safe. I regretted it when I noticed some celiac symptoms return. That was the last time I let my self-consciousness get in the way of me health (well, from this perspective anyway...).

There is one thing that really bothers me about having to go GF. It is dealing with wait staff at restaurants who feel inconvenienced by questions or requests to have food prepared a certain way. For the most part I have had EXCELLENT service at restaurants, especially those that have GF as a label on their normal menu. I am always delighted and grateful. Nizza and Friedman's Lunch in NYC are examples of restaurants who have made a fantastic effort to serve people who can't tolerate or are even allergic to gluten. There are many others too. Chipotle, (thank goodness!!!) has a primarily gluten-free menu and the counter staff will even change their gloves if you ask (I don't ask but they will do it). Even bars I go to like House of Brews, Bar Bacon and Landsdowne Road are always accommodating. HOB even carries Omission beer now which in my opinion is the most awesome of all GF beers.

Back to those who make me feel badly...they are the wait staff who don't want to deal with it or perhaps harbor some bitterness against anyone who makes any special request like dressing on the side or no onions. I had one waitress ask me, "is this a preference?" when I asked if the chicken was prepared with any flour because I had to have GF food. I said "No, it is a requirement. I'm allergic." Her answer, "I'm not sure." Then followed a brief staring contest which I lost. I had to ask her to find out from the kitchen and she rolled her eyes as she walked away. I was with a friend who was shocked. Had I been alone I would have thought I did something wrong. But no, she was just rude and there are a few like her.

I'm sure diet fads (and gluten-free diets are a fad for some and a necessity for others) are annoying to wait staff but whether it was a preference or not, rude treatment isn't warranted. Further, it is awkward to have to expose a medical condition, a disease, to pretty much everyone you know and the last thing you want is someone to question it.

If anyone besides me happens to read thing, take note that food allergies are no joke. They can be very serious or deadly even. Try not to begrudge someone when they ask you a question about what is in the food they are eating. Whether they could get sick or not, it is within anyone's right to want to know what they are putting in their own body.

As for being GF now - I have to admit that sometimes I do want an Oreo but I'll settle for a macaroon.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

A favorite place of mine in all of NYC is St. Patrick's Cathedral. Very easy to check out by way of Rockefeller Center, I try to always at least walk by when I'm in the city or on a good day, make it inside.

I don't know what drives my fascination with cathedrals but I think they are often beautiful structures with a mysterious darkness given they are supposed to hold so much light.

The statues representing saints all around the cathedral are mysterious to me. I wasn't raised Catholic or with any religion at all so I learn about each saint every time I go, reading the placards before the statues and deciding who to light a candle in front of.

I pay my $2 and light a candle each time I go. This time, the list for whom I lit the candle had grown beyond what I had expected when I was last there. I usually feel tears well up and take a moment to remember some people I loved but this time, tears came and I didn't stop them. I lit the candle first for my brother. It is the first time I talked to God since he died in October. I have said that I'm unsure as to whether God exists but in that uncertainty, there is hope that someone was listening to me. I lit the candle for my dear friend Rich, a Catholic, who I lost in 2002 and some more people who have passed but who are also living today.

I find the ritual cleansing and though the power may only be in the feeling I get from expressing my wishes for some that I hold dear, I look forward to it every time.

I had an excellent trip to NYC this past weekend and enjoyed so much sound and color but also the silence which is extraordinary when coming off of the busy city streets.

Wicked NYC

I'm in NYC, one of my favorite places in the world. I have less than two more days left on my trip and know I won't really want to go. They weather has been awful (cold, windy, rainy) but it is still so great to be here. My mom had a big birthday this year and I decided she HAD to see the city so that's why I'm here, with her and her friend.

The picture, before I forget to mention it, it the sunset on Monday evening, from Top of the Rock...the cool, hip and quicker alternative to the Empire State Building at the Rockefeller Building. That was from the 69th floor.

We saw Wicked tonight and I'd seen it before but it was much different on Broadway. I see now how it makes such a difference to actually see shows here versus at the SD Civic Theater or even in Los Angeles which are both places I've seen this same musical before. Nevertheless, if you haven't seen it, see Wicked wherever you can. It is amazing, clever and touching even the third time!

Anyway, it was a perfect night that could have been otherwise. For some reason I thought the show started at 8pm so I made dinner reservations at an expensive but worth it restaurant for 615pm. A glance at the tickets around 545pm showed us that the show was actually at 7pm...there went dinner before the show.

As a result of the mishap, we were all starving after the show and in good spirits so I was able to get the ladies to check out a new part of town. We headed away from Broadway and walked a longer distance than expected but ended up in Hell's Kitchen where I'd never been before and had a great, inexpensive dinner. It was probably our most enjoyable meal since being in the city and yet another time that proved best laid plans, when abandoned, can lead to the best outcome.

I would write more but we went to Ellis Island this morning at 8am (to avoid the line that was still too, too long) and it is after 1am so time to go! It was a long trip out there but after reading about immigrants' experiences, I shouldn't complain. Gosh I have so much more to talk about but it can wait until tomorrow...I Heart NYC.