Month: December 2013


Dec
2013

The drama of being a celiac academic in Asia

categories: Eating Out, Food Allergy Tips, International, Restaurant Reviews

As a junior academic, when you attend conferences, there’s already loads of anxiety-inducing stuff to manage. I’m still awfully nervous about presenting my work in front of a room full of experts in their fields and between the public speaking and the usual dramas of imposter syndrome, I’m always a bundle of nerves. As a celiac, if your conference is somewhere in Asia, this then adds the issues of
1. What will I eat?
2. How much it sucks at conference meals to have to explain to a whole table why you are not eating or getting a plate of steamed vegetables that normally resembles baby food
3. Constantly having to explain why you aren’t trying the cakes at morning tea
4. Dealing with the ‘look’ – you know this one..where wait staff, restaurant managers and conference coordinators get glazed eyes from listening to your plea for some sort of GF food

With my first conference in Hyderabad, where all academics lived and ate on campus, I carried protein shakes and GF bars. Lucky too as the kitchen was a cloud of flour at every meal time. I survived this mostly on afore mentioned protein shakes and chai, but was lucky to have a family friend living in the city who organised GF Hyderabady cuisine at a few restaurants. I’ve been back a few times and my staple list includes:
1. The Radisson Blu where the GM is a friend and all the chefs now totally get my gluten-free needs
2. The Taj Faluknuma Palace – Adaa for amazing Hyderabad cuisine
3. The Olive Bistro
4. Vivanta Taj – Thai Pavillion where the Thai chef made me Amazing adaptations of Thai dishes
5. ITC – for the gluten free Dum biryani

In September, I had a conference in Phuket. I contacted conference organisers, the hotel the conference was at and was hoping it would be easier as so much Thai food is naturally gluten free. Sadly, despite this, it was awful. I received the look at every meal and felt like a total neurotic freak every time I had to explain why I wasn’t eating, why I couldn’t drink beer etc etc etc

Luckily, the GM friend at the Radisson called his counterpart at the Radisson Blu Phuket and I had an amazing dinner plus some take out to last me the rest of the conference.

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I’m not sure what the solution is but at least I now have a few places to eat at in these cities. I wonder if anyone else in different fields encounters these problems?

Kiss kiss

Bubbles


Dec
2013

Going Veggie Paleo

categories: Eating In, Food Allergy Tips, Recipes

Okay, so here’s my latest thing: going Veggie Paleo. Have you heard about the Paleo Diet? Well, it’s the same thing, except with a reduced amount of meat, dairy, and eggs for environmental/health purposes.

I don’t follow the diet to the “T,” as it can be really hard to adapt to a highly social lifestyle, but I do try to follow as much as I possibly can. It’s made me feel tons better, and guess what, my husband, who has no food allergies at all, says he feels better too.

So in celebrating the Veggie Paleo diet, I’ll be sharing a couple of super easy recipes that work for me after a long day at work.

Tip: Make sure you buy fresh fish that has not been sitting/melting into a bunch of styrofoam. Bring your own glass/stainless steel container to the market. Pick a safe fish–avoid farm raised fish and large fish (Google “low contamination fish types”).

Grilled Fish with Mango Compote and Boiled Sweet Potato

If timed properly, can be done in as little as 20 minutes.
If timed properly, can be done in as little as 20 minutes.

Ingredients

2 pieces of fish, approximately 100 gms each

Seasoning: sea salt, pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme

3 tablespoons of butter

Compote: half a mango, splash of ume plum vinegar, dash of salt, dash of honey, a few cranberries

Approximately 10 small pieces of sweet potato

Method

1.Turn on oven to approximately 160. I honestly don’t think it is necessary to completely pre-heat for such simple dishes. I turn it on and then place the fish in when I am done prepping.

2. Wash and start to boil the sweet potatoes in just plain water.

3. Prep the fish by rubbing a little butter on the bottom of a baking pan, and then placing small lumps of butter all over fish. On top of the butter place the seasonings.

4. Place fish in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

5. While fish is cooking, cut one half of a mango. Scrape the side so that the flesh is pulpy and watery. Add the ume plum vinegar, honey, and salt. Adjust to taste.

6. When fish is half way done (5 minute mark), take out and turn over. Make sure the butter spreads evenly.

7. When fish is completely done, take out, and  place the compote on top with a few cranberries (try to get low/no sugar cranberries).

8. Serve with halved sweet potatoes with a sliver of butter atop the crevice.

Peace,

Daisy