Columbus, OH

As this blog progresses, you'll start to notice that there will be a lot of posts about Columbus, and that's because I live there. For all the traveling I do, I obviously also spend a lot of time here, forever searching for awesome places to eat, so expect a lot of time dedicated to the hot spots of this city (this is not one of them fyi).

The Cheesecake Factory

That being said, yesterday Caleb and I decided we wanted to grab a quick bite to eat and ended up choosing The Cheesecake Factory (as I said, not a local hot spot, but from time to time I will also be blogging about the standard, quick, chain places to eat too). Now, if you're American, you know that this isn't the fanciest of places to eat, or the most courageous in cuisine, and if you're from anywhere else you might not be aware of their GIGANTIC menu or their vomit-coloured interior, but it's definitely a safe place for people in groups to usually find something they can all eat. The Cheesecake Factory has always been (kind of) ahead when offering GF items. They used to have a separate menu, but these days they've incorporated it into the usual one - just look for the GF symbols. The company are also very aware of cross-contamination, so they get a big thumbs up from me about using separate water for pasta and grill plates etc.

Washington, D.C

Sometimes, I love to be a tourist and do the “tourist” type things. I travel frequently, but it doesn’t always give me an opportunity to see the sights or “must-sees” of each city or country, so for the past couple of days I visited Washington D.C with my sister-in-law so I could do just that.  The Lincoln memorial, Arlington Cemetery, The White House, I saw it all!

Of course, this blog isn’t about the sights, this blog is about my search for gluten-free food and living. As I was only there for a short amount of time, I managed to fit in just two places: Old Ebbitt Grill and &pizza. The first, had great cocktails, a tasty piece of steak and were super helpful when I told them of my allergy and the latter was just, well, it was great!

And After All This Time...

It’s been years now. Years since I found out what was wrong me, and still it’s a daily struggle.  The constant fluctuation of bloat, the wondering if something I ate had a hidden ingredient or just the huffs at having to spend a fortune on “safe” food at the supermarket. It affects every day of my life and so I’m here to share this never ending journey with you.

A lot of the time I curse the “trendy” people who say “Oh I totally have coeliacs, it’s awful isn’t it.” (and then help themselves to another bread roll) and sometimes I’m begrudgingly thankful because it means that now more people than ever know what it means to be gluten free; however basic the understanding. I travel a bit and it plays havoc with my insides. I’m forever searching for places to eat in every city or country I go to, and so, I thought I’d create this, a blog about finding hidden gems for sufferers (or places to avoid), good and bad encounters, comparisons of products, brands that I think everyone needs in their life and sometimes I’ll even just share my own recipes (and maybe sell items!). Somewhere in this blog, I hope you find what I have to say interesting.

It’s pretty unbelievable the amount of time I have to dedicate to an area that most people don’t even need to think about, so I might as well share what I’m learning along the way. And after all this time, I’m definitely still learning.