And the winner is...

Well, the Oscars are on tonight. As per the last several years, a few friends will come over for our annual Oscar "party". The idea of us having an Oscar party is quite bizarre really. Originally, we started doing this because we used to go to the movies a lot (pre-child) as did our friends (who now don't go to movies for reasons I can't quite figure out). Now, we see very few movies, but the ritual is still there. Watching the Oscars is more fun when you're eating (as most of my friends are not real drinkers) and gabbing with friends.

On the menu tonight is steak. Seems fitting for an Oscar soiree. I will accompany them with fingerling potatoes and some sort of veggie side dish. Because of the gluten free thing, I will be attempting to make a flourless chocolate cake. If that doesn't work out, there's always fruit and ice cream. These are the advantages of having a reasonably well-stocked home.

I have seen three of the Oscar nominated films. Juno is my pick for many awards, because really, who ever thought a movie about teenage pregnancy could be the feel-good picture of the year. I have also seen Ratatouille and just assume that will win best animated. I also saw Away From Her more than a year ago at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Julie Christie was very good in this film, but I really feel that Gordan Pinset has been robbed of the acclaim he so rightly deserves for this performance. Problem is, everyone has heard of Christie, while Pinset remains one of Canada's best kept secrets.

I am finding that I am feeling oddly nationalistic about the Oscars, hoping for wins for Sarah Polley for her adaptation of Alice Munro's work for Away From Her. I also wouldn't mind Juno, which was filmed here in Vancouver, starring Halifax's Ellen Page and directed by Canadian born Jason Reitman to pick up some hardware. Needless to say, one of the Canadian short films better win the Oscar as well. I tend to get nationalistic whenever we are in a competition with America for whatever reason. With respect to the Oscars, it's such a celebration of excess, I like to believe that Canadian victories will temper the rah-rah-ness of it all.

Oh who am I kidding. I am happy that the writer's strike is over and I can be a spectator in all the pomp and circumstance that is the Oscars. It's Oscar's 80th year, so I am hoping that they will doing something interesting by way of tribute for all of us old-school film buffs.

In the meantime, happy viewing, eating and imbibing everyone.

Gluten is the new blog

I've been away from my own blogging for some time.  Put my foot in the water and it got wet.  Go figure.  Lots of stuff happening in my life (lives).  On the eating front, hubby has been diagnosed with Celiac disease.  This means that his body cannot absorb gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and other flours.  His intestine has been damaged, but a life-long, gluten-free diet will restore.  Or at least this is what we are led to believe.

The problem -- is and you know that there is always a problem -- gluten can be found in just about everything.  Flour is the great food binder.  Apart from the usual cakes, cookies, breads and other yummy treats, wheat and its derivatives can be found in all kinds of things, including, but not limited to soya sauce, deli meats, worcestershire sauce, pasta, and  most fast foods.  

The good news,  and yes one can always find some, is that we live in a city where gluten-friendly food can be found.  My favourite place so far is Choices, a local market chain that has really tapped into the niche market of GF grocery items.  Additionally, they have their own bakery, which generates some relatively palatable  baked goods.  They also mark their grocery shelves with a blue label to indicate whether or not a food item is gluten free.  It is important to read the ingredients anyway, but this blue label system certainly helps gear us neophyte GF shoppers in the right direction.

So this is all well and good, as long as you are doing your own cooking (and I haven't even begun to talk about cross-contamination issues yet), however (and you knew that there would be a "however") going out to eat is a far more daunting task.  The conventional wisdom is that the better (i.e. the more expensive) the restaurant, the more likely that your meal will be made to your specifications.  We tried this during Dine Out Vancouver at the Savory Coast restaurant.  I emailed them in advance, my husband spoke with them before we went and our server seemed to know about gluten.  We both had the steak, which we have been told is a safe GF bet, and were delighted that flourless chocolate cake was among the dessert options.  Nevertheless, the food did not agree with my husband.  Somewhere, somehow gluten had found its way in to his food.

Needless to say, the restaurant thing is a work in process.  He's had better luck with sushi as long has he uses his own GF tamari and even at Red Robin, which he says were very accommodating.  On a recent visit to White Spot, I asked about GF options, they let me have a look at their allergy binder.  Unfortunately, my husband will not be able to eat about 95 per cent of the food on the menu; however, the manager said that they would be willing to accommodate his special needs.  We will have to test this one out. 

My daughter and I have not gone completely gluten-free.  My daughter is a very fussy eater, so we already don't always eat the same things.  As a result, cross-contamination is a big issue in our house.  I am forever washing my hands between handling his food and her food.  I throw any cloths that have been used to wipe down counters or wash dishes which may have any gluten residue.  This is also a work in process.  I am keenly aware that even a microscopic amount of gluten can affect my husband adversely. 

I am certain that I will continue to chronicle our new GF lifestyle in this blog.  BTW, the masala tin up top is completely gluten free!That's not why I included it.  I just liked the picture.