Brooks updates us on the gluten-free front!


I am a very self-centered person.  Vanity can come with consequences, like bumping into things while staring at myself in reflective objects.  But it also means that things that might seem like creepy coincidences to others make perfect sense to me.  The very same day I go gluten-free, the New York Times is touting the evils of carbs, restaurants everywhere are creating whole gluten-free sections in their menus, and the grocery store aisles seem to open their arms to me (“Gluten Free!”, “Now with no wheat products!” “GF Friendly”).  I feel less of an experiment in fringe dietary restrictions than a culinary zeitgeist.  And why shouldn’t I, the world is mine.

“But Brooks, is it possible that you are seeing these things only now because you are looking for them?”  Pish Posh.

So, since the whole world has clearly decided Dave and Brooks are gluten-free and it’s time to follow suit, how has our week been going?  Other than exhausted, which is partly the move and partly the lack of slow burning fuel (carbs!), we’ve been great!  Dave and I moved into our new apartment which we love.  The primary feature of this space which will most change our lives is the kitchen.  It is spacious, comfortable, and fun to cook in.  In many ways we fell in love cooking dinners together as friends and are looking forward to getting back to that aspect of our relationship.  It also means getting us away from eating out, which we have discovered is the DEVIL.

Quinoa is our new best friend.

Our first three days were spent awash in moving excitement and away from our regular routines.  Dave is on vacation now which means that he has not had to fold his new diet into his old life.  Going back to work was tricky as it meant that I could not just stuff a sandwich into my face at lunch (even our gluten-free bread is off the table as our GF bakery is closed this week!)  The absence of all of those slow burning carbs means I need to eat more regularly and listen to my body (Feel faint, eat a banana.).  It has also meant that we have both lost a significant amount of weight in only a week (Dave about nine pounds and me about six pounds).  Much of this is moving and stress, but a lot of it has to do with the more mindful eating, the lack of restaurants, and the severe reduction in carbs.  I will want a beer someday and if I remain this tired, I will return to pasta on midnight, August 1st, but the weight loss benefits might be hard to give up.  My skin also looks awesome.

Gluten-Free Lobster Dinner

We had our first restaurant experience today, a Chinese restaurant.  I found myself parsing out thickeners with three different people on the phone.  MSG contains gluten, corn starch does not, which sauce did this use, how do you prepare this?  So while the New York Times may makes me feel like a culinary zeitgeist, at least I know I can always depend on any Boston Chinese restaurant to make me feel ignorant and pedantic.  Gluten-free or not, at least some things never change.