Gluten-Free Challenge - Day 31: Beyond

In the end, the challenge wasn't much of a challenge. The temptation to sneak a Circus Animal cookie came and went. The challenge of finding something to eat when eating out wasn't there, given that we went out very few times during the month.

There was a party that K and I went to for Chinese New Year. At the party, there was a plate full of lemon cookies right in front of me. That's about the worst that it got for me. Everything else was pretty manageable.

Going gluten-free take work. You bring your own snacks, make your own lunches. You cook more at home. You eat out less. And when you do go out, you call the restaurant beforehand, look up menus online, ask your server what's OK to eat. And if he doesn't know, you get the heck outta there before it's too late.

Over the past month, I learned that food can be a point of obsession. K and I talked about food a lot. It nearly became the focal point in our marriage. What will we eat for dinner? What can we make? What are we gonna do with all these beets? Are Funyuns gluten free? What about Doritos? What do you mean I can't drink beer?

I have a new-found respect for my wife, who has to deal with this every day. It's not like she's waiting for the day when she can eat whatever she wants.This is a lifestyle that she chose, or maybe it chose her. And she feels better for it. It takes a lot of effort to shun wheat in your life, and K has done it for two years. I'm in awe of her.

Starting tomorrow, I'll probably eat the same things that I've been eating for the past month. There will still be veggies when I come from work, I'll still pack sandwiches made of brown-rice bread. I'll still bring mixed nuts to work for snacks. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get a craving for the Circus Animal cookies. I'll go up to the vending machine in the break room, stare at the bag full of gluten-rich goodness, and just walk away.

Or not.

Gluten-Free Challenge: Day 16 - I Miss Gluten

I'm halfway through, and nothing much has changed.

I'm still craving snacks at work. I found out that Funyuns are gluten-free (Huzzah!). Though I've been bringing my own snacks. Usually K-approved mixed nuts. Sometimes Clif bars. I bring my lunch every day. Usually leftovers. Sometimes a sandwich.

Now, you're probably wondering how can I eat a sandwich. They make gluten-free bread. We get the Trader Joe's brand. It's made from brown rice flour. And, between you and me, it's questionable. The bread just crumbles in my hands as I eat it. It appears to take an extra long time to eat a simple turkey and cheese sandwich. This, by far, is the most depressing aspect of going gluten-free. Which isn't SO bad, but I'm just nitpicking.

K has been cooking more, because she it's just easier for her to control what she eats. She found a recipe for Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. It was originally with regular, gluten-filled ingredients, so she made some changes. Last week, I had Pumpkin Mac and Cheese for four straight meals. I'd probably eat it for longer if there were more.

We still can go out once in a while. We went to Pampas Grill last night at the Farmers Market by The Grove. Brazilian food is usually OK. The food was great! And K survived! Seriously, it's an adventure when we go out. I stare at her for a minute to make sure she's OK. I check her vital signs and administer an IV drip when needed. Kidding about that last part.

I do miss gluten though. Well, gluten-rich stuff like donuts and cheese bread. I forget sometimes why I'm doing this. I do this because I love my wife and want to support her and her lifestyle. But yeah, come February 1, I'm walking to Vons, buying a loaf of Wonder bread, and eating the thing whole.

(Just kidding, K!)

Gluten-Free Challenge: Day 9 - On Cookies

You know what I’ve been thinking about lately? Mothers Circus Animal Cookies.

I’m sure you’ve heard of them. They come in two colors, pink and white. They’re covered in rainbow-colored dots. They’re all sugar, oil, and awesomeness. They’re in the snacks vending machine at work, and I get them once or twice (or thrice) a week. They’re as guilty a pleasure as they get.

I can’t have them this month, because, you guessed it, they contain wheat flour. Like all cookies in vending machines. Basically, I can just have the peanuts, and even those are way too oily for my taste. I'm in a snack dilemma. 

Going gluten-free has made me question my snacking habits. I snack a lot. Chips, cookies, candy bars, it goes on. So now, it's mostly fruits and nuts. I'm doing alright with those. 

Other than my snacking crisis, nothing has changed so much from before. It helps, again, that K prepares food that both of us can eat. Last week, she made a pumpkin mac-and-cheese that was wonderful, but had no protein. We had to mix some turkey breast in it. I've also had more vegetables. Some that are just foreign to me. Chard? Kale? What are these things?

A third of the way in, and so far, so good. But I do miss those cookies.

Gluten-Free Challenge: Day 2 - Consult the Guru

So far, so good. Although I was close to eating the regular crackers at Communion on Sunday, but caught myself at the end. There was also a small scare at a friend's place, as I shoved salt-and-pepper kettle chips in my mouth, but K assured me that those were OK. And they were. They had rice flour instead of wheat.

K has essentially become my Gluten-Free Guru. I can't eat anything without consulting her first. And if she doesn't know, then I don't eat it. I'm assuming that everything out there has wheat. Of course, bread has wheat, so pastries, donuts, and cakes are out. Soy sauce has wheat, so no Chinese food for me. Anything with sauces most likely has wheat in it, but K would know more than I would.

Two days in, and I'm OK. I'm not craving a stack of gluten or anything. I've fasted from other foods for longer (red meat, desserts, etc.) but this feels different. There's nothing religious about this one. I'm doing this because this is K's life right now, and her concerns are mine.

Will this turn into a year of gluten-free living? Let's just take this one day at a time.

Rebooting and a Challenge

This isn't so much a reboot of this blog. More of a reboot of...blogging.

A few days ago, K asked if I'd consider going gluten-free next year. "The whole year?!" I asked. "Maybe just for a month?" I tensed up. 

It's not that I love gluten. I don't wake up every morning and say, "I gotta get me some BREAD." I just don't like limiting my eating choices. I just want the option of having a donut or two or three. 

I thought about it for a minute and decided, why not? K HAS to eat gluten-free, and I think I should support her, not just by eating her g-free cooking, but also by experiencing a little bit of what she goes through each day. 

This also is an opportunity to write about SOMETHING. Ever since South Africa, I've had little motivation to write about anything. And it's killing me. Hopefully this will be the kick in the butt I need.

So for the month of January, I'm going gluten-free. This could go really well, or I could go down in flames. Whatever the case, it'll make for an interesting 31 days.

Spunky Finds a Home

Our story begins ten years ago at an Aahs in Santa Monica.

I was looking for a gift for my roommate. I got him a rainbow-colored lizard beanie baby. I felt bad getting only one item (I'm weird that way), so I looked for another thing to buy. That's when I saw Spunky.

Spunky is a cocker spaniel beanie baby, and just plain adorable. I thought that if I ever had a girlfriend, and if she meant that much to me, I would give her Spunky. And my girlfriend would say, "OMG I love him so much!!!" She would fall madly in love with me and...yeah.


*Spunky, left. Me passed out from too many margaritas, right.*

Spunky would sit on my bookshelf for the next eight years. Girls would enter my life, then leave. Nobody came close to being Spunky-worthy. When I moved from my apartment to my townhouse, Spunky was packed in a box, collecting dust and shame.

Our story skips ahead to last Saturday. K and I were set to drive down to San Diego for my Mom's birthday. As I was ready to head out, I had a strong feeling come over me. A voice ran through my head as clear as day: "Find Spunky."

Spunky lay in an open cardboard box in my closet. I stuffed him in my backpack, along with the ring I bought the month prior. I picked up K at her place, and we were on our way.

The 5 South going to SD on an early Saturday afternoon, if you didn't already know, sucks. As K chatted with her friend on her cell, I panicked. How am I going to do this? I don't have a speech. I just have a stuffed cocker spaniel. I could stop on our way back...Or I could wait two weeks, when we both have no plans. But...I don't know if I can wait that long...And what if she can sense that I'm about to propose? Shoot...

The traffic continued to crawl. We were about to hit Oceanside, when I saw an exit coming up to a View Point. I've passed by this exit a hundred times without giving it a second thought. My heartbeat picked up. My stomach twisted. I took a deep breath.

"I need a break from the traffic," I said. "OK," She replied, eyes glued to her phone, in the middle of texting somebody. Perfect. She doesn't suspect a thing.

The View Point, official name Las Flores View Point, was full of squirrels, tourists and bees. As Karen finished her text, I reached in the backseat for Spunky. And the ring. It was time.

We walked toward the edge of the View Point, where a bush gave us some cover. I turned to her. "I wanna give you something. But you have to close your eyes. And hold out your hand." I placed Spunky in the hand of his new owner. I said things I don't remember saying. I asked her a question. I got down on one knee. She said yes. I asked her again just to make sure she heard me the first time. She said yes again. We held each other for an hour. We prayed that God would watch over us. Then we got back in the car (avoiding the bees) and drove on.


*Spunky's new owner*

Our story continues. It's the best story I've ever been a part of. It's a story that will get better every day. Thank you to everyone reading this, for your support and friendship. I hope we can see you all face to face and thank you personally.



Our deepest and sincerest love,

Karen and Eman

Books and (e)Books

Last week, Amazon announced the coming of the next generation of the Kindle. For the past week, I've been having a conversation with myself that goes something like this:

"Get the Kindle already."
"Now? But I like actual books."
"What do you think e-books are?"
"They're not real books!"
"Oh, BS. Do paper and binding really mean anything? It's about the words. It's about READING."
"True..."
"Besides, do you know how many free books there are out there?"
"Yeah."
"So get it already. It's cheap. You have Amazon Reward points, for crying out loud."
"Ehhhh..."

And on and on and on...

There's something about the physical book; The turning of pages, the musty smell of the paper, the way strangers strain for a glance at the title of whatever you're reading at Coffee Bean.

Also, the gifting of books is underrated. Right now I'm reading The Good Soliders by David Finkel. It's an account of a battalion of Rangers during the Iraq War. It's one of the best books I've ever read. And I wouldn't have known about it if my good friend Tinz didn't order it on Amazon.

I've warmed up to the concept of e-reading. After K, her sister and brother-in-law all got Kindles for Christmas (I admit, I felt left out), I thought there must be something to them. I got a hold of one. It's great. The e-Ink is easy on my eyes. It's lightweight. I was sold.

I've decided to wait till later in the year (Birthday? Christmas? One of those days.) to jump into the e-book frenzy. However I will still read physical books, for all the things I've mentioned earlier. In my world paper and e-Ink will co-exist in literary harmony. And I will read in perfect bliss.