Chapter 16

Getting Out and About: Eating Away from Home

In This Chapter

Setting yourself up for success when eating out

Preparing for restaurant adventures

Packing it up for travel time

Going gluten-free on planes, trains, cars (and ships)

F or some people, the gluten-free diet itself doesn’t present the biggest challenge — it’s getting out of the house. Even people who’ve been gluten-free for years sometimes feel uncomfortable about venturing away from home.

Most of this book focuses on reading labels, shopping and cooking, modifying recipes, keeping the kitchen gluten-free and keeping crumbs out of the peanut butter jar. But what about when you eat out? You can’t read labels, you’re limited to what has been provided, and you have to rely on people who may have no idea what gluten is. And, for the most part, you have little control over how the cooks prepare the food.

Yet getting out is important. Life in a bubble is for oxygen molecules, not humans. Does venturing outside require extra effort on your part? Sure. Might you receive a meal contaminated with gluten? Maybe. Are you going to pay $40 for a meal that would have cost $6 to make at home? Yep. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

The reality is that you can’t always be at home in a crumb-free zone with pantries stocked with your gluten-free favourites. Whether you’re taking clients out for lunch, enjoying a romantic dinner for two at your favourite restaurant, travelling for business or seeing the world for pleasure, you will be eating out. And unless you want to sulk and starve, you need to know how to eat safely when you’re away from home.

Following the Golden Rules of Going Out Gluten-Free

You just arrived at the social event of the year. You’re energised, looking fabulous and eager to spend a great evening with friends. And you’re famished. You zero in on the buffet table, loaded with the most amazing spread you’ve seen in decades, and slowly you begin to realise that you can’t eat anything within a kilometre radius. Your mood plummets as fast as your panic rises, because you realise you’re going to be there all night with nothing to eat.

What follows are some basic rules of going out gluten-free. These rules should prevent such a party dampener, because you shouldn’t let a little food (or lack thereof) ruin a good time.

Don’t assume others will accommodate your diet

The office party is coming up in two months. Realising this will obviously involve food, you have a word with the person planning the party and explain your dietary restrictions. She’s ranking high on the does-she-get-it scale, nodding in the appropriate places, even tossing in an ‘Oh, so you probably can’t eat the rolls, right?’ Wow! She gets it! You’re set, right? Don’t bet your promotion on it. And whatever you do, don’t expect it.

If she does get it and you see gluten-free goodies there (in which case you’ll be tempted to fiercely guard them, elbowing guests away, defending your territory and hissing, ‘Those are for me! They’re all I can eat!’), let her know how much you appreciate it (and don’t hiss; it’s really not becoming). She didn’t have to make the effort to accommodate your diet, but she did.

Really, you shouldn’t expect anyone to accommodate your gluten-free diet — it doesn’t matter who it is. Even those closest to you — those you love the most — are going to forget or make mistakes. This doesn’t happen because they don’t care — they (usually) do. Often, the lack of gluten-free goodies is just an oversight, or sometimes people think they understand the diet, but they missed some of the intricacies and what they think is gluten-free is floating in gravy.

Ask what’s for dinner

Asking about the menu isn’t rude. Well, sometimes it is. Like when you invite some people for dinner and they’re trying to choose between that and another opportunity, so they respond, ‘Yeah, maybe. What’s for dinner?’ But that’s another book (check out Responding to Rude Remarks For Dummies — okay, sorry, we made that title up, so you’re on your own for clever comebacks).

When you’re gluten-free and attending a social function, asking what’s for dinner won’t earn you a spot on the social circuit blacklist. Of course, some ways of asking are ruder than others (see preceding paragraph), but we assume you have more tact than that and can simply say to the host or hostess, ‘I’m on a gluten-free diet and will need to check with you about what you’re serving. I’m very happy to bring an alternative if that would help.’ Most of the time, people are happy to accommodate your diet as best they can.

Fill up before you go

Because you can’t expect any gluten-free goodies you can eat at the party, filling up before you go is a good idea. That way you’re not starved and fixated on food, and you can enjoy the party for what it’s really all about, which is fun and friends.

The biggest problem with this rule is that if you get to the party and find a lot of gluten-free goodies you can eat, you’ll be so excited that you’ll eat them all, even though you’re not hungry. Beware of popping buttons.

BYOF: Bring your own food

We’re not suggesting that you walk into a formal soirée with bags of food under your arms, wafting the just-fried French fry smell among guests in dinner suits. No, that type of a grand entrance may not sit well with the host and hostess. The setting does, of course, determine the type of food you bring and how you bring it.

Don’t worry that bringing your own food may offend the host or hostess. You can discuss this in advance, or just explain when you get there that you need special food and have brought along a few things to eat and share.

Bite your tongue when they make a mistake

You sat down with the hostess, talked about her plans for the meal and decided where she could make a few changes for you. You get to the party only to find everything is wrapped in pastry or rolled in crumbs. You:

(A)  Look miserable and make other people feel guilty

(B)  Complain quietly to everyone else that the hostess forgot you were on a gluten-free diet

(C)  Try to pick the innards out of the pastry thingies

(D)  None of the above

The correct answer is D. Just relax and enjoy the party. You weren’t hungry anyway, because you filled up before you came. (Refer to the section ‘Fill up before you go’, earlier in this chapter.) Or you bring out the bag of nuts or other snack food you brought along, put it in a bowl (and hover, so others can’t eat it all before you). And, of course, you don’t pick the innards out of the pastry thingies because they’re contaminated!

Enjoy the company

It doesn’t matter whether you’re at a nightclub, a festive party for 500, a restaurant enjoying an intimate dinner for two, a wedding or a wake — social gatherings aren’t about the food. They’re about the occasion, the atmosphere, the ambience, the people you’re with … oh, and did we mention that you don’t have to clean up?

Now we’re not saying that social functions don’t revolve around food. They do. Most societies use food as a focal point to draw people close during times of socialising and celebration. But don’t lose sight of the celebration itself and the reason that people are gathering in the first place, because that’s what social functions are about. (If you’re invited to a bread-tasting party, ignore this paragraph — in that case, it is about the food.)

Dining Out: Restaurant Realities and Rewards

A great experience at a terrific restaurant is priceless. Good company, nice ambience, respectful service and delicious food synergise to create a multifaceted experience that’s far more than just a meal.

Being on a gluten-free diet shouldn’t hold you back from going out. Sure, eating at restaurants involves some risk. You don’t know for sure what ingredients are in your food, no matter how much you try to educate your waiter and chef. Kitchen and waiting staff are busy and can (and do) make mistakes, and cross-contamination is always an issue. And by law, you’ll at least once in your gluten-free dining days receive a salad with croutons that you have to send back.

But with just a little extra effort, you can help ensure that your meal is safely gluten-free and you can enjoy gluten-free dining as one of life’s more pleasurable social experiences.

Margaret’s worst ‘dining out’ disaster occurred early in her career as a coeliac. ‘It was a birthday celebration for a friend and we had booked a Chinese banquet (experienced coeliacs, stop sniggering!). After a long day at work I was already famished when the first course arrived — pastries. Second course — spring rolls. Third course, more pastries. I sipped patiently on my chardonnay, knowing that eventually there would be something I could eat. Fourth course — more of the same. I chomped on bits of parsley — food, at least. By the time the sixth course arrived — soup swimming with dumplings — the wine was taking its toll and I was desperate. From a serving plate I seized a decorative orange flower, carved from carrot, popped it in my mouth and chomped hard. Glurk, rrmmmnnnnch. Oh joy! Not a dainty carrot flower after all, but a gluggy wax flower! I spent the rest of the evening picking bits of orange wax out of my mouth. Parsley, chardonnay and orange wax. Eat your heart out, Jamie Oliver.’

Here are some tips for eating out that can help make your gluten-free dining experiences the best they can be:

• Be pleasant and grateful. If you’re demanding, you’re going to put people on the defensive. When they accommodate your requests, be appreciative.
• Give them just enough information. Not too much, not too little. You may have to make a quick judgement about whether the wait staff are really ‘getting’ what you’re saying.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. You’re paying for the meal and you should be able to enjoy it knowing it’s safe for you to eat.
• Make it clear to the wait staff and chef that this is a serious condition. If you have to sound alarming, do so. One of the best ways to get their attention is to say, ‘It’s a bit like food poisoning’. You know it’s not really like food poisoning, but it will get their attention.
• Call ahead if you can. Remember to avoid busy hours. Ask if you can speak to the chef, who can tell you which of the menu items are safe for you and whether adapting a dish to make it gluten-free is possible.
• Know how foods are prepared. The more you know about traditional preparation, the better decisions you can make when ordering.
• Send it back if it’s not right. Of course, I’m not suggesting you be rude about this, but if they give you a salad with croutons on it, don’t pick the croutons out and eat it. That’s not safe! If you requested a gluten-free meal there’s nothing wrong with saying, for example, ‘This looks great, but I asked for salad without croutons’, or ‘Sorry. I can’t eat this — I didn’t realise it was served on toast and I need a gluten-free meal.’

Choosing the restaurant

Try not to set yourself up for frustration and disappointment. If you choose restaurants that, by the very nature of their menu selections, aren’t likely to have much (if anything) that’s gluten-free you’re obviously likely to be disappointed.

Instead, go to restaurants that have large and diverse menus, or choose an ethnic restaurant that’s likely to have more gluten-free foods.

Good bets

With any restaurant you go to, you have to check ingredients in specific dishes. And, of course, food preparation is an issue. You can either ask the workers to make your food in an uncontaminated manner or you can opt to eat somewhere else. But as a general rule, the types of restaurants that are a good bet include

• Indian: Many of the ingredients in Indian cooking are inherently gluten-free and chefs remain true to their original recipes. Authentic curry powder straight from the shores of India may contain wheat starch as a thickener and stabiliser. These curry mixes may be bought by large establishments by the sack. Try to determine if a local or foreign curry powder has been used because this determines if the curries are gluten-free or not. Although many dishes and curries look as if they’ve been thickened, this effect comes from the delicious mix of spices. Avoid the breads — chapati and parathas — and instead enjoy the crunchy, spicy pappadams, made from besan (chickpea or lentil) flour. Most entrées are safe because they contain only besan flour, including the delicious pakhoras, but avoid the samosas (small vegetable-filled pastries) because they’re made from wheat flour. Most main courses are gluten-free and chefs are only too happy to give you details of the ingredients used. Desserts are more likely to be wheat-flour based, but ice-cream is usually an option. Be careful of ras gulas, yummy-looking little balls floating in syrup — they’re made from cream cheese and fruit juice, but may contain semolina.
• Mexican: Mexican cooking includes many inherently gluten-free foods. Most Mexican recipes call for spices such as cumin, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Carnitas, a traditional simmered pork dish served with corn tortillas, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, rice and beans, is an example of a Mexican dish that’s usually a safe bet. But, as is the case with any meal, you need to make sure the kitchen staff don’t add flour to the sauce and the corn tortillas don’t contain other grains as well. Although the corn chips used in nachos, tortillas and tacos are traditionally made from maize flour, many of the commercially made ones also contain wheat.
• Steak and seafood: These restaurants are likely to have steaks or burgers, ribs, chicken, pork, corn on the cob, seafood, salads (no croutons), baked or mashed potatoes or rice, French fries and ice-cream for dessert. You’ll need to check the sauces and ask about the chips and wedges because they’re sometimes coated in flour or flavoured with a spicy mix that may include gluten.
• Modern European, Australian: Although the meals may be in the higher price range, chefs in these restaurants likely know all about gluten and how to prepare delicious meals. They may offer to adapt your preferred meal to make it gluten-free.
• Clubs: You may occasionally be disappointed, but most clubs have a couple of suitable dishes. You might have to settle for steak or chicken without the sauce or a roast without gravy.
• Italian: Although Italian restaurants serve a lot of pasta and pizza most chefs won’t even bat an eyelid if you ask for your meal to be prepared without flour. The creamy sauce on your chicken, veal or seafood might be a bit runny, but it will taste good. Some Italian restaurants serve polenta, an Italian cornmeal classic and, of course, you can eat the wonderful salads.
• Thai/Vietnamese: What a treat to be able to go to a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant and eat noodles! Be careful — not all their noodles are gluten-free, but most of them are rice-based and can be safe. The sauces they use, for the most part, are gluten-free, too. If not, the chef may be happy to use the gluten-free soy or tamari sauce that you provide. Others may have their meals already marinating in soy and other sauces and you might have to settle for a very bland meal. Check with staff in advance because some Thai and Vietnamese restaurants are now adding chicken or beef extender to their dishes, often unaware that it packs a whopping serving of gluten.
• Coffee shops: The trendy coffee shops you’re familiar with offer foods and snacks, sometimes marketed as being wholesome or healthy. But of course ‘wholesome’ and ‘healthy’ don’t necessarily mean gluten-free. However, over the years a horde of hungry coeliacs relentlessly asking for gluten-free muffins or cake have worn down cafe owners. Well, maybe not quite hordes, but we like the sound of a ‘horde of hungry coeliacs’. As a result, things are starting to look up in the coffee and wicked treat department. More and more cafes now offer a delicious, if limited, range of gluten-free goodies. (Please, not the orange and almond cake again!) Some of them also have gluten-free bread on request for sandwiches or focaccias. You’ll have to search out these helpful coffee shops, however, as you’ll still come across some where the staff look blank when you ask for gluten-free food.
• Other: You may notice many ethnic options on the ‘good bets’ list. Many ethnic foods are naturally gluten-free. You need to work out which ones you like and, of those foods, which are inherently gluten-free. Then you can choose a restaurant of that ethnicity and know what to order.

A little more risky

You can probably get something gluten-free at the type of restaurants or eateries in this section, but it may take a bit more effort and the risks are greater. You may have to ‘make do’ a bit, but at least you won’t go hungry:

• Chinese: These restaurants use soy sauce in many, if not most of their dishes and their soy sauce usually has gluten in it. You can bring your own soy sauce, but warn the cooks to be careful about contamination issues while they’re preparing your food. Check the other sauces too — sometimes oyster sauce is gluten-free. Beware of dishes thickened with cornflour (the wheaten kind, not maize cornflour).
• Bakeries: Bakeries are beginning to respond to the rapidly increasing demand for gluten-free alternatives, but they’re probably not the best environment for those on a gluten-free diet. That smoky look behind the shopfront isn’t fog; it’s airborne flour particles. Trillions of them. If gluten-free items are on offer, check whether they’re baked on the premises. If they are, check what the staff do to avoid contamination. Safe bakeries:
  • Have a separate gluten-free bay in the kitchen.
  • Bake the gluten-free batch in the morning or on one particular day, when the flour dust has had a chance to settle overnight and then get cleaned up before the gluten-free batch is prepared.
  • Cover or package the gluten-free items, or place them in a separate bin so that contamination can’t occur
• Pizza places: More and more pizza chains and local pizzerias are providing gluten-free pizzas. It’s good to see that some pizza places have very strict procedures to avoid contamination. Check this with your local provider, and if they’re taking great care make sure you show your appreciation. If not, ask them to segregate your pizza as they prepare and bake it. Large franchises that offer gluten-free pizzas include Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar, Dominoes Pizzas, Eagle Boys, Pizza Capers and Pizza Hut. Just be aware that some franchises have a disclaimer on their menu stating that, although gluten-free ingredients are used, they cannot be responsible for contamination during assembly and cooking (or something like it). If this is the case, reiterate when ordering that the product needs to be strictly gluten-free.
• Sushi: This is usually a safe bet, but avoid fillings with mayonnaise, seafood extender or battered or marinated meat. The soy sauce likely contains gluten, although some shops offer gluten-free soy sauce if you ask. Sushi Sushi doesn’t use mayonnaise in its brown rice sushi.

If you have a regular sushi shop that you like to frequent, introduce the staff to gluten-free soy sauce — they may just stock it or start using it for all their items.

Fast-food options

One of the best things about fast-food places is that they generally follow standardised guidelines. Most now have their nutritional information and ingredients posted online or available at the counter. Spend some time online checking out websites in advance so you can be confident about joining in when your friends suggest a snack or meal on the run. Always check for yourself as policies may change and the information given here may become out of date.

With the current pace of life in many parts of Australia most people want the option of a meal they can get — and eat — quickly. Keep in mind, however, that most (although not all) fast foods are really high in fat, sugars and salt. Obesity is a huge problem (no pun intended) in modern society, with rates rapidly increasing in Australia. Associated with this are conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. So enjoy a quick takeaway when time is limited or you’re out with friends, but don’t let it become a habit. You want to enjoy life to the full in the future, not have to struggle with chronic ill health.

As a general rule, when you’re ordering chips, ask whether they’re coated in anything and ask what other things are fried in the same oil. You don’t want to eat chips that have collected little bits of breakaway batter from battered fish or potato cakes. Often chips are coated in dextrose from wheat, so they’re listed as containing gluten. But remember that dextrose from wheat is gluten-free. So you can happily indulge. (Have another look at Chapter 4 if you’re feeling confused.)

Here’s how some popular fast-food options stack up on the gluten-free stakes:

• Ali Baba: The kebabs are gluten-free and you can also get gluten-free wraps to put them in. The salads are fine, but beware of tabouli — made from wheat! Other kebab shops can sell you a kebab plate with salad.
• Grill’d Specialty Burgers: Not only can you get gluten-free rolls for your burgers, but the chips are also gluten-free. Check the fillings and sauces because some aren’t suitable.
• Guzman y Gomez: You have lots of things to choose from here, including the burrito bowls and the crispy shell tacos.
• Hungry Jacks: You can get a beef burger without the bun, and fries, hash browns, thick shakes and, in some outlets, a chicken patty. The patties made from 100 per cent chicken breast are gluten-free, but stay away from the crumbed chicken patty.
• McDonalds: A burger without the bun is gluten-free, as are the fries, hash browns, thick shakes, sundaes and, at McCafés, the gluten-free friands.

  Plan ahead by having gluten-free rolls with you when buying a fast-food burger, so that you can still have your burger and eat it the way it is intended. The best option is to find vacuum-packed gluten-free rolls so that you can be prepared at any time.

• Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill: Gluten-free items are marked as such in the menu and on the website. You can choose from a range of soft or crispy tacos, naked burritos, nachos and salsas.
• Nando’s Chicken: You can find a good choice of chicken dishes, chips, side dishes and salads, with information about the gluten-free options readily available on the website.
• Oporto: If it’s breakfast you’re after, you can eat the big breakfast without the toast. Later in the day, you can enjoy quarter, half and whole chickens with chips or hash browns, but the chicken strips and fillets do contain gluten. The chips and hash browns aren’t listed as gluten-free because they contain dextrose, but remember dextrose from wheat is safe to eat (refer to Chapter 4).
• Pizza Hut: Refer to the preceding section, which includes information on pizza places.
• Red Rooster: It’s ‘no go’ on the chicken here, but you can eat corn cobs, chips and hash browns. Avoid the baked vegetables because the seasoning contains gluten.
• SumoSalad: You can enjoy a wide range of salads here with most dressings also gluten-free. For a more substantial meal, you can choose from seven different soups, several risottos and four curries or hot dishes. Most are also low GI.

Most franchises include disclaimers relating to their meals declaring that while they do everything they can to avoid contamination, this can’t be guaranteed where food is prepared and served on the same premises. You need to make up your own mind about the level of risk you’re happy with. The meal you’re planning to eat may well be totally gluten-free, but the industry uses such disclaimers to protect itself from legal action from customers. You need to balance the occasional risk of contamination against participating fully in the life of your community.

Calling ahead

When eating out, call the restaurant ahead of time, ask what’s on the menu that is gluten-free and whether they could adapt a dish if you have a particular favourite. Sometimes restaurants are so accommodating that if you give them enough notice, they’ll get special ingredients for your meal.

It’s best to call when they aren’t flat out serving meals. Mid-afternoon seems to be the best time, after the lunch rush and well before the evening meal.

Making smart menu choices

Set yourself up for success. Choose menu items that are likely to be gluten-free or that the kitchen staff can easily modify to be gluten-free. Obviously, crumbed and fried items aren’t going to be your best bets, although sometimes chefs can coat your food with spices and grill it instead.

Restaurants change staff fairly regularly. Even if you’ve eaten at a particular restaurant several times, checking what’s in your favourite dish is worthwhile, because a new chef can easily change the ingredients or cooking methods.

Do a bit of research on food preparation. The more you know about how foods are usually prepared, the easier it is to order. For instance, you should know that restaurants, especially Cajun restaurants, often boil seafood in beer. Turkish restaurants often add pasta to their rice and you can’t really tell that it’s there. The ‘crab’ you find in sushi is sometimes a mixture of fish and wheat flour and those enticing ‘seafood sticks’ in salad bars are actually seafood extender — sawdust and brains and gluten and stuff. No crab in sight.

Talking with the staff: Ask and thou shalt receive

Danna’s teenage kids hate being with her when she orders food at a restaurant. All she has to do is hold up the menu and say to the wait staff, ‘Could I ask you a question?’ and her kids start fidgeting, rolling their eyes, mumbling, ‘Here we go …’ But what’s wrong with getting what you want when you’re paying for your food? (Certainly, kids don’t hesitate to put in their requests at home!)

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want (even if your teenage kids are a tad intimidating). People make requests at restaurants all the time, even when they don’t have dietary restrictions. If you feel that the wait staff aren’t getting it, ask to talk with the chef. Of course, be tactful about it. If you sense that the staff aren’t likely to be able to identify gluten on a bottle or packet, ask if they would mind if you read the ingredients yourself. Asking for special considerations for your meal isn’t rude — especially when your health depends on it.

Yes, you really do need to talk to the wait staff and maybe even the chef … and yes, you sometimes need to give them a lot of detail. But for the most part, you should keep explanations as simple as possible and work your way into detail if you need to. You may be surprised at how little you need to say.

Of course, you’ve already chosen a restaurant that’s likely to have gluten-free items and you’ve picked some items on the menu that look like they may be gluten-free or could be modified to be gluten-free. So at this point, you’re ready to order. You may say something like this:

• The opener: ‘I’m on a gluten-free diet and need to know what’s suitable for me.’

You’re likely to find that the staff are very receptive. Use the words ‘gluten-free’ because awareness is spreading and these days when you explain that you need a gluten-free meal, your waitress just might respond with, ‘Oh, really? Do you have a gluten intolerance like coeliac disease?’ At this point, you feel like that waitress is your new very best friend and you know your special order is in good hands. The kitchen crew will probably be on board, too. Assume, though, that the person serving you doesn’t seem to know anything about the gluten-free diet and simply shrugs his or her shoulders. At this point, the situation requires some explanation — but not too much. You don’t want to overwhelm your waitress or relate your entire nine-year medical history. You do, however, need to get her attention. Try this:

• The alarm: ‘I have a very severe reaction to gluten. Gluten is in wheat, rye, barley and oats.’

Notice the words ‘severe reaction’. These are alarm words that in the restaurant owner’s mind are a euphemism for ‘lawsuit waiting to happen’. Not that you would sue — we hope you wouldn’t. It usually backfires, with the company or restaurant deciding they won’t take the risk of providing information or gluten-free options in the future. But ears perk up when you use the words and that’s a good thing. Restaurant workers and management then pay closer attention.

At this point, you can hand over your restaurant card and explain how important it is for them to avoid contaminating your food with gluten from other sources.

Remember to talk about how the staff prepares the food. If the food is grilled, you may want to say, ‘Could you please make sure that the part of the grill where you cook my food is clean and doesn’t have crumbs from another meal? Also, could you please use a separate spatula?’ Check that the item to be grilled isn’t dredged in flour before grilling.

If the waiter just doesn’t seem to be getting it or seems unwilling to work with you, ask to talk with the chef. This isn’t a big deal. People are so afraid to ask to talk to the chef, but chefs often love to mingle with the guests and are really interested in the gluten-free diet.

Pasta places often allow you to bring gluten-free pastas and cook them for you. Ask the staff as nicely as you can to use a clean pot, clean water, clean utensils and a clean colander before they make your gluten-free pasta. Explain that contaminated pasta can make you ill.

You may want to think about getting toaster bags for toasting your bread when you’re away from home. These amazing bags allow your bread or sandwich to be toasted without any contamination. The bags are washable and reusable. They’re available at some Spotlight stores and health food shops, and can be purchased through Coeliac Australia state societies.

The Incredible, Edible Journey: It’s Travel Time!

Whether you’re getting away for business or pleasure, nearly all people find themselves leaving home from time to time. You don’t have to limit or, worse still, give up travelling because you’re on a gluten-free diet. In fact, you may actually find some countries to be more accommodating than you ever would’ve dreamed. So keep your mind open for the occasional, wonderful surprise! Gluten-free food is becoming more and more widely available in many other countries, as well as Australia.

If you live by what we outline in the ‘Following the Golden Rules of Going Out Gluten-Free’ section, earlier in this chapter, you’ll be well prepared wherever your travels take you. And because travelling nearly always involves eating at restaurants, you should also pay particular attention to the advice in the preceding section on dining out. But to ensure a great gluten-free adventure, here are a few more things that you should know before you hit the road.

Researching your destination

Do yourself a favour and spend some time researching the area before you go on your trip. You can always find supermarkets or markets, restaurants and fast-food places, all of which will have at least some things you can eat. But you may do even better than that.

Each Coeliac Australia state office (refer to Chapter 5 for websites) provides members with lists of coeliac-friendly restaurants and cafes within Australia. Their national magazine, The Australian Coeliac, has regular features on travel both at home and overseas that give you an idea of the relative difficulty in travelling gluten-free in different countries. For more overseas information, try internet chat sites and international coeliac society websites for the countries you plan to visit. Remember that information you obtain through the internet (and chat sites in particular) may not be accurate or current.

If, in doing your homework, you find health food shops or natural foods shops in the area of your destination, call ahead and ask what they carry in the way of gluten-free specialty items. You may be surprised to find they have a huge array.

Choosing gluten-free-friendly accommodation

Choosing the right place to stay can make your holiday a much more enjoyable experience. If possible, choose motels, hotels or cabins with cooking facilities, or book into a holiday apartment. Even a small fridge and microwave can make your trip a lot easier. That way, you can go to a local corner shop or supermarket and stock up on some essentials, like fruit, milk, rice cakes, deli meats and snack items. If you have a full kitchen at your disposal, you can prepare your own meals if you want to, sparing yourself the worry of eating at restaurants — not to mention the expense.

If you can’t find accommodation with a kitchen, try to find somewhere that has a restaurant attached or with several restaurants nearby. Menus are generally available on restaurant websites.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford luxury hotels, or you’re having a really special holiday, you’ll find chefs are fully informed about gluten-free food, will already have suitable dishes on the menu and will delight in adapting dishes if you have special wishes.

Packing your own provisions

For a long holiday you may want to bring your pantry in your suitcase or car boot (everything but the kitchen sink!). Unless you’re going to a remote area, you should be able to stock up on foods at your destination, but it’s wise to pack some gluten-free basics like bread, biscuits, MightyMite, soy sauce and your favourite cereal.

With any luck, the foods will survive the trip and you’ll arrive fully prepared to enjoy your gluten-free stay.

Sturdy plastic containers are better than plastic bags or cardboard packs for carting gluten-free supplies around. If you try to squish a loaf of gluten-free bread into your pack or suitcase you’ll end up eating it out of the wrapper with a spoon. Enough to reduce even a seasoned traveller to tears.

Sprechen zie gluten? Speaking gluten-free in other countries

Knowing some key words in the language of the country you’re visiting is important. An unsuspecting group of Aussie travellers was forcibly removed from a restaurant in China when one of them said she had coeliac disease and asked for a gluten-free meal! Well, it could be contagious if you’ve never heard of it before! Another traveller was delighted when the head waiter, hearing that she had asked for a meal without flour, marched up to her table, swooped on the vase of flowers and removed it with a great flourish. ‘Voilà! No flower, Madame,’ he declared proudly. Learn the words for gluten, gluten-free, with, without, no and allergy. Check out Table 16-1 for some key words in Italian, French and German.

Table 16-1 Terms for Explaining the Diet in Foreign Languages

If you’re a member of your state society of Coeliac Australia you can obtain professionally prepared translations of the restaurant (or ID) card in the language of the countries you’re planning to visit, as well as travel sheets with useful information about food labelling standards, the sorts of shops or stores that carry gluten-free foods, which local or traditional dishes are gluten-free and some useful phrases to help overcome language barriers. Most important is the information about the definition of ‘gluten-free’ in each country because this helps you to know whether gluten-free on a product really does mean gluten-free, or what we would call ‘low gluten’.

Restaurant cards that explain the gluten-free diet are also available in different languages on the internet. Or you can try translation software, like the Babel Fish translation at www.altavista.com and others you find on the internet.

Getting There

Whether you’re doing it by plane, train, car or cruise ship, you need to consider the journey itself in your gluten-free plans. Getting there can be half the fun, but for a coeliac traveller it’s sometimes double the trouble.

Flying the friendly skies

First rule for flying: Bring food for yourself. Gluten-free choices are very limited both at the airport and on the plane.

Airports do usually have fast-food restaurants, so if you know which fast-food chains have gluten-free options you can always go there if you want or need to (refer to the section ‘Fast-food options’, earlier in this chapter, for some tips). Some of the cafes sell yoghurt, fruit and salads. In the main restaurants you may be lucky, but don’t depend on it. If you’re a frequent flyer and belong to one of the airline clubs like the Qantas Club, staff will usually turn somersaults to meet your needs.

When booking your flight, you can request a gluten-free meal. If you do this, take food just in case. Sometimes you’ll be served a meal that isn’t remotely close to being gluten-free, and you want to be prepared for that. And many airlines are replacing their packets of peanuts with pretzels because so many people have peanut allergies. Sitting for hours on a plane when you’re starved, smelling everyone else’s fresh, hot bread is pretty miserable. Sometimes, though, you’ll be thrilled to find that they do accommodate the gluten-free diet. We were once served gluten-free rolls, individually packaged with the ingredients clearly labelled! To hear us cheer, you would’ve thought we’d won the lottery.

When flying within Australia, only Qantas supplies gluten-free meals, which they call ‘gluten-intolerant’ meals. Jetstar no longer provides special meals. Gluten-intolerant meals aren’t available on minor flights and gluten-free snacks are no longer provided on any flights. Meals must be ordered ahead of time, but you’ll have to make a phone call if you’re doing the booking yourself because it can’t be done on the internet. Otherwise, ask your travel agent to make the request. Virgin Airlines usually have gluten-free biscuit packs available.

Cruising the high seas

Most cruise lines are extremely accommodating when it comes to dietary restrictions of any type. The cruise lines we’ve looked into are very familiar with the gluten-free diet and even stock specialty items like gluten-free breads, pastas, biscuits and baked goods.

If you’re planning a cruise, call the cruise company in advance and ask to speak to the executive chef. Discuss the gluten-free diet with him or her and follow up with another phone call to discuss the specifics of what you want while you’re on board. It’s often hard to find the right person to talk to so you may have to work through your travel agent, but be persistent. Travel agents have been known to forget this sort of thing! Meals are a high point of any cruise and it’s downright miserable if you’re not feasting like everyone else. Most cruise lines offer healthy fare like fresh seafood, chicken, steaks, fruit and vegetables. Have a talk with the chef when you’re on board about contamination issues and special seasonings so he or she can make sure every meal’s exceptional and gluten-free.

Gluten-free on track

If you’re taking the train somewhere within your own state, your best bet is to bring your own food. Rail services don’t usually have any restrictions about bringing your own food, so load up. You don’t want to derail your trip by starving the whole way.

Some rail services do provide very basic gluten-free meals on order (NSW Trainlink in New South Wales and Victoria, Queensland Rail, and the Overland in South Australia).

It’s a different story if you’re travelling across Australia on those long-distance trains with wildly romantic names. The Ghan, the Indian Pacific, the Overland, the Sunlander, the Tilt Train and Spirit of the Outback all provide excellent gluten-free meals. Booking ahead is essential.

Meals on trains in other countries are a very mixed bag. You’ll need to do some careful advance research and keep your emergency rations handy.

Travelling near or far by car

Driving offers you the most flexibility, so it’s often the easiest way to travel, at least in terms of accommodating your gluten-free diet. (The kids fighting and asking, ‘Are we there yet?’ the entire way is another matter.) A very large esky is your best friend on a car trip. Load up with bread, rolls and other basic supplies so you’re never left hungry. And when you find great surprises along the way you can stock up with new treats.