Swiimmin' Pools and Movie Stars.

[dnalexander]

Diane I have that sandwich on a semi-regular basis. Thanksgiving dinner on a sourdough roll. It didn't sound too good at first, but once I tried it I loved it. I love the tv show House I didn't realize that Kal was also, Kumar. I love White Castle burgers too. Time for dinner and a Lipitor.

David

[larryJ]

Out here in LA we have some mom and pop submarine sandwich shops.  Of course, we have the chains like Subway, Togos, and Quiznos.  I never really cared for subs.  No reason, just didn't eat them all that much.  I really only joined in here to say that House is one of my favorite shows.  USA cable channel runs marathon House shows all day on Saturday in this neighborhood.  I have been watching them so much that I am seeing reruns of reruns.

As my diet has now become gluten free, I no longer eat wheat based breads so that eliminates breads sold in sandwich shops.  Also, the meats have to be fresh, not frozen.  I have discovered a world of rice bread and rice tortillas, gluten free rice cereal, soy bars not containing gluten, and lots more of fruits and vegetables.

Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

Some of our better sub shops will make you the sub of your choice as a salad, for people who can't have the roll.

[Diane Amberg]

Did you know Kal Penn's real name is Kalpen Suresh Modi?

[larryJ]

McDonalds will make a lettuce wrap burger on request.  And we have a chain called "In-n-out" here in the west which limits their menu to hamburgers and cheeseburgers, drinks and milkshakes.  They also make a protein burger which is a lettuce wrapped burger.  It is a sad thing for those of you who have never experienced an In-n-Out burger.  It is simply the best I have ever had.  When we first lived in this area, we rented a house about a block from the local In-n-Out.  We lived east of the place and the breeze blows from the west 98% of the time.  So we could always smell the delicious burgers being cooked.  Had we not moved we both would be too large to get in the car to go through the drive-thru. 

Larryj

[indygal]

Off topic (I'm good at that...oh well, someone will get us back in line)....Larry, are you familiar with a grain called spelt? I believe it's gluten-free and has a kind of nutty flavor. I've had spelt bread, and it's kind of crumbly, but makes delicious toast. Also, I'm curious why you can't have frozen meat.

[larryJ]

Indygal, Spelt is not gluten free.  See list pasted below.  I have to look up the meats to see why it should only be fresh meats.  I do know that things like meat loaf are a no-no because of the breading used.  Of course, you can substitute your own gluten free breading.  Frozen meat patties also contain some breading.  I will get back to you on the meat question.  Meanwhile, this list is those grains which are NOT gluten free.

Larryj

Grains to Avoid on a Gluten-Free Diet

Wheat
Rye
Barley
Commercial Oats*
Malt
Couscous
Durum
Spelt
Kamut
Bulgar
Farina
Semolina
Einkorn
Farro

[Wilma]

What's left?  Looks like all grains are listed.

[dnalexander]

Larry I love In\Out Burger too. That also, reminded me of a good California story, but it doesn't involve any celebrities.

I was surfing just south of the Hermosa Beach Pier. The seals were overly active and I kept getting bumped on my legs. Don't let those cute faces fool you those seals can give you a pretty good bite. The waves weren't very good so I decided to head out of the water and up to the pier to see what the fisherman were catching. As I got up on the pier there was a commotion down at the end. As I got closer I saw that one of the fishermen had caught a 6' long Thresher shark. That is the one with the long sweeping tail and are a rare sight since the usually are found out in deep water. After I got done talking to the guy that caught the fish I went over to the side of the pier to watch the surfers. Since the pier is raised high above the water it is a great place to scan the beach and watch the surfers. As I scanned across the water I saw that right were I had been surfing there were huge schools of anchovies and bonita. No wonder all the seals were so aggressive and bumping in to everyone, they were chasing all the schools of fish. As I scanned further I saw many larger fish scattered among everything. They turned out to be close to 50 Thresher sharks there fore the same reason. Thresher sharks are big and not know to be aggressive, but a "thrash" from their powerful tail can really do some damage. The images of Jaws came into my head and I decided to stay out of the water the rest of the day. Even though I knew the Thresher sharks are not considered man-eaters I did not want to become a Double-Double In|Out burger for some shark. I decided it would be more fun to just stay on the beach and do some people watching.

David

[larryJ]

Wilma, see list below for allowed grains.  I have found rice bread to be denser than wheat but still good.  My wife fixes spaghetti with rice pasta.  There are many different applications of gluten free grains in recipes on the internet which is the biggest source of my knowledge.  I have talked to my Doctor and two nutritionalists who don't or didn't have the information that I have found on the web.  When hospitalized in January, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (CD) and the hospital was aware of those things I couldn't eat.  Unfortunately, they served me what was left on the menu and did not attempt to find replacement items to feed me.  Had it not been for my family bringing me food to eat I probably would have starved.

David, what neat pictures!  I don't surf and my one shot at body surfing nearly killed me so I don't go near the water.  I figured that those sharks and other sea creatures don't walk around in my neighborhood so I am not gonna walk or swim around in theirs.
And rip tides scare me to death as I am not a strong swimmer, then or now.

Wilma------

Gluten-Free Grains and Starches
Amaranth
Arrowroot
Buckwheat
Chickpeas (Garbanzos)
Corn 
Flax
Flours from nuts/beans/seeds
Millet
Potato starch or flour
Quinoa
Rice (and rice bran/flour)
Sago
Sorghum
Soy (but not most soy sauce) (Tamari is the one recommended)
Tapioca
Teff

Again, reading the labels is key.  For instance, I have a recipe for coated chicken using rice krispies which is one of my favorite dishes.  Once I was diagnosed with CD I discovered that Rice Krispies, supposedly gluten free are processed on machines that also process wheat.  So there is a cross contamination factor to consider.  I have found Rice Chex which is gluten free and works just the same as the Rice Krispies did.  As you can see, there is not a big limitation to what you can eat.  I have also found on the internet the foods that I can order while eating out listed by the name of the restaurant.  Some restaurants even offer gluten free menus or list gluten free entres on their regular menu.  There are some things that I really miss such as caramel corn.  I love caramel corn especially fresh cararmel corn.  Caramel manufactered in the United States is gluten free, but a lot of caramel is imported and is not gluten free.  I also love Brach's Jelly Beans, but can't have and have to eat jelly bellys which do not have gluten.  I eat oatmeal to help with my cholesterol and have found a certified gluten free oatmeal.  I have become an expert on this stuff since being diagnosed, so any of you have questions, just ask away. 

Almost forgot.  Frozen meat sometimes is injected with preservatives to keep it from spoiling and turning colors while freezing.  At least that is what I hear.

Larryj