Erin Steinbrick, Ireland
“[No] Wheat, rye, barley and oats”- my repetitive answer explaining exactly what ‘gluten free’ means. Being a 21-year-old American Celiac, I’ve had my fair share of questions about the disease, at home; people tend not to know what it is.
And in addition, having Celiac Disease at college is tough; the pizza, the beer and everything that seems cheap and yummy is almost always off limits. Even dining halls are a difficult feat. Frozen meals and salad bars seem to be your only option in the land of DC.
Erin Steinbrick / Contributed Photo
Erin Steinbrick is finding ways to eat and drink gluten-free while in studying for a second time in Ireland.
So how, everyone wanted to know, was I going to do it in Europe? Gluten free was surely going to be tough in Ireland.
Surprisingly, it’s so much easier! The gluten-free products not only span all types of food here, but are so delicious! (Is it bad to say I came back for the gluten-free bread?) Gluten-free pastas from Italy, breads baked fresh daily, recently I even found gluten free croissants!
Not to mention having a full kitchen in my flat helps enormously.
Cooking all my meals fresh in the convenience of my own kitchen makes my life so much easier.
And of course, I don’t only turn to the yummy pastas and breads. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a celiac go-to, and in Limerick I am lucky enough to not only have a farmer’s market in the city every Saturday, but one on campus every Tuesday as well.
The only down side: they have a different name for almost every vegetable than we do; who said English was the same language?
Mastering the new words, or being okay with being a little embarrassed just pointing to your vegetable of choice, is a must before your visit to the markets.
Only a celiac would understand the feeling you get when you go into a restaurant and are able to ask for a gluten-free menu.
Try seeing the words “Coeliac friendly” on almost every menu in town! Yes, they may spell it funny over here, but whatever way you spell it, if baked stuffed chicken and mash with gravy is gluten free, I’ll take it!
Turns out, Celiac Disease (or Coeliac Disease) is very common in Europe. In fact, Ireland is dubbed often as one of the countries of origin. But to me, an American Celiac living in the land of green, it’s a bit of a relief to not have to explain what gluten free means. People just know, as soon as you say ‘gluten free’ they ask if you’re Coeliac.
No more questions about what it is and what you can and cannot eat. Easy. Most likely, you’ll just be told that they have a cousin or sibling et cetera, with Coeliac; and they may even offer a suggestion of somewhere to get the gluten free goods!
One product that makes being gluten free in college very difficult is beer. It’s cheap, its’ at every party, and it contains enough types of gluten to make any Celiac cry.
The Irish solution- hard cider. I’ve been told by non-Celiacs that it tastes somewhere between champagne and beer, whatever that means. Bulmers is my go to in the pub. And having celebrated my twenty-first birthday just last week, I’m ecstatic to hear that a few stores near me at home sell Bulmers (Magners in America).
So for all you of-age Keene State College Celiacs, give some cider a try if you haven’t already and put Ireland on the vacation list; all this gluten free goodness, it’s like a dream!