Sorry.. this has nothing to do with celiac disease...

The other day in my sociology of nutrition class we were discussing family meals.

It began with, what makes a meal? If you sit and eat by yourself, is that a meal? or are you just eating. We then discussed family meals, and whether or not people still eat as a family, and if we should. The resounding answer is we absolutely should have a meal as a family almost every day.

Growing up my mother put a big emphasis on eating as a family. With so many of us, and running around all day and into the night, it was hard to sit down as a family and have a full meal. Someone was always running late or rushing through to head out to a party, late meeting, or late play rehearsal. But my mom made sure we would all sit at some point, mostly because it was the only time we would really see everyone.

So many things happened around that dinner table. Mostly there was laughter, serious discussions about the Inn, and a little bit of bickering. Sometimes there was yelling, screaming, crying, and rarely, though it happened, throwing of dishes. But whether it was happy or stressful, it was a table where we learned, where we expressed ourselves, where we grew.

It was also where we got to know our siblings. Having an age range of 18 years between eight children made it difficult for us to all be close, let alone really know each other. I barely saw my three oldest brothers, they were in and out of high school before I entered middle school. We never hung out, and even when they baby sat me and my two other brothers would always be off in our own little worlds. But through fighting over the mashed potatoes and the focus of the conversation at the dinner table we got to know each other.

In our house the table was our home. And as we discussed it in class, and whether or not it was important, all I could do was say yes yes yes. It was the center of life for me, and will be the center of life for my own family... whenever that might come about...

London Love

I have been living in London for the past few months and, my friends, I'm in love. But, to my mother's unhappiness, not with a man, but with this city.

It may just be that I am not used to living in a city where so many things are at your finger tips, but I am just enamored with London. Living and eating here has been a cake walk. Literally, I've eaten so much gluten free cake!

So here are some things I've picked up...

First of all - cider! At home people scoff at my cider drinking at parties and out at bars. It's a "girly drink" they say. But in London - and the UK in general - cider is loved by all! Every pub has at least one drought cider and a few different bottled ciders. At home I have found about three different brands of cider, but I'm hard pressed to find them in the liquor store, and definitely do not find them on tap anywhere. Here there are dozens of brands, in fact I am going to a cider festival this weekend at our local pub.

Living in Kensington has been wonderful. Partridges, a small grocery store on the corner, carries gluten free crackers, cookies, and (most important!) gluten free carrot cake! There are bakeries everywhere with cakes and goodies galore! And Starbucks is beginning to stock gluten free yummeis, unlike in the states... still my only option is a rice crispie treat (unfortunately no rice crispie treats to be found in the UK... so I guess they both have their plus and minuses).
And do you love Indian food?? Well I love it. And it is amazing! Since I cannot partake in the English fish and chips (although I do eat the chips and pray they aren't contaminated... bad Anna!), the next best thing is Indian which, because of the colonization and the large population of Indians in London, has become an "English" type food. My dining hall at school serves an Indian dish almost every night. And there are four Indian restaurants on my block. I'm in heaven! As long as you don't eat the bread, everything is gluten free! It's love!
But the city, oh the city! And this has nothing to do with Celiac disease or anything else... I am completely enamored with London. I never want to leave. Ever. Does anyone have a job and apartment they want to offer me so I can live here forever??