Drip Coffee

I love coffee. There, I said it. College is a time where some nights you just need a nice cup of coffee to help you not fall asleep on your assignments. We were going to invest in a Keurig, but I found that I didn't particularly enjoy the taste of the coffee brewed in it. I also wanted to have a tea kettle (because I love good cup of tea in the evenings), so I initially brought a French Press with me. For some reason, I just never felt motivated to actually make the coffee in the mornings with it, as it required a bit more clean-up than I was willing to commit to so early in the morning. My mom introduced me to this easy way of making coffee, and I have used it ever since! I absolutely love this method of making coffee, because I can either choose to make a pot or just a cup depending on how many people I'm making coffee for. It also doesn't take up to much time, allowing me to grab my coffee and run out the door to class!

-Sema

A Week of Festivities

Happy April! I feel like I closed my eyes at the beginning of the semester, and now suddenly we are in April. Like I mentioned last week, this week has been quite difficult and long due to the multitude of exams and papers. Thankfully, this week marked the 100th anniversary of the Olin Business School, so there was a huge celebration for it! The best part was that I didn't even have to ask which finger foods were gluten-free--there were signs on each of the trays, marking the foods that were gluten-free, dairy-free, and other common allergen-free.

That extra step that they took made my life easier, and I was able to enjoy the festivities with everyone else. Yes, these fried items were gluten-free (I didn't just have to eat the salad items). If they hadn't had the labels, I would have gone to the caterer and asked which items were gluten-fee. It never hurts to ask, as most of the time there will be naturally gluten-free items available.

Yesterday, Daya came to our campus, and I had a wonderful time listening to her perform live. With clear skies and a great atmosphere, you could say it was a really good end to my rigorous week!

Although the beginning of the week wasn't quite festive, I have to say when we got to the end I got to celebrate the hardest part being over!

-Sema

Roadtrip to Chicago

This weekend I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Chicago with my suitemate Emma. I booked my return train ticket, packed some snacks, and drove up with a few friends to the windy city. The night before we left, we decided to order some pizza, and I suggested we get pizza from Pi so that I could take the leftovers on the road trip. While I managed to eat over half the pizza by myself that night (it was so delicious I couldn't stop eating it), I packaged the rest of the pizza in wax paper and set it in my fridge overnight. I have learned from experience to always bring emergency food, because you never know what's going to happen (and it's no fun to be stuck on the road when you're hungry).

On the way, we stopped at a Culvers, where I ordered a hamburger and a side salad. The bun came in a sealed package, so I knew there was no cross contamination. Since the fries weren't fried in a designated frier, I ordered a side salad. After that hearty meal, we continued on our way to the suburbs of Chicago, where I got to meet Emma's family and see her hometown. Once we got to Chicago, Emma took me to a gelato place called Frost, where I inquired about their gluten-free options. They informed me that my best bet to avoid cross contamination would be to go with a fruity gelato, so I ordered one that was banana flavored. While it got pretty chilly that night, we still enjoyed a nice walk in the frisk air with our cold gelato (because we're still hanging on to the concept of summer).

I had a wonderful time in Chicago, and ate a delicious gluten-free Japanese dinner with Emma and her family. I also got to visit a dear friend from high school who is currently studying at Loyola. They have a beautiful lake at Loyola, and I wish that WashU had one, as there's nothing more calming than doing your homework next to the water.

Right before I got on the train back to St. Louis, my friends took me to Blaze, where they make pizzas very quickly, but ensure that the gluten-free pizzas are baked on a designated pan. That tided me over for the train ride that was inevitably delayed. Overall, I had a wonderful weekend and most importantly didn't go hungry!

-Sema

What's in my Fridge/Pantry?

Hello everyone! It's been a crazy last few weeks, complete with a lot of calculus and homework. It's crazy to think that over a month has gone by since I moved into my dorm in August! As promised, today I will be showing you all what is in my pantry, because let's be honest, I prefer not to go hungry.

I know what you're thinking, what is the pasta sauce for? I can't exactly cook pasta in my dorm room, but I can create tortilla pizzas in the microwave! If I have too much on my plate (pun intended), and I can't make it to the dining hall, I'll take a tortilla, spread some pasta sauce and cheese over it, and heat it in the microwave. 

I keep sweet tea, sparkling lemonade, and Coke Zero so that I have an array of options :)! This morning I actually put iced tea in my coffee travel mug since I was too tired to brew the coffee.

I keep peanut butter, Nutella, applesauce, tea, and mugs on top of my fridge. I do enjoy a cup of tea after a long day of classes, and I actually started something called "tea time" on my floor. We all catch up with a good cup of tea and a few snacks, which is the best way to bond as a floor!

I keep an array of dried snacks in my basket, and it contains anything from pretzel thins to regular assorted chips. I also have a jar that contains energy bars and fruit snacks for those hectic mornings when I have to dash out to class.

Sometimes it's easy to forget to eat in the dining hall, and since I don't have a kitchen to just whip something up, it's great to have a bunch of options so I don't go hungry.

-Sema

An Update from a Gluten-free College Student

Going into my third week of college, I took a moment to realize how fast time has gone by. In the blur of meeting new people and getting used to the college life (and my dorm room), I have really enjoyed my time here at Washington University in St. Louis. During orientation week, I received an email that informed me of an information session the university's director of nutrition was giving to students with allergies. That meeting really put my mind at ease. She introduced us to all the chefs, and everyone was very understanding about the food preparation. They even have a separate area in the kitchen where they prepare all the gluten-free meals! When one parent asked when the worst time to ask for a gluten-free meal was, due to the fact that lunch and dinner time are very busy and have long lines, the chef said, "there is no bad time to ask for a specially prepared meal."

Our residential college had a kick-off dinner, and I didn't even have to ask what items were gluten-free (makes my life a lot easier)!

We can order ahead using the Get Food app, which allows me to specify my dietary restrictions as I order ahead. I don't have to wait in line, and I can specify what time I want to pick my meal up.

Take a look at this delicious pizza I had on my first day of college! It was definitely a wonderful way to celebrate :).

Stay tuned next week to learn what I keep in my fridge and pantry in my dorm room!

College Update!

August has been a crazy transition month for me! I can't believe how fast it has flown by. I have just finished packing for college and will be moving in tomorrow. While I won't be leaving St. Louis, I will be living in the dorms this year. Washington University in St. Louis is very good about food allergies, and they have already reached out to me since they know I am gluten-free! As for how I configure my room to make space for tasty snacks--stay tuned. I am so excited to share my journey with you all!

-Sema