Summer in Southern Norway

I recently went on vacation to Norway, exploring several different cities and visiting family. The scenery in Norway is incredible, and you can often find a body of water every five minutes. For someone who lives in the midwest, I always look forward to sitting by the ocean and hiking in the mountains. Check out an overview of my trip here:

I had an awesome time working at Quality Hotel and Resort in Kristiansand two years ago (you can read more about how I was a princess and a pirate here), so I decided I needed to visit to see how everything was two years later. They were recently acquired by Scandic, and the interior looks so cozy! I definitely felt some nostalgia as I walked through the front doors, and it felt incredible when I was greeted by friendly faces. They offer a complementary breakfast to guests, and when I went downstairs to check out their gluten-free options I was blown away.

They have expanded their selection of gluten-free options to include different kinds of breads, muffins, cookies, and if requested they have a designated toaster! The chefs are well versed in offering safe options for gluten-free guests, which makes traveling there a lot easier. Eating a delicious breakfast ensures that you'll be able to explore the beautiful town of Kristiansand without going hungry!

Over the summer, Scandic Sørlandet becomes a children's hotel, offering guests a variety of children's activities. That was actually my job when I worked at that hotel, and nothing brought me more joy than seeing how excited the kids got when the princesses and pirates showed up. They also have a play room in the basement that the kids can look forward to (my brother was definitely excited to check it out). This hotel gives off such friendly vibes, so I will definitely visit again when I'm in Kristiansand!

-Sema

New York and Nairn's

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to New York to attend an investment banking day on the job  event. I have never been to New York previously, so all I had to compare it to was the TV shows and movies that I watch--which made it so intriguing for me to see the city. Coming from a city like St. Louis, it was very exciting for me to see a city that stays up past 10 PM, and actually get a meal at 11 PM. Wandering around, I realized how much there was to see, and unfortunately my tired feet didn't allow me to explore everything I wanted to see this time around. My favorite restaurant was Trattoria Trecolori, so if you are in the area, I would highly recommend the gluten-free Rigatoni Focaccia.

On Sunday, we ate brunch at the Peninsula Hotel, and they had a delicious gluten-free avocado toast with poached eggs. Not only was I able to enjoy a delicious lunch, but I was also able to channel my inner Blaire Waldorf (any Gossip Girl fans out there?)!

Nairn's Oatcakes sent me their product, and it was the perfect snack to bring with me on the plane. I flew with Southwest, and their snacks were not gluten-free! I am very glad that I checked the ingredients on the peanuts, because even they had wheat in them. Nothing is worst than being stuck on the plane without any snacks, so I am very happy that I was able to have these crackers with me. Not only are they delicious, but they are also very filling!

I have been doing a lot of traveling recently (I am currently in Norway), so I know how important it is to always have food on you, because you never know how much gluten-free food is going to be around!

-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

Quality Hotel and Resort Kristiansand

This summer has been going by so quickly, and I can't believe it's almost time for me to come home! I worked as a children's activity leader at the Quality Hotel and Resort in Kristiansand-one of the best experiences in my life. My co-workers ended up becoming my family, so it was so hard to say goodbye to them yesterday. If you are ever in Kristiansand, I urge you to stay there, since they are very good with gluten-free food in the restaurant (all of their sauces are gluten-free!), and it's in a wonderful location-close to Norway's largest shopping center and the Kristiansand Zoo. Over the summer it becomes a children's hotel-so our job was to make every child feel special with awesome activities like treasure hunts, face painting, talent shows, and kids' discos every night! I have become quite good at painting tigers, cats, pirates-you name it, I can paint it. All in all, I have had the best summer ever, and will cherish the friendships I have made forever :).
Check out a commercial I'm in here.

Heights and Hamburgers

Yesterday I hiked up to Preikestolen with a good family friend-in the pouring rain and fog. It felt like a great achievement, especially since we were soaked to the bone and extremely tired in the end. Thank goodness we had snacks like nuts and chocolate with us to keep our energy levels up, and at the end of the trip we ate a delicious lamb stew at a nearby hotel :). I ended up sleeping on the car ride home (something I'm usually not capable of doing) as well as through the night!

 

 

Other than adding alliteration to my blog post title, the next part of my blog post has absolutely nothing to do with hiking :). I'm sure most people over the world can recognize the symbol of the fast food chain I am about to review-McDonalds! What I love about McDonalds in Norway is that it has gluten-free buns! Although everyone around me thought I was insane for being extremely happy when I got my meal (although my mood was a bit dampened by the fact that it cost me like $10), I didn't care because I got to eat a hamburger at McDonalds just like everyone else. I ordered the McFeast with a drink and a side salad, and proceeded to eat my hamburger in one of the colorful booths, giddy with excitement (yes, I get excited about food). Although I was a bit disappointed at the fact that my hamburger didn't look exactly like the picture did, it was still fun to order a normal hamburger at such a generic fast food chain. I think that McDonalds in the U.S. needs to start serving gluten-free hamburgers!

:)
-Sema

How to Peel a Fresh Shrimp

I got the opportunity to peel fresh shrimp-something I'm not exactly used to, since I'm used to the ready-peeled shrimps that you get at a store or restaurant. Living in the mid-west deprives me of fresh shrimp, so it was quite a treat to be able to peel the shrimp myself. It was hard to peel the first shrimp I picked up, but after three shrimps, I managed to get the hang of it. Before I knew it, I had piled my plate with shrimps, and I was ready to make a "traditional" Norwegian shrimp sandwich, complete with mayonnaise, avocado, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

How to Peel a Shrimp
1. Take a shrimp.
2. Break off it's head.
3. Gently peel off the shell of its tail.
4.  Peel apart the shell in the middle of the shrimp. (Pull the two sides of the shell apart in the middle. like you were opening a hotdog bun.)
5. Take off any access parts of the shell, as that is not part of the meal.

Voila! You have freshly peeled shrimp (naturally gluten-free, and absolutely delicious).
Enjoy!
-Sema

Always Be Prepared!

Wow, what a trip! On Sunday I departed for Norway, and I had quite an experience at the airport. I got to my gate on time, stopping to buy an iced chai tea latte and a bottle of water before I settled in for a long wait until boarding time. Half an hour later, there was an announcement that the plane wouldn’t be arriving on time, and it would be delayed 20 minutes. 20 minutes turned into 40 minutes which turned into an hour, and before I knew it, I realized I wouldn’t make it to my connecting flight! I immediately went up to the counter, and they managed to book me onto another flight with another airline. I walked swiftly to the other terminal, which happened to be a 15 minute walk not including the terminal train, and re-checked my luggage. I inquired about a gluten-free meal, but learned that it was too late to actually order one on the flight, so I was thankful that I had eaten a gluten-free pizza at the Hilton connected to the Chicago O'Hare airport earlier. Everyone was so nice and understanding at the airport, that it really made traveling alone so much easier!
The restaurant at the Hilton connected to Chicago O'Hare had so many gluten-free options-including pasta and pizza!

My number one motto of bringing extra emergency snacks really helped in this situation, since I didn't have the option of a gluten-free meal on my new flight. You should always be prepared to deal with any situation whilst traveling, so you won't be stressed out about food :)-that you can take the time to enjoy yourself instead. They gave me a plate of fruit for breakfast to make sure that I didn't go hungry on the long flight.

I got a box of chips on the plane. It was so fancy that I had to take a picture of it :).

Stay tuned for more updates on my experience with living in Norway (for the summer) on the gluten-free diet!

-Sema

Visiting Norway on the Gluten-free Diet

As you all know from my last blog post, I went to Norway two weeks ago!  Fortunately, as a lot of foods in the Nordic diet happen to be naturally gluten-free, I didn't have much trouble looking for delicious foods to eat. Most local bakeries have gluten-free pastries and bread, so that's a real treat! One of my favorite store-bought items would have to be the Waza Crisp Bread (knekkebrød), so if you ever visit Norway, be sure to stock up on this "bread alternative."

 

The hotel I stayed at had both gluten-free crisp bread and regular bread, and I used toaster bags to make sure that there wasn't any cross contamination issues when using the toaster!

I mean, look at this leaning tower of hamburger!

Almost everyone in Norway speaks English, which means you'll have no trouble talking to the chefs and servers about the gluten-free diet. The waiter walked me through the buffet offerings, pointing out what was gluten-free and what wasn't which  was really nice :).

How cool is this wine glass candle thing :)! 

If you ever find yourself in Norway on the gluten-free diet, don't fret, because you'll be just fine!
-Sema

Atlanta Recap: How I Dealt With My Gluten Free Diet While Traveling

So as you all probably know, I went to Atlanta, GA last week :)! Here's a recap of how I dealt with my diet traveling on a school trip:

Lunch: On our way there, we stopped by Panera Bread! I ordered the Asian Sesame Chicken salad without wonton strips, and the creamy tomato soup without croutons!

Dinner: We stopped by Mellow Mushroom in Atlanta, GA! Unfortunately, there was a slight mix-up with the toppings on my pizza, but they fixed a new one right up for me! I packaged some extra pizza to take with me as emergency food for the next day.

Breakfast the next day: I was of course in contact with the hotel when it came to my diet before we stayed at the Marriot Marquis in Atlanta. The staff was very understanding and made sure that the omelette and hashbrowns were fried in a designated pan, and that there wouldn't be any cross contamination.

After breakfast we stopped by the aquarium. It was beautiful and worth a visit if you ever plan on visiting Atlanta! My lunch was enjoyed at a restaurant close to the aquarium. The chef made sure that I got a burger that had never touched a bun. I also ordered a side salad :).

That night, before our performance, we were to get a sandwich buffet for dinner. The event manager had been notified that I was on a gf diet and that my bread had to be wrapped separately and also have my name on it, so that I could be sure it was safe for me to eat.   But bread was not wrapped up with my name on it, as promised. I also had cross contamination concerns. We notified the manager, who was very apologetic and understanding. Instead of insisting that the food was safe for me to eat he offered a delicious vegetable medley with a baked potato! It was delicious. Lesson learnt: It's always a good idea to talk to someone whenever you notice a mishap, because you don't want to get sick just because you didn't speak up!

On our way home on Sunday we stopped by Chipotle:)! All I had to do there was to ask the server to change her gloves, and voila, I could eat the same thing as my friends! Loved it!

All in all, it was a great trip. I ate out a lot and it went really well!. There was some planning ahead in all, but it was a breeze when I was actually on the trip! I of course had a lot of snacks with me, so I never went hungry either :).