Cooking Traditional Foods

Last night, my dad started passing kidney stones. We literally had no clue that was the problem. He’s in such pain all of the time that when that pain started, he couldn’t identify where it was coming from, he just knew he was hurting even worse that he already is.

So needless to say, we were shocked. None of us had considered that has a possibility, even though he’s had them in the past. Since his car accident in 2004 he’s in such pain that when things like this happen, he can’t tell you where it hurts. Thanks to our wonderful VA system, he does not have adequate pain relief. The local pain relief clinic wanted thousands, then still wouldn’t give him enough to relieve the pain adequately. They didn’t want to ‘get him addicted.’

So what’s the right choice here? Someone who lives in such pain 24/7 that he can’t function at all at any time, or someone who can function but is on a potentially addictive medicine and is monitored?

Did that doctor check his brain when he walk into medical school? Did he skip the Hippocratic oath? Sadly, I already know the answer to that one. They’re more concerned about possible legal liability than they are helping a patient have any quality of life.

So hopefully things will be better soon and I can go home in a week or two. But dad’s chronic pain and inability to function remain. He’s aged 30 years in the last few months, and is barely able to move and isn’t functioning on any real level. Adequate pain relief would give him at least some of his life back. The thing is finding a doctor willing to help and having the money to do it.

I’ve been seeing some Food Network in the afternoon while at my folk’s house.  I normally take a break for a late lunch and sit down to eat while I read e-mail and catch up on the board. So I’ve had an opportunity to watch some of their afternoon programing, and I have to say it.

If Sandra Lee spent as much time and money on the food as she does those tablescapes, she could be an awesome cook with some wonderful, traditional foods.

I don’t know whether it’s a relic of culture or a lack of skill or both, but many women think the same way.

It looks like I’m going to be here another week or two, minimum.  My husband came on Friday night and brought food reinforcements.  We worked all morning and afternoon Saturday, loading up what I had packed and he left Saturday afternoon to take it back to Asheville.  But some things still haven’t made it here yet- namely my make-up.  So I’m officially in hiding.  LOL  I haven’t gone shopping or to church here because I hate going out in public without it.

My dad isn’t in good shape and the packing is going slow.  At this point I’m doing everything by myself and it’s slow going since I still have to worry about taking care of the kids and everything else.  It’s probably going to take me another week as a minimum to finish the packing in the house before I can start packing the garage.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I carry two copies of the same gene for celiac, plus a second celiac gene, and a third gluten-intolerance gene. Basically put, I’m loaded up with the genes I didn’t want. That also means that both of my parents carry these genes and have at least one celiac gene each. However, getting them to change their diet has been a loosing battle, so far, even though they know they both show signs of celiac and have problems with inflammation. They realize how sick gluten makes me and the kids, and wouldn’t knowingly expose us, but so far they haven’t taken the plunge into the diet themselves. They value being able to eat out anywhere and getting cheap food over their long-term health.

That means that when we are here to visit, we have to deal with having gluten in the environment. Trying to function in a kitchen that isn’t yours and has gluten in it can be daunting. What do you do if you know you’re going to be in a gluten-filled environment?

The keys are coming prepared and avoiding contamination. If you have notice that you have to travel, making freezer meals is ideal. But I had little notice of this trip and because I only had two single-serving meals in the freezer, I knew we’d need those for the night we arrived. I’d have to cook once I got here because the freezer stash had been used up in the move. Making a detailed food packing list including the menu for the week and what you’ll need to accomplish each meal is key. I pulled out the Rush Meals Crock-pot Issue (Volume A Issue B) and used the shopping list to pull from my pantry. I packed my crock-pot and some food storage containers, my skillet and a couple of saucepans, knife and cutting board, some disposable plates, and then made a quick run to the store for what I needed that wasn’t in my pantry. I also picked up some extras like calcium-fortified OJ, fruit, some trail mix for the car ride, and a box of cereal for an emergency breakfast in case I woke up sick one morning and wouldn’t be able to cook. I knew lunches would be covered since the meals make enough for 4 people, and it’s just me and the kids. Breakfast was covered with some eggs, and I had the crockpot and some quinoa so I could do a fruit and quinoa porridge.

To avoid contamination, I’m keeping my items in closed boxes. I turn the pots and pans over in case any flour goes flying, it will settle on the bottom of the pots. I rinse all items before use, just in case, since we’re so hyper-sensitive to exposure. Cooking in a covered crock-pot is ideal, because my mom is a late riser. I’ll start my dinner in the mornings before mom has gotten up and gotten in the kitchen, and any dust floating around has had a chance to settle overnight.

So traveling when you have celiac or gluten intolerance isn’t impossible if you have a game-plan ahead of time, or an already prepared menu like a rush meals issue and a stocked pantry to pull from if you have to leave in an emergency.

This morning, we had ice.  It was the most amazing site to me- the roads were clear, but the trees on the mountains were covered in ice, and the fog was still low.  I wish I had taken the camera with me.  To me, their beauty rivaled the fall colors.  It wasn’t solid white like snow would look, it had a glazed and frosted appearance.  Coupled with the fog, it was incredible.

So we made it back to Mount Olive.  It took about 6 hours in the car, about half of it while raning. I brought some pre-cooked meals with us I had frozen for just this purpose.  I felt like we were practically moving again, we had to bring so much food with us.  In order to have something to eat, we have to drive 70-miles one way to get to a Whole Foods, so I came prepared to stay two weeks.