Dietary Requirements

Hi

I am going to Paris on 22nd Oct and wondered if anyone knew of any restaurants that are happy to cater for Coeliacs. I cannot eat wheat or gluten. Thankfully I speak a little French and have my phrases at the ready but sometimes its nice to not be made to feel %26#39;special%26#39;. Any restaurant, cafe tips would be very much appreciated.

Many Thanks

Jeanette

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ahh, good question, Zippy! We don%26#39;t have quite those requirements, but we are sugar-free and I have been wondering how that will play out on our Ireland/London/Paris holiday. Even here in the states it%26#39;s hard to find any desserts, e.g., in restaurants, but I really *NEED* my sugar-free ice cream *grin* Hope the grocers carry some!

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My wife is a Coeliac and this is always a problem when we travel especially in Paris where there are so many marvellous pastries and cakes etc. that Ceoliacs can%26#39;t have. However we have also found that restaurants can be very understanding when you advise them of your condition especially if you have the right phrases written down(my wife likes to feel special!) There is always something on the menu or they will advise the chef and many waiters are very helpful. Afterall they are in the business of selling food! On our trip to Paris next year we intend eating at Le Grand Colbert and many other places and I am sure there will be something available for her to eat. Remember there are many Coeliacs in France too.

Breakfast at hotels can be difficult, but then she always travels with her own Museli and Rice biscuits.

In Italy(the home of pasta) we ate at many restaurants although she did get a bit sick of rissoto after a while. However we did discover two excellent Gluten Free pastas (Bio Aglut) that can be bought at Pharmacies in Italy rather than food shops.

I am sure you will be OK as I know we will be.

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I think the best advice posted thus far is to have very specific requests written down in a format that you can give the waiter (unless, of course your French speaking and comprehension skills are adequate). This will minimize the possibility of a nasty surprise.

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I was doing some searching today.You might like this web site for gluten free recipes.

http://www.andreprost.com/ourclubs.cfm

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I think Truffant has the best suggestion, you must get a properly translated explanation of your restricitions. Keep in mind that some chefs/cooks will not realize that even dredging meat in flour can make you sick( so avoid stews) . It is just such a stringent restriction, and as you know gluten is hidden in so many foods. Good luck.

As for the poster inquiring about sugar free ice cream, never saw it, BUT, I did see sugar free chocolate in London in serveral places.

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Gra8xscape - I cannot recall encountering any %26quot;sugar-free%26quot; ice-cream over here. The person to make contact would be Rosie Caat, who is diabetic and has just returned from a trip to Ireland.

Many of the larger supermarkets in Ireland do have %26quot;health sections%26quot; that cater for Coelics and Diabetics. I even saw %26quot;low-carb%26quot; pasta in a Dunnes Supermarket today.

You might be best to post your concerns regarding %26quot;sugar-free%26quot; produce on the Ireland forum.

The Irish Diabetic Association www.iol.ie/diabetes/ may also be able to help.

Take Care.

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Naturalia is a chain of health food stores with gluten free breads and the like. Don%26#39;t know if they have sugar free ice creams, but there are sugar free candies at many pharmacies.

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Thankyou for that tip on Naturalia phread. We will watch out for them in Paris. Any addresses? I will check to see if they have a website.

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ok, thanks for the info, pepples :) We are not diabetic, but the wife found out she is hypoglycemic - meaning sugar %26amp; other excess carbs spikes her blood%26#39;s sugar content, causing dizzyness, potential fainting, etc., and could lead to diabetes down the road if she%26#39;s not careful. I just went sugar-free so she wouldn%26#39;t have to cook two versions of things, etc., plus our bodies don%26#39;t really %26quot;know%26quot; how to digest processed sugar and that leads to excess cholesteral production from the liver, which in turn could lead to kidney stones, etc etc etc. Anyway, we just went sugar-free. Ice cream here in the States mostly says %26quot;no sugar added%26quot; (not really %26quot;free%26quot;) and has a much lower sugar content, which works for us. Just have to watch for it when we can find it! Glad to hear about sugar-free chocolates and candies, though - that will be something, at least!

Thanks again!

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To The the USA poster: I have never seen sugarfree ice cream. I did taste the gorcery ice cream and it was not as good as we are used to. It is highly whipped and not very flavorful! At least that is my opinion.

If you want good taste of ice cream for a treat go around the block from Notre Dame for the Bert... (oops forgot how to spell the name! Help!). Share one cup with your spouse! It is the best in Paris! There is another better place but it is in Erstein, France!