Hello everyone.
My name is Santi and I am celiac, lactose intolerant, allergic to fish, some fruits and penicillin. PAM! I love to see the faces of people when I explain this… as I count back waiting for them to say, and what you eat?!
I always answer: It’s not that bad! The worst part the penicillin allergy…
But if you follow my posts we’ll get to know each other and I’ll explain a little bit about who I am:
I am a young, adventurous guy who loves the 4 × 4 off road, languages, travelling to meet people and cultures around the world. Monday through Friday from 8 to 17: 30h, I work in Industrial Marketing and the rest of the time… one of two things: I’m either travelling, or going with my friends for tapas, to grab a beer, to dinner, eating, hiking, sports, reading, drawing, theater… in short, what we all do!
In 2001 I was diagnosed with celiac disease. It was about time! Until then, I was unwell, not growing properly, either fattening too much and often feeling sickened… In my thirteen years, I was below the average height and weight until doctors realised I was a celiac. Since then everything changed! Although at first it was a bit difficult to adapt, as everything represented a limitation to me.
Okay! The bread is not as good, no croissants from bakeries, cannot eat pastries freely, but beyond that, we can say that, on many occasions, we celiacs, eat better than others.
Although, today, some celebrities follow gluten-free diets without being celiacs, we can see TV ads where large companies sensitized to the issue of gluten, or even in films like “Iron Man 3″ serving breakfast without gluten. Celiac disease is still largely unknown to society as a whole and especially in the hospitality sector, a great work of raising awareness is still to be done. This is where we can and must contribute much. At the end of the day, most of the time, we do not go dining out on our own, and usually our friends let us decide where to go, because they can eat almost everything. Given that celiac is increasingly becoming more known, and considering the recent law on labeling and marking of allergens, if I had a restaurant, I would give the whole free from gluten offering an extra long thought.
Over the years I have travelled over 25 countries and have lived and worked in Helsinki (Finland), Bolzano (Italy) in Zaragoza (Spain) and now in Sabadell (also Spain, near Barcelona). Through my posts, I will share how I plan my trips, moments and anecdotes throughout my adventures eating gluten free all around the world, and I encourage you to share your comments.
In my next post, I will speak of burgers… and not just any burger, but a special type of burger!!
