As I have written before, our little one is gluten intolerant, which means her small intestines cannot properly digest things containing gluten. Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is used in the states at least as both a filler and a binder. The hubs balked initially at having a gluten free kitchen but I think, after over a year, he is finally coming to see its merits. First, if pet food companies are advertising they do not use gluten as a filler and that is for cats and dogs … one would think their human counterparts might start to question their own food as well. The trouble is, the public has not been told. A popular fast food restaurant chain uses gluten to puff up their meat. So one believes they are eating beef when in fact they are consuming various fillers and binders with it. Being a vegetarian, I am not touting the slaughter of animals. In fact I think it is yet another reason why we should not be eating meat. The U.S. is allowing a lot of “Frankenfood” these days, full of heaven only knows what, including pesticides and chemicals similar to that of paint and agent orange. I applaud Mexico’s farmers for fighting against GMOs in their corn. I believe India is now refusing genetically modified food, God bless them. The French have resisted as well I believe. Anyway, I confess I have not cooked very much in terms of pasta or baked goods (foods that generally rely on wheat) because frankly I have not had the time to devote to making apt substitutions such as flax seed, almond paste, etc. But now grocery stores have created gluten free aisles (another warning sign people seem to be blithely ignoring) and it is making my culinary life MUCH easier. We have found a delicious macaroni and cheese made with chickpeas and the best frozen pizza around has a cauliflower crust! My beloved has not turned his nose up and my little one has been devouring the things she has been missing. I snapped this silly picture as my two little wolfies were playing and waiting near the kitchen for dinner to be served. OK so one is huge but the one with the bloomers on her head is still pretty little. An Emperor of Ancient Rome, Marcus Aurelius, once said:
“Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”
Cooking and sharing meals are timeless and without borders; they are what binds us.
