Featured Quote: The Hobbit

"Their feet ruffled among the dead leaves of countless other autumns that drifted over the banks of the path from the deep red carpets of the forest."

The Hobbit (1937)
J.R.R. Tolkein

Above the canal ruins,

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

Featured Quote: Reading

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."

George R.R. Martin

Book in a Maryland antique store

New Orleans in California

I have never visited Louisiana. But the thought conjures up images of fog-shrouded bayous, flickering fireflies, banjo and saxophone music, and cuisine with marvelously delectable flavors. Add palm trees, hot California breezes, and a hint of the piratical, you've got Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. Yep, there are even foggy bayous of a sort, but I'll get to that later.

While visiting kin in Southern California this past autumn, my mom and I enjoyed a sunny afternoon exploring Downtown Disney. As if afternoons in CA could be anything but sunny. After searching Downtown Disney's website for spots to grab a gluten-free lunch, I found Ralph Brennan's:

In the mood for New Orleans cooking? Is that even a question?

Open-air foyer. Love the red walls,
wrought iron chairs, and zany fountain.

Lunch included iced tea, a gluten-free* jambalaya with fresh-tasting shrimp, and salad with balsamic dressing and candied almonds. I also ordered a Bayou Breeze, a drink especially recommended by the chef as gluten-free. A perfect example of classic Southern hospitality. Or is it typical California good vibrations?

The Bayou Breeze

I got a kick out of the drink's presentation, thanks to the emerald-hued Midori at the bottom and the pirate sabre roguishly spearing the maraschino cherry. Cruzan coconut rum, Midori liqueur, orange juice, and cranberry juice comprised the drink, which the waitress recommended stirring together before quaffing. Unless I wanted a full blast of Midori liqueur. Naw.

Crocodile mirror

Oh great, I'm photographing restrooms now. So I've become a total tourist, and loving it. So, here's the foggy bayou. Isn't that a spectacular mirror, despite the mosquito in the corner of the mural? I'd say it was a great specimen of Bayou Bling.

Anyway, I loved eating at Ralph Brennan's: New Orleans cuisine and atmosphere without the humidity and with all the charm. Fabuleux.

* In creating a gluten-free version of their Pasta Jambalaya, Ralph Brennan's simply substituted rice for the pasta. The restaurant has a gluten free menu available upon arrival, though not online at this time.

Travel to Germany through Niemandswasser

I just finished reading Robert Aickman's superbly chilling collection of short stories, compiled in Cold Hand in Mine. Fortunately, none of the stories have scared me to death as the book's cover threatened. Instead, what really shakes me is the fact that none of the stories show a clear resolution. As the friend who lent me the copy predicted, the failure to make each story's elements fit together logically is driving me nuts.

Of all of the short stories, "Niemandswasser"* (1975) left the strongest impression. Aickman creates such striking visual imagery, crafting dark, lavish descriptions of the foreboding castles, quaint chateaus, and haunted lakes, that I felt that I had just viewed a beautiful Gothic painting, or taken a time-warp tour of Germany through the eyes of Shelley. Aickman does not overload the reader with lengthy descriptions, instead creating an overarching ambiance that remains both subtle and unforgettable. Beautiful yet terrifying, blending the best traditions of classic ghost stories with Aickman's own penchant for penning unresolved nightmares created by the subconscience. 

Part of me would love to visit the old German schloss Aickman described with such dark relish - while the other part is very happy that I can leave the cursed castles (pronounced cur-sid if you're Vincent Price) anytime by simply closing the book. Which, of course, I cannot help but reopen.


*Translation: No Man's Water.

Radiantly Gluten-Free

Check out my new website, Radiantly Gluten Free! The site provides useful tips for those living with celiac sprue, especially those recently diagnosed. I was fortunate enough to be correctly diagnosed at the age of two, so I understand the many challenges (dietary, social, and otherwise) of the gluten-free diet. Challenging, yes, but I also know that the rewards far outweigh the limitations. If you have celiac sprue, a completely gluten free diet is the only way to get on the path to feeling completely healthy, strong, and vibrant. This site will also be helpful to those who may not celiac sprue, but who suffer gluten-sensitivities.

I am compiling all of the best resources and tips that I know. I will keep adding to this newborn website, so it should be an interesting journey! The site will draw not only from my own knowledge, but also from reliable print and online sources. Most importantly, "Radiantly Gluten Free" gleans heavily from the knowledge of my mother, who is the world's prettiest and most fabulous expert on the the subject - after all, she figured out how to successfully keep me on a totally gluten-free diet when I was still too young to fully understand it myself. Brava.

One in every approximately 133 people have celiac sprue,* yet for every person diagnosed correctly, eighty go undiagnosed** and consequently live with pain and malnutrition every day. So, here's to hoping that Radiantly Gluten Free adds another little ripple in the pool of understanding.



* "Celiac Disease" National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). 27 January 2012.

** "Gluten Intolerance Facts." Gluten-Intolerance Group (GIG). The foremost authority on celiac sprue and gluten intolerance, GIG's presence in Washington State is the reason for my early diagnosis while living in that state.