A Special Belly goes to a Regular Event.

Christmas last year I was blissfully unaware of the poisonous happenings in my internal organs.

Okay, I lied. I knew something was wrong, what with all the pooping and reflux and vommity-vomvom days, but I was still casually devouring magnum egos (why, oh why put wheat in you? You’re so lovely. We used to be friends…), sour dough, m&m's, ginger cookies, humble pies and other such toxic-tummy-treats.

I enjoyed a Christmas with bread and crackers and beer and regular tomato sauce as my intestines turned and churned and I felt gradually weaker and weaker when I bestowed my Other-Half/Partner in Crime/Lover O’Mine with tickets for us to attend East Coast BluesFest (if you’re reading from other parts of the globe, it’s five/six days over Easter of music from across the world, mostly blues, roots, world music, ska, indie and indigenous, but there are always some other surprises on the list). This year we were lucky enough to be seeing Bob Dylan (a let down, I saw him in 2008 and he was incredible, this time nobody could see and he seemed like he was a bit lost?), Jethro Tull (amazing!! The energy!), BB King (wow), Elvis Costello (!), Imogen Heap (always our favourite) and Ben Harper (not Ben Folds, though sometimes they're easily confused by my boyfriend...yep) to name a few (also Tim Robbins was there, in a grass-roots band. As in the guy from Shawshank Redemption. And he was great! WTF?). When I purchased the tickets I was not at all aware that I was suffering from Coeliac Disease and thought nothing of attending another festival with my beloved (our favourite activity when it can be afforded). When the time came around for us to go I was around a month into my journey through learning the lay of the gluten-free land and just starting to feel confident. I was slightly nervous heading off to a long weekend of camping and long lines for toilets and a food contamination mine field so we decided to play it safe.

Seeing as I had just recieved my discount card (above) for Coles from the Coeliac Society (thank the gourds! Sometimes you save heaps, but most of the time it's just a little bit, so it all helps) we went to Coles and loaded up on supplies for the six days. I thought I probably wouldn’t be able to eat anything from the stalls inside the festival like we usually do, so we had enough to cook every meal and then snacks on the side. Team Awesome Coeliac was ready for anything.

The weekend itself was an incredible experience and an even more fantastic success for me as a Coeliac. We cooked delicious meals on our little one burner gas camping stove such as:

GF macaroni and cheese with tuna and corn, haloumi with eggs and baked beans, tofu and vegetable korma w/ rice (lasted for two meals for two people), and tofu pad thai (found GF sauce in Coles and it was delicious)! Om nom. We ate a lot of rice crackers, GF dip, cheese, tuna, and nuts in between. We also made a trip into Ballina one day for some swimming and prawn devouring. Srsly, the best I’ve ever had in my life. Look: 

 If you’re in the area, make sure you eat some kind of fishy creature. The place is a sea of all things trawled. Or something. I may be busy drooling and not thinking. Probably.

The biggest surprise though? If I didn’t bring my own food, I still had so many options! We ended up buying about four-five things in the festival, mainly just to try them. The big, exciting surprise was that my favourite dish to eat at festivals is the Jamaican Lime Chilli Squid…and I never even knew it was safe for Coeliac bellies! The stall is famous for attending music events in QLD and Far North NSW (Splendour in the Grass, Woodford, Bluesfest etc.) and they had a giant sign saying “Gluten Free” out the front. I nearly cried I was so happy.

It comes with coconut rice and salad with homemade dressing. Sorry if the tentacles freak you out, they did for me the first time, now I'll never go back. They are full of curly, squid-gey happiness. All finished! That plate was licked good and proper. Believe me.

Friends also bought some Organic Popcorn which was GF, warm and delicious. No photo, because, well, it was popcorn. It looks like...popcorn.

There was GF Greek food (Haloumi, meat or felafel plates, but the lines were always huge and the fumes from the smoking meat out the front put me off a bit), GF buckwheat crepes and Creole fries which were pretty freaking good. The pie stand offered one GF lentil pie, but they were all out when we tried to devour one. Too cool, I guess?

Overall the festival was wonderful, not at all nerve wracking food-wise so I was able to relax and enjoy myself without having to run to the dreaded portaloo every ten minutes as I have done in BC (Before Coeliac) times.

Things which really grind my gears (Lol, Peter Griffin <3):

• People who say “Oh, I don't get it? So the doctor says you can’t eat bread? That’s sad, I guess.” And think that’s all there is to this. Um, yes. I just can't. It's just SO sad when I rock up to McDonalds and ask for a BigMac sans buns. Sticky too. Srsly?!
• Being told by a storeperson that something is GF and then discovering they were of the school of thought the above people attended. i.e. They just took out the bread. The sauce is still made with flour and it had some crumbs, but it's okay, we brushed them off. kthnxbai. Sigh.
• Reflux. It’s getting better, but it’s still uber annoying. I can't stand people who repeat themselves, so why does my throat want to repeat all the meals I've had today? (Bah doom ching!)

Things which have been wonderful lately:

• Pumpkin soup with lots of cracked pepper. Enough said. I’m about to go make a giant pot-full now.
• The Coeliac Shack in Redcliffe. It’s seriously worth the trip if you don’t live nearby. The selection of food is great, but the best part is the prices. This place is definitely not trying to rip anyone off. Originally started by people with Coeliac Disease for people with Coeliac Disease. Perfect.
• All the gluten-free gifts people gave me for my birthday! Lollies, muffin and cake mixes, felafel mix, chicken salt (wtf?! Awesome!).
• My mum baking me a gluten-free chocolate cake for my birthday (it was fantastic!) and my friends baking gf cupcakes (two different types, both amazeballs). Their first attempts and they all did so well! I am Jill's gigantic sense of appreciation.
• Pretty much everyone I know.
• Going to theme parks/festivals and being able to bring my own food in with the flash of the Coeliac Society “I must adhere to a strict medically prescribed diet” card. WIN. Not only a Coeliac win, but also a money-saving one. This is one secret club I don't mind being in.