How Not to Starve in Paris: Chaotic Celiacs Anonymous

Hi y’all! I’m back with more tales of a Celiac in Paris, so the good news is I’m not dead! And y’all get another update! I’m saving the less-than-good news until after I talk about my latest life-changing gluten-free food experience. I think this has less than usual, but I’ve been eating a lot (a LOT) of sandwiches, which I’ve talked about before and aren’t very interesting, at least in my opinion. Although lately, I’ve heard I don’t make sandwiches right, which is another story for another time.

First off: I had my first baguette! Just LOOK at this thing. It’s a work of art. I’ve never seen gluten-free bread like this in my life. It also took me like three days to eat. I’m not used to just eating bread straight up, or really much at all. The first time I had a hamburger on a bun, I struggled to finish it all because it was so much more food than I was used to than just a burger on its own. This baguette felt much the same. But still!! Baguette! Celiac scale: 10/10, thank you NoGlu!! And deliciousness: well, like maybe 5/10? It was definitely some of the best bread I’ve ever had but I’m also realizing I don’t really like eating bread on its own, probably because I never really did.

In other news, I might need an Orangina intervention soon, but I do love it and am reveling in its availability before I get back to the US and can’t find it. I’ve drank so much Orangina, I think I’m probably approaching being 50% Orangina. <3 <3 <3

Bad news: it was REALLY hot this week. It got up to 105 one day and I swear my sneakers were melting into the concrete. Good news: ICE CREAM. I had so much ice cream. My standard combo is chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, but lately, I’ve been throwing lemon in there a bit too. The lemon is super refreshing when it’s hot out. 10/10 for both my Celiac scale and deliciousness scale.

I returned to the place I went to earlier in the month and had another successful dinner there. I got a rump steak with no sauce, fries and a salad. I ate all of it, I was so hungry. And because of their fun 16 euro deal, I had dessert as well! I went with the creme brulee again because holy crow, they are so good. Dinner on the celiac scale: 7/10, deliciousness scale: 7/10. It was very good!! Creme brulee on Celiac: 9/10, 9/10 on deliciousness!! please let me eat more creme brulee in the states!

And then, Disney. Oh my love, Disney. Always surprising me with their dietary accommodations. When we bought the tickets, my mom suggested that I also make a dining reservation because she didn’t think I’d be eating all that well. Ever optimistic, I agreed, figuring if we didn’t need it, we could cancel it. Fast forward a month and a half, I crossed the threshold of the Silver Spur restaurant at Disneyland Paris and nearly wept. This was my dinner at Disney, it was glorious. I could have eaten a whole plate of those potatoes. I swear my body didn’t know what to do with a balanced meal. My dessert (featured below, 1st image) was a fruit salad that was super refreshing and perfect. Dinner: 8/10 on Celiac scale, 9/10 on deliciousness. Dessert: 10/10 Celiac, 7/10 on deliciousness.

I also had some snacks at Disney (we were there from like 10am-9pm), and they were delightful. I got a Mickey bar, even though I’m not a huge fan of them at home. These were delicious though, and tasted less artificial than they do in Florida (if that makes any sense) and hit the spot in the heat. 10/10 on Celiac and Deliciousness! Chloe really wanted a hot dog from Casey’s Corner, so I got fries while she was getting her hot dog. I decided to opt for the fun cup with my Pepsi because fun cups keep me moving like 89% of the time. Best $14 I ever spent, my dudes. That cup brought a smile to my face every time I remembered I bought it and has every subsequent day. Celiac level for fries: probably like a 6/10 if I’m being honest. I didn’t see anything else fried but it’s hard to tell sometimes. But 8/10 for deliciousness and 100/10 for that cup being my joy when we have to wake up at 7 am for class or excursions. Side note: either Disneyland Paris is cheaper than Orlando, or living in Paris has lowered my expectations for food prices.

I discovered on one of my shopping trips that Monoprix at Les Halles has bubble tea, which was one of the most exciting grocery-related discoveries ever. I was a slow convert to bubble tea but now I enjoy it. I got this flavor mostly because I liked the color. I figured kiwi was the same in French as English. It was very good! 10/10 for Celiac, 8/10 for deliciousness, and 10/10 to Monoprix for knowing what I’ll spend 5 euros on in a heartbeat.

We went to the Bon Marche food hall with class one day, and I discovered their gluten-free treats. So naturally, I went back one day and got more!! I love chocolate chip cookies, and these were amazing. I also got this brownie, which had almonds (if that’s wrong, feel free to roast me in the comments, they might be walnuts) in it. That was pretty good too! 8/10 for Celiac scale (dubious origins, but I am gonna give them benefit of the doubt), 9/10 on deliciousness for the cookie, and 7/10 for the brownie.

I had a restaurant called Little Nonna’s on my “to try” list, but it’s all the way over near the Arc de Triumph so I hadn’t made it out there yet. So on the day that I went to the Montmarte cemetery, I stopped in for lunch. I was dying for some pizza after some in our group had gotten Pizza Hut a previous night. Now, my experience with gluten-free pizza is wide and varied. Some have been amazing, some have been horrendous, and a lot have been from the freezer section of Wegmans. A select few pizzerias have made gluten-free pizza and they remain forever in my heart (<3 miss you Angelina’s pizza). This pizza was different than the rest. I don’t really know how to explain it except that it was sweeter than I expected? I would have preferred more cheese for sure, but it was still good. Definitely different though. This was the thickest crust I’ve ever had. Celiac scale: 10/10 (it’s a dedicated gluten-free restaurant), deliciousness about 6/10. I’m glad I tried it but I am excited for pizza when I get home.

Finally, a new, odd update: I think some of the straws here might be made from pasta?? I was out to dinner with some friends and noticed the straw broke off in my mouth. Then I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. This couldn’t be pasta, right? It was dark (and night) so I broke off more of it for closer inspection later and took it out of the cup to be safe. In the light, I sent a photo to my mom and we both thought it was likely pasta. So that was concerning. Then again at another restaurant, I pulled another suspicious straw out. I don’t know for certain that either was pasta, but I did read that some places do use pasta as straws, so now I side-eye any straws I see that look slightly odd. Sad face.

Bonus: photo of the United States section at the market. I think it’s funny that half this section is condiments. Or sugar. Or sugary condiments.

We’ve got a little less than a week left here (HOW?? The passage of time is strange) so I’ll probably do one more post on my Celiac journey here in Paris. I still have one more place I’m trying to get to before we leave!