Koh Tao - Thailand

I know I should try to keep my posts in somewhat chronological order, but I just have to warn you about this a place on Kho Tao, Thailand. It's a restaurant and dive shop, and I can't say anything about the diving part, oh the food and especially the SERVICE I can say one or two things about...

To all my fellow coeliacs: don't eat at Big Blue Diving, Koh Tao! The staff there was stressy and very rude, and didn't even try to read/listen to me and my dietary requirements. Since our waiter's English seemed okay, I tried to ask what kind of wrapping they had on their spring rolls (I've heard that if they use rice paper they are gluten free). Anyway, I just about managed to ask my question and say that I can't eat wheat, rye or barley, before our waiter, whilst walking away from our table, says that he doesn't know about the spring rolls and that if I have allergies I should choose something I know I can eat. Then he was gone again. I was SO annoyed! How am I supposed to be sure about what I can eat if I can't ask questions and make requirements?! If there's something a waiter/waitress don't know they ought to be able to ask someone who do! And the fact that he just ran off without letting my friend or me to order is just unacceptable.
Eventually he came back so we could order our normal "safe" meal - fried rice - which you can easily get a tastier and cheaper version of in several restaurants on Koh Tao...

Based on the service, or perhaps I should say the LACK OF SERVICE in this place - I will NEVER go back to this place and I would NEVER recommend it to anyone, coeliac or not!!!

Oh dear what an angry post, but both my friend and I were very upset after this. And also there are so many much nicer places on the island - like Simple Life for example!

The manager at Simple Life is the only one there who read Thai (the others didn't understand my restaurant card) but he is a lovely person, and so helpful when it came to find me something I could eat that wasn't fried rice ;)

So leave Big Blue Diving to its own destiny and head to Simple Life to eat!

Love Erika

Airplane food - Qatar airways

We had already eaten at the airport, because we didn't know when or if we were supposed to get any food on this first flight to Doha. And Another reason was that I've read so much about coeliacs who got the wrong food on the plane, or that there was something wrong with the order, and to end up without anything to eat for 5 hours is not my idea of fun...
Never mind, we started and just a few minutes after take of the flight attendants walked around handing out refreshing towels, and after that they came with drinks for us before they started giving us food. My tray was clearly marked with my name, chair number and allergy information. Though you have to be alert so they don't give you one of the "glutenated" bread rolls!

My tray was marked with a sticker saying it was gluten free. 

The dish it self was also clearly marked with my name and seat number and dietary needs

This is what the food looked like.

The food was okay, the chicken a little dry, but pretty much what you can expect when it comes to airplane food... I got fruit for dessert, and the others got carrot cake, which was a bummer because a gluten free carrot cake would have been nice, but hey I'm not going to complain about that.

After we had eaten the staff were walking around offering us a variety of drinks for the rest of the flight. I tried to get some sleep, but I was too excited about my backpacking trip, so I watched a couple of films instead.

All in all, it was a very pleasant flight with Qatar airways to Doha.


Love Erika

On my way to Asia!

Okay, I'm going to start at the beginning;
Our flight with Qatar Airways was to leave Stockholm Arlanda 15.15. I met my friend, who came with another flight from the North of Sweden, at 11, which left us with plenty of time to check in our bags and find some lunch.

 

Wended up at a place (can't remember the name tight now...) were they had ready made salads, which had allergy information on the label. Just double check so you don't get any bread with it. There was a dressing that game with the salad as well, but i didn't dare eating that and I'm not to fond if dressingar anyway, so i left that...

Backpacking in Asia

Hi everybody!
I'm backpacking in Southeast Asia with my friend, and we've been away for a little then a week and I have not been glutenated once. So far so good :)
I will try to post some pictures and about the things I've been eating so far.

Love Erika