Hi! My name is Melanie Jennings and I have a love/hate relationship with food. It has been the love of my life and the bane of my existence. I went from dream job of restaurant critic to a person who would try anything to clear my various health issues–like eating only raw food and (gasp) fasting. I was diagnosed with celiac disease (dermatitis herpetiformis) a few years ago and continue to whittle away at my diet due to several other food allergies. I started this blog to regain my food mojo and to remind myself that I am not the only food freak out there. So leave me a comment because I would love to hear from you!
I live in Portland, Oregon and my Web site is mjennings.com.
If you would like to know when this blog is updated, click on Feed On Posts in the upper right corner of this page.
Hi!
My name’s Kelsey and I am currently taking a Food History Class at BYU. One of the projects I’m working on entails researching a “typical Okie meal” and then determining what that says about the larger society, etc. I was reading your blog, and besides it being very entertaining, it seems that you have considerable background in the Okie meal area besides all your other food knowledge. I was wondering if you knew of any good sources, or personally had anything to add about the subject. I realize this is very out of the blue, and that maybe leaving a comment like this might go against blog etiquette, but it’s worth a shot. It’d be great if you could get back to me, if not that’s ok too. Thanks either way!
-Kelsey
Hi, Kelsey,
Thanks so much for reading my blog! It’s always great to hear from readers.
When you say “Okie” do you mean people from Oklahoma, or do you mean people who migrated west during and after the Depression and Dust Bowl? I make this distinction because these are two different groups of people.
So, if you’re talking about Okies in the west, I can definitely talk about that. I wrote my dissertation about this topic and I also come from a family of Okies.
A typical non-breakfast Okie meal, to my mind, is pinto beans with ham hocks and cornbread. For breakfast, of course, biscuits and gravy. There are many other dishes to talk about, but I think either of those two meals provide plenty of material for exploring the Okie culture.
If you look up “Okie” on Wikipedia, you’ll find several citations of Dust Bowl Okie writers (which I helped with). The writers I’d think would be most helpful and accessible would be Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, Gerald Haslam, and Lois Phillips Hudson. You could look at some of their work to find things about food.
You could also listen to some Okie music that talks about food. Merle Haggard’s “Rainbow Stew” comes to mind.
I hope this gives you a good start. Good luck!
Melanie
P.S. If anyone else would like to Comment about Okie food, please do so from my Okie Food post. Thanks!
Hellooooo from a fellow food freak in Alamogordo New Mexico!!!
I sympathize with your story, and have a similar one myself.
Researching options for dining out in Albuquerque, as my son now lives there.
Keep on bloggin on,
warmest regards
robin
“Gluten free on a stick with cheese”
Hi, Robin!
Thanks so much for reading my blog and especially for posting your comment. I hope you have a great meal in Albuquerque. As you already know, I love Annapurna’s.
Best,
Melanie
Hello! I just stumbled by and wanted to express my deepest sympathies because I dont know what i’d do if i could eat everything in sight. but you seem to be pretty positive about it and hang in there! cool blog.
Thanks so much, Daily Elephant!
Hi, I’m dealing with similar allergies in my daughter, age 2 1/2 yrs, and garlic is the single hardest allergy to avoid. Do you think? Is it life threatening to you too? That has been the hardest to grasp – garlic would make her stop breathing!? Give me milk allergy, not to mention all the others, over the garlic allergy any day and I DREAM of just having a peanut allergy to manage in her – how crazy is that? On one hand, I do not have these myself and no nothing of the actual allergy experience, but the fact that I’ve seen my daughter’s throat closing up is just about the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. On the positive side, all these allergies, plus garlic (as you know, nothing boxed or jarred) make grocery shopping a cinch. Thank you for letting me vent – I’ll check back often.
Greetings, Loudoun, VA! Thanks so much for stopping by and chatting.
I totally agree about garlic. Mine, thankfully, is not life-threatening and I continue to “learn” how much is okay and how much is, well, very bad indeed. I am grateful that I can make mistakes and actually live through them. I have heard of others who have life-threatening reactions to garlic.
Your post reminded me of a joke I had with a friend with multiple allergies. We were mocking some gluten-free person who was talking about “how hard it is” blah, blah, blah. We just rolled our eyes! If only we had just the gluten allergy, life would be a CAKEWALK!
Thanks again for commenting! Take care and good luck.
Hi Melanie,
I’m a Portlander with celiac disease – and I write about it, among other topics about health and balance, in my blog 365daysuntillove.wordpress.com. I have worked in the wine industry for nearly a decade, and, also being a foodie, I have found many challenges in maintaining a healthy attitude about living with a restricted diet.
My friend pointed me to your blog.
I find it’s good to connect with other celiacs out there. My friend Jonathan, like you, not only has celiac, but a host of other food allergies. We have become a little support group for one another.
Good luck with the balance and keep up the writing!
Cheers,
Leah
Thanks for stopping by, Leah! Happy New Year!
Dear Melanie,
I was turned on to your blog by our mutual friend Wendy PW. I did not know anything about your situation – wow, I feel for you so much, and also feel I can relate. I was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes, it may possible be the real D but I won’t know more til I go to the endocrinologist in a few weeks. So I also feel I am going from omnivore to someone who must really be conscious, more than I wanted to be but here I am. I’ve also started a blog and would love if you would visit me over there.
I’m at http://www.foodfoodbodybody.wordpress.com
Hi Susan! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.
I hope it turns out not to be the big D. I have relatives with type 2 and it doesn’t seem like any kind of fun.
I will definitely check out your new blog. Thanks for sending the link!
Dear Melanie,
Allergic to dairy and citrus plus recently diagnosed with 21 food intolerances, I constantly look for recipes to experiment with which is sometimes difficult when you live in France who loves using dairy in everything! I googled “black sesame ice cream lactose free” and your blog came up first. Not only was I happy to discover the recipe I’ve been dying to try with my dusty ice cream maker, but also to find other interesting recipes, savory and sweet. It’s great that you’re sharing your knowledge with others who are looking for recipes that fit their needs. Keep it up! My kids may be half French but they’re also American-Chinese too so I need balance out their food experiences.
Thanks!
Ming
Bonjour and ni hao, Ming! Thanks so much for the lovely note. Let me know if you try my black sesame ice cream recipe. I’m always anxious to hear feedback.
Take care!
Melanie
When you put the DH in brackets do you mean you suffer from both? Sorry if that’s a silly question but I have been coeliac from birth and have only just being diagnosed with DH. Are you on medication for it? I have been prescribed Dapsone and would be interested to hear about your experience of the drug.
Hope you don’t mind. Many thanks
Daffy
Hi Daffy,
No question is too silly. My understanding is that DH is celiac disease that presents in rash symptoms instead of stomach symptoms. I took dapsone for three weeks and had a terrible reaction to it. I didn’t know at the time that I am allergic to sulfa drugs. As a result, I ended up getting a pretty bad staph infection. The other sulfa-allergy symptoms I had from taking dapsone were a new rash (pin-prick rash), dizziness, and I believe some swelling (can’t so clearly remember now as it’s been a few years). In any case, the doc took me off dapsone and I just had to tough it out. I no longer have a DH rash.
Having said all that, I do believe dapsone is miraculous. The first few days I took it, along with prednisone, I felt like a brand new person, the best I had felt in YEARS. The rash that I’d had for years cleared up dramatically in that first week on dapsone. So if you can tolerate it, I would definitely try it to see how you do on it.
Good luck and thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
Melanie
Great blog! I was recently diagnosed with several food intolerances/allergies (wheat, corn, rice, oats, eggs, almonds, coffee, and lettuce–of all things!) and I’m eliminating them for the next six months to then see which I can safely phase back in once a week (fingers crossed!) Thank you so much for posting your recipes! Baking was my hobby (my new, thoroughly-unwanted hobby is physical therapy–also for the next six months). Your blog gives me hope.
I have enjoyed the little I have read of your blog. Found my way here when i researched black sesame pudding. Google set your ice cream recipe as the second in line. I am chef/partner at a restaurant here in Dallas, TX. I find your way with words pleasing and would love to read some of your restaurant critiques. Let me know if any are archived on the web. I am sympathetic to your plight as we have many regular guests with similar symptoms. We accommodate and create the best we can, but some things are definitely missed
Looking forward to new posts and possibly reading old critiques….
Hi Triptup,
Thanks so much for the kind words. You can read some reviews I wrote for Willamette Week by going to their site (www.wweek.com) and entering my name into their Search box. Sadly, I had to stop reviewing after I got the celiac diagnosis. A year later, I started this blog because apparently I NEED to write about food a lot.
So, it’s great to hear you are finding this blog useful. If you try any of the recipes, I’d love to hear feedback from a pro like yourself!
My feedback for restaurant dessert menus, and I should probably write a post about this, is to make an effort to have one dairy-free, wheat-free, egg-free, nut-free dessert such as sorbet or fresh berries (with optional cream). These are easy for the kitchen and satisfying for the customer. When a restaurant offers this, it now makes a HUGE impression on me because it tells me they’re THINKING. Big points!
Thanks again for reading and especially for commenting!
Melanie