It is now eight days before Ida leaves for Hawaii with her exchange program. She’s been tanning, shopping for bathing suits, even counting down the days on her Facebook page. This means I only have a little time left to finish confirming gluten-free meals for her.
As I mentioned in a post earlier this month, her trip to Hawaii is all preplanned. Their meals are prearranged as well, except for lunch. If you read my initial post, I was freaking out a little bit as I struggled to find out information on a place called Perry’s Smorgasboard. If you think I have good news to report here, you’re mistaken. I’ve emailed and called and received no response. So the only information I have on the place, is actually from pretty horrible reviews. But the kids are eating breakfast there EVERY DAY of the trip, plus one dinner! Ugh! So that restaurant has not been checked off my list yet.
Gluten-free meals arranged
What has been checked off my list? Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, Bubba Gump Shrimp and the catered Luau have all come through for me. I have arranged burgers and chicken with special cooking instructions for the above restaurants (if you want to know specifics, you’ll have to email me). The Luau has Hawaiian specialties, about two-thirds of which are gluten-free. I am happy I made contact with all of the restaurants as they needed additional information that I could provide. However, as we all know, just because I’ve arranged gluten-free meals for her, doesn’t mean something couldn’t happen where she could still get “glutenized”. It’s the risk we run dining out.
Celiac-friendly airport restaurants
Not only do we have to try and keep her stay in Hawaii gluten-free, but she also has an 8-hour layover at Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle! That’s two meals and a snack! So I started research there, I found Chili’s Too will have some options for her and Qdoba Mexican Grill as well. There’s also a healthy snack place that could help out I think. No McDonald’s though, which I found interesting. I printed up menus for Chili’s Too and Qdoba – now Ida just needs to remember to bring them which will help her in her fight to get gluten-free foods.
Packing a back-up plan
Snacks of course are a necessity. We’ll be loading her carry-on and her suitcase with treats. I may also do an extra box of “medical supplies” so she has a larger stash of food once she gets to Hawaii. She will definitely have to seek out a nearby grocery store for some items while she’s there too. But overall I’m feeling better after making some headway. I will let you know if I hear anything from the buffet people. I also have Senor Frogs to contend with yet. On my “to-do” list…
Tags: gluten-free, hawaii, restaurants, travel
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