In my previous post, I mentioned that at the very beginning of my illness, I did something crazy and went to Malaysia. Malaysia helped me overcome my fears of traveling with celiac disease. This made it possible for me to go to Barcelona twice, once last week and once last summer.
Don’t let my blog posts fool you into thinking that i travel all the time. (I don’t want to attract unnecessary evil eye/nazar) Like most people with celiac disease, I’m usually always at home, cooking my own food, struggling in a never-ending dishwashing cycle.
Fortunately, there is a magnificent invention called the dishwasher. I offer my gratitude to its inventor, Josephine Cochrane, once again. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here, sister.
WHY ABROAD?
Getting back to the topic of travel, why do I go abroad?
- I have a 1-year Schengen visa. As you know, getting a visa in Turkey has become harder than not running away with your brother-in-law as a morning show guest, so once you get one, you have to make the most of it.
- In some cities abroad, especially in Europe, gluten-free options and celiac awareness are much higher than in our country. We can go on a vacation without feeling like we’re from outer space.
- Eating and drinking gluten-free outside in many cities abroad is much cheaper than in Turkey.
Considering these factors together, it doesn’t seem very rational to pour a fortune into the pockets of our country’s tradesmen who will sell us “food safety concerns” at exorbitant prices.
Based on the feeling all of this gives me, I took two trips to Barcelona, one for vacation and one for work.
So, is it logical for someone with celiac disease to go to Barcelona?
Let me explain from the scratch.
AM I CRAZY?
First of all, before choosing a city, I research the number, density, and proximity of gluten-free places to where I will be staying. From the “Find Me GF” app, which is indispensable for celiacs all over the world, we can see the restaurants offering gluten-free options in the place we are going. The application also has comments from other celiacs, scores about how safe the places are, and filters.
Since I’m crazy, I turn this data into a celiac map on Google Maps. First, I divide the places I can go into two:
Dedicated GF (Gluten Free) places: These are places that only serve gluten-free products. We go with a peace of mind. The more of these there are, the more normal people we are.
Places that also offer GF: These are places that offer both gluten-containing and GF products. If their score and celiac awareness are high, I add them to my map as well. It is essential to confirm the precautions they take by talking to waiters or chefs.
As a result, a density map emerges. I prefer my accommodation to be close to this density and at least one place where I can have breakfast. No matter how much we love walking, the shortest way for hungry “Mehmets” who wake up in the morning to reach food is the healthiest thing for everyone’s soul.
Note: Watermelons are dedicated GF places, clovers are places with GF options. (I can share my lists with anyone who wants them)
NOT MUCH GREED FOR MONEY
Returning to Barcelona specifically, there are many gluten-free options. The only problem is: they don’t really like opening shops. Especially in the summer season.
Let me give you an example. There is a very famous completely GF place in the city. Its name is My Fucking Restaurant. I thought this assertive name reflected the cry of rebellion of celiacs.
Like, “Finally, someone opened a (fucking) restaurant suitable for us.”
However, despite being the place I wanted to see the most on both of my trips, MFR was not meant to be for me. Because it is difficult to catch its opening hours during the day, and it can suddenly decide to close for 3-4 days of the week. So, My Fucking Restaurant might have a meaning like, “Hey brother, this is my fucking restaurant, why are you coming? Do I come to your fucking restaurant?”
This problem is also affected by the very limited opening hours of the places during the day. The fact that the already limited number of GF places are closed can actually deal a blow to that feeling of normalcy in Barcelona, which is a somewhat large city to walk around.
But that doesn’t mean this city doesn’t offer wonderful opportunities for celiacs.
WHERE DID I GO?
Yes, now I am moving on to an area where I am not very strong; giving good news.
First of all, this is a city with a very high level of celiac awareness. When you mention cross-contamination, they don’t look at you as if you’ve asked about Schopenhauer’s philosophy on free will. When you say you have celiac disease, a light shines in their eyes.
Let me briefly mention the places I had the opportunity to visit:
Pizza Natura: A completely gluten-free place. It has a very extensive GF beer list. The pizzas are truly magnificent, the service is fast, and the waiters are very kind. The prices are also reasonable. It is a must-visit.
Bloom by Sasha: Completely GF. A cute little cafe that will come to your rescue when nothing else is open early in the morning, working even on Sundays, etc. Most of its products are sweet, but the prices are a bit salty. But is it delicious? Very.
Manduca: A completely GF place. My order took so long to arrive that I forgot what I ordered. I think they also forgot what I ordered. My food arrived cold. I still don’t remember today, what I ate. But since it’s a gluten-free place, I’m not making a big deal out of it. It’s not cheap, though.
My daughter’s food was (according to her) good and arrived on time.
Chök: A completely GF patisserie. Let me put it this way, if it were in Turkey, it would be good enough to raise our quality of life as celiacs on its own. I ate a croissant better than all the gluten-containing croissants I’ve ever eaten.
Fish and Chips Shop: They offer fish and chips with celiac safety in a cone. I must admit it looks more stylish in their photos. But the taste is fine.
Ardemos – Hamburgueses: A completely GF place. In fact, looking at the walls, we got the impression that they don’t like gluten very much. (see the photos) We ate magnificent nachos and an unbelievably delicious hamburger. This was also one of the places we definitely said we should come back to. Let me add that the waiters are also extremely friendly.
Messie Sense Gluten Muntaner: This is also completely GF. There is an almost unlimited selection of beers available. I wasn’t very hungry, so I tried their beers with hummus nachos chips. A sweet place.
Jansana: One of the most popular GF cafes in the city. Everything is very nice, everything is very delicious. We had to wait a bit to be seated. Everything was very ideal, except for me making dad jokes since I was with my daughter. (I couldn’t translate this joke, but you may guess)
Meson Barcelona: On the day we went to the beach, we had difficulty finding GF places near that area. This place came to our rescue. It’s not completely gluten-free, but the staff is very knowledgeable about celiac safety. There’s an older waiter who can prepare a safe seafood paella for you. It’s a universal rule anyway: if there’s an older waiter in a place, you are in good hands.
McDonalds: You won’t believe it, but in Barcelona, you can eat at McDonalds as a celiac. We create the order using the touch screen, and they can prepare the meat options in a completely celiac-friendly way. The fries are also cooked in a separate frier for us. If you get confused about the touch screen, an employee comes and helps. Thanks to this, I was able to eat a BigMac menu. Yes, the bread is not the Big Mac we know, but the filling is enough to make you feel like you’ve reunited with this old friend.
YOUR WALLET MAY BE STOLEN, BUT THEY WON’T ROB YOU
Finally, let me make this note about prices: Barcelona is one of the most affordable major cities in Europe. They might pickpocket your wallet while you’re standing (watch your bags), but when you sit at a table, they don’t try to rob you like they do in our country.
Our reason for choosing Barcelona last summer (besides the GF options) was to go to a Pearl Jam concert with my daughter. They had a cafeteria to sell drinks in the concert area. Without much hope, I asked if they had gluten-free beers. THEY DID. I asked the price. It was 3 Euros. The same brand of beer is also available in Turkey for 150 liras (4 euros) in the supermarkets and for a minimum of 300 liras (8 euros) in pubs. If they catch you desperate at a concert, it’s hard to get away with less than 500 lira. (You do the math)
The Spanish people, being naive, sell drinks at concerts for even cheaper than at a bar outside.
At the beginning of the blog, I was explaining “why abroad?”
That’s why.
