“Don’t go there, there is no such food”

My Prague Preparation

Over the past few years, I have been adding to my ever-growing list of places I want to travel. About 5 years ago, I think I added Prague to this list. Honestly, I don’t even think I knew where Prague was at the time. Did Czechoslovakia even exist anymore? I added Prague to my list because it sounded so different and far away and left it at that.

In late February of this year, I decided it was time to travel again. Prague popped into my mind and I threw myself wholeheartedly into researching this foreign land. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic which is bordered by Poland to the north, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west. The local language is the nearly impossible Czech language, the national drink is pretty much beer, and the local cuisine is heavy on the flours and gluten-filled dumplings. This was going to be my scariest and farthest solo gluten-free trip to date.

Once Prague was decided upon, I begin obsessively planning the minute I decide on location. Most travelers spend time researching neighborhoods, hotels, tourist sites, restaurants, and side trip locations. Multiply that kind of planning by ten and you might get an idea of how I start planning for a trip. I devour information about gluten-free restaurants, Celiac Listserv, national Celiac organizations, health food stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, supermarkets, local gluten-free resources, and so on.

During my research I found some great links and some depressing links. One of the more depressing things I read on a forum discussing wheat-free options in Prague said

“Don’t go there, there is no such food.”

This is where I began to rethink my travel plans. I fretted as I imagined I would only have the food I brought with me to the Czech Republic to survive on for the week I would be gone. Then I reminded myself that I have never let my Celiac Disease stop me before and I was going to prove that message forum wrong. I was determined to travel gluten-free to Prague and the Czech Republic and I was going prove that poster wrong. And that is exactly what I did two weeks ago!

I am excited to share to research and links with you. Stay tuned!