A Vacation Away Reinforces the Value of Home

This weekend my partner and I went on our annual pilgrimage to Halifax. It's a lovely city, great fun to play in and we've found a fantastic hotel that is like our home away from home. We had an incredible time - took lazy drives around the gorgeous Southern Shore area, ate and drank far too much, shopped a bit, etc. It was a great trip all around. (This is another bonus of living in Saint John - it's proximity to everywhere!)

Strangely enough, I noticed on this trip some of the small differences between Halifax and Saint John (they share a tonne of similarities) that made me value Saint John even more. A small thing that cropped up was how accommodating people were... not - at the restaraunts we visited.

I'm a Celiac (allergic to gluten for those of you not familiar with the term) which can make eating out an interesting challenge. I'm constantly having to ask about ingredients, what brand of product is used, kitchen practices, etc. It automatically makes me a difficult customer for the staff, which is awfully frustrating for me because I don't have any choice in the matter (and I really don't want anyone to misunderstand my fussiness and do something unkind to my meal!).

I find the level of knowledge about this allergy in Halifax is really really high - a huge plus for me. What's weird about it is, if I'm not able to eat a specific meal on the menu at the places we frequent in Saint John, it's an automatic that the chef will alter the meal (if possible) so that I can have it. I've actually had chefs make me my own special meal completely off the menu and they seemed genuinely happy to do it. This was not our experience in Halifax, and come to think about it it hasn't been my experience in most cities I've visited.

So to all of you food service people in Saint John - thank you! Thank you for making it easy for someone with a unique diet to have an active social life. Keep up the great work and I'll keep coming to see you, and encourage everyone else out there to do the same!


FYI - here are some great places to visit if you are a Celiac and want a great meal in Saint John:

• Opera Bistro (they always have an alternative bread available and rarely use flour as a thickner, so if you just want a sandwich or soup for lunch this is a great spot. also tonnes of choice on the dinner menu)
• Sebastian (choices on all sections of the menu and a chef who is willing to accommodate. Awesome martinis!)
• Churchill's/Church St. Pub (excellent greek salad, great mussels and generally lots of other choices on the menu)
• Irving Big Stop (huge omelette, excellent greasy breakfasts served late in the day and willing to accommodate you in the kitchen)
• Shucker's/Delta Hotel (somewhat limited choice on the menu but what they do have tastes great)
• Billy's Seafood (same comments as Shucker's)
• Saigon Noodle (Vietnemese food, #9 is the best cure for a head cold I've ever known! Lot's of choice because they use primarily rice noodles in the dishes)
• Thandi's (limited choice on the menu but they try really hard to accommodate)

I'm always interested in trying new spots so if anyone out there has a suggestion let me know!