Vacation Input Please

[teaandtoastgirl]

Greetings All,

I need some suggestions as to how to handle this.

Every year my mother and sibs with families- 23 total, get together for a 2 week vacation at a lodge we own in the Adirondacks. Each couple has its own room and most of the "cousins" share- 2 to a room. We share the restaurant style kitchen, all foods go on shelves together in the industrial sized refrigerator, and boxed goods are stored together in a pantry.

Breakfasts and lunches are prepared in the kitchen by each family on their own timetable. Sometimes it is packed in the kitchen and finding a small space in which to work is difficult. When the "cousins" (9 of them) come in for snacks, which is often- ages 11 to 23, they prepare foods and don't usually clean up after themselves. Coaching is done in reminding but more often than not the kichen is abandoned with food on the counters.

Something fun is baked every day from scratch- and flour is airborn from 9am until 5pm. On "Girls Tea Party Day" baking is ongoing until tea at 4pm.

Around 6pm each evening, a quick wipedown of the kitchen is done and one family begins the preparation of the group meal for the evening which is served buffet style in the kitchen and eaten together in the dining room around 8pm. The menu is left to the family preparing. Every family prepares 2 meals in the course of two weeks for everyone present.

This worked great until my son and I were diagnosed- GS, last fall. I am much more sensitive than our son and last Thanksgiving when we were there for 6 days, I had a three week setback in gluten detox. No one meant to include gluten in the meals, but it ended up there anyway and I was not told when it did. Gluten ataxia revenge. :(

The common areas, 2 living rooms, 1 dining room, 1 game room, 1 reading room, are shared by all and everyone eats in those as well as the kitchen. Gluten containing snacks or crumbs are often left sitting on tables, couches and chairs. It would not be common practice for anyone to wipe down a place they had been in if they had had a snack containing gluten.

A general pick up is done each evening, but furniture and tables are not wiped down except for in specific eating areas- kitchen and dining room.

So the plans for this year are forming and I have said I do not see how we can attend. All of our meals would need to be prepared separately for starters in a completely cleaned kitchen which I cannot go in and clean.

Can anyone see a way around some of the other obstacles? This is the one opportunity I have to see my mother and siblings each year. I am in Maine- my mother and 1 sis in VA, 1 sis in MD, 1 sis in CT, 1 bro in NH (who I do see other times) and 1 bro in NY. We have done annual large family vacations, and for our family- dh, ds and me, the only vacation- since 1980.

Thanks for your input,
Leslie
ps see the lodge: www.ottercreeklodge.com

[jcc]

WoW!

This is a tough one. I'd hate to think you'd have to miss out on it. Looks like a great set up.

I think the meal prep and what you actually eat is the most important of the factors to consider. While crumbs in the off rooms could be a problem, watching where YOU (and your son) sit, and washing your hands frequently, especially before eating would probably reduce that risk.

I don't have time right now to start offering many suggestions... even if I knew what they'd be. I'll be back later. I would try to work around this... unless you really don't enjoy the vacation for other reasons.

Cara

[annelb]

The lodge is beautiful.

I have no idea how to solve this dilemma. If it was for a day or two, it would be easy to pack your own food. That would be kinda tough for a 2 week trip. Is there a second fridge in the lodge? It would be nice to have a place to store your foods that would be off limits to the gluten eaters. Can you take your own microwave/toaster/frypan that could be used outside the flour dusted kitchen?

Have you thought about going to Disney or Hawaii instead :rolleyes:

When is this reunion? I am sure you will get many more suggestions on staying safe.

Anne

[Tootsie]

Hi Leslie,
It sounds wonderful! Can I come? Just joking. However, I think you need to be creative and perhaps a little adamant about your own needs. Paper towels to the rescue? Is it possible for you to prepare your own food using paper towels as a surface area to work and cover up all those crumbs?

When I was working, I used to take an inexpensive (60 cents) place mat and cloth napkin, to eat lunch on, as the outdoor tables were never clean. I think you could take sheets, or any piece of fabric and do the same for the area where you will be eating.

I don't see any way around the concept of preparing your own food. I think you could have a baking/cooking ****, in your own home and take it to the lodge in a cooler, then freeze some of it there, clearly marked "Leslie, only."

I've had some success in using the GF receipes, mixing all the dry ingredients and marking on the zip lock bag, what needs to be added. I've done this for brownies and pasta. All my daughter needs to do is add the oil and eggs.

I think that you could also use sheets or other large pieces of fabric as furniture covers. Just fold them up, with the clean side, inside, after you get up from the chair. They could be put in the washing machine whenever you felt they needed to be cleaned. You could also take some folding outdoor lawn chairs to sit in. They are very portable, and could be carried to your own room when not being used by you or your son, in the common areas of the lodge.

Be sure to pack a big, black, felt pen so you can clearly mark any GF foods that you need to keep separate. Take them in a standard, large, supermarket sized paper bag, and put your name on them, along with GF, so others won't munch. You might also take a large amount of GF things that are OK to share...things like corn chips, tortilla chips, TINGS, etc. If you did this for the first few days, it could provide a margin of error before things really get contaminated. Salsa is also a good OK thing for everyone. Cheerio.

[teaandtoastgirl]

Hi Nancy,

It sounds wonderful! Can I come?

You know, that's terrific idea, especially since one sib or two thinks I am making this whole gluten sensitivity thing up. Maybe a few should go with us LOL, a genuine GF regiment. Actually these vacations have always worked pretty well. We've owned the lodge since '99. At night you can see a reflection of the stars in the lake! I think that is my favorite part about the place.

But the wild animals- the bear are very good sized, not like the nice little black bear here in Maine and the coyotes laugh in the woods at night, so even in my most courageous moments, I cannot imagine sleeping in a tent there. It's well off the beaten path. It abbuts the New York State Equestrian trails and 76,000 acres of the Adirondack Park. Serious boonies. Big wild animals. :D

So I like the idea of paper towels, easy to transport, cost effective and I like the idea of a bed sheet over a chair or couch. I do have a microwave but not a fridge and I don't think one would fit in our car or make the 450 mile trip out there. So I'm still thinking this one out.

thanks to all for the good ideas.
Leslie

[Tootsie]

Leslie, regarding the cooler or ice chest:

Here, you can buy styrofoam ice chests for very nominal cost....99 cents at the end of the summer. If you cooked and froze things solid at home, put them in the ice chest already frozen with one of those reusable ice packs, then covered them up with towels, newspapers or any good insulating material, THEN put the lid on, it may last all 450 miles.

We have done this when going camping for several days. In the car, we would put sleeping bags over the ice chest for more insulation. Cheerio.

[JudyLV]

Leslie,

The lodge looks great. I think you may have to look at it as somewhat of a "working vacation". Every year we rent a beach house with another family. I spend extra time preparing for vacation by baking lots of bread and hamburger rolls and shopping for gluten free items that I am not sure I can get at the local stores. I pack a large cooler with all of our goodies. I bring extra gluten free pasta (everyone is always starved after spending the day surfing). I make sure everything is labeled. I also bring a large plastic bin for nonparishable gluten free foods that I leave in the kitchen area and keep other gluten free goods in our bedroom. Everyone is good about not getting into our food but I always have to be on guard about cross contamination.

Unfortunately I am always involved in cooking the dinners so I can insure that meals are gluten, dairy, egg...free. We cover the couch with a sheet and use a lot of paper towels. I also feel like I spend a lot of time washing (sometimes double washing) pots, countertops, tables etc. But we all manage to have a good time.

From the pictures it looks like there are enough rooms that maybe you could take one, like the upstairs living area, and ask that no one eat in that room. Then at least you could have an area to relax without having to clean first.

I love the woods. It looks like a great place to have a vacation.

--Judy

[GFPaperdoll]

I did not look at the photos - missed that part
Can you get your own room to use for a kitchen? Take an electric skillet, I can cook anything in an electric skillet. Another thought is can you pitch a kitchen tent somewhere?
If staying in a lodge, ask if they have a mini frig available. OR ask if they have freezer room for you to store your food...
I would stay out of the kitchen - you will only get sick & aggravate the other family members etc etc.
I would also freeze meals, take two coolers & refresh your ice everyday.
take plenty of dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, snack items
you can also get wild salmon jerky - check it out via google

My favorite trail mix - that I can live on for a week at least :)
1 can roasted salted almonds ( for the salt & crunch)
1 bag walnuts
1 lb fresh pecans
raisins
diced dried apricots
dates - diced (I buy the whole ones & dice)
handful of dried cranberries
(any other dried fruit you have on hand)
your favorite chocolate chips or M&M's if you can do dairy & the artificial colors
For a long trip, I pack the nuts & fruits in separate bags so the nuts do not get soggy (high humidity here in the South :) )

[JudyLV]

Leslie,

I missed the part about all of the baking. Is there anyway a table could be set up on the porch for the mixing? You are right that flour will get everywhere if baking from scratch is done every day. It might be best to just stay out of the kitchen.

Do you have a rice cooker or crock pot?

I am sorry I do not remember your health history but if your family members have seen you quite ill and now see you are doing better it might help them work something out with you. Unfortunately many of my symptoms tended to be invisible to others so they did not quite understand when I was not well because I looked the same.

You will have to let us know later what you decide to do.

--Judy

[teaandtoastgirl]

Is there anyway a table could be set up on the porch for the mixing?


There is a table on the porch, though I don't think anyone would be interested in prepping out there. I have the support of two family members in this but for the rest of them it seems to be "much adoo about nothing" Mostly they do not believe that airborn flour is an issue, that handling wheat or grains containing gluten is an issue and that having just a little grain is toublesome. "A little here, a little there isn't going to hurt you, you're over-reacting" is what I often hear. ANd just recently- because there isn't scientific evidence and medical proof, "this is something you have made up." UGH:(

For these comments I feel I would not ask anyone to alter their lifestyle to accomodate ours.

In the lodge, there are two suites with a counter and sink in them and the second floor living room is part of one of the suites. My brother and family have always taken that wing as they have the largest family and prefer quiet spaces. But their children are all grown now and are in separate rooms, though my bro and wife still stay there. I've asked if they would consider switching, but I could tell they couldn't "go there" as they quickly changed the subject. ;)

The other suite is a "girls" suite and three of the teen cousins share it. 2 rooms with 2 twins and 1 double. Taking it would displace 3, putting them into rooms with queen beds and I am not certain if this would work out room wise.

I am leaning toward not going this year and presenting everyone with how it will need to be for us in in the future years- we'll need one of the suites, kitchen wiped down on the evening we cook for the crowd and other considerations. I am thinking our absense this year may speak the loudest for those who think we're "over-reacting" and waiting a year gives them plenty of time to warm up to the new way of vacation. Who knows maybe by then somebody else will be gluten free as well.

I am sorry I do not remember your health history but if your family members have seen you quite ill and now see you are doing better it might help them work something out with you. Unfortunately many of my symptoms tended to be invisible to others so they did not quite understand when I was not well because I looked the same.


As for health changes, most of mine have been internal though I have lost 42 lbs, which for someone who has always had a hard time managing their weight and was ridiculed by sibs as a kid, this is significant. But they see this as a weight loss thing and therefore think a little won't hurt. They also think that my way of managing my diet is extreme.

The vacation is first 2 weeks of August, so I have a little time to yet decide.

Thank you for helping me think things through,
Leslie