Fruitcake

I grew up to like fruitcake at Christmas time. My parents were in charge of a Mystical Christian Church in Los Angeles from 1956 until 1960 when my mother's father passed away. So, there wre many ladies from places like France, Belgium, Germany and Austria that were older and still baked cookies and treats from the old country in traditional ways who likely had been 20 around 1900 to 1910 in Europe. So, because my parents were church leaders and I was the church leaders son, I got to eat amazing European Christmas treats every Christmas. So, I also got used to eating home made Fruitcakes too around that time. Fruitcakes were made before there was refrigeration, so they would last throughout the Christmas season. That is why they are so concentrated with sweet tasting things like candied fruits and nuts.

My father in laws girlfriend had been sending me a Fruitcake that she bought online and had sent to me because she knew I liked fruitcakes. However, this year I forgot I can no longer eat them because I found out I was allergic to gluten last year and stopped eating all wheat. When the fruitcake arrived in the mail this time it was late because my Step father in laws girlfriend had passed away this last summer. So, it didn't arrive until January 1st. My wife said she realized this was a gluten treat but figured I might get away eating it because it was a treat. So, I was nibbling it over the days since the first. I realized I didn't feel quite right whenever I had some but the other day I had a pretty bad reaction to something. I tracked the feeling of my brain swelling and not being able to think quite right to either the fruitcake or the sodium (salt) in some bottled artichoke hearts I was eating. (One of the two). So, I realized I should probably throw away the fruitcake either because it was too old or something.

However, for some reason I still hadn't realized it had wheat in it because it was something I had eaten every Christmas for at least the last 10 years  ever since my father in laws girlfriend had been sending it to me through the mail.

Finally, the next day my wife told me, "I knew it had wheat in it from the beginning but I thought you might get away with it." I told her how bad I had felt eating it and we both realized I can't get away with eating something like that anymore and still feel okay.

Recently, I found out my favorite pizza place nearby where I live has started to make gluten free pizza crusts on some of their pizzas. So, last week I ordered two mini pizzas and was very happy. Because likely of all the things I have missed going gluten free it has been going out for an excellent pizza at my favorite pizza place which I haven't done except in Portland Oregon where gluten free pizzas are easy to come by until this last week nearby where I live.