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Published October 28, 2024

Going Gluten Free

What seemed like a setback actually opened up my culinary horizons.
Page 1 of a 11 page comic. In Panel 1, Zareen, a 26-year-old woman with glasses, dark hair, and a tshirt, is sitting in a chair at a doctor’s office. The caption says, “Last summer my doctor suggested that I trial a gluten-free diet in response to ongoing gastrointestinal issues.” The doctor, who has a short bob cut, hands Zareen a flyer on a gluten-free diet and says, “See if it helps.” Zareen responds with a gulp. Below that panel, the caption says “I quickly discovered just how prevalent gluten was in well…Everything.” Everything is written in large block letters that are surrounded by a mountain of glutinous foods, like bread, muffins, cake, and crackers.Page 2. In Panel 1, the caption says “Eating out suddenly felt nearly impossible.” Zareen is at a bakery standing in front of the cashier and a display case full of baked goods. The cashier says, “Sorry, gluten free isn’t really our audience.” In Panel 2, Zareen is facing a food truck staffed by a bald man in an apron. He says, “Everything’s cooked on the same grill, so there may be gluten contamination.” In Panel 3, Zareen is at a Chinese restaurant sitting at a round table and holding a menu. The waitress tells her, “Gluten free? I don’t understand…”Page 3. In Panel 1, the caption says “It became clear that my best option was to cook at home.” Below that is a picture of Zareen’s hand opening the lid to a large pot with a spoon sticking out. In Panel 2, the caption says “The only problem was, I’ve always been a picky eater.” In Panel 3, the caption says “My mom likes to say that, as a kid, I only ate two things–Cheerios and kolija (beef liver).” Below that is a drawing of Zareen as a baby, screaming “Wahhhh” while seated on a high chair with some baby food in front of her. An arrow points to the food saying “Literally any other food.” Below the drawing is a caption saying, “I wish I could say I’ve matured since then but the truth is…”Page 4. In Panel 1, Zareen stands in front of a person-sized burger and is pulling out the tomato slice. The caption says, “I take the tomatoes out of every burger, salad, and sandwich I eat…” In Panel 2, the caption says, “I pick mushrooms and olives off my pizza…” On the right of it is a drawing of Zareen standing on a person-sized pizza and hitting the mushrooms off with a golf club. In Panel 3, the caption says “I am sworn enemies with eggs…” On the left is a drawing of Zareen holding a person-sized fork with broken eggshells and a trail of egg bits behind her. In Panel 4, the caption says, “And anything with peanut butter gets my vote of no confidence.” To the right, Zareen is sitting atop a human-sized jar of JIF peanut butter, sticking her tongue out and gesturing a thumbs-down.Page 5. There is one large panel on this page. The caption on top says “The list goes on and on…” Below that is an illustration of Zareen sliding down a human-sized scrolling list titled “Icky Foods List.” She is surrounded by undesirable foods, like broccoli and almonds. She is hugging herself and closing her eyes and saying “Ew ew ew ew.” Below is a caption that says, “As you can imagine, further limiting my already restricted diet was not going to be easy.”Page 6. There is one large panel on this page. The caption on top says, “I started researching gluten-free foods online. To my dismay, I learned that even foods labeled gluten free or celiac association approved could not always be trusted.” Below that, Zareen is seated in front of a computer with a browser opened up to the website glutenfreewatchdog.org. The website article is titled “The Cheerios controversy.” One comment on the article says, “Cheerios gave me horrible gas n shits!,” and one reply says “me 2!!!” and another reply says, “Screw u Cheerios!” Below that, the caption reads, “My best bet was to stick with whole foods–grains, fruits, veggies, meats.”Page 7. Panel 1’s caption reads, “I was forced to branch out of my comfort zone…” Below is a picture of oatmeal boxes on a grocery shelf. Panel 2’s caption reads, “And reach for foods I had never bothered to try.” Below is an illustration of Zareen’s hand reaching for a bunch of green onions in the produce section of the grocery store. Panel 3’s caption says, “I looked up new recipes…” Below is a drawing of Zareen lying in bed scrolling through Instagram. A blow-up of the Instagram screen shows a New York Times recipe, and Zareen thinks, “Hmm!” Panel 4’s caption says, “And learned to prepare unfamiliar ingredients.” Below is a drawing of Zareen in the kitchen, chopping a butternut squash. Behind her, a pot of quinoa is boiling over. Her head is turned towards the quinoa, and she says, “Uh-oh.”Page 8. In Panel 1, the caption says, “Before long, I found myself looking forward to playing with my newfound puzzle pieces…” Below is a drawing of Zareen’s arms preparing some food at the kitchen counter. She is spooning some ingredients from a cutting board onto a sheet of rice paper. In Panel 2, there is a drawing of Zareen’s hands holding a colander with some noodles in the kitchen sink, with water coming out from the faucet. Below is a caption that says, “Finding creative ways to put them together into fresh, homecooked meals.”Page 9. Panel 1 says, “It was delightful.” Next to it is a drawing of cold soba noodles in a bowl. It is paired with a recipe card that reads, “Cold soba noodles, grated carrots, radish, edamame, green onion.” Panel 2 says, “It was delicious.” On its left is a drawing of summer roll and dipping sauce. It is paired with a recipe card that reads, “Summer roll, rice paper, chickpea mash, shredded cabbage, carrots.” Panel 3 says, “It was not at all what I expected from going gluten free.” On its right is a drawing of a quinoa bowl paired with a recipe card that reads, “Quinoa bowl, butternut squash, cucumber, roasted chickpeas, feta cheese.”Page 10. There is one large panel on this page. The caption on top reads, “Ironically, adding more constraints to my diet forced me to diversify my palate and rediscover the joys of cooking.” Below is a drawing of Zareen in her kitchen. One foot is on a stool and another is on the ground. She is holding a large pot filled with food in one hand, and her other hand is raised triumphantly in the air holding the lid. She says, “Yes, chef!” Below is a caption that says, “In the end, going gluten free didn’t resolve my problems. I was relieved to return to a life with gluten…”Page 11. There is one large panel on this page. The caption on top reads, “But I know I’ll keep carrying the new colors, ingredients, and delights that going gluten-free brought into my life.” Below is a drawing of a see-through tote bag hanging on a hook. Inside the tote bag is an open carton of eggs with an arrow saying “Look who it is!”, a bunch of green onions with an arrow saying “Where have you been all my life?”, a box of Cheerios with an arrow saying “We’re baaack!”, a bag of quinoa with an arrow saying “Quinoa is here to stay”, and a box of crackers with an arrow saying “Normal crackers thank goodness.” Below this is a smaller drawing of a miniature Zareen standing on the Icky Foods List from earlier. She is drop-kicking a tomato and sticking her tongue out saying “Pfft.” A caption next to her says, “(But hey, tomatoes still suck.)”

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