Hi! It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here, especially a recipe (I PROMISE some will come soon while I’m home during winter break) but there will be a bunch of new posts coming over the next few days!
Every freshman at Tulane has to take a “TIDES” course, which is essentially a seminar class that revolves around something other than a required credit. It gives students the opportunity to take a class that they’re interested in purely just “because” and not because they need it for their major or general education requirements. I was SUPER lucky to end up in a class all about New Orleans food and drink, and even luckier to have a professor who made all of the dishes every week gluten free! I was able to try crawfish etouffee, gumbo, classic barbecue shrimp, and a few other classic creole and cajun dishes that I otherwise would have had trouble finding GF. I LOVED my Tides class, and for my final project, I’m taking the opportunity to share some information with y’all about how eating gluten free has been at Tulane this semester!
SO… here it is! My first journal entry:
Tulane’s tagline is “Only at Tulane. Only in New Orleans” and within just a few short months of being on campus (especially due to Hurricane Ida) I’m so happy I was able to experience this new city, especially the food. Aside from the academic flexibility, climate, and overall culture at Tulane, I chose this University because I knew I would have food options outside of the dining hall, and as a gluten free foodie, being able to experience not only good food, but food that is culturally connected to the place where I went to school was important to me. Of course, I have to acknowledge that none of this would have happened if I was at a different college, because I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take this Tides course in the first place! I have experienced parts of New Orleans (most importantly to me is the food of course) that I would have never been able to experience at any other college or in any other city. I don’t want to get too into the specific restaurants and dishes that made my food experience at Tulane this semester so amazing, because I’ll be posting 5 meal entries later in the week, but meals from places near campus like Ba Chi, Dat Dog, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, and LemonShark Poke SAVED my semester, especially with the unfortunate gluten free situation and lack of safe options for me in the dining hall.
Rather than associating New Orleans with foods like fried chicken, po’ boys, beignets, gumbo, crawfish, jambalaya, and other creole and cajun dishes native to the area, I’ve come to associate New Orleans with spring rolls, hot dogs, shaved ice (aka Sno Balls), pizza, and tofu. I’ve had the best huevos rancheros I have ever tasted and the only krab salad I know is gluten free in this city, and I’m thankful I’ve learned more about the New Orleans food scene other than what’s just on the surface. I am so happy I was able to experience the food thats available “only in New Orleans” through my Tides class, but for me, having dietary restrictions, there are more than just the classic New Orleans dishes that only exist here for me.