A 5-week Short Term Assignment in Gurgaon, India

The beautiful Taj Mahal - no matter how many times you have seen its picture, nothing can prepare you for seeing it for the first time

The beautiful Taj Mahal – no matter how many times you have seen its picture, nothing can prepare you for seeing it for the first time

I’d like to proudly say that it has always been a dream of mine to work overseas.  Here I am at age 25 having just got back from a work assignment in India.  It was challenging, exciting, rewarding and scary at times…but I did it!  When I was asked to go abroad, I didn’t stop to think that it might be difficult to find gluten free food.  I promised myself three years ago when I found out I had to let gluten go that I would never let gluten stand in the way of me living my life or traveling the world.  I’m happy to say that my severe gluten intolerance did not stand in the way of fulfilling a lifelong dream.  I took the challenge in stride.  This time I was lucky since India is one of the most naturally gluten free cuisines in the world and I was staying at a nice hotel, but it still gives me confidence that I can successfully, safely and deliciously travel the world for business and pleasure and not let gluten hold me back.

I’m going to write a five part series on my time in India.  Since I lived at a hotel and relied on it for all three meals a day, I figure I’d structure each part as a type of meal.  Forewarning, I really only ate the hotel food in India, so this will not be a review of different restaurants like usual.  Instead, I will focus on the different Indian dishes I ate by categorizing them as breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.  These traditional dishes are all naturally gluten free and can be found at a variety of Indian restaurants and in friends’ and families’ homes.  I thought this way, everyone can learn about naturally gluten free Indian dishes.  So not only will it be helpful to those who are going to work or travel in India, but also on the more local level if you are looking for some new gluten free dishes to try at an Indian restaurant close to home or if you are looking to try a new Indian recipe.

My experience in India is one I will never forget, and I’d be lying if I said the delicious Indian food didn’t play a part.

Enjoy!  (I know I did)