A Gluten Free Guy Weadick

Guy Weadick
He ate A LOT of Gluten-

It is that time of year people. The ten days of glory of the Calgary Stampede. It is officially one hundred years ago that Guy Weadick convinced the Big 4 Ranchers to put on a fair and rodeo for the New West of Canada. That tradition has morphed into something that is something quite extraordinary. It still has countless saloons, real hardcore cowboys, a massive agricultural fair, merchants selling wares from booths that are either life changing or snake oil, many places to gamble away your hard earned coins, music, laughter, rides and a deep feeling of community and western pride. Really, the only thing that has changed in the last one hundred years is the massive lack of prostitutes and the fact that the ground isn’t dirt anymore. Both excellent improvements if you ask me.

One of the best things to do at the Calgary Stampede is to eat and eat and eat. There is food everywhere, at every corner, at every stop and yes beside every cow. I am not kidding when I say that you can walk for three hours through the Stampede and be eating the entire time. Watch out though, for the Stampede does not care for your digestive wellness in anyway. It takes no prisoners.

 To give you a visual.  Here is the Stampede Recipe for Disaster:

12 mini donuts

1 Beef on a bun

4 Beers

A turkey leg

A Carnie Screaming “Do you Wanna Go FASTER?”

Two hot Dogs

Ice Cream

6 Beers

The Smell of Cow Poop

Nachos

Corn on the cob

Les McIntyre’s voice announcing “AND THEY’RE OFF”

Cotton Candy

10 Beers

Put all this into a Magic Bullet and fire it up. And THAT is a bad Stampede Day. You MUST pace yourself if you wish to survive unscathed. You have ten days to make the previous list happen. Take your time.

If you vomit at the Stampede whether you are 5 or 55, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Now the Stampede has made it possible for us Celiac’s to make the same gluttonous mistakes. The Calgary Stampede now has Gluten Free food. Something that I don’t think Guy Weadick (or even the vendors from 5 years ago) would comprehend. Metro Calgary (bless them) has released a list of Gluten Free options on the massive grounds. Some of them, like McKay’s Ice Cream and Mac’s Frosters are no surprise, I am somewhat shocked to find Mini donuts on the list. Have they come up with a specific gluten free donut that is cooked in its own fryer? For some reason, I doubt that.

I also see Pizza 73 on the list. I have heard they have a Gluten Free Crust but I am interested to see how they can handle cross contamination in a food truck. The same goes for Second to None Meats, Beef Bacon and the German Sausage who say that I can have all the meats but without the bun. I already knew that I could have the turkey leg and the corn on the cob, the kettle corn and the lemonade too. I am excited for the tacos from Los Compadres though.

I haven’t been down to the grounds yet. I am taking the Spawn on Monday. They don’t know it yet, but I am going to allow them to ride every ride and then force them to visit as many as these food booths as I can. Of course I shall trick them into thinking that we are going to other fun places and that I just keep getting lost. This is how I get my kids to run errands. They constantly think we are going to the toy store, only to end up buying me shoes, silly Mommy got lost again! I am practicing my lines for Monday already, “Oh kids, I am so sorry is this NOT the tractor pull/buckaroos/superdogs/roller coaster? Let Mommy eat a turkey leg and we can hunt out that tricky elusive Giant Ferris Wheel.”

So check out the Metro Article HERE  the Stampede has posted the allergens in chart form HEREand get your Gluten Free boots on and get down to the grounds. I will report back on my visit and let you know how it goes. If you run into my kids, do not let them know that there is a map of the grounds in existence.

I wasn't surprised to see that the Stampede had Gluten Free options, it's just another way to improve. The Calgary Stampede has spent the last one hundred years striving to make itself bigger and better. Indeed, is there a more wonderful way to spend a century?