Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

My husband and I had recently enjoyed a couple of San Francisco Giants games at AT&T Park. The first one was courtesy of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (it was the kick-off event for the Light the Night Walk) and the other, the most recent one was our own choice – the Polynesian Heritage Night. During my recovery period, we bought tickets so we could have something to look forward to after my internment.

Although we were looking forward to the game, I knew one of the challenges would be finding transplant-friendly ballpark food. Both games were night games, so I would want to have a decent dinner. Fortunately, AT&T Park has been known for great food, so I thought it would not be too much of an issue.

Tempting! Cholesterol-wrapped Phosphates!

However, the nutritionist at UC Davis said that probably the best foods for me at the ballpark would be cotton candy or peanuts. However, I wanted something close to real food, so the dilemma continued.

I googled the dinner possibilities at AT&T park and found some options. However, during our first visit, we were in the bleacher seats, and although there were a number of very tempting options, it was quite limited for a transplant patient. Present were the usual pre-made hotdogs and burgers, kielbasas, even bacon-wrapped dogs, but nothing hot or prepared only for me. Given my choices, I opted to get a veggie burger without lettuce and tomato. I figured that would have the least concern of bacterial growth. I also had a Ghiraldelli ice cream sundae for dessert. Yum!

On our second visit, we decided that the safest bet was to have dinner before the game. We opted for something familiar: Momo’s right across the street from the park. My hubby and I shared lamb meatballs to start. He had the lettuce wedge as always, and I had the gumbo, which was nice and warm and quite yummy. Not only did we get hot and delicious food in an enjoyable outdoor café setting, we also saved some money since ball park food can be a bit overpriced. We were so full after that mean that we did not need to eat at the ballpark, except for the obligatory red vines and cracker jacks.

Did you know that the toy in cracker jacks is now a mini comic book. Really?

At the main entrance at Willy Mays Plaza, we found that there are a couple of other convenient sit-down options: Public House and Mijita. Hubby and I made a mental note to check these out next time we’re at The Yard.

One not-so-secret note: According to a post in another blog, if none of these options appeal to you, AT&T Park allows folks to bring in outside food – no questions asked. If you feel like it, you can fill your bag with goodies - either kidney-friendly or transplant-friendly - for the game. That may be the safest, most convenient bet of all.

Play Ball!!

Restaurant Possible

As part of my recovery, I am not allowed to have restaurant food for the six months following the operation. Although that may seem to be a small sacrifice, for foodies like me, six months really seems like a long time.

Missing restaurants... especially the really nice ones.

I have been craving for Indian food like chicken tandori and samosas, Japanese food like tempuras and sushi, and pizza from anywhere!  I also miss our weekend excursions to San Francisco, the Wine Country (Napa and Sonoma), or the Gold Country (Angel's Camp or Murphys) to enjoy the beautiful scenery and their wonderful restaurants. It does not help that I get occasional emails from OpenTable and dining discounts from LivingSocial.

Restaurants have been temporarily off-limits because we do not know how the food has been handled or prepared. At this stage in my recovery, we need to be extremely careful of infection, from all sorts of germs or bacteria. We need to manage where the food is procured and how the food is washed and cooked. After watching Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Robert Irvine’s Restaurant Impossible and seeing all of the problematic kitchens, I can understand why this is a concern. 

Also, even after my “probation” period, buffets are now off-limits.  With buffets, food can be sitting out on the table for quite some time. You will never know for how long, what temperature the food has been kept, and for that matter, who has touched what.

Raw sushi and other raw foods are now off-limits too. Again, it’s a question of bacteria. So, I must say goodbye to my beloved salmon rolls, ahi pokes, oysters-on-the-half-shell, and tuna tartars. Even smoked foods are out of the question. Sigh, at least, I think I’ve I can still have cooked sushi (ebi and unagi anyone?).

As a result, for the past three months, Hubby and I have been “saving” for when we can start venturing out again.  He has been preparing a short-list of target restaurants.

Meanwhile, it’s adventures in our kitchen. Watching Food Network definitely has paid off. I’ve been experimenting with different ingredients, mostly grains and seeds that I could not have before like quinoa, barley, and bulgur wheat. Also, I’ve successfully whipped-up a lot of baked yet healthy delights.  Although my potassium restriction have somewhat limited my vegetable and fruit options,  we’ve learned to work with it (Secret is moderation).

This week, however, I received good news from the dietician. I originally called her up with a dilemma. With my new project at work, I may need to travel occasionally again. So, I needed advice on how to handle meals. Obviously, I can’t pack 3 or 4 home-cooked meals when I travel by air. The TSA will have a field day!  

The good news is that she has approved my eating out again. Since I seem to be doing well, eating food from outside our home is okay now - Hurray!  I still need to be mindful a few things like sodium, potassium, and most importantly, germ factories!  Given that, I think it is also best to practice moderation. After all, it has been only a little less than four months. I still may have an issue with fluid retention and weight gain.

Now, Hubby and I are again looking forward to dining out occasionally.  With a long weekend coming up, we are hoping for a chance to catch a movie or two and enjoy not cooking… for a change!