RBC Bluesfest 2014: We Saw and We Ate - First Weekend
Welcome to this year's edition of 'Eva Bee does Bluesfest: We Saw and We Ate' where I document the gluten-free woes and triumphs while attending the festival for it's amazing local and international acts. Here I'll show you my photos of them local bands and tell you what's what in festival food options.
Friday July 4th meant choosing between two local favourites Cold Capital (Blues Rock) and Silkken Laumann (Electro-Dance knockyoursocksoff fun). Fortunately we managed to catch both acts doin their thang.
Cold Capital
After a couple days I had some time to absorb what the food options were out there. Since I can't eat wheat, rye, barley, etc I'm left with very limited options for food and drink. As I surveyed FOOD TOLERANT people, a lot of them said that they couldn't afford the food options (for full plates averaging around $9) and chose to drink beer instead! Har.
Strawberry Cheese Cake!
Having just returned from a 6 month European food odyssey, I'm pretty strapped for cash myself which leaves me to do what I know is healthiest and best.. make a big hearty breakfast and lunch and hope for the best!
Poached Egg Caesar Salad
Snack Attack and Breakfast Omelette before Gaga
<3
High protein meals early in the day can stave off blood sugar spikes and crashes which makes a long day out in the sun much more bearable. I'm also really pleased that the festival brought back the water fill-up station. This is an important statement about water rights I'm very happy to see supported at Bluesfest. You can still buy bottled water at the festival (for $2, not as bad as it could be for them cash-hungry vendors) but it's a great option to have free water.
More on specific food recommendations later. So far, if you're GF (gluten-free) and generally love great food I recommend getting anything from the East India Company or a Greek Chicken Souvlaki Salad from Greek on Wheels. Otherwise you can get a full gluten-free pizza from Gabriel's Pizza (River Stage) but it's cooked from frozen and you need a crew to eat it with you.
Chicken Strips from Fadi's - Main Stage
Gaga praising Venus
What's been your favourite food at the festival? Leave a comment below or tweet @evayummers! See you this week at the festival!
RBC Bluesfest Outdoor Festival Survival Guide
Buzz is about Ottawa for this year's 20th anniversary of RBC Bluesfest.This is a giant two week festival that really requires some stamina to get through! As much as there are some delicious options at the festival food stands, lineups under the sunshine can trigger some hanger.
Here are a few suggestions for snacks and how to make it through!
1. Water Bottle! You can't bring it in filled, however there are water fountains at the Main Stage where you can fill an empty one up all the time. There is usually a line up there but not nearly as long as at the beer tents!
2. Nuts! Last year I went absolutely crazy with this Wheat Belly recipe. Gluten-intolerant or not, a 100% nut granola can withstand the heat and is high in protein so that you can stave off hunger longer. This way, you won't have to leave your sweet spot you snag near the stage because you'll pass out if you don't eat!
3. Food Vendors! Main stage vendors are carried and plentiful but if you find the line too long, side stage food vendors usually have smaller lineups.
4. Booze! Everyone knows alcohol dehydrates! Be careful out there party peeps - refer to suggestion 1.
5. Eat before you go! A big breakfast / lunch / dinner can tide you over so you can save a couple bucks for that favourite band t-shirt.
See you there! xo