Say hello to...Fantastic rice crackers.

I first experienced Fantastic rice crackers when I was in Australia. I noticed that they were labeled gluten-free, but decided to check the ingredients as usual. I was very shocked to see that it contained soy sauce powder which had hydrolyzed wheat. I thought this was odd since Australia has strict gluten-free labeling laws. After contacting the Fantastic company, I received the following response from Marianne Gan (08/30/09):

As a Quality Assured food manufacturer all our products are produced and labelled in accordance with the requirements of Food Standards Australia & New Zealand. Hydrolysed wheat does not contain gluten. The soy sauce powder used, is made by fermenting soy beans with a small amount of wheat. In the process of fermentation the wheat is hydrolysed and decomposed. Regular testings are conducted by an Accredited laboratory tests to confirm this product is gluten free by scientific analysis.

At the time I had read a post on Celiac.com about a few individuals who were also confused by this label. Although they received a similar response from the company, they still believed that hydrolyzed wheat contained gluten. Now I'm sensitive to the smallest bread crumb and did not get sick from these crackers. I'm interested in knowing about your experiences with hydrolyzed wheat?

Say goodbye to...Thailand.

We sure had a fantastic time in Thailand, and are now back in Seoul as healthy as when we left. That's right, I didn't get sick once while in Thailand. Not even a little tummy ache. Thailand doesn't seem to fail me ;) I look forward to using all the gluten-free products that I brought back from Thailand in the days to come. Until then...

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #10.

Tip #10: Eat as much fresh fruit as you can. If you don't live in the tropics (which I'm sure most of us reading this don't), how often do you get to eat mangos, jackfruit, dragonfruit, durian, pineapple, coconut, lychees, longans, and all those other exotic fruits?! The markets have loads of fresh fruits cheaper than a slurpee ;) Grocery stores will even sell already cut-up fruit in packages. If all else fails and you're not sure what you can eat, you know you can always count on fresh fruit. Enjoy it while you can, cause when you go back home you may not be able to find these luscious fruits- and if you can, they'll cost a lot more!

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #9.

Tip #9: Visit Eurothai Restaurant at Patong Beach, Phuket. This is my husband and I, very happy, at our last meal at Eurothai Restaurant. We've visited this restaurant for two summers now, and would eat there once or twice a day. They have both European and Thai food so my husband would be very happy to eat pizza, while I was able to eat gluten-free Thai food. The English speaking staff is more than friendly and catered very willingly to my gluten-free diet. I would bring my own gf soy sauce and oyster sauce. However, I soon found out that they already carried the brand of soy sauce that I'd been bringing, and their oyster sauce naturally didn't use wheat but corn. If you go there, be sure to ask for Paw or Pew. They speak excellent English and know me well :) Here's the restaurant info:

Telephone: 076-341-464

Mobile: 087-798-5450

Email: eurothai-pk@hotmail.com

Address: 80/10, SOl Dr. Wattana, Thaweewong Rd., Patong Beach, Phuket.

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #8.

Tip #8: Check out the Blue Elephant Royal Thai Cuisine products at Carrefour grocery store. All major allergens, including gluten, is listed under product ingredients. Although some products do contain gluten (light soy sauce & tamarind sauce) there are quiet a few that don't contain gluten: red curry paste, green curry paste, massaman curry paste, tom ka gai, tom yum spicy soup, and oyster sauce. I bought the oyster sauce at carrefour and brought it to my favorite restaurant. I also brought a whole load of the curry pastes back to Korea with me.

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #7.

Tip #7: Bring your own sauces to the restaurant. It's possible to find restaurants with waiters/waitresses that speak excellent English and can understand your intolerance to gluten after an explanation. In this case, you can enjoy Thai stir fry's that are replaced with your own gluten free soy sauce or oyster sauce. I found such a great restaurant at Patong Beach that catered to my gluten intolerance needs that my husband and I would go there everyday, sometimes for two meals. I will write about this restaurant later. Of course, only do this if you feel they completely understand the seriousness of the matter, and know that they use freshly cleaned pans for each dish. I found a gluten-free oyster sauce made by Blue Elephant Royal Thai Cuisine at Carrefour grocery store.

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #6.

Tip #6: When in doubt, order a dish that naturally doesn't contain gluten sauces. Red curry, green curry, and yellow curry are made from curry, coconut milk, veggies, and meat. These three curries have a slightly different taste and can have different veggies and meat . Tom Ka Gai is a coconut chicken soup. It's made from homemade chicken broth, coconut milk, galangal, natural herbs, veggies and meat. One of my new favorites is Larb Gai, which is a savory spicy chicken salad. The minced meat is cooked in fish sauce (though it doesn't taste fishy), lime, mint, roasted ground rice, and cabbage. It can be quiet spicy, so if preferred, ask for a mild version. Not only are these dishes naturally gluten-free, but they're also a delight to eat. Be sure to try them ALL :)

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #5.

Tip #5: Sign-up for a Thai cooking class so that you become more familiar with the ingredients in Thai dishes. You can sign up for these classes at any tour agency or hotel in Thailand. Last summer I did a course at Phuket Thai Cookery School near Phuket Town in Phuket. The outdoor kitchen was big, clean, and located on a private beach. We learned how to make an appetizer, 3 main dishes, and a dessert. I brought my own soy sauce and oyster sauce for the cashew chicken and pad thai dishes, and rice paper for the spring rolls. After cooking we could enjoy all our homemade dishes with a spectacular view. Just yesterday I took another cooking course at Mercure Hotel Patong. I was the only one signed up so I had the chef's undivided attention to answer all my questions :) I highly recommend taking a cooking course!

The view from the kitchen at Phuket Cookery School.

Cooking the filling for spring rolls at Phuket Cookery School.

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #4.

Tip #4: Stay in a touristy area. Touristy area's will have restaurant waiters/waitresses who speak better English, will have big chain hotels that can accommodate to your needs, and will have large grocery stores. One of the reasons my husband and I keep heading back to Patong Beach, Phuket is because we know what to expect. We know that we can eat at our favorite restaurant that takes special care to cook gluten-free food for me. We know that we can stay at a chain hotel where we can talk with the chef about my dietary needs. We also know that there is a large shopping centre (Jungceylon) down the street that has a Carrefour grocery store. All of these things make for a smooth and less risky trip.

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #3.

Tip #3: Stay near a Carrefour grocery store. At Patong beach there is a large shopping centre called Jungceylon. Not only is Jungceylon a fun shopping centre, but it also has a Carrefour grocery store. Because the tourists are mainly from Europe and Australia, there is a lot of European food at Carrefour. I was in shock when I stumbled upon a variety of labeled gluten-free foods that are imported from Australia. Here's what I found: Fantastic rice crackers, 2 Organic Ville salad dressings, Basco Apricot and Apple cereal, Basco chocolate muffin mix, Basco gluten-free flour, Basco pancake mix, and Basco pizza and pastry mix. There's also a few foreign brands that make Thai packaged food and list all allergens, including gluten. So not only can I use some of these foods to snack on while here, but I can also bring home a whole lot of gluten-free foods back to Seoul with me :)

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #2.

Tip #2: Download a gluten-free restaurant card onto your ipod. The Apple store has a free version and it comes in a whole variety of languages. You can also access it on Celiac Travel. Once downloaded, simply show that restaurant card to your waiter/waitress and chef upon arriving at the restaurant. Very convenient, handy, and FREE :)

Say hello to...eating gf in thailand: tip #1.

Tip #1: Become familiar with Thai ingredients. If you're not already familiar with Thai ingredients, than research recipes online before going on your trip. Find out which recipes use soy sauce and oyster sauce (both of which contain wheat flour). Quiet a few Thai dishes are naturally gluten-free, however most stir-fry's use soy sauce and/or oyster sauce. Traditional Pad Thai dishes don't use soy sauce, however some restaurants add it to make it more foreign friendly. Always ask the waitress/waiter if their Pad Thai contains soy sauce. If yes, simply ask them to leave it out. They can substitute it with their usual Pad Thai ingredients of palm sugar and fish sauce (both are gluten-free).

Say hello to...Thailand.

It's official, I'm on my way to Thailand. Ever since my husband and I have moved to Korea, we just can't get enough of Thailand. Not only is it a beauty to look at, but it's also a cheap vacation with great food. This will be our third trip to Thailand with no instances of me getting sick from food. I recently read about a hotel here that offers a gluten-free menu. My husband and I plan on dinning there and interviewing the restaurant cooks and waiters. Stay tuned for more on Thailand :)