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 :)