However...I have been surprised to find that gluten is more prevalent here than you may think...and not only in soy sauce and MSG. You can actually order a side dish of gluten, or buy a can of gluten at the local supermarket!
I'm not sure if it's actually gluten or if it's mistranslated...in any case, it sure makes me laugh! :)
Hi, found your post searching for info on a gluten-free diet in Taiwan. Do you have advice from your own experience? I'm in Taichung getting ready to host my celiac mother-in-law for six weeks and wondering if we're going to have to mainly limit ourselves to home-cooking (which would be fine, but it would be nice to eat out too). If you don't mind sharing some from your experience, or pointing me to any online resources, I'd appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel,
ReplyDeleteHome-cooking is the safest. If you can speak Chinese and go to a nicer restaurant, they can often prepare dishes without soy sauce or MSG for you...just make sure they understand that even a little bit is NOT okay, and to be careful of cross-contamination during preparation. When we eat out we usually stick to Indian or Mexican restaurants (which tend to have more GF options). Fortunately, Taiwanese desserts are usually GF (bubble tea, shaved ice, mochi...) So we usually eat dinner at home and then go out for dessert! :) Good luck.