Gluten Free Thailand [Gluten Free Cambodia too]

We can make it that way, but it won’t be very delicious!

I spent two weeks in Thailand in December with a friend of mine. I had an amazing time, but this was primarily due to the things we saw and did, not the dining options.

Buddhist Temple in Bangkok

Before heading to Thailand I did a couple of internet searches on eating gluten free in Thailand (and Cambodia where we went for a couple of days) and really didn’t find much in the way of places to eat or advice. The two articles I did find, suggested that as long as you could say ‘no soy sauce’ and ‘no oyster sauce’ you would be fine. Sadly, this really isn’t true.

Traditional Thai food is indeed primarily gluten free and dairy free.  However, cuisine is not static and recipes shift with outside influences. Chinese soy sauce can be used quite a bit in Thai cooking and I even encountered the western custom of breading and frying meats in more than one restaurant. One night, I successfully avoided a dish that had hidden soy sauce (the waitress double checked) only to order and receive a dish smothered in western style gravy! Overall, there is an almost non-existent awareness of food allergies.

On the upside, Southeast Asians do really want to be helpful. This can have its downsides (see the second tip below) but it means that if you can find someone you can communicate with they will go out of their way to accommodate you. One night in Cambodia, our waitress was more than happy to have my dinner prepared without any type of sauce but she is the source of the quote at the start of this article: “We can make it that way, but it won’t be very delicious!” Ah, the story of my life!

Sunrise over Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Breakfast was the hardest meal for me (as it usually is when traveling). In addition to dairy and gluten, I can’t have pork (so bacon, sausage and ham were out) nor can I eat a lot of egg (so fried eggs and Thai Fried rice (which contains quite a bit of egg) were out). That left me with very little to eat in the hotels that had included breakfast and even at restaurants when trying to eat breakfast out. I had brought a couple of breakfast bars but these were mostly for the flights (I relied too heavily on the afore mentioned reviews and wasn’t as prepared as I should have been).

Lunch and dinner were a touch easier . . . once I found someone who understood my issues. Still, I’ve put together a number of tips for anyone attempting a trip to this region (and I do really recommend that you go)!

• When arriving at a restaurant, ask to speak to someone who speaks English. I had a number of waiters flounder and not understand (even with my allergen listing in Thai) and they never thought to get someone else until asked. In one restaurant, the chef was from India and spoke English better than most Americans! We stopped at another restaurant off the highway coming back from Cambodia where the menu was only in Thai and our waitress didn’t speak a word of English. When asked, she returned with another employee who had lived in the US and spoke without a discernable accent. He was fully aware of food allergies and that was by far the safest I felt at a meal all trip.

Kayaking in Phang Nga Bay

• Don’t ask yes/no questions. I was warned before going that Thai people don’t like to say no and that I should be careful asking yes/no questions. What I actually found is that Thai people don’t like to admit they don’t know and will instead give you the answer they think you want to hear. Asking an open ended question will also allow you to judge their English ability as most wait staff had an excellent grasp of the words on the menu but wouldn’t understand if I deviated from normal restaurant words and phrases (yes, gluten and cross contamination were certainly deviations!)

• Be aware that often the meats were pre-marinated in a marinade that contained soy sauce. Again, just asking for ‘no soy sauce’ did not/would not have caught this everytime.

• By all means bring allergen cards but use them as an aid when talking with someone who speaks English. Also be aware that a number of restaurants (especially those offering non-Thai cuisine) may have staffs that aren’t Thai and therefore can’t read Thai.

• Bangkok had a lot of street vendors (including many who had large seating areas and tables) but indoor, sit down restaurants could be a bit harder to find. [I never once tried eating at one of the outdoor vendors so I’m not sure how receptive they are/would have been to my allergen cards.]

• Soy Sauce packets: If bringing your own soy sauce packets, be sure to double bag them. There is the possibility that the change in pressure on the plane will cause them to burst.

Feeding a baby tiger

• I recommend bringing at least a good supply of breakfast bars. I never once saw Gluten free bread or specifically gluten free snacks. There were ‘no gluten ingredient’ cookies in the airport duty free shops (never saw them elsewhere). And I found plenty of dried fruit and nuts (again, there were no gluten ingredients listed but these did not bear a gluten free label). [The Gourmet Market in the Siam World Mall in Bangkok did actually have two freezer cases of Amy’s Kitchen organic products (a good number of which were gluten free varieties) but without a way of keeping them and/or reheating them these weren’t useful.]

• 'Seasoning' is allowable as an ingredient. There was no notice of what it was made from. I did find some chips that were labeled as containing gluten, but again, never anything labeled as being gluten free.

• Menu tip #1: Fried. Fried is used both to mean breaded and deep fried as well as to mean stir fried as one would expect in Asian cuisine.

• Menu tip #2: Boiled. Especially with breakfast, boiled chicken / boiled shrimp is actually a soup made with chicken/shrimp, rice, and green onions. I had this twice at the same restaurant. The first time, I guess the waiter understood more than I thought he had as it came with pieces of chicken breast in it. The second day, I assumed it was safe and I ordered it again (asking just that there be no soy sauce) but this time it was chicken meatballs, not actual pieces.

• Breakfast tip: Plain rice. Even if it isn’t listed on the menu it was very easy to get plain steamed rice.

• Dessert Tip: Mango and sticky rice should be both gluten and dairy free (do double check).  It is quite good but unfortunatly out of season so hard to find in December.

That’s it for the specifically Thailand/Cambodia tips, if you are looking for some general gluten free travel tips try: Gluten Free Travel Tips (part 1) and (part 2).

Again, this trip was an amazing experience and I am glad I went. I just wish this review was the one I had read before going and I was more prepared for what I encountered. I am not very sensitive to cross-contamination so a lot of what I ran into wasn’t as bad as it would have been for others but it still could be frustrating at points.

I’ll leave you with one final anecdote that made me chuckle: On one of our day tours, I listed all of my food issues to our guide so she could help me navigate breakfast. She looked more and more concerned as I worked my way down the list. When I was done she replied with genuine sympathy, “oh, no one will ever marry you!” Sad but very true!


Update 8/21/13 - I've recently been in touch with a Canadian expat living in Bangkok. She has celiac disease and has been blogging about her experiences and gluten free finds in Thailand. Check out her blog: Gluten Free Thailand. Oh, how I wish I had had some of her advice before going!

Restaurant Review: My Thai (Frederick, Maryland)

Based on the recommendation of two different online Gluten Free restaurant guides I decided to try My Thai (193E Thomas Johnson Drive, Frederick, MD 21702) during my recent trip.

Gluten Free Garden Rolls at My Thai in Frederick, MD

Both sites stated that My Thai has a gluten free menu. Unfortunately this is the issue with user submitted GF restaurant sites, you are trusting a user who may not be as concerned about cc and staff knowledge as you are. My Thai doesn’t have a GF menu and the host really didn’t seem so sure.

Since most Thai food is naturally gluten free I figured I'd stick it out and talk with the waitress. Luckily, the waitress I had knew exactly what was already gluten free and what could be made gluten free. This turned out to be about 60% of the menu.

Gluten Free Chicken Pad Hima Parn at My Thai in Frederick, MD

I had the Garden Rolls (rice paper wrapped steamed shrimp and veggies) with a sweet chili sauce as an appetizer. (The hoisin-peanut sauce is not gluten free.) My lunch entrée was Pad Hima Parn (chicken, bell peppers and cashews).

The food was excellent and not too spicy. It is certainly nice to have a gluten free appetizer option when dining out. This is definitely somewhere I would eat again if I didn’t live so far away!




Other Maryland Restaurants with Gluten Free menus/options:

Gluten Free at Isabella's Taverna

The main trip page is here: Gluten Free Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia

Restaurant Review: Isabella’s Taverna (Frederick, Maryland)

This restaurant was the highlight of my trip and, while I ate here twice, I do regret not finding time to eating here even more! Isabella’s (44 North Market Street, Frederick, MD 21701) has flagged all of the items on their menu that are naturally gluten free as well as those that could easily be made gluten free. Not only that but their waitstaff is incredibly attentive and willing to double check each item. All of their paellas are gluten and dairy free and most of their gluten free tapas are also / can also be made dairy free.

Gluten Free Tapas: Judias con aceite de trufa,
Pollo de Cacerola y Gambas al Pil Pil at Isabella's Taverna

One my first trip, my waitress took a list of gluten free tapas that I was considering and confirmed with the chef which were dairy free. I then ordered the Gambas al Pil Pil (shrimp with carmelized onions and garlic), Pollo de Cacerola a la Gallega (a slow cooked chicken stew from the north west of Spain), and judias con aceite de trufa blanca (baby green beans with a white truffle oil).  

When I returned a week later, I sat in a different section but this waitress as well double checked everything with the chef. This time I went with the Ceviche (shrimp and scallops in lime juice and cilantro), Langostinos del Golfo Asados (Grill shrimp over Black rice sans the saffron butter), Escalivada (eggplant with onions, peppers, garlic and capers) and Pimientos de Padron (grilled small green peppers). Again the food was amazing!

Gluten Free Ceviche at Isabella's in Frederick, MD

I’m actually getting a little depressed thinking about how far away Isabella’s Taverna is! When I visit spain I tend to stick to grilled meats (a la plancha) when eating out and avoid anything more interesting so it was amazing to have some many options!  It is so rare to have a long list of gluten free / dairy free items to choose from, especially items that you can’t get anywhere else.

So, who’s up for a road trip?




Other Maryland Restaurants with Gluten Free menus/options:

My Thai

Glory Days Grill (review coming soon)

The main trip page is here: Gluten Free Maryland

Gluten Free Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia

I recently got back from a whirlwind trip trough Maryland, Northern Virginia and the eastern tip of West Virginia. I had gone down for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam and extended the trip to tour a number of other national parks (I ended up visiting 13 of them, 10 I had never been to before).

Antietam National Battlefield

Before leaving on the trip, I took my own gluten free travel advice and mapped out the places I would be able to eat as well as the grocery stores along the way that cater to the gluten free community. I even brought along my toaster (although I ended up having Kinnikinnick donuts for breakfast most mornings).

My route took me from NJ through southern PA to Hagerstown, MD, I was in that area for three days then headed down to Manassas, VA for three days, before heading to Harper’s Ferry, WV for a day and finally back to the Hagerstown/Frederick area of MD.

I’ll be writing restaurant reviews over the next couple of days but wanted to list out some of my finds, including a handful of places I didn’t get to go:

Maryland / Virginia / West Virginia Gluten Free Supermarket / Grocery options

Common Market (Frederick, MD) – great GF selection and they even had Bavarian Toast Bread (which I haven’t seen in years!)

The Natural Marketplace in Warrenton, VA

Eden’s Natural Market (Gainesville, VA) – large health food shop with a good GF selection.

Healthway (VA/WV) – I didn’t get to stop here but this chain has a handful of locations across these two states.

Martin’s (MD, PA, VA and WV) – fairly sizeable GF section at this large supermarket chain.

MOM’s Organic Market (only in MD/VA) – good selection of GF products.

Natural Marketplace (Warrenton, VA) – small natural food store with a second floor juice bar/sandwich shop. Review coming soon.

Wegmans – I didn’t stop here but I suspect they are much the same all over.

Whole Foods – I also never stopped in a Whole Foods (they're only in eastern MD but I was near some in VA as well)..

Independent Gluten Free Dining options

Alcacia (Frederick, MD) - Bistro that flags GF items on their menu. Unsure on DF options. I almost ate here but they fell victim to me traveling alone. I decided to not eat out alone again that night and instead got take out. It looks like a great restaurant though.

Gambas al Pil Pil at Isabella's in Frederick, MD

Castiglia’s (Winchester, VA) – Italian restaurant with extensive GF menu, including GF bread crumbs, GF bread (manufacturer states bread may be contaminated), GF pizza, and GF pasta. Review coming soon.

Isabella’s Taverna and Tapas Bar (Frederick, MD) – the absolute highlight of the entire trip! Review: Gluten Free at Isabella's Taverna.

My Thai (Frederick, MD) – listed on other sites as having a GF menu. They don’t. However they were extremely accommodating. Review: Gluten Free at My Thai.

The Wild Tomato (Harrisburg, PA) – great GF menu at this Italian takeout restaurant. Sadly, no DF cheese.  Review coming soon.


Maryland/Virginia/West Virginia Gluten Free Chain Restaurants

Chick-fil-A – ate here a couple of times I needed a quick meal. (See my previous review here: Eating Gluten Free at Chick-fil-A)

Glory Days Grill – A mostly gluten friendly menu but they do have a dedicated fryer for gluten free fries! Review coming soon.

Logan’s Roadhouse – gluten friendly menu. Review coming soon.

Red Robin – serving GF / DF hamburger buns and some locations have a dedicated fryer. Review coming soon!

zPizza – pizza chain with both GF pizza crusts and DF cheese. I one night I was going to try them, it got too late for me to get there before they closed. I think they just opened (are about to open) a location or two in NYC. I’ll have to check them out soon.

There are also numerous locations of major chains we have here in NJ that I didn’t try during the trip (but it was nice to know they were there if I needed them): Bonefish Grill, Boston Market, Buffalo Wild Wings (almost nothing here is both GF and DF), Don Pablo’s, Longhorn, Outback, Pei Wei, Ruby Tuesday, and Uno Chicago Grill.

Gluten Free Bakeries

Better Choice Bakery (Brunswick, MD (small town on VA border, near Harper’s Ferry)) – small dedicated GF/DF bakery. Review coming soon.

Jireh Bakery Cafe (Centerville, VA) – I didn’t get to try here.

Triple Oak Bakery (Sperryville, VA) – dedicated GF bakery. No mention online of DF options. I didn’t stop here.

Ok, time to start cracking on those nine new reviews!

Gluten Free Travel Tips, part 2

This is part two, click here for Gluten Free Travel Tips Part 1.

Air Travel:

• Most international flights offer a gluten free meal although you may need to pay more for it, or inquire about it. Do not count on it being there or being correct [have a backup plan]. (With multiple food allergies I don’t even try this. I always just bring my own lunch/dinner avoiding anything liquid.)

Coast of Norway at Sunrise

• Always double check the latest TSA regulations. Carrying a note from your doctor wouldn’t hurt either.

• When traveling internationally it is generally forbidden to carry food across borders. This almost always refers to agricultural products [unpackaged fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.]. I’ve never had issues with sealed gluten free processed foods but I do avoid fruits and vegetables [I take them on the plane but eat them before arriving].

• Don’t forget to pack food for the flight back as well. (I usually polish off whatever cereal bars I have left.)

General tips:

• Ask at the hotel. They may have no idea what gluten even is but they may be able to recommend a local health food store and/or super market. (And it doesn’t hurt for them to know. On a recent trip to Oslo I never said anything to the hotel about being GF/DF. They had gluten free crisp bread for the breakfast buffet and there were plenty of naturally gluten free and dairy free items to supplement it. However, on the last day, they restocked the gluten free bread they were out of! Had I mentioned my issues before hand it is likely I would have been enjoying hearty Norwegian gluten free bread the whole time!)

• Be prepared for people that have no clue. Use your trip as an opportunity to educate them.

• It may also be easier to stay in a central location and take day trips from there rather than staying in a new place every night. This is especially true if you rent an apartment.

• Eat at odd times. Find out when the locals eat and eat slightly before or after. It is easier to get the attention you need at less busy/crowded times. (Heck, I even do this here in the U.S. for the same exact reason!)

Santiago Island in the Galapagos, Ecuador

• Make friends in safe places. They may be able to recommend other safe restaurants or even deviate from their menu so you don’t have to eat the same thing every night. (I read an account online from someone who mentioned there was only one local restaurant with a gluten free option and even then it was just one dish. He ended up eating it multiple times and got tired of it. I can’t help but think had he talked with the restaurant that the chef wouldn’t have been willing (or even excited) to put together something different for him given some advanced notice.)

• Not every illness is from gluten. Don’t mistake food poisoning / travelers’ diarrhea for exposure to gluten. (For days, I thought I was being exposed to dairy or was super seasick in the Galapagos Islands. Hours after starting the antibiotics that all faded away!)

International Tips:

• Overall the hardest place I have found to travel is right here in the United States! Most countries are much less wheat-centric than we are and are much less likely to bread and deep fry their food or smother it in gravy. There are still some additional tips that can help you through:

• Be polite and gracious. People are much more likely to help if you approach the situation as a request to help rather than a demand for service.

• Learn a couple of words in the local language [remember many countries have more than one language so make sure you learn the correct one for the area you are in]. (With a month of study I was able to learn 100 words of Norwegian for a trip to Oslo. Yes, everyone spoke English and all I ever got to say was “I don’t speak Norwegian, do you speak English” but everyone thought it was great that I tried.) No, you don’t need 100 words, but things like “please”, “thank you”, “celiac”, “gluten free”, “allergic”, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak local_language, do you speak English?” are all incredibly helpful. [There are numerous free online resources for this.]

• Learn the local customs before you go. Most travel guides have a section on local customs including how to dress and behave. Blending in a bit and not expecting things to work the same way they do here will go a long way toward endearing you to the locals.

(Using these tips in Paris resulted in my wondering why anyone ever complains about the French. Everyone I spoke to was nice and helpful –they would even go and find me someone who spoke English if they didn’t!)

Kayaks on the beach we paddled to in Bonaire

• Restaurants in hotels and tourist areas are much more likely to have English speaking staff.

• Pay attention to local business hours. Things aren’t usually open as late as in the NY/NJ area. (I found most establishments in Ireland opened at 9am, closed an hour for lunch, then closed for the day at 5pm.)

• Use travel cards to get past the language barrier. I prefer the allergen dictionary at http://www.food-info.net/allergy.htm since I have multiple intolerances and can therefore print a whole list. Others have also used the Celiac Travel cards from Triumph Dining to great effect.  (You can buy threm from amazon.com here: Gluten Free Dining Cards.  (With my multiple food issues, I’ve never used them.)

Roll with the punches:

And my final tip is to roll with the punches. Things will go wrong at some point so focus on the good parts of the trip and work past the others.

• On a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, I had a craving for chips and guacamole. Chips in Peru are made either from wheat or a blend of wheat and corn. I asked in every single restaurant in Agua Calientes [Machu Picchu Village] before giving up and eating something else for dinner.

• I’ve found restaurants that have gone out of business, entire towns closed for a particular holiday (I’m talking to you Spain!), and arrived in many towns after closing time of the local shops.

In every case I still managed to have a great trip, and so can you!

Gluten Free Travel Tips

Last week I gave a talk at the Northern NJ Celiac Disease Support Group Meetup on traveling gluten free. People I meet are often most surprised by the amount I travel and think it impossible or overly difficult on a gluten free diet. Yes, it takes extra planning, extra effort, and an extra positive attitude but it is doable and certainly well worth it!

I’ve decided to share these same tips here as well. As I pointed out to the group, not all of these tips will apply to everyone or every situation. But hopefully you’ll find quite a few that will work for you.

This article got so big I decided to split it in half. Today’s tips are more focused on the planning, tomorrows will be more on the trip itself. [But there is lots of overlap between the two!]

You should start any trip off with some internet planning:

Outside of Phoenix, Arizona

• Use the global map at the Gluten Free Registry to see if there are any nearby restaurants and stores. Use other gluten free travel sites as well but these tend to not have a searchable map [Travel Gluten Free].

• Search both “Gluten Free” destination and Celiac destination [be sure to use the quotes around gluten free, and try both the city and state/country as the destination]. For example, if going to Atlanta, GA search “gluten free” atlanta, “gluten free” georgia, celiac atlanta, and celiac georgia.

• Repeat those same searches just this time add the words support group and/or blog to them. [Note the lack of quotes on support and group this time.]

• Go past just the first 10 search results as these often belong to larger sites covering a wider area, and you want to get to the locals.

• Reach out to the local celiac support group(s) and/or gluten free bloggers for recommendations if you haven’t found enough on your own through reading their sites. (A couple of weeks back I got an email from a woman in Canada planning a trip to Cape May County and looking for gluten free options. I emailed here a list of local restaurants off of my Gluten Free NJ Restaurant List, found her a local health food store, and even pointed out which local supermarkets were chains that carried a lot of gluten free products!)

• In Europe at least, the Association of European Coeliac Societies [AOECS] maintains this list of member states/organizations: http://www.aoecs.org/?id=-9. So member country sites are extremely informative, others not so much but it is worth a shot.

• Try these gluten free travel bloggers: Gluten Free Traveller is one of the best. Laura {the author} [and her then boyfriend, then fiancé, now husband] have been all over the world and she manages to find some amazing gluten free options everywhere she goes. Gluten Free Globetrotter is written by Erin from the New York Celiac Meetup group. Her travel site is newer but I expect it to fill out as she travels more (p.s. if heading to NYC she’s got an awesome map of GF restaurants in NYC). Gluten Free Kids Travel has actually lived in different parts of Asia and traveled extensively elsewhere with her young celiac daughter. Finally, there is Gluten Free Mrs. D. Based in England she recently has traveled mostly in Europe but has found GF options in places where I searched and could find nothing online.

Mana the dediated gluten free shop of
the Association of Celiacs in Madrid

• List the restaurants/stores you find on a map of your destination and carry that map with you. This way, as you are planning your day you’ll know where you can eat lunch/dinner without having to search somewhere out once you are hungry. This will also help you to plan your flexibility. It’s easier to head out and explore if you’ve got a map of where you can eat when the time comes. (I’ve taken maps of Oslo, Buenos Aires, Phoenix and others with me on my travels. I even picked my hotel in Madrid one trip based on it being in walking distance to the Association of Celiacs Madrid’s Gluten Free store!)

• Email / call the hotels and/or restaurants before your trip to make sure everything is as you expect.

Be Flexible in your Planning:

• The more general you are with your destination/vacation the easier it will be to find somewhere easy to travel to. For example, selecting a general destination of the gulf coast may be easier than a specific town along the gulf coast. Then when you begin to research that general area, if you see a community with a lot of gluten free options you can restructure your trip to take advantage of that opportunity.

Plan your vacation around something other than food: 

• Be prepared to eat a diet of plain grilled meats and vegetables and concentrate on the experiences of where you are. (Back when I was in college, I was speaking with someone at a barbecue who had just come back from Hawai’i. He house sat for someone and brought along bread, peanut butter, and jelly. When someone belittled him for it, he was quick to point out all of the amazing things he saw and did, that he would not have been able to afford had he not packed PB&J. He focused on the experience, not the food!)

La Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Consider staying at a vacation rental rather than a hotel [search vacation apartment rentals and the destination]. You’ll then have your own kitchen [give it a thorough cleaning first and/or cook using foil] for the trip. Consider as well bringing your own small thin cutting board, sponge, and / or other utensils. (I even saw a discussion online about bringing a magic bullet!) (On a recent trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina I had planned to buy local bread for breakfast but found that all gluten free bread there contains dairy. I was staying in an apartment with a kitchen and ended up eating left over roast chicken, rice and green beans for breakfast!)

• I’ve seen more than a few people online discuss ordering GF products [Amazon.com or Gluten-Free Mall] and having them shipped to their destination. Personally, I’d rather explore the local GF options but I do see the advantage to doing this from a time perspective.

• Pack non-perishable compact snacks – cereal/nut bars, nuts, dried fruit, carrot / celery sticks [if not flying internationally], tuna packets, gf crackers, gf pretzels, hummus, etc. These are great not only for a long flight but also for quick snacks while sightseeing. Hot GF cereal packets would be great anywhere you can get a cup of hot water [i.e. almost anywhere serving tea]. Frozen fruit works great as an icepack to keep other foods cool. [WARNING: sealed packets may burst from change in air pressure on a plane.]

Plan to be flexible:

Waterfall in Costa Rica

• Leave a free day at the end of your trip. This way, if you have any gluten related disasters during the trip and need a gluten recovery day mid trip you can move things around. You can always find something to add that final day if you don’t need it. (Sadly, I missed the last day of a bus tour through Costa Rica due to an unexpected recovery day. Certainly would have preferred to have a make-up day built into the trip!)

• Carry some snacks with you each day to tide you over before meal time.

• Small convenience stores / fruit stands can do in a pinch. (I don’t eat a lot of banana at home but they are a go-to snack when traveling.)

Traveling with others / being a house guest:

• Be reasonable and flexible.

• Have a sit down with your traveling companions before the trip and educate them on your needs and concerns. Be prepared to explain your symptoms and what you need to be safe. Include what you can do and eat. [Think back to how overwhelming this was for you at first, they’re going to be overwhelmed too.]

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Samoa Donut from Babycakes NYC

• Be prepared to spend some time alone. If there is an activity on the trip you aren’t overly interested in that is a great time to break off and check out the local health food store(s). (Some cousins visited from Spain in December and while we were touring Chinatown in NYC we decided to split up. I checked my map (thanks Erin!) and made a beeline to Babycakes for some gluten free / vegan cupcakes and donuts. I then headed back, toured Chinatown quickly and met up with them at the agreed upon time.)

• If taking a tour, make sure you are discussing your dietary concerns with the ‘in country’ tour operator and not the people you are booking through [these are not always the same company].

• If homestaying, Laura from the Gluten Free Traveller has a great article on cooking for a Celiac that you may want to share or use at the starting point for a conversation.

Gluten Free Travel Companies:

There are a number of companies that now cater to gluten free travelers:

Bob and Ruth’s - One of the earliest gluten free travel groups. I find their trips a bit pricey but they arrange everything and even welcome travelers with multiple food allergies.

Colibri Culinary Travel - They plan small groups and bring along their own chef so they can easily handle gluten free, vegan, and any other food issues.

Cruise lines. Consider a cruise but again be flexible as some cruise lines are much more accommodating than others. Make sure you inform them of your needs well in advance and double check closer to your departure.

Disney Land. The mother of all gluten free vacation locations. Truly the happiest place on earth . . . even for celiacs!

Other amusement parks. Each one varies in their offerings and awareness level so check before you go. (Growing up my parents left a cooler in the car and we got our hands stamped at lunch time, returned to the car and had a picnic. They did this to be able to afford a trip to an amusement park but the same technique applies to ensure that you have safe food.)

Tune in tomorrow for part two!  [Gluten Free Travel Tips, part 2]

McDonald's Gluten Free Hamburger Buns (in Spain)

I just read today on Gluten Free Kid Travel that All McDonalds in Spain Now Have GF Buns!  Wow!  They are manufactured in Spain, so I doubt they are the same bun as I had on my Gluten Free Adventure in Oslo in December but hopefully they are just as good.

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Bread in Spain,
sadly it wasn't as crusty as it appears it should be

Spain is super easy to travel to if you are gluten and/or dairy free.  They don't really cook with either (although they eat bread with every meal) and awareness is quite high.  Here in the US I don't really tell waitstaff that I am gluten intolerant (or Celiac which although I'm not, has better awareness) instead I explain all the things I can't eat.  My spanish isn't great, but the first couple of times I tried to explain to a waiter what I couldn't eat, they would interupt me with a "¿Celiaco, no?".  And they knew exactly what that meant!

The village my grandfather was from (population 2-3,000) even has GF products available!  Most of the big supermarket chains carry GF products as well (although I have to be careful as a lot of the non-bread items contain dairy).  The best is Mercadona, but Corte Ingles and Supercor are good as well.

I would highly recommend traveling to Spain (and not just for McDonald's GF hamburger buns)!  Before you go you may want to check out the website http://www.celiacosmadrid.org.  It is mostly in Spanish but there is an English section (and the restaurant and store lists don't really need translating).  You should also read my Guide to Traveling Gluten Free / Dairy Free.

Traveling Gluten Free / Dairy Free in Buenos Aires, Argentina

I just got back from a week long Spanish immersion class in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Although I encountered very little specifically laid out for those following a gluten free and/or dairy free diet, I did get by ok.  Most restaurants / waitstaff understood my concerns, however, please keep in mind that I speak passable Spanish and only have severe reactions to dairy cross contamination (I wasn't sick at all).  Also, like the U.S., quite a bit of their food is breaded and fried, and dairy features in their cuisine as well so you do have to be careful.

I did visit two 'dieteticas' (argentinian for 'health food store') and also found gluten free cookies easily in most supermarkets.  Unfortunately, a lot of gluten free options there contained dairy, including all of the bread products!  I had cookies in normal flavors: vanilla, chocolate, as well as an interesting thumb print cookie with something called Quince.  I saw but did not purchase gluten free / dairy free Jamon (ham) flavored cookies and Pizza flavored cookies!

Bread products "con Gluten" or "with Gluten" in English!

I also had a lot of false starts in the supermarkets.  Here in the U.S., when you see the word 'Gluten' on a product it is usually followed by the word 'Free'.  There however, quite a few bread products said "con Gluten" on them which translates as with Gluten.  I have no idea why they felt a need to point out their bread product contained gluten (just like all the others!)  Perhaps, they add extra gluten?!?!?

The only eatery where I saw gluten free prominently displayed was at an ice cream shop in a mall. (They had two dairy free options lemon and strawberry.)  Overall, I just stuck to simple meals - grilled meat/chicken/fish mostly.

If you are going to Buenos Aires, I would recommend checking out these articles and sites as well:

Gluten-Free Guidebook - Gluten Free Buenos Aires

Gluten-Free Guidebook - Buenos Aires Restaurants

Gluten Free Buenos Aires

You may also want to review these tips for traveling with dietary concerns: Traveling Dairy Free / Gluten Free

Updated - 5/24/11

Argh, Laura from Gluten Free Traveller did a much better job of finding all the best GF options in B.A. than I did.  You can check out all of her Buenos Aires posts here: http://glutenfreetraveller.com/tag/buenos-aires/ or if you're going farther afield her South America posts: http://glutenfreetraveller.com/tag/south-america/  I only wish I had started following her blog sooner!

Dairy Free / Gluten Free Travel Tips

I've met a number of people who are worried about traveling if they have food intolerances.  I've traveled quite extensively over the last 20 years and have had mostly success.  Traveling domestically can be easier because of the common language but many countries are much more food allergy aware than the US.  I find that dairy in food is much more obvious and I can usually get around it with a couple of key questions ("Do you butter your grill?" for example).  I also find that if a restaurant is up on dealing with one intolerance they are more receptive to dealing with others (sadly this isn't always true, but frequently it is).

Southeast coast of Spain

Here in the US, I use these websites to find GF dining options:

Gluten Free Registry - this site has lists of gluten free restaurants by state. They also have a searchable map but that map lists all the chain restaurant locations and makes it hard to really find the independents (I can certainly eat at a Charlie Brown’s at home). There is also an option to add reviews to the restaurants (although you should note that those for the chains are grouped together and not specific to any particular location.)

Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program - the grand-daddy of them all, this site lists and ranks GF restaurants that have gone through GFRAP training. Best part is a Zip Code search which will display results by distance from a particular zip code!

Celiac Handbook Restaurant List - Another list of restaurants by State. Again, you’ll need to investigate how close these are to where you are going to be.

Going overseas is a little more difficult especially with the language barrier. Triumph Dining makes a pack of 10 cards that explain Celiac Disease each in a different language.  The languages are English, French, Mexican (Spanish), Indian (presumably Hindi?), Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, and Japanese.  They're available online from amazon.com: Gluten Free Dining Cards or the Gluten Free Mall: Gluten Free Dining Cards

Since I have a number of other issues, I prefer the Food-Info Allergy Dictionary - this site allows you to access a list of common food allergies and phrases inter-translated into 30+ languages (most major world and European languages). What I mean by inter-translated is that it just isn’t English-Spanish but also Spanish-Mandarin and Russian-Japanese. Just choose your base language (English is at the top) and then select the other language from a little pull down menu. The result is a pdf file with roughly 200 phrases and allergens listed in both languages. I like to just print out those I’ll need for a trip and highlight my allergies and phrases!

The Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS) is an umbrella organization of national groups throughout Europe.  Their list of member organizations (and web links to each) is here: http://www.aoecs.org/?id=-9  I've used the website of the association in Spain http://www.celiacosmadrid.org/ which was amazing, but didn't have much luck with the site for the association in Norway.  At least it is worth a try.

My final advice would be to do a web search on key phrases (Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Allergen Free) and the name of the place you are going and see what comes up. And of course, you can always post a comment here and I’ll try to help!

Additional articles you may enjoy:

Dining Dairy Free / Gluten Free in Oslo, Norway

Eating Dairy Free / Gluten Free in Buenos Aires, Argentina

And if you're heading to the New Jersey area be sure to peruse this list of New Jersey Gluten Free Dining Options and for US trips see this list of Gluten Free Chains / Fast Food Restaurants.

Eating Gluten Free / Dairy Free in Oslo, Norway

Earlier this month, I spent a long weekend in Oslo, Norway.  While it is often said that Italy is the best place in the world to be a Celiac - Scandinavia must be a close second! 

I did some investigating of the GF situation in Oslo before leaving (see the travel tips here: Traveling Dairy Free / Gluten Free).  I really couldn't find any recommended restaurants, but I did identify a gluten free bakery, a coffee shop with gluten free options, and all of the nearest supermarkets.  I saw information leading me to believe that their were gluten free hamburger buns available at both McDonald's and Burger King but I couldn't confirm this (and their Norway sites are only in Norwegian).  [Please note, I did see a couple of gluten free pizza options but none were dairy free.]  I also taught myself a couple of phrases of Norwegian before I went (to be polite) but never needed more than "do you speak English?" as everyone I met did (and quite well!) 

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Roast Beef Sandwich at Bakefri in Oslo, Norway

The first afternoon there, I visited Bakefri (Kirkegata 15, 0153 Oslo, Norway, 22 42 55 55) the gluten free bakery I had found.  After asking which breads were also dairy free, I had a delicious roast beef sandwich (see photo).  It was near the hotel but most days I was out sightseeing in a different neighborhood at lunch time.  I did try to return to this location the final day there (Sunday) but forgot that they were closed that day.  They do have a website: http://www.bakefri.no/ but it is only in Norwegian!

Breakfast was included at the hotel (Rica Oslo Hotel, Europarådets Plass 1, 0154 Oslo, Norway) and I was amazed to find that they had WASA gluten free crisp bread.  (I've since emailed WASA and no, this is not available here in the U.S.)  The last day there they also had gluten free / dairy free multigrain bread available as well!  (In hindsight, I suspect they were out of it and perhaps would have restocked sooner had I asked.)

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger meal in McDonald's in Oslo, Norway

The second day, I stopped at a McDonald's for lunch.  Every McDonald's there has gluten free buns and there is no additional charge.  (Oslo is fairly expensive however, so the hamburger, water, and fries pictured on the left cost about $10 U.S. Dollars!)  The wrapper said gluten free bread/bun in a multitude of different languages!  [Note: at least in the U.S., McDonald's french fries are flavored with beef stock that contains both wheat and dairy in minuscule amounts.]  [See more about French Fries here: Are French Fries Gluten Free]

The McDonald's Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger Unwrapped

The bun was good.  It wasn't the same as a gluten containing McDonald's hamburger bun but it was good enough.  It was also slightly bigger than the patty.

While the restaurant the first night was a little unsteady on their knowledge of celiac disease and food allergies, starting the second night and for the rest of the trip each restaurant was superb.  Saturday night the restaurant even had gluten free bread!  (It was slices of whole grain sandwich bread but better than most restaurants here in the U.S.!)

Burger King's Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger in Oslo, Norway

On the third day, I made it to a Burger King.  Their gluten free / dairy free hamburger bun didn't taste anything like its gluten containing counterpart . . . it was better!  It actually reminded me of a bagel!  Not the type you might get in the Midwest or frozen in the supermarket, an actual Northern NJ / Manhattan area bagel shop bagel!  I wish they sold them plain, I would have bought some to bring home.  Just like McDonald's there was no extra charge for the bun and all Burger Kings had them.

The McDonald's Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger Unwrapped

As I always do when I travel, I stopped in quite a few Supermarkets as well.  (I like to see what's available elsewhere in the world.)  Most supermarkets had gluten free crisp bread and some had a good gluten free selection, including cookies, bread products, and multiple brands of crisp bread.  A good portion of these were dairy free as well. 

One last thought, if you are tempted to purchase a loaf of Schär Gluten Free / Dairy Free Landbrot to take home with you (like I did), don't.  It is extremely bitter and sadly not worth the effort.

Overall, it was a great trip and it was super easy to eat out!

Updated 12/20/10

Added link to Traveling Dairy Free / Gluten Free

Update 3/6/11

Added link to Are French Fries Gluten Free


Other articles you may be interested in:

McDonalds in Spain offer Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Cheeseburger in Paradise to Offer Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Gluten Free Swedish Meatball Recipe (yeah, yeah, wrong country, but it's still a great recipe!)