Gluten-free In Shanghai?

[Fiona]

Hi all,

I am travelling to Shanghai for business in a few weeks and concerned about getting inadvertently hit with gluten, as I know many soy and other asian sauces contain wheat starch. Also I understand the food there is very different (and tastier) than what we get here. Has anyone else travelled to Asia that might provide useful tips or strategies? There's a French restaurant in my hotel apparently and I'm more familiar with the potential pitfalls of that cuisine than with Asian fare- but I'd like to be able to venture out of that safety-net and have an authentic experience-- without getting 'shanghai'd' (pardon the pun..).

Thanks!

Fiona

[mftnchn]

Hi all,

I am travelling to Shanghai for business in a few weeks and concerned about getting inadvertently hit with gluten, as I know many soy and other asian sauces contain wheat starch. Also I understand the food there is very different (and tastier) than what we get here. Has anyone else travelled to Asia that might provide useful tips or strategies? There's a French restaurant in my hotel apparently and I'm more familiar with the potential pitfalls of that cuisine than with Asian fare- but I'd like to be able to venture out of that safety-net and have an authentic experience-- without getting 'shanghai'd' (pardon the pun..).

Thanks!

Fiona

Hi I live in China but not Shanghai. I am also going there in early June for business. Not sure what to expect, here is a website for bread in SH:

Open Original Shared Link

Here's a hand-written explanation in Chinese, and somewhere there is a typed one you can print out online. Open Original Shared Link

I am not totally satisfied with these and will eventually do my own (I read Chinese), so if you send me a message here in about 3 weeks I might be able to send you another one.

I haven't tackled the restaurant thing yet, but steamed things that don't need soy sauce might be an option plus rice. A dish like shrimp and cashews doesn't use soy sauce, but may have MSG. If you have to worry about cross contamination, that still wouldn't be a great option.

You might write to the hotel, if it is a top hotel they might be able to arrange meals for you.

That's it for now.

Sherry

[MaryJones2]

Hi all,

I am travelling to Shanghai for business in a few weeks and concerned about getting inadvertently hit with gluten, as I know many soy and other asian sauces contain wheat starch. Also I understand the food there is very different (and tastier) than what we get here. Has anyone else travelled to Asia that might provide useful tips or strategies? There's a French restaurant in my hotel apparently and I'm more familiar with the potential pitfalls of that cuisine than with Asian fare- but I'd like to be able to venture out of that safety-net and have an authentic experience-- without getting 'shanghai'd' (pardon the pun..).

Thanks!

Fiona

Hi Fiona,

I spent a month in Taiwan last summer. The Taiwanese have a lot of pride and take their jobs very seriously so I had a lot more confidence that the wait staff would take my requests seriously and comply. I would not expect mainland China to be any different. If your Chinese is very bad so I would recommend a written card in a couple of dialects - Mandarin is the standard and I believe there is a dialect called Wu that is common around Shanghai. I packed a lot of my own food so that I could guarantee at least one good meal a day. I ate a lot of sashimi, sushi, steamed vegetables, fruit and white rice and didn't have a problem. I would recommend familiarizing yourself with a few traditional dishes and finding out how to order them gluten-free before you go. I think it's easier to order gluten-free at small restaurants than at hotels but English is more common at the hotels.

Hope this helps.

Janet

[Fiona]

Thanks to both of you for your great tips! This is the first I'm travelling there, so am not familiar with the language at all- will have to do some homework before I go! Packing my own food is a good idea as well- just hope I have room for my clothes!

Thanks again..

[MaryJones2]

Thanks to both of you for your great tips! This is the first I'm travelling there, so am not familiar with the language at all- will have to do some homework before I go! Packing my own food is a good idea as well- just hope I have room for my clothes!

Thanks again..

I was a road warrior for seven years and never checked a bag until I was diagnosed. Now I have a seperate suitcase for food and cooking supplies. If I'm going to a place where I know it may be difficult to find food I pack an electric wok, a plastic lettuce knife and cutting board. I pack my gluten free food like pasta, crackers, salad dressing and hit the local grocery store for vegetables and meat. You can cook just about anything in a wok. It took a little practice but I can even cook pasta. Lugging an extra suitcase with this stuff in it is a pain but it beats the pain of being sick on the road.

I also make food for the plane. Some of the airlines don't have gluten free meals. I also don't do dairy, soy or meat so the gluten free meals don't help. The TSA guidlines state that if you have a medical condition an have to carry additional liquid that you are not limited to the 3 oz restriction. I carry a note from my Dr. but haven't ever had an issue. If you stick to drier stuff it'll go through without declaring. I usually make something like rice and vegetables so I get a complete meal in one small container. The flight attendants will heat it up for you if you get them when they aren't busy.

Have a great trip and let us know how it goes!

J

[Fiona]

Wow- well if you travel a lot you do really need to be prepared! And I'm sorry to hear you suffer from more than just the gluten intolerance. Makes it even more difficult, to be sure. I will take your advice and definitely pack some options. I may even bring my own wheat-free tamari sauce so that when i do go to a restaurant, I can order everything steamed and just add my own flavoring.. Will look ridiculous but what can you do?

Thanks for the great advice. I will definitely check back and let you know how I fared!

Fiona

[mftnchn]

Hi, Fiona. Electric in China is 220, so you'd have to have a way to convert if you brought something to cook on. You can buy hot plates locally, they are electromagnetic or some such. Usually come with a pan or two. Cost about $25 US on the bottom end.

I hadn't thought about traveling with cooking items, Janet, thanks for the suggestion!