Any Stores That Have Gluten Free Foods?

[pohangbound]

Hi,

I am going to be moving to South korea, Pohang city to be more precise and I was diagnosed with celiac about two weeks ago. Now I was wondering if there were any stores around that I could shop at that have Gluten Free products? You know like a Bins and Bins store or something like that, that I can buy bulk. Also, does anyone know if apartments there have stoves or is it just burners or what? I want to know if I will be able to cook like I can here in Canada when I am over there.

Waiting for your replies and greatly apreciated.

[Mango04]

Here's a post from another thread:

I live in Daegu (Seoul is the largest city, Daegu is #3). I easily eat gluten free here. I eat tons of white rice, meats, veggies and soups. If your friends speak English well, they should (and usually are very willing) be able to help you. I have Korean friends who help me with my menu choices. I eat lots of rice noodles, avoid anything with breading (dong cass), I don't eat at the street venders and I usually don't have any problems. I love sam gae toung (ginseng chicken soup stuffed with rice), galbi soup (beef bone soup with rice noodles, served with rice to dump in, Im Sil pizza is rice pizza and its expensive and delicious. You should have your friends double check for you, since each place may make these things a little different. Bee Bim Bop is rice and veggies, its dol sout when its served in a warm bowl. Many places you can cook your own meat at the table, those are among my fav. places. Also, most Gim bop is gluten free as long as the seaweed paper is gluten free. It is yummy too. When I first got here (over a year ago), I though kim chee was very nasty, but now we fight over who gets to eat it. It is definitely an aquired taste. As is the raw seafood... I can tell you more about that, but its NOT for the squimish!!

If you have any questions, you can PM me, or ask here.

Deb

I'm thinking about moving there in a year or so. Hope it goes well for you.

[pohangbound]

Here's a post from another thread:

I'm thinking about moving there in a year or so. Hope it goes well for you.

hi Deb,

Thanks for the reply but I have a few questions for you. First, where are you from? I am from Canada and here there are stores where you can buy gluten free products so you can cook yourself, I was just wondering if there were stores like that in South Korea, you know like a Bins and Bins? Also are there ovens there or is it just stoves in the apartments? I'm going to be living on my own and a lot of the stuff requires me to bake so I need to know if I can or what. Thanks again for responding,

Derek

[Mango04]

hi Deb,

Thanks for the reply but I have a few questions for you. First, where are you from? I am from Canada and here there are stores where you can buy gluten free products so you can cook yourself, I was just wondering if there were stores like that in South Korea, you know like a Bins and Bins? Also are there ovens there or is it just stoves in the apartments? I'm going to be living on my own and a lot of the stuff requires me to bake so I need to know if I can or what. Thanks again for responding,

Derek

just fyi - I took that post from another (much older) thread.

[brizzo]

ALL STORES have MANY gluten free options.

Fruits

Vegetables

Meat

Most Dairy

Regular potato/corn chips

can goods

ice creams

and on and on...

Just READ THOSE LABELS!!!!

Why pay 200% more for a special "gluten free" product, if you don't have to. And you don't...JUST READ THOSE LABELS!

[RayC]

Hello pohangbound,

I will soon leave for Daegu, a city near the center of South Korea, to teach. I, too, am gluten intolerant. I do not know much about the food except what I have found on the Net. One good thing, there appears to be a lot of rice and buckwheat noodles.

You asked about the apartments. I googled the school I will be working for and eventually found a few bloggers who could tell me about the apartments they had. If you will be working for a hagwon, like me, you may find that many cook on propane burners. The school's small apartment building where I will be living also had a small toaster oven and microwave. Of course, people like us are advised not to share toasters to avoid contamination from even small wheat crumbs.

Remember, Korea is a very technologically advanced society, like the US. And in some areas, even more advanced. On the other hand, the average income seems lower and this keeps prices down. You should be able to buy an inexpensive toaster oven, microwave and propane burner there. That's what I've been told.

[pohangbound]

only problem with those labels, is that they do not mention all the ingredients, usually just the main ones. I don't want to buy something and then later find out that it had something in it that i should not have eaten. I could die next time i eat something with gluten or malt. And I was talking about stuff like gluten-free pasta noodles, for example.

ALL STORES have MANY gluten free options.

Fruits

Vegetables

Meat

Most Dairy

Regular potato/corn chips

can goods

ice creams

and on and on...

Just READ THOSE LABELS!!!!

Why pay 200% more for a special "gluten free" product, if you don't have to. And you don't...JUST READ THOSE LABELS!

[brizzo]

I am sorry to hear that gluten can be fatal to you. That is awful. I have not heard of this before. WOW!

Have you considered a special diet called the "cave man diet." It is basically meat, fruit,veggies, nuts/legumes, and some people include dairy.

Do you have any other food intolerances/allergies? If not , check out the cave man diet. It is healthy, and you only eat what humans were actually designed to eat.

Good luck to you.

[SL2007]

I visit my relatives in Korea occasionally. I can tell you that most Korean kitchens do NOT have a western oven. Korean cuisine does not require a western type oven. They will have burners (usually 2) only. Korea as a culture does not understand people with dietary restrictions very well so just be careful. For example, people may not take you seriously when you tell them you'll get sick if you eat wheat.

If possible bring your own gluten-free soy sauce and you will be able to cook fine. Some additional Korean foods usually gluten free are ttuck (I don't know how it is romanized - it looks white and cylindrical and is made of rice; usually translated as rice cake I believe) BEFORE any seasonings are put on it; sweet bean paste; many sweet ttuck (sweet rice cakes) are gluten-free.

I will be going to Korea soon myself so please share your experiences. I would be very interested to learn how you managed.