Guest post: What the gluten-free diet isn't

Recently I got the awesome opportunity to contribute a guest post for Glutey Girl. And here it is! 

Check out this link for my musings on common misperceptions about the gluten-free diet (plus the recipe for my decadent 'cream cheese' bagels).

Best eats in Korea: A healthy appetite

There are many exciting aspects to the food available in South Korea - and many that sadly aren't gluten free. But while eating gluten free in Korea can be tricky at times, there's no need to miss out on all the deliciousness that Korean cuisine has to offer. 

During the next few posts, Il'll take you through what I consider to be the best aspects of the cuisine we tried in Korea - which you can enjoy without all the gluten. 

And here's the first.

So. Many. Vegetables. 

Korean cuisine offers a vast array of wholesome, healthy dishes. The meals are - in my completely non-expert opinion - quite balanced, with delicious proteins and a variety of fresh vegetables. Sure, there's a lot of white rice, but the serving sizes are always quite modest. 

Sometimes we had to have vegetarian meals to avoid marinated meat, so I did have to be careful to ensure I was getting enough iron. But, apart from that, I was really impressed by how nutritious the authentic Korean dishes seemed.

Our favourite lunch choice was Bibimbap, which literally means 'mixed rice'. The dish consists of a range of vegetables and seaweed, served with rice in a big bowl then topped off with an egg (and sometimes meat). 

Hot stone Bibimbap.

Everything is then stirred together just before eating. 

Mixing the rice without flinging it all over the table - an acquired skill.

Bibimbap comes hot or cold, but we liked the hot one especially. The sizzling hot stone pot makes the rice caramalize so that it is deliciously chewy and the warmth gives the dish a real homely feel. 

Traditionally the dish comes with spicy gochujang sauce, which isn't gluten free - so we had to give that a miss. Now, given this omission, the dish might sound simple and maybe a bit boring. But the seaweed and egg yolk add a tasty, salty edge that really brings out the blend of flavours in the dish. Making it simple, healthy - and incredibly tasty. 

So tasty.

Travelling gluten free: A different adventure of the food kind

You might have wondered why I haven't posted in a while. Or maybe you didn't notice. Or maybe you enjoyed the break from my eternal monologue about gluten-free meals and digestive problems.

Well, I'm back. And back from somewhere pretty amazing. Ross and I have just returned from a trip to South Korea and Hong Kong, where we saw the sights and enjoyed some delicious treats on the way. 

Over the next few posts I will share with you some of the different aspects of our food adventures, starting with our travels in Seoul and Busan - South Korea's two largest cities.

Overlooking the city by the love locks at N Seoul Tower.

Now, full disclosure - in case you're suddenly feeling inspired to jump on a plane to Seoul - eating gluten free in Korea can be quite hard. 

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend a trip to Korea if you are highly allergic to gluten - it's possible to avoid gluten when eating out, but doing so is risky. Thankfully, we didn't have any known gluten reactions during our stay, but it seemed like we could be inadvertently poisoned quite easily. And I came armed with a packet of peppermint capsules in case of that eventuality. 

Sure, we were very careful with what we ate, but there's a limit to how paranoid you can be when the language barrier only allows you to say so much - and the sneaky sources of gluten in food make this quite complicated at the best of times!

When eating gluten free in Korea, you have to be willing to work for your next meal - and by 'work' I mean visit lots of restaurants, get creative in your communication, and spend a decent amount of time just searching the streets.  

Searching the streets of Seoul.

But boy is it worth it. 

To ensure we didn't starve, we went armed with the info from this blog and this nifty travel card. The Korean travel card is particularly good because it highlights a range of gluten-containing ingredients that are common in Korean cooking. 

We asked lots of questions, went somewhere else if we weren't sure, and trusted the travel cards - not to mention the immense effort made by our hosts. 

Koreans are very hospitable people and they were always very attentive when we made our needs known. They would analyse each part of the dish and its (typically numerous) sides. Then they would double check with us if they weren't sure about anything, and take away parts of the meal or turn us away entirely if the food wasn't suitable.

Interestingly, while eating gluten free was tricky, minimizing my consumption of high-FODMAP foods didn't really add any extra complications. All I needed to do was strategically consume lactase tablets on the odd occasion and avoid the enormous garlic and onion pieces we were offered as a side to many dishes.

Despite the effort that it took to eat, we never went hungry. In fact, the food was delicious - as I will show you in coming posts.

And remember, there's no need to jump on a plane, or even take my word for it - amazing gluten-free Korean food can be found right here in Wellington.