Living In Beijing, China

[Estacee]

My name is Stacee and I'm living in Beijing for at least the next few years. I would like to connect with other gluten-free people. Can anyone recommend where to buy gluten-free products? Restaurants that offer anything gluten-free?

[Ursa Major]

Hi Stacee, and welcome to this board. Unfortunately, I am not sure anybody else here is in China, so I won't be any help in that area, but just wanted to say hi and welcome you.

Of course, you can still learn a lot here, connect with people and ask questions when you need help, or even if you just want to chat with other people who have celiac disease, who understand your issues.

[frenchiemama]

I'm afraid that I can't help you, but I was hoping that you would report back anything that you discover! I was in Beijing a few months prior to my diagnosis, and I would love to go back again sometime. Please share if you make any good discoveries, there or elsewhere in China.

[kristi]

I'm hoping you will be able to meet up with some of the people 3 pages back.

Open Original Shared Link

Some of them seem to live there.

Kristi

[Mamoute]

My name is Stacee and I'm living in Beijing for at least the next few years. I would like to connect with other gluten-free people. Can anyone recommend where to buy gluten-free products? Restaurants that offer anything gluten-free?

Hi, I hope this works, I've never posted on a forum before!

I'm living in Beijing too and am having difficulty also to find gluten-free items. Maybe we can support each other / exchange tips?

Re. restaurants in Beijing, the Chef at The Orchard can cook gluten-free menus.

[bravotwozero]

Hello to all people who live in Beijing like me. I`m a German Expat and I`ll be around for a longe time in beijing. I have good and bad news. First the bad news: I have been to many places in my short life, but beijing is an absolute food nightmare to me. I have never had as many food (Celiac) related problems in my whole life than here. It`s a problem living here with celiac disease. Especially when you have to go to business dinners all the time....

Now the good news. For everyvbody who is interested. I have a chinese Translation which describes celiac disease shortly and states what is allowed to eat and what not. If anybody is interested I can send it to you. Just write your email to gjp@keba.com and I will send you the pdf file.

I`m very interested in keeping in touch with other people who can give me some tips. Beijing is not easy....

Hasta Luego,

[mftnchn]

Hello, everyone.

Those of you who are living longer term in China, I'd love to connect. I am new to the gluten-free diet, but a long term resident in Asia, 5 years in NE China. Also speak and read Chinese quite well.

There is a health food store in Hong Kong called Health Gate that has gluten-free soy sauce, haven't found any locally yet.

Also, I had the great fortune of finding a company that exports organic rice flour in my city, and they were good enough to sell me a half bag of white rice flour, and a full bag of brown rice flour. (50 lb bags) We just bought that today. This along with glutenous rice flour available in local stores is a help. I also found cassava powder (same as tapioca flour) in the Metro warehouse store. In local groceries you can buy corn meal, sweet potato flour and potato flour. Haven't yet looked for soy flour but it is probably available. For noodles, both rice and bean noodles are available. Am looking for xanthan gum which is made in many places in China and apparently used locally commercially. I have the name in Chinese, but haven't yet found a source (since I don't want a 50 lb bag!)

I have also found a couple of websites that have an explanation of the disease in Chinese, one has some basic information on diet. Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I travel about half the time, so my biggest concern is what to do when I travel. I'd love to hear about how any of you have managed it in Chinese restaurants. I travel to Beijing about once a month or so for about 5 days, and stay in a hotel so don't have access to cooking facilities.

I am hugely blessed by a housekeeper with a real gift for cooking. She is actively experimenting with various recipes since the ingredients here and in the USA and other places vary.

If you are in Shanghai or Dongguan or Hong Kong, this store makes gluten free pasteries: Open Original Shared Link

Thats what I have to offer for now!

[mftnchn]

Not too many China celiacs out there??

I just found xanthan gum locally and have the Chinese for it. Here's the characters if this helps any of you:

黄原胶

Its about 40 rmb per kilo.

[China rose]

Oh, I am SO happy to have found this thread! I just found it on a google search to see where in Beijing gluten-free products are available - I have a friend going up Friday night and she offered to pick up some groceries for me. So - help please - where should my friend go?!?!?! I'd especially love some gluten free muesli. And maybe a chocolate cake mix /

I'm Suzanne, by the way. I live in Jinzhong, near Taiyuan, in Shanxi province, about 550km from BJ. I'm an Aussie. I've been here 10 of the last 12 years, but will return to Australia permanently in just 2 months time - not because of dietary issues, but they sure have made it easy to make the decision to return.

I'm not officially a celiac, but have most definitely developed a gluten intolerance over the past 9 or 10 months. I have an appointment with a gastroenterolgist back in Melbourne in September to be tested for celiac disease. (Likely it will 'just' be a gluten allergy - my cousin's son has that.) In the meantime, I try to minimize how much gluten I get. I know you're not meant to cut it out until after THE test, but seriously, I was losing about a kilo a week and miserable, and after we twigged to it being a gluten problem, my weight loss has totally stopped (after 18kg in 4 months - not bad for someone who was a biggish girl!) and I'm feeling lots better. But it is ridiculously hard to keep gluten out of the diet. It's easy when you cook at home, but socially that makes you a hermit in this culture, where food is so key. I make the wisest choices I can when eating with friends, and avoid noodles, jiaozi, breads etc at all costs, but gluten is in everything! Stock powder, vinegar (for which Shanxi is famous), soy sauce ... aaaaaaargh.

Being the week of the Dragon Boat Festival, though, in has been noted in my community that zongzi don't bother my pathetic system in the least, and I've have been totally inundated with them! Not that I'm complaining - literally, I have my breakfast planned for the next 60 days or so now .

In May, I made a quick trip back to Australia and was TOTALLY blown away by the range of gluten free products. I literally brought back about 18kg of groceries in my suitcase, which I'm thoroughly enjoying . If anyone could point me in the direction of even just a tiny fraction of that range in Beijing, I'd be grateful. THANKS.

[mftnchn]

Hi Suzanne,

I'm sorry I haven't located any sources of gluten free food items in BJ. I wish I had! I live in Liaoning province. Yes, eating out is a real problem that I haven't really resolved at this point.

Yes, it is depressing when you see how much is available at home.

Perhaps if we could network enough of us here, we could approach a place like Jenny Lou's grocery that offers imported foods and ask for some things to be ordered.

Sherry

[China rose]

Hi Suzanne,

I'm sorry I haven't located any sources of gluten free food items in BJ. I wish I had! I live in Liaoning province. Yes, eating out is a real problem that I haven't really resolved at this point.

Yes, it is depressing when you see how much is available at home.

Perhaps if we could network enough of us here, we could approach a place like Jenny Lou's grocery that offers imported foods and ask for some things to be ordered.

Sherry

Hey, Sherry, good to meet you. Ah well - Jenny Lou's was my main hope - my friend will be there tomorrow anyhow and will look but.......

Isn't it funny how westerners from all over the world and living in various parts of NE China all know how to get to the various Jenny Lou's in Beijing I wonder if there would be enough of us buying enough to warrant them ordering anything in? I mean, like, I get to Beijing every six months or so. Still, if they could mail non-perishable products??????? The next time I go through Beijing, though, will be on my way back to Australia.

Something everybody else on this board no doubt knew but I just learned is that MSG is made from wheat. I never knew that! That explains a lot......

Ah well, although my little excursion onto these boards hasn't given me an answer as to where to buy gluten free goodies in Beijing, it is really very lovely to gain that sense of solidarity with others who also try to live here gluten free - thanks . Now if we could only figure out how to be social, polite, appreciative etc at the many many banquets and meals in the homes of friends...... Advice, anybody?!

[mftnchn]

Yes it is really a problem. I am doing well at home. But going out is a real problem. Tomorrow we are going to a local friend's house, and I am bringing my own food. She can't cook for me and everyone else and still keep my food free of flour, etc. She and I talked it over and came up with this plan. She is making jiaozi. I am bringing something similar, but the filling has a bit of tapioca starch in it, and then formed into balls. Rolled in glutinous rice flour a couple of times and then steamed on a lettuce leaf. Tastes very like jiaozi, so I think we'll be able to do the different filling combos this way.

Obviously that won't work for many social situations. A bowl of rice is about it.

MSG is wheat based, however, I have read that due to the processing it doesn't contain gluten. Hard to know. Same for vinegar. All soy sauce here has wheat. I have found a rice vinegar that seems okay. Then the problem of cross contamination in a kitchen if you do get someone to cook something acceptable.

I've not done much experimenting out because I have been slow to recover so I wouldn't possibly know for sure if it was something I ate or just the ups and downs that I am going through since going gluten-free.

If you are eating gluten-free, your testing when you get back likely won't pick up celiac.

Right now when I travel to BJ, I borrow a hotplate from a local friend, bring my own simple meals in separate plastic containers and put in the hotel fridge. Then I buy plain hot rice somewhere, and heat up my meal on the hotplate. It works but is troublesome.

I've been hoping that there would be enough of us connecting on this website that we could cooperate on getting some stuff. So far you're the only one that is currently responding.

Sherry

[China rose]

If you are eating gluten-free, your testing when you get back likely won't pick up celiac.

Yeah, I know. But I don't know what to do about it. I still eat with friends maybe once or twice a week, make the best choices possible, and as a result, often have indigestion, sometimes reflux, and an aching gall bladder and something else (pancreas?) but that's it. (Although I reckon poor absorption is why I'm low on iron these days too.) If I eat out two or three days running, I have more problems. I'm hoping that's enough to keep a little bit of something going on in my gut until they do the test. And to be honest, I don't WANT to be a social hermit, which is what eating at home makes me....

I tried getting medical tests done here but it is near impossible. My doctor is an American lady and a good friend, and she thinks I definitely have a gluten sensitivity as well as a current lactose intolerance (we did an elimination trial) as well as a polyp in the neck of my gall bladder. She wanted the antibodies tests for coeliac disease done. So I reintroduced small amounts of gluten back into the diet (ugh) and then went to Beijing. At the Peking Union Hospital, they charged me a fortune and yet only did one of the tests for a gluten allergy she asked for (IgE?), which got lost in the mail. Finally it was reissued a month later (Chinese New Year happened in the meantime) and it showed no obvious gluten allergy. But during that month, I'd cut out gluten again and my health had improved out of sight. My doctor said to just keep gluten out of the diet until about 10 days before I went back to Australia, and then again to just reintroduce it in small amounts. So I did that, and they did all the antibody tests there, but again they showed nothing. (Although the low liver enzymes from February and the thing that showed inflammation had all settled back to normal levels by then.) It could be, though, because I'd been a real wimp with how much gluten I'd had ... it had been like a couple of crackers a day. I mean, I was travelling...... However, because it took two weeks to get those results through, by the time the results came back, I had only a couple of days left of my holiday leave. So now I have referrals for September - one to a surgeon for the gall bladder and one to a gastroenterologist.

Since gluten doesn't make me desperately sick unless I have significant amounts of it, I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing ... unless you have any better advice ... do you? Anybody experienced?

[mftnchn]

Hmm, your experience confirms my sense about getting testing here: worthless. You need experienced people doing the tests--and it is rare to find someone here that has even heard of celiac let alone but up on the current developments.

Secondly, you should post on another thread here because many people won't look at this post since they are not in China.

What I have gleaned here is that you are not eating enough gluten for the tests to be positive. After going gluten-free you have to eat daily significant amounts (like 2-3 slices of bread as I recall) for months not days for testing to show up.

So I think you are faced with the choice of whether to pursue testing (eat normally and be sick) long enough for the testing to show, or just make the choice yourself to stay gluten-free.

Even at best, testing can be negative for some celiacs. It is just not sensitive enough and damage in the small intestine can be sporatic so the chances of finding a spot for the biopsy that has diseased villi can really be hit or miss or even like a needle in a haystack.

Also if you are celiac, the smallest amount of gluten causes damage to your system.

Enterolab in the USA does stool tests but this is a new thing and isn't widely accepted as yet because Dr. Fine hasn't published. However, he uses the same tests and reagents used for the blood tests but closer to where the damage is--in the stool. It is reportedly more sensitive testing, and you can be gluten free up to a year and it will still work. It does not diagnose celiac but reportedly does a good job on gluten sensitivity. They will also test some other foods for you.

Yes, I understand about the social situation. Are you always with different people? Otherwise, bringing a couple of people that you are usually with up to speed and then bringing your own food may be an option. My students are supportive and understanding and show a lot of interest though they have never heard of this illness.

My decision is to stay very very strict for month until my health stabilizes and then try to branch out. My recovery has been very very slow and very up and down even when being very strict.

Another thing, is to make sure your personal care products are gluten-free, have you done that?

One idea I have discussed but haven't followed up on: find a Chinese restaurant that has a reasonable kitchen situation and talk to the manager about my needs. Arrange to notify them up ahead when I am coming and ask for certain things: cleaning before preparing my food, no touching of wheat containing ingredients, etc. Ask what dishes would be easier to prepare. Bring them my own soy sauce to use. Eat at less busy times.

Do you have someone that cooks for you? My housekeeper has really learned the ropes about cooking for me and I am sure would be glad to talk to yours if that would help. If you could work that out, perhaps a social option would be inviting people to your house!

[China rose]

Thanks for the feedback, Sherry. That is really helpful.

I hope the jiaozi dinner tonight goes well

Re cooking here, I cook for myself. I have a lady come in to clean three times a week for a couple of hours but that's it. I used to eat out almost every day ... but that's history now. It's actually saving me quite a bit of money to eat at home but it just takes so long to shop and clean and prepare food. That's why I don't have people over for meals too often either, although I do from time to time. Partly because I'm lazy and partly because I'm genuinely too busy to put in the preparation time.

It's WONDERFUL that you've got someone who can put in the time-consuming work of marketing and cooking - yay. I did for a while - friends were in the US for a while and another single friend and I 'generously' offered to keep their housekeeper employed. It was great. During that time, I thought it was my gall bladder that went wacko and the poor lady didn't know what to do to cook without oil, but eventually became quite good at it. But then after a few more weeks I also cut out the gluten! Oh, dear, was she ever relieved when her regular employers returned from the US! I eat with that family from time to time and she does know what I like and don't like to eat, which is very helpful.

You asked who I eat with? Students, neighbours, colleagues, friends from church, guests to our organization ... lots of different groups. But my friends and colleagues are now 'well-trained' about what I like to eat or not, which is good. When at restaurants, I've found that, in addition to plain white rice, 大丰收 (da2 feng1 shou1), or 'a bumper harvest' is a great dish to order. It is just plain raw vegetables with a dip, but of course, don't dip them in the dip!

Again - thanks for your feedback. I won't take your advice about posting on another thread, since, realistically, I realize as I think it through that I'm not willing to go super-strictly gluten free until I return to Australia in just 72 days time (who's counting?). I can live with the effects of the little bits of gluten I get from time to time, and even if it is damaging my body, well, so be it...... I'm very thankful to (1) only react to the degree that I do, and (2) to have benefited from the insight of a couple of medical western friends who twigged to my problem being gluten rather than oil. Had I been under local doctors, who knows when it might have come to light?

[mftnchn]

Sounds like you kind of have it worked out for now. Good luck!

[mftnchn]

Oh, yes. There is a new organic store that opened not too far away from where we live. I stopped in there tonight. The owner said she could try to get me some soy sauce that is wheat-free and will call me. If this is successful, I'll let you know.

Nothing else in there that I haven't seen elswhere but they have just opened.

I also understand there is an organic market in BJ that also has some imported things. My friend is trying to find out the information for me and when I go there the first week of July I'll be sure to check it out.

Sherry

[China rose]

My friend is trying to find out the information for me and when I go there the first week of July I'll be sure to check it out.

Sounds good. Even if I don't benefit from the information directly, since the friend who offered to pick up gluten-free goodies there is now on the train on her way home again, others like me who google 'gluten free' and 'Beijing' will be sure to find this thread and benefit. THANKS.

[China rose]

Rice crackers that are really honestly truly gluten free!!!!!! And they're in Beijing!

My friend went to Beijing and tried a number of places looking for gluten free goodies - isn't she kind to me?! Anyhow, I'd given her an empty packet of my all time favourite rice crackers and she found them - and brought back five packets . The brand is 'Fantastic', it is clearly labeled 'gluten free' although just appears in the standard 'crackers' section rather than a health food section. My friend got it from 'Nick's Mart' which looks like a tea shop, apparently, but if you go through the tea shop part, there is an 'imported goods' section too. It is attached to the Lido Hotel - my friend tells me that you go out the door next to the Starbucks in the Lido and then into the tea shop. Their advertising stuff is on the plastic bag it came in so I think it is fine to put here - it is 010-64376828.

I'm glad you're not going for another week or so, because they're totally out of the seaweed flavour right now ... everything that was on the shelf there is now in my pantry . They have other flavours though. Just be careful to check the 'gluten free' label. I noticed in Australia that some flavours are clearly marked 'gluten free' while others aren't, so I presume there is gluten in the flavouring used.

[mftnchn]

Thanks! I know where Nick's Mart is, I'll check it out.

The organic foods shop in my neighborhood called me today and and have been able to get wheat-free soy sauce for me! It will be in on Wednesday. She said it comes from the USA. Expensive, but wow, if I can get it locally that will be great. She also offered to look for anything else that I need.

[China rose]

It will be in on Wednesday.

Enjoy your gluten free soy sauce. I enjoy mine - never thought of it being available locally - I brought mine back from Melbourne .

I bought peaches today and was also given a big bag of peaches, and so am feeling inspired to make one of my favourite desserts - 'Finnish Fruit Tart'. Since it is the time here in China when stone fruit is at its best, I figured I'd pop in here and suggest this recipe. If you can get gluten free flour (I'll leave wiser people that me to comment on subsituting rice flour etc - I just use flour lugged back from Australia), then make a plain cake base (I like to mix in some cinnamon and mixed spice) and layer the top with the sliced peaches then bake. The cake rises up through the peaches and is really extremely lovely! I made two cakes last week - one with 'normal' flour for visitors and one with gluten-free flour for me. 'My' cake was a little crumblier than the other one. It is all gone now and with today's influx of peaches, I think another cake just might be coming up soon .

[China rose]

Shopping success and failures to report

I found that gum for baking - thanks for the pointer. (What's it called? Huang yuan jiao in Chinese anyhow.) BUT they only sell it in one kilo bags and only in the city, and since I'm not a great baker anyhow, I decided to pass on it.

But I DID find Korean noodles in a supermarket in Taiyuan city. At least, they're packets of Chinese noodles but with Korean and Chinese and English on the labels and presumably aimed at a Korean market. The packets say they are 100% 'coarse grain' with no 'dye' or 'edible gum'. I got a packet each of black rice noodles, corn noodles and buckwheat noodles. The ingredients say 'black rice, water' or 'corn, water' or 'buckwheat, water'. I was very happy about that - will try them out sometime soon .

Here ends the report of the shopping expedition. Hope this is helpful information for somebody somewhere sometime .

[mftnchn]

But I DID find Korean noodles in a supermarket in Taiyuan city. At least, they're packets of Chinese noodles but with Korean and Chinese and English on the labels and presumably aimed at a Korean market. The packets say they are 100% 'coarse grain' with no 'dye' or 'edible gum'. I got a packet each of black rice noodles, corn noodles and buckwheat noodles. The ingredients say 'black rice, water' or 'corn, water' or 'buckwheat, water'. I was very happy about that - will try them out sometime soon .

.

We found something similar. However, one of them said "millet" in English but Chinese said "wheat." We called the company and it does have wheat in it.

Also this company told us the noodles are made on the same machine/equipment but cleaned in between. So cross contamination is likely an issue.

You might let me know the brand and I'll check mine. I still have one package here.

S.

[China rose]

Good point about cross-contamination particularly.

The brand is 我家粗粮 and it is produced by the Zhengzhou Wanjia Food

Stuffs Co. Ltd. Thanks.

[mftnchn]

Yes this is the same brand we called about. I kept the buckwheat and corn ones, but due to CC issues I need to wait until I am totally clear of symptoms to try them. I do suspect cc issues will be there to some degree.

The company that I bought my rice flour from makes black rice noodles, at least they showed me at the time. But it isn't sold locally.