Cultural Guide to Eating Gluten Free in Singapore

My mission when starting this blog was to explore the cultural aspects of negotiating a gluten free meal in Singapore as well as sharing my findings on specific gluten free food I have found.

Here is an update on what I have discovered so far on the cultural side of things, this is likely to change over time:

Singapore is often called a "cultural melting pot". I know it is a metaphor, but for me it manifests quite literally - all kinds of foods get mixed that you wouldn't expect. Unlike when you are travelling in it's close neighbors Vietnam and Thailand, when visiting Singapore (and Malaysia), do not assume that anything which looks gluten free probably is.

The strong food culture, the low food prices and the career-focus (late nights at work) of most Singaporeans add another challenge. Most people eat out, order in, or have someone cook for them most days of the week, if not always. The concept of asking somebody; "What is in Me-Goreng?" is challenging enough (most people won't get past "noodles, sauce, vegetables and meat"), so try explaining to someone that the reason you are not going to eat it is because the sauce probably has a thickener that is derived from wheat. People just don't seem to ask what goes into their food with that level of granularity here. Expect to get some strange looks.

The good news is, almost everyone speaks English in Singapore and in general Singaporeans want to be helpful. If you approach the question as a plea for help, (as opposed to just expecting alterations can be made, which is built into the Western expectation of what it means to be the customer), and exercise patience, you will get there in the end. A local friend suggested I start every conversation with a new waiter with "Excuse me, I have a small problem that I was wondering could you please help me with". Just be careful of polite agreement that may not necessarily indicate understanding. You may want to learn the phrase "tripple confim".

Here are some common 'gluten traps' to watch out for, and some tips for where to start looking for your next gluten free meal.

1. Beware of any food that is from a 'pure veg' restaurant - be it Indian, Chinese, Malaysian or fusion cuisine. Chinese vegetarian cooking uses pure wheat gluten, called 'seitan' as a meat replacement. I had no idea about this and learned the hard way in Little India very early in my stay here. The tofu known as 'Tau Pork' is coated in seitan, this is the spongy tofu with skin. Many curries and laksas at hawker centers already have 'Tau Pork' mixed in with the sauce before they put in the noodles and meat, so be sure to check if this is the case before you order. If so, it's a 'no go'. Penang laksa/Malaysian style laksa and Thai laksa usually do not have Tau Pork. Laksa noodles are a form of rice noodles. If you want to be safe, confirm they are not using Mee (pronounced 'Meeh') as a replacement.

2. Chicken rice is a safe zone. Stick to the steamed chicken rather than roasted, and be sure to watch someone else's dish be prepared first so you can ask them not to put sauce on if necessary. See my post on Chicken Rice for more details.

3. Do not assume that stall owners in Hawker Centers, Food Courts and low end ($10-$15 a head) restaurants have even a basic understanding of gluten or even food allergies. In fact, if you try to explain that you will have a stomach upset, a lot of stall owners will think you are being fussy or insulting them about their hygiene standards. It usually goes a lot smoother if you know in advance what the common traps are for a particular dish by understanding the standard ingredients and asking straight forward questions around those. E.g. Does the curry have any flour, any powder, any thickener, any stock? Is there soya sauce, oyster sauce, does anything else come on the plate except what is in the ingredients? I recommend getting Mrs Lee's cookbook - as well as being useful for understanding the dishes you will come across it is also a cultural icon.

Most Chefs in higher end restaurants ($35+ a head) have been trained in chef schools to an international standard and therefore know about food allergies, you can usually approach them in the same way you would in Australia, USA or Canada - "Excuse me, please could you ask the chef if there is anything they can make gluten free? Here is a card explaining how severe my allergy to gluten is, and exactly what I can and can't eat", or something along those lines.

4. Especially when eating at Hawker Centers and Food Courts, it can be awkward to handle when your order does go wrong and you can tell you missed a step - "Oops, why didn't I ask them not to put biscuits all over my rice after we dissected the ingredients of the curry next to the rice in so much detail? How silly of me!". I have tried asking for them to make it again without. I have tried simply trying to hand the dish back and still pay. Nearly every approach just creates confusion - either their's; "Who is this crazy Ang Mo who just left an entire meal untouched on the table and then ordered another one?" or mine; "Did they really have time to make the dish again, or did they just take the biscuits away and then wait a few mins - is that a crumb I see or am I imagining things?".

My solution is - it is always best to eat with a group when trying a new place for the first time.

Firstly, your friends will look after you and make sure you don't take unnecessary risk just because you feel guilty about wasting food.

"Well.. maybe it's okay anyway, maybe it's that dark brown colour because of balsamic vinegar and not soy sauce..?"
 "No!"

If you are only with one other person it's pretty much one strike and you're out - now they have two dishes to eat and you know the next thing has to come out gluten free or everyone will just end up feeling awkward (and in my case, guilty for wasting food).

Secondly, the the more hungry people to absorb ordering mis-steps until you learn how to navigate the menu the better! My colleagues have started to enjoy the extra free food and I have a suspicion they are a bit eager to take me to new places for a reason.

Then next time you go back you know how to order 'just so' for that particular restaurant and dish.

5. Finally, and this applies anywhere in the world - unless you are in your own home town where you are a regular at the local cafe and they know both you and your autoimmune dysfunction by name - never go out to eat when you are really THAT hungry. Or if you do, always have a back up plan - fruit, musli bar, rice crackers, whatever, on hand. At least enough to get you to the point where you are capable of walking away if all the above fails.

Once you do manage to order a gluten free meal in Singapore, you will be delighted to find the food is generally fresh and delicious, so it is well worth a try at eating out. If you are worried about being stranded, research the nearest 'Cold Storage' supermarket to your hotel and you will be able to find a good range of gluten free products as back-up so you are not tempted to take risks to avoid starvation.