Wait a second...Soy Sauce has gluten in it????
After learning of my new gluten deficiency I was troubled but I had hope. Next to Italian, my favorite type of cuisine is Asian. Since there is barely any wheat used in Asian cooking, I was overjoyed that I could still feast upon take-out from Golden Empress Garden. Then I read how normal soy sauce is not made up entirely of soy. It in fact is blended with wheat and there for, is not gluten free. The average soy sauce can be up to 60% wheat! Now that's just false advertising.
Is nothing sacred in this celiac world? Just when I thought I had a victory, I find that Chinese/Japanese cuisine is chocked full of MSG: MORE STUPID GLUTEN!
And then hope returned. My dear friend Dane, who works at the popular Stephen Starr restaurant POD, told me that they use something called tamari in place of soy sauce for their gluten intolerant guests. After forgetting the name and mispronouncing it numerous times (Tamarine, Tamarind, Tamiri, Tamera, Tia...), I finally bookmarked a website about tamari on my phone and did some research.
Tamari is a gluten free soy sauce. What makes it different than regular soy sauce? Well tamari is actually made 100% from soy. No wheat allowed! Tamari offers the same savory, salty fix that soy sauce does, but will not cause any duress to the gluten sensitive stomach. I was able to find the San-J brand of tamari at the local Super Fresh. I was afraid it would be terribly expensive compared to regular soy, but I caught it on sale for $1.99. Gluten free and a bargain!
Thanks to Dane, I now know what to use at home for my stir-frys, and where to go if I want to dine out on some gluten safe sushi.
If you've never been to POD, it’s an Asian fusion restaurant located in University City. Dining at POD is kinda like dining in a space ship that crashed into a warehouse in the future. But not the future like 2137, more like the future how we thought the year 2000 would look in 1985. The floor is concrete, the chairs are plastic, and diners lucky enough to get a coveted pod have the freedom to change the color of the lighting in the space. Just avoid the red lighting. It makes you feel like you are in a tanning bed from hell.
All joking aside, the food is delicious, the service is fantastic, and the cocktails are spot on. I have never had a bad meal in this restaurant, and have celebrated many special occasions with them. They have many gluten-free options, including a sea bass that is out of this world. I highly recommend the Sake Mojito as well. It's a great play on the classic Mojito cocktail and has been a favorite of mine for years. And yay! It's also gluten free!
Glutardedly yours,
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