okinawa hai!

CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN SCHALK Wadaya Food Being a newly diagnosed celiac presents many challenges, particularly when living in a foreign country. Beginning Japanese textbooks do not teach you how to say: “Excuse me, does this have wheat, barley, rye, or anything with gluten, or anything that has been cross-contaminated with gluten?” I foolishly took a [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JESS WHEELER Hi,  my name is Jess and when I was four I was diagnosed with Celiac's disease.  This means that I have to follow a strict gluten free diet.  While this disease is somewhat rare I am by no means the only person in this boat.  Now at 31 I feel like I may be able to provide some [...]

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Recently, we received an email from Cindy asking for help regarding gluten-free options on Oki.  We don't have a post specifically about this, so thought we'd bring the question to all of our readers for help.   Hello. My name is Cindy. My husband and I were both Marines stationed on Okinawa 2001-2004. Our first son [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON Looking for a local shop that supplies organic food staples? Well, you’re in luck. One afternoon I was driving along in Okinawa City and noticed the Organic and Natural Market.    I stopped to check out this tiny store and found a goldmine of organic and macrobiotic diet foods, including a [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JANNINE MYERS The festive season is quickly approaching and with it comes an atmosphere of jubilant anticipation, or for some, reservation as they ponder the number of calories they’re likely to gain! If you happen to be among those in the latter category, then this post may be of interest to you. Ever [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY DASHA GARIEPY In case you’ve ever wondered what those cheerful store clerks are chirping at you when you walk in the door, it’s “Irashaimase!” which translates to “Welcome!” I’ve been practicing this phrase over and over, much to the amusement of my Japanese host family. It sounds deceptively simple: Ee-rah-shay-mah-say. However, the “rah” [...]

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This mom needs your help. Maybe this post could turn into a place to swap some relevant Japanese phrases and vocabulary. All I can offer is that the word allergy is the same in Japanese. More or less.  Not helpful, I know. Here goes: My 4-year old son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. [...]

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