From the Gluten-Free Balcony.: About me

Hello! My name is Ayaka, a girl behind the blog, "the Gluten-Free Balcony." :)
Also, I am a MA student in the UK, and a peace & food lover!

日本語の『セリアック病とグルテンフリー』については >>> こちらへ

Me & my best friend eating one of the best meat pie in London on the street :)
n.b. We look so serious, but it was just because we were in an extreme hurry right before the theatre play - but indeed the pie was absolutely delicious XD

I am originally from Japan - born in Tokyo, moved to Nagasaki, moved back to Tokyo, and now all my family (including my dearest toy poodle, Muffin! :) ) lives in the south of Tokyo.

My childhood in Nagasaki especially got me interested in history, war and peace. Ever since, I've been trying to see a better future by learning from the past. And now, I am studying about peace, memory and reconstruction of post-conflict countries, as well as how the business communities can help contribute for the well-being of people, here in the UK.

But, why am I blogging about food?

To be honest, as much as I feel passionate about the subject, devoting myself in studying about the violence and human catastrophe can be very heavy. And indeed, I have had those times when I got very depressed.

Nonetheless, eating good food, cooking and sharing food with loved ones have always been my oasis.

I believe eating is absolutely fundamental to our life and good food is crucial for our well-being. Indeed, food has always helped me to feel better in many ways - from feeling down and stressed to homesick. And no one should ever be deprived this joy of enjoying food from their life.

Starting from not being able to cut carrots properly, I learnt how to cook better as I start to live my own in a different country :)

Then, I met my loving partner, David who has coeliac disease. Together we experienced times when we were both scared to even cook or eat food. But as we learned more about the disease, we found a way to enjoy food again.

For more about coeliac disease & our gluten-free diet, >> please click here :)

At the same time, I started to wish to share my gluten-free adventures with friends around the world who are having the similar experiences like us and friends who are interested in gluten-free diet.

This is how I began this blog, "From the Gluten-Free Balcony.".

And here I am writing my little food diaries from our flat with a tiny balcony in Brighton, UK - the city full of energy & creative vibe - with my wonderful partner who supports me and gives me the courage to pursue what I love, I feel incredibly happy to be able to share my passion for food with you!

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Some more about me >>

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I love learning new things and being creative! I especially love learning languages - and recently I'm into computer languages, HTML & CSS :)

I've been getting more and more stingy here in the UK - because everything seems so expensive! So, we try our best to eat gluten-free on a budget :) And, here you can find relatively cheap gluten-free recipes :)

I am a huge edamame lover. As a young child, I used to eat bowls full of edamame for snacks :) It's something I cannot stop once I start eating!

I love all kinds of food, but my 8 absolute favourite dishes are takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls), weißwurst (German white sausages), blaukraut (braised red cabbage), Hainanese chicken rice, pad thai (stir-fried rice noodles), gimbap (Korean rice rolls), Christmas stuffing, and popcorn! :D

My another favourite thing to do is to travel :) I've met so many amazing people in so many beautiful places around the world! My recent most-longing destinations are Brazil, Greece, and Korea :)