Celiac at a rice-and-curry shop — how do I ask about wheat and soy sauce without getting a blank tourist-mild plate?

Lead with the food, not the diagnosis speech. 'No wheat, no bread, no soy sauce, no noodles — rice, dhal, vegetables, grilled fish please' is clearer than a long celiac explanation in a busy shop. Many gravies are coconut and spices, not flour, but soy sauce and some snack pieces are the usual sneak. A small card in English plus Sinhala or Tamil with those nos helps. I will not certify any street kitchen as safe for celiac disease — cross-contact is real, and a home kitchen or a hotel that will cook a separate pan is the lower-risk move when you need certainty. In a simple shop, watch them plate it, skip the mystery fried piece, and keep your own snacks for the gaps.