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Thank you to all to replied.  Many were interested in the information themselves and as usual, everyone was very supportive and positive with their responses.  We did go to China Pearl in Chinatown, Boston.  I tried to ask the hostess who seemed to speak English a bit better than the others, but she couldn't help me. The servers could not understand my questions and neither could 2 waiters that were nearby.  I hadn't expected to be able to communicate my needs so I wasn't frustrated.  I did bring my own LaChoy Soy Sauce and all I ate was the "sticky rice" which happened to be one of my favorite things there anyway.  Just by looking at it, I could tell most of what was served was risky.  All in all, it was still fun and I did not get sick, at least that I'm aware of.  Here are the responses I received:
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I really do not think you will be able to enjoy any food there. I work right around the corner and go quite frequently (wife has CD) Most of the food has wheat in it. The dishes that use a rice wrapper or ones that do not have gluten suffer from being served from the same carts that do serve gluten containing items. 
Language barriers aside, I would be skeptical that anything there is GF or does not suffer from cross contamination

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Whew... a touch one.  I love dim sum but it would be difficult to do gf unless you can talk with the mgr or owner or chef ahead of time.  Try it!  might work.
Please share...

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Almost all Asian staff will do their best to help you meet your needs, including Chinese staff. If you explain you can only eat dim sum in rice wrappers NOT wheat wrappers, without soy sauce or wheat noodles, you are practically home free anyway, and if they have any English, they will understand the English for those items.

If it's a buffet situation, try to find someone on the staff to point out rice wrapper items you may eat. Tip: rice wrappers are nearly translucent, while wheat wrappers are more opaque and thicker. Stick to steamed items and avoid fried items, even in rice wrappers, as you don't know what  else was fried in the oil. If it's brown, don't eat it: may have soy sauce.

A couple of years ago at a conference, I had one of my most rewarding GF experiences in Washington DC''s Chinatown, including at a Vietnamese restaurant, where the waiter immediately warned me away from the soup I wanted, as that contained soy sauce or something and was made in advance. He recommended a stir fry which he would make sure was in its own pan with only GF seasoning. It was terrific! I have never had an unhelpful Asian waitperson (compared to many very rude or inconsiderate Americans - fortunately most are courteous and do their best too), although I have sometimes had trouble with the language barrier.

Hope this helps your dim sum experience (maybe eat ahead just to be safe, and not to feel deprived if there isn't much there for you!). I hope you feel encouraged to try more Asian restaurants in future. I have much better luck at them than at American-style "home-cooking" places! Ever seen the movie, "Five Easy Pieces" and the diner scene?

Good luck and good eating!

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There was a chinese restaurant card of the listserv recently.  Maybe it is in the Archives.  I thought I had saved it in a file, but can't find it.
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I'm an Asian with CD.  Dim Sum is made with wheat starch and rice flour or 
wheat flour, eggs, and baking powder.  Also, chow fun noodles, esp. the 
fresh type, can be made with wheat starch;  I contacted one local 
manufacturer here in California who makes fresh chow fun noodles and even 
though they said it is not disclosed on the ingredient panel, they add a 
small amount.  The manufacturer said the FDA had inspected their facilities 
and did not inform them to add this ingredient to their label.  They 
promised to add the wheat starch to their label but I have since checked and 
they have not done as promised.
I've also found that the sesame balls can be made not only with sweet rice 
flour but a combination of sweet rice flour and wheat flour or sweet rice 
flour and whiskey or some other alcohol.  And even if no gluten is added to 
the sesame balls, they may fry the sesame balls in oil or wok 
cross-contaminated with gluten.  If you cannot find someone who speaks 
enough English, I would recommend that you bring your own food to be safe.
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I would stay away from anything wrapped in "rice paper" - as you know it is 
almost never pure rice
instead aim for tofu dishes, vegetables
Also- soups are a no
I still go to dim sum and love it
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Sorry you are getting this after the fact, I"m just now checking my e-mail
from Friday, Oct. 11, but for future dining out at foreign speaking
restaurants, you may want to check out the book, Against the Grain, by Jax
Peters Lowell.  She lists wheat allergy/gluten intolerant cards in the back
of her book for people who travel out of the US to non English speaking
countries.  They work just as well here at Chinese and Japanese restaurants.
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