As I was watching An Idiot Abroad the other day, Karl Pilkington said he didn't want to visit China because of the food they eat. He was afraid of acquiring a "taste for toad", then upon returning to England not finding the availability of the toad he so decided he loved. He ends up being force-fed toad in China, nearly vomiting with every bite, but it made realize...traveling opened up my taste buds to new and exciting, sometimes exotic, foods that I can't find in small-town America. And it sucks!!
Every day at work, we have the age-old conversation of what are we going to have for lunch that day. And every day, I have the same response: I want something exciting. Something so exciting that it blows my mouth up, full of flavors and textures that keep me yearning for something more. The food I desire is impossible to find where I live. When I say "impossible", I mean it is a food dish that most of the people in my small town wouldn't even be able to pronounce, let alone cook. There's not even a decent steak house in my little town...and my little town is renowned for being a top hunting destination in the States. What's up with that?!
I definitely didn't appreciate the food in Thailand when I lived there. (For an enticing Thai food blog, read this one...) What I wouldn't give for a bowl of Khao Soi, or a plate of mango sticky rice, or even a simple plate of chicken fried rice from the woman who turned her front yard into a restaurant across the street from my apartment. Last season on Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain, he visited the Cowboy Hat Lady in Chiang Mai. If you've been to Chiang Mai and are friends with the locals, then you will be familiar with the Cowboy Hat Lady. Famous for cooking up the BEST roasted pork with rice and a soft boiled duck egg in town. Since that episode of Parts Unknown aired, all I've wanted was to enjoy her food again, accompanied by her amazing sweet and sour chili sauce...it wasn't as spicy as a lot of Thai food, but it packed a punch and still I could drink gallons of it with tears from the heat streaming down my face. Thanks a lot, Anthony, for reminding me of the Cowboy Hat Lady and making me suffer with an empty, unsatisfied belly.
Lately, I've been dreaming of sitting in a hawker (a government-regulated street food smorgasbord) in Singapore, drooling over a bowl of Shanghai Noodles with a side of dragon balls (similar to dim sum, and definitely not made of parts of Drogon or Rhaegal). The noodles were made fresh to order. Literally. You order the noodles and the chef starts making them from scratch. Holy hell they were delicious! Singapore's signature dish is called Chicken Rice. It's boiled chicken and rice...it sounds basic, but it's anything but! Packed full of flavor, the chicken is silky and melts in your mouth. Take me back to Asia, please!!
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| Top: Shanghai Noodles, Left: Steamed dragon balls, Bottom: Braised beef and noodles |
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| Made to order: Seconds after ordering Braised Beef Noodles, the chef gets to work! |
Even visiting Japan, the food blew my mind. They have some weird stuff in Japan, like fried balls filled with octopus juice, but they also have Udon. I must be a freak for fresh noodles, because I had the most delicious bowl of fresh udon and chicken in some random shack in the Gion District of Kyoto. Seriously, the dingiest places have the best food. I recommend forgoing on fancy restaurants when traveling...hit up that rusty shack with a line of people out the door. Chances are it's a hell of a lot cheaper and a hell of a lot tastier!
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| At the end of this alley, there is a magic place. In that magic place, they make Udon. Gion District, Kyoto |
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| This magic man is cooking my fresh Udon. I fell in love with him. |
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| Elsewhere in Kyoto, I had this lovely, delicious cabbage pancake. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called... |
If, on the off chance, you can find real Asian food at home, it's so expensive! Seriously, it's cheaper to fly to Asia and spend months there eating than it is to buy it here. Include the culture and experience and it's well worth it to hop a plane and get the hell out of dodge!
Even living in England, I fell in love with the food. I've heard many people say that British food is basic and flavorless...I don't know where they were eating, but I never had anything basic and flavorless during my four-year stint in Leicester. Fish n' chips, meat pies (I'm actually thinking of opening up a proper meat pie shop here because of my love for meat pies), Sunday roasts with Yorkshire Pudding....Does Yorkshire Pudding even exist in the States? No. Because no one knows what Yorkshire Pudding is. Sausage rolls and pasties...god, pasties are just the perfect food: meat and veg-filled pockets of deliciousness!
Yes. There is definitely a negative aspect of traveling. Giving your taste buds a whirlwind adventure, only to come back to pure disappointment at home, agonizing for some excitement! I'm left here with a hungry belly and feet that are growing itchier by the day. I'm dying for an exotic, food-filled holiday next year! Where will it be? Definitely not Korea...that's probably the only place I've traveled where I did not like the food, (with the exception of fried chicken! Korea knows how to fry up some chicken!).
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| See? Korean food...yuck! (Just kidding. This is Korean hospital food) |
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| This one wasn't so bad...Namyeong. Cold buckwheat noodles with radish kim chi and beef. Take that chili paste off and it was ok. |
Food is something we all need. It is a necessity of life. It is something I really didn't appreciate enjoying during my travels as much as I should have. I was too busy missing crap food at home to really understand how much I would miss foreign food when I came back. On my next adventure, whenever (and wherever) that will be, I will definitely have an appetite and an empty belly to get my fill of exciting and delicious food! Until then, here is a picture of a Panda Pau! A chocolate custard filled Chinese steamed bun from the Singapore Zoo :)
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| It's so yummy! |
Happy Trails!
