The Nosher's Chronicle

I have received a few emails from foodie friends requesting more detail about what I have been eating ... if you are not interested in the minute details of food, I suggest you stop reading here ...

One of the things that has struck me about the food so far is that in the US we are suddenly focused on the "locavore" movement ... only eating fresh food from nearby so it doesn't have to travel far. The ironic thing about that, of course, is that in most of the world, that is the only option ... they only serve what they can grow/catch/raise nearby in that particular season.

I have been eating ridiculously well so far on the trip. Every morning I have eggs (as "free range" as they come - they don't have chicken coops here), an incredible array of local fruits (dragon fruit, pineapple, papaya, melons, banana and the sweetest, juiciest mangoes I have ever had outside of India during mango season), toast with homemade jams, including tamarind and roselle, great dark coffee (they grow amazing coffee in both Thailand and Laos - no decaf so I have been fully charged all day long) and juices of every kind, including lime juice, a personal favorite from my time in India. I could write an entire blog entry on just the limes in this part of the world ... small, tangy and bring out the flavor in anything you are eating. I will definitely miss the limes!

Laos was also a French colony for years, so the pastries and bread are pretty incredible. I suspect the same will be true in Cambodia and Vietnam. There are several shops in LP that bake only French pastries. Yum. I have not lost weight here!

Locally, they eat fish, noodles and rice for breakfast, but I suppose my western roots die hard, and since breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day I can't resist the above.

For lunch and dinner, I have tried to stay local, which means tons and tons of vegetables (steamed, sauted in soy sauce, lemongrass, ginger) and fish. In Laos I have eaten TONS of Mekong River fish, which they assure me is a swimming fish, not a bottom feeder, but I have no idea what it is. My first time eating it was on the boat down the Mekong, where it was steamed in a banana leaf envelope with dill and cilantro ... really simple but incredibly flavorful. Last night I had a whole grilled fish with local herbs and "fried rice" with vegetables with a whole fried egg on top that broke all over the rice when I punctured it (yuuummmm). The fried rice was lightly sauted, so not greasy like the overcooked, crispy rice we get in local Chinese take out places across the US.

In Thailand, I ate loads of pad thai, a great combination of sweet and spicy and again not the greasy noodles we are used to eating at home. I also at a lot of sweet and sour fish ... once in a restaurant with Duke overlooking the river and the fish was lightly grilled and then sauted in the sauce with local vegetables. By the far the best sweet and sour dish I have ever had!

Last night I ate dinner at the 3 Nagas restaurant, which was a great spot for both eating and people watching. I saw at least 100 monks walk by (which was funny as there was a photo exhibit of monks across the street at the coffee shop, so I was looking at photos of monks walking and then seeing the monks walking ...) as I was waiting for my meal. Before my food arrived, they brought me homemade thin bread sticks with sesame dipping sauce ... sesame oil with toasted sesame seeds, and then a small bowl of chili powder. The waiter knew I don't like spicy food, but told me the chili powder would be okay ... it was very sweet, not spicy at all, and so delicious when combined with the sesame oil. Again, really simple but incredibly flavorful.

On the boat ride they made special food for me since I dont eat meat or shellfish. For lunch the second day they made me a curry (I hate Indian food precisely because I hate curry) but I couldnt say no since they had made it specially for me. I'm happy to report that I actually enjoyed it ... it was almost a soup in a coconut milk base, loads of vegetables (heavy on cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers ... they cook cucumbers here) and some, you guessed it, Mekong River fish. It was really good - the coconut milk made it very creamy, and the curry powder was very light, and together with the fresh air and the scenery, it was one of my favorite meals so far.

Of course rice is served everywhere you go, all the time, the lifeblood of any good Asian. In Japan, they debate the quality of the rice the way we would debate the quality of wine or coffee, but I can't tell the difference. I have been eating a lot of sticky rice, which you are supposed to eat by rolling it into small balls in your hands - I did that with my snack at Tamarind, but mostly stick to the fork or chopstick instead of my hands.

I went to a local shop in LP where they make ricecakes ... on the sidewalks all along the river here there are boards of ricecakes drying in the sun. I see roosters pecking at them all day, so the health inspector wouldnt be impressed, but most of them are then fried in oil where they instantly puff up. I had a fresh one the other day it tasted shockingly flavorful, I assume the oil was something other than Wesson to help give it such a full flavor.

I could go on ... the food has all been great. It is nearly impossible not to get the FDA's suggested servings of fruit and veggies here, all so fresh and full of flavor. Unless you pick it in your garden, it is nearly impossible to get food this fresh anywhere in the US - much of what I have been eating was picked that day or caught that day and then served to me, and you can really tell the difference.

Will do my best to keep detailing the food in Cambodia and Vietnam ... I have no idea what to expect but will keep mental notes and write to you about the highlights.

Until then, happy eating!