I've totally slacked on this blog thing since Scott arrived. We were just too busy running around and sightseeing - and I was having more fun catching up with him than trying to find a fast internet connection to write. Even though I'm back home, I'll have a couple more entries since there is a lot to write about. This entry is for my mom and is all about food - yum!
I don't even know where to begin. I have learned that here people will eat pretty much everything - frogs, snakes, insects, dogs, rats, eagles, monkies, various sorts of ocean/river/lake life, etc. I didn't try anything too crazy though I was hoping to try fried crickets. Apparently they're like a salty, crunchy snack to eat with your beer or cold beverage. Not that a truly cold beverage exists there - I was there during the hottest part of the year and cold items turned lukewarm within minutes. No kidding. Minutes. It was 90-95 degrees F with extremely high humidity so it was like putting your soda in a steamy oven. Rats you wonder? Most the rats are living in the fields eating rice, not garbage so I'm guessing it wouldn't be too bad. Probably like squirrel with more meat. Hhhhmmmm...not so sure I'd try though.
Anyway, the food that I ate was delicious! Lots of sticky rice, varieties of tasty curries, fresh and deep fried spring rolls, noodle dishes, yummy sauces, stir-fried veggies (like morning glory!), huge grilled fish, and the freshest and tastiest mango I've ever had - yep, better than Mexico. It was like a big, messy piece of candy!
Here are some of my favorite meals:
In Laos, the night food stalls has assortments of rice, noodles, greens, sauces, fried pork, beef, chicken etc, and you were handed a plate that you'd fill up with whatever you'd like. Then the lady behind the table would throw it all together in a wok and heat it up for you. The guy at the table had assortments of grilled meats - like whole chickens butterflied on a stick and grilled (the size of a cornish hen), or whole grilled fish on a stick. I opted for the whole grilled fish and it was probably the best fish I've had. After I devoured it I realized they stuffed it with whole stalks of lemongrass. With a soda the whole meal cost about $3.50. I'll have pics of it on facebook soon.
In Siem Reap, Cambodia, Scott and I got a sample platter of dishes at a restaurant for $8 total for the both of us. It had Fish Amok (like a fish curry), spring rolls, and something else which I can't remember but it was delicious!! The bowls everything came in were made out of banana leaves. I'll post a pic of that meal on facebook too.
Oh and the fruit - there were loads of fruit hanging from trees and growing everywhere! Mango trees were so full that from a distance it looked like someone hung hundreds of big Easter eggs on the trees. Smelly Durian fruit was massive and looked almost fake in the trees. On our last evening in Cambodia, I bought a package of 2 mangos from the grocery store for only $0.51 so I can only assume that if I purchased it on the street it would have been even cheaper. The mangos were really big but they were yellow. Not like the reddish ones you usually see in American grocery stores. I peeled one up and couldn't believe how much fruit was actually on it! It was like a meal in itself. I had mango running down my arms and all over my face and in my hair - and it was soooo gloriously delicious! I couldn't eat the other one cuz I was already in a sugar coma from the first one.
Scott and I hired a tuk tuk driver for our time in Siem Reap and he took us to the floating village on Tonle Sap lake (a Great Lake of Cambodia). While we were walking around in one of the floating stores our driver was eyeing some shrimp a couple girls had caught in their net. He said they looked really tasty and asked if we'd try them if he bought some. Of course I would! So we went back to the guesthouse he lived at and put the tiny raw shrimp in a bowl with a bunch of ice. He got some dipping sauce from the cook (some sort of lime fish sauce) and cucumbers on the side. Once the shrimp are cold enough you peel them and dip them in the sauce and eat raw! Not bad at all! We sat around the table on the patio with a few other Cambodians eating raw shrimp, drinking beer and enjoying a refreshing rain storm. It was a memorable experience and I didn't get sick!
During the cooking class I took in Laos, the chef took us to the market showed us ingredients that Lao people use. One of them was blocks of congealed blood. I can't remember what they're used for but it was really gross looking. That photo will be on facebook soon too. I'll post more photos of the food such as yummy doughnuts in a basket and bbq'd chicken feet.
Scott and I stayed in a bungalow on an island for a while and one afternoon we went into the local village for a beer/soda. The manager of the bungalows was from Canada so he knew some of the locals and warned us about their love of rice wine and how if offered we shouldn't refuse. Luckily, no one offered it, but we did see a bottle of "Special Muscle Wine" for sale in the shop. It was $3.50 so the Canadian bought a bottle because, well, come on, it's Special Muscle Wine! It tasted like a strong Jaegermeister, but our muscles became huge and toned after drinking!!!! Scott bought a bottle to take home as well as a 750L bottle of Cambodian Whiskey...for a mere $1.50. I have a photo of the Special Muscle Wine so will post that of course. The description of what it does for you is pretty hilarious and totally not FDA approved :)
The Canadian guy told us how the locals had caught a monkey and invited him to dinner the day before we arrived. I guess they were eating the brain straight from it's head and he had to refuse. I think he said he tried the meat, but not sure. The locals there also caught a couple huge eagles. We saw an eagle flying around in the sky the day we left so they probably caught that one too.
Although we were enjoying all the food, we had started to miss the taste of real cheddar cheese. Well, really just cheese in general. They had some soft cheeses but it was reserved for "western food" like sandwiches that just weren't the same as home. Scott and I were craving cheesy breakfast burritos for the last week we were there, so on our first day in Denver we each ordered one at a local diner for lunch and it was some serious good eats. We stayed at a Marriott once we got to Denver (too tired to drive the 2 hours home after the flights) and it had a breakfast buffet. It had a waffle maker, hot oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, assortments of muffins, bagels and bread, egg sandwiches, juice, coffee, tea and pretty much everything else. While Scott was eating breakfast he said a guest came in and complained about everything the breakfast didn't offer. Seriously? I was nearly jumping for joy over just the assortment of milk (after drinking mostly sweet and condensed for the last 5 weeks) and this lady is complaining?? Oh well, I was happy to be home and eating real western food for once. Give me 2 weeks and I'll be craving noodles and rice. I already miss the fruit.
No comments:
Post a Comment