Hanoi Rooftop Nem Ran
It is easy to be consumed by Hanoi. The hysterical ballet of endless motorcycles constantly threatens to knock you over, yet somehow never does. Instead they flow in a kind of hypnotic harmony without the aid of any traffic lights or commands, cutting seamlessly into each other as if they were riding to a soundtrack […]
It’s a Banh Eat Banh World
Vietnam. The hot belly, the fiery stomach, the Mecca of street food. The place to walk down an alley, follow your nose, pick a dish and pull up a red plastic stool. Squat with your knees bent at your waist and dig in. Street food does not require a guide. It is an independent and […]
The Sticky Rice Club
My name is Gabriella and I’m a sticky-rice-aholic. In fact since leaving Laos, I think I am suffering from a serious case of withdrawal. It is a relationship that is pure. No fancy contraption is needed, no spoon, fork or chopstick, just you and your ball of sticky rice. Some people prefer the simple bowl […]
Laos Jungle Papaya Salad
Leeches are not in my OK list. I know they are technically harmless, but the idea of a tiny worm turning into a giant blood-filled slug at my expense is not convincing. There is no rationality to this of course, which is how I ended up trekking in dense 35 degrees jungle heat wrapped from […]
Yangon Street Food – Pop Up Style
06H00 Yangon arises by 6 am. No, let’s make that 5 am. Not one to hit the snooze button again and again, the city is an early bird champion. The short and narrow streets of Chinatown sit side by side in tidy rows, rickshaws ride through slow and steady. Block after block of colonial houses resist, […]
The Teahouses of Myanmar
“Dissue.” “Tissue.” He shakes his head. No. No. “Deeeessue. Dee. Dee.” he says with clear exasperation. I point at the box of tissues on the table. “Dissue?” He nods. Finally. Yes. I am having my five minute Burmese lesson with Keh Keh, a boy of no more than 12 years old, hanging out at the […]
Slurp n’ Gobble – the Noodles & Dumplings of North-West China 西北
“民以食为天 – food is the peoples’ heaven – hunger breeds discontentment“ – Chinese Proverb China lives for food. Life here revolves around food. After the culinary barrenness of Central Asia, China is a continuous feast, for the eyes, for the nose, for our palates. If you crave something in China, it is rare you will have […]
Underground Tibetan Amdo Dumplings
These are not momos. The well-known Tibetan and Nepalese dumplings go very well with images of high Himalayan mountains and icy winds, hot succulent gems to warm your soul from the inside out. These dumplings however go by a different name; these little bursts of juicy meat wrapped in pockets of dough accomplish the job […]
Early Summer Green Rice from Tehran
“Tehran is the third most beautiful capital in the world!” promised our friend Muhammed. Mmm I think that is slightly debatable…with its mad traffic and consequentially high air pollution, this congested city has not managed to squeeze its way into my top three places in Iran, but our stay there definitely rated highly due to […]
Welcome to Iran
“Welcome to Iran!” the man in the white and black Adidas tracksuit waves and grins at us from the front row of the van. We are about 5 minutes into our dolmuş ride from Dogubeyazit and still about 30 km from the Iranian border, but Feri cannot contain his enthusiasm. This former member of the […]
