Tag Archives: food

Sep24

Succulent Surprises!

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Before arriving in China, the two things I was worried about most were the language barrier and food.

We’ve all heard the stories. Dogs, monkeys, frogs, bugs, the Chinese have developed a bit of a reputation for their adventurous eating habits. This, plus the extremely limited communication between the Chinese and non-Chinese speakers had me seriously worried that I’d find something very undesirable on my plate.

Even in the United States I’ve never been a huge fan of Chinese food and frankly, the Chinese food in Malaysia was by far my least favorite among the options.

But to my delightful surprise, the Chinese food from China was SOME OF THE BEST FOOD I’VE EVER EATEN. In fact, aside from Thailand, China was the only other Asian country where I continually sought out local food for the entire duration of my trip, instead of the usual “I need pizza and pasta” cravings I usually get after a few days. And, also to China’s credit, I only got food poisoning on two occasions, which is not bad considering my track record and the fact that I spent two months there.

I will say, however, that unless you really love bones, avoid the chicken. After initial experiences picking the stringy and unappetizing chicken pieces off the bones (the Chinese believe it tastes better that way), I soon gave up and decided to stick to beef or pork for the remainder of the trip.

Below is a list of the best and/or most interesting food experiences I had in China.

Char Siew and Roasted Goose

Char Siew and roasted goose in Hong Kong

One of my favorite Chinese dishes in Malaysia, char siew is essentially barbecued pork, a specialty in Cantonese food in places like Hong Kong. On the right side of the plate is roasted goose, another fan favorite for Hong Kong, though I think goose will never be my favorite…

Dim Sum

Dim Sum in Hong Kong

Another Cantonese specialty, dim sum is the original Sunday brunch where family and friends get together to share a series of small, often steamed, dishes. My lovely friend Althea and her mother took me out for dim sum while I was in Hong Kong, and we had a great time. Though her tricksy mother did try to sneak in some shrimp-filled dishes despite my strict no-seafood diet.

Althea’s Mom: “Did you like that dish?”

Me: (The one with the obvious fish taste to it I had politely ignored) “It was ok.”

Althea’s Mom: “Ha, there was shrimp in that! You like it, see?”

Me: “Uh huh…”

Chicken Head

Ivy shows off my surprise chicken head!

In China, they like all parts of their meat, and I mean, all parts. But for some reason, the discovery of the chicken head inside our steamed chicken at Grandma’s Kitchen in Hangzhou still surprised me, and I did a little jump in my seat before bursting out laughing at my own squeamishness. I think my host, Ivy, was a little freaked out, but she was still a good sport :).

Peking Duck

Peking duck in Beijing after a long day visiting the Great Wall!

THE dish of Beijing, my picky self was fairly confident that I would not be a fan of the Peking Duck. Gotta say, though, add in a tortilla and some plum sauce, and the stuff is pretty good and a wonderful ending to a long trek on the Great Wall :).

Szechuan Food

Local Sichuan food while having dinner with my host in Leshan.

Also spelled “Szechuan,” Sichuan food is known for its spicy, bold flavors. The region is famous for its food, which is often full of garlic, chillis, ginger and oil. I don’t really know the details of what I ate, I would just point to things and enjoy :).

Tibetan Butter Tea

Tibetan butter tea in Western China

You either love it or hate it, and I definitely loved it! Consumed throughout the day by Tibetans, butter tea is essentially yak butter melted into tea. It was thick and salty and had an overall warming effect, much appreciated when up in the mountains. I thought it tasted like liquid brie!

Momos

Best momos ever, though technically found in Nepal…

Though technically dumplings themselves, momos are a Tibetan style of dumpling which seemed to me to just be extra delicious. Dumplings all over China were amazing, though you can find momos in Nepal, northern India and other nearby regions as well. Pictured here are the best I found: homemade, road side steamed momos stuffed with chicken and vegetables discovered outside a temple in Nepal (ok, so technically not China, but you get the drift :)).

Tea Tasting at the China National Tea Museum

Tea tasting at the China National Tea Museum in Hangzhou

Though I am no tea connoisseur (yet ;)), I love tea! While green tea might be China’s most famous, I think my favorite Chinese tea is the ginseng oolong, a light tea that leaves a deliciously sweet after taste. This photo was taken while tea tasting at the China National Tea Museum in Hangzhou, situated amongst its famous green tea fields.

Live Chinese Food

Dinner awaits outside a restaurant in Yangshuo

It was not an uncommon occurrence to see cages, buckets or tanks outside restaurants filled with what would become tonight’s meal. While I prefer to live in the blissful ignorance of not thinking about the animal that had to die for my dinner, China sort of puts it all out there. I remember having a quite delicious rabbit stew with my host in Leshan (my first time eating rabbit!) and then feeling quite conflicted upon spotting the sweet, white bunnies locked up in cages out the front door. In the pet vs. food dilemma, I think I may have to keep the bunnies on the pet side…

Tsampa

Tsampa inside a Tibetan nomadic tent in Western China

A Tibetan staple, tsampa is a simple meal made of mostly barley flour and butter tea. It wasn’t particularly tasty, but definitely gives the body what it needs when trying to stay warm up in the mountains!

Chinese Noodles, Szechuan Noodles

Delicious street noodles in Chengdu!

Whether it be in a restaurant or on the street, you can never go wrong with Chinese noodles! These spicy Sichuan ones here cost about $1 in Chengdu and made for one happy girl!

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May5

Unglorious Food

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Much to my father’s frustration, I’m not food adventurous.

I don’t eat weird parts of animals. I don’t eat weird animals. I won’t go anywhere near seafood. And, at the end of the day, if I can’t identify it, I’m not going to eat it.

This sort of limits my sustenance options when traveling Asia (and is probably why I will never get my own travel show :/).

That being said, I certainly have observed a lot of strange foods here, particularly in Laos, and have had one close call almost eating something I really did not want to try…

My second day in Vang Vieng, my German friend Marcel and I decided we would go explore one of the caves nearby. As we headed toward the entrance, we saw a row of women selling what looked like grilled honeycomb.

“I love honey,” I thought. “What a great chance for me to try local Laos food!”

Apparently, Marcel was thinking the same thing, so we both headed off to buy one.

Luckily, we decided to share.

Wrapped in pandanas leaves, straight from the grill, this new dish looked pretty good. But as Marcel slowly started to unwrap the honeycomb, I looked back at the grill and noticed something strange: there were bug larvae on top of those honeycombs.

Shocked, I looked at the grilling lady and pointed, trying hard to physically communicate the fact that her food was essentially covered in maggots. Seeing my reaction, she too communicated without words: she picked one up and popped it into her mouth.

As I turned back to Marcel, we began to look more closely at our snack. Instead of honey, we found that every single hole was filled with bug larvae! In fact, some of them were still wriggling around!

That was pretty much game over for me. Marcel, however, after his one bite, informed me the bug babies had an interesting nut flavor (he would not learn until later that many of them were still alive).

Please enjoy a lovely photo essay of our find plus a few other curious, apparently edible, things I’ve found around Laos.

Grilled Bug Larvae

Wriggling grilled bug larvae nestled between honeycomb

Chicken and Fish on a Stick

Chicken or fish?

Feces Soup

There are no words.

Little Fish on a Stick

Little fish on a stick in Four Thousand Islands

Monk Food

Alms made to monks in Luang Prabang

Eggs on a stick

Strangely, these eggs had no yolk in them...

Grilled Frog

Grilled frog in the Four Thousand Islands

Jun10

The Good, the Bad, the Bali: Part 3

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The rest of our time in Ubud was really nice. As Bali’s culture “capital,” Ubud is the place people go to learn about Balinese art, dance, traditions, yoga etc. (as opposed to surfing and partying). As Bali’s other tourist hotspot, it is also full of really cute boutiques and restaurants, and it seems everyone is willing to drive you somewhere or give you a massage.

Though we definitely indulged a bit in the shopping and spa treatments, we also made sure to try to explore the local culture. One of the things on my must-see list was to watch a traditional Balinese dance. The bright side of staying in a tourist area is there were plenty of options. The down side is that it’s hard to differentiate between the more authentic Balinese culture and the pre-packaged tourist garbage (we learned on day one that our hired driver had his own agenda in mind to take us to places where he’d get a commission. We had to give him very clear directions after that…). When it came to dancing, my guidebook had warned that there were a number of “B”-list dance troupes around and that authentic Balinese dance should not look like you could do it yourself…

We ended up selecting a dance hall near our homestay, and honestly, I cannot tell you which “level” of dance troupe we saw. To their credit, the setting was amazing. Located behind a lily-pad covered moat with a gold, regal-like backdrop, the open-air stage had a magical, enchanting feel to it. The dancers themselves were absolutely beautiful as well with exotic, colorful costumes and make-up.  The performance also had on-stage musicians who play these unique gong and xylophone-like instruments, which is pretty cool to see.

The dance itself, however, was, in a word, unique…  It is made up with a series of precise hand, arm, head and hip movements with a lot of bent-angle aesthetics that are often used to tell a story. What I found particularly interesting is that they actually use their eyes to dance by opening them wide and looking right to left to the music. It’s quite fun to watch, though slightly creepy…After watching the same few movements over and over and over again, however, it gets a bit redundant and I wouldn’t exactly describe much of the activity as anything that would require you to break into a sweat…Still an interesting experience though.

In addition to Balinese dancing, we also had the chance to explore some more local culture in Ubud with a half-day bike tour through the outside villages. What was great about the tour was that you get outside the tourist zones and get to cruise down the hillside (yes, all downhill!), past the rice paddies, past the women carrying baskets on their heads, and past all the local communities. We made several stops along the way to explore on foot, and I must admit, it was really cool to see what rice paddy looked like. Turns out, it looks kind of like wheat or any other grain, who knew?

Me and the Paddy Fields

One of the coolest parts of the trip, however, was our visit to the coffee plantation at the beginning. We got to check out where they grow coffee, vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa before sitting down to sample a few brews :). What was especially interesting, however, is that we got to try civet coffee, or what I prefer to call, “luwak-poo” coffee. For this delicacy, a weasel-like animal called a luwak first eats the berry surrounding the coffee bean, then poos it out. These beans are then roasted and made into a very expensive coffee. There seem to be several theories on why this coffee is so special. Some say enzymes in the luwak’s stomach changes the flavor of the coffee, while others say luwaks naturally choose the best berries, and therefore, the best beans in the wild and make the coffee roaster’s job easier. Either way, the coffee was good, strong, though I’m not enough of a coffee connoisseur to appreciate all its unique flavor :).

Sep6

Festivities and Saris!

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It’s one of Malaysia’s many holiday seasons this month, and let me just say, things have been crazy busy! After several weeks of fasting, Ramadan is coming to an end this week, which means lots of preparations and excitement in Malaysia. It’s almost like Christmas season here, with people sending gift baskets and greeting cards to each other and getting ready for Hari Raya, the Malaysian version of Eid ul-Fitr, to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

It’s really interesting being in a Muslim country during Ramadan. Though I usually noticed when it occurred when I was in the U.S., here the whole country changes for the month to accommodate the Malays, all of whom are Muslim and who make up the largest majority in the country. At work, Malays come in early and leave early to make up for the shortened “lunch” break and allow them time to go home and prepare for “buka puasa,” when they break the fast after dark. More than just a suggestion, all Malays are REQUIRED to observe Ramadan by Sharia Law. In fact, when I went out to lunch with some co-workers a couple weeks ago, my Malay friend (who was sick and therefore not fasting) had to hide behind us when we ate out in public for fear of getting fined by Sharia police. While the Chinese, Indians and other “obvious” non-Muslims have no problem during Ramadan, people who are half Indian half Chinese, known as “Chindians,” sometimes get into trouble, because they physically look Malay and Sharia Law is enforced through racial profiling. Definitely not in Kansas anymore…

Aside from Ramadan, last week Malaysia also celebrated Merdeka Day to recognize the day it gained its independence from British colonial rule. I’m still not exactly sure what Malaysians do to celebrate, but it seemed to me everyone just enjoyed an extra day off from work. I decided to use my day off to go hiking with a friend in a local park called Bukit Gasing which, though not exactly the deep jungle, was still pretty cool.

Me holding a Malaysian flag on Merdeka Day while hiking in Bukit Gasing

Let me tell you, hiking on the equator is like hiking in a sauna! Though the park was relatively tame, after just a short distance I was completed soaked in sweat and my face was bright red. The huge rainstorm that poured down half-way through the hike was more than welcome and felt amazing after all the heat and humidity. All was fun and games until I realized that the rain had soaked through the backpack, destroying my phone and severely damaging my camera…yeah…not cool…

In addition to the national festivities, I have also been getting ready to go to my first Indian wedding later this week. The guy getting married, Prakash, was one of my cab drivers when I first got here who I made friends with. Though I don’t know him well, he was very excited that I come to the wedding, and there is no way I am going to pass up this opportunity!

Being an Indian wedding, I want to dress appropriately, so of course that means I had to get a sari! Unfortunately, I don’t know any Indian women here very well, so my Indian Malaysian friend Jullian offered to take me sari shopping, which, as a guy, he had never done either…

Jullian took me to an area in KL called Brickfields, also known as Little India, to shop. Though I didn’t exactly know what to expect, I was hoping to meet a nice, English-speaking Indian female at the shop who could help me pick out a sari and show me how to tie it. Unfortunately for me, the shopkeeper was a man, who though very nice, only spoke Tamil…

Somehow between me awkwardly pointing at things, Jullian translating and the shopkeeper wrapping me up like a doll (like I’m going to be able to repeat this!), I managed to find this beautiful dark pink and gold sari as well as matching bangles and jewelry. Then it was off to the tailor’s (another man) where I was measured for a custom-made sari shirt to wear under my new sari (fun conversation moment: tailor: “Do you want cups sewn in?” me: “I have no idea. This is awkward…”). After pointing out pictures in a book, some translating from Jullian and advice from the tailor’s wife (“Yes, get the cups…”) I think I picked out a really pretty design that I can’t wait to see when I pick it up on Wednesday!

Along with getting Indian dress, I also learned how to properly eat Indian food, with my hands! A couple weeks ago my co-workers and I were interviewing an Indian Malaysian family for a university ad and afterward took them out for an Indian banana leaf lunch. Though I had done this before, I have always used a fork, but this time, I had proper tutors :).

To start, a banana leaf is placed in front of everyone and the server comes around and puts rice and different ladles of curry and other sauces around it. You then use your hand to mix things together and put it in your mouth. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong!

Turns out, eating with your hands is hard!  You only use your right hand and you’re not supposed to get messy past your second knuckle. Much easier said than done…  After several awkward, elbow-raising attempts with very little food getting into my mouth and much taunting from certain co-workers, Saha, the Indian Malaysian student we interviewed, told me the rule of thumb is not to use your thumb, except to push food into your mouth. Apparently the key is to scoop up the food with the tips of your fingers then use the back of your thumb to push it in your mouth.

In the end, I left with a full stomach and a sense of accomplishment. Next step, learning to use chopsticks!

Jul18

Apartments and monkeys

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For those of you who know me pretty well, you know that making decisions has never been my strong point. Just going to the mall and picking out a simple pair of shoes or a sweater can take hours, so you can imagine my difficulty in trying to find an apartment, especially when practically all of them require a one-year commitment.  To make matters worse, my two-week free stay at Hotel Caliber runs out in three days. The clock is ticking…

So basically my dreams of commuting to Cheras from KLCC every day were squashed the day I got to work when practically everyone told me I was crazy. Not only is KLCC exponentially more expensive to live in than Cheras, but the commute during rush hour could take hours, even though it could be as short as a 20-minute drive. So I have decided to stay in Cheras, but settling on where exactly to live in Cheras has been a whole other issue. The problem is finding a place I am comfortable in that is accessible to both work and shopping without a car, not an easy feat here. I did find a newly-opened “luxury” studio apartment complex that is within an acceptable distance from work. The only problem is, while this place is technically affordable, it is small. Don’t get me wrong, it is beautiful, very clean and would be very easy to maintain. But for the same price and even less (sometimes a lot less), I could get a multi-bedroom, fully furnished apartment elsewhere that is in a much more rundown condition. It’s not that I need a ton of space, but aside from saving money, it would be nice to have a kitchen table and extra space for when I have guests. (Sidenote: the “luxury” apartment has a very lovely bathroom that separates the bedroom from the main room – completely encased in glass walls…)

Technically, I have made a verbal commitment to rent the see-through, “luxury” condo, but one of my real estate agents said he has a cheaper, two-bedroom nearby to show me Tuesday. Plus, a new cab-driver friend I made said he is going to recommend me some condos within walking distance of work that would be even cheaper. Sigh, thank goodness I have friends to stay with after Wednesday… Hopefully by the end of this week I’ll have a home. Fingers crossed.

On a positive note, I am much more comfortable here. I have gotten over the initial feeling of “Oh my goodness, am I really going to be living here for two years?” to a growing excitement of all the cool things I want to do. Seriously, I am learning soooo much every day, I cannot even begin to write it all down right now. Everything from Malaysia’s religion(s) to its politics to its climate and living conditions is so vastly different than what  I have experienced before. This is definitely not an experience I would have gotten staying in the U.S. or western Europe.

For instance,Wednesday I saw my first wild monkeys ever. Let me tell you, it was SOOOO COOL!!! I was such a giddy, little girl, it was ridiculous. My boss was like, “I don’t think I have ever seen someone quite so excited about monkeys before…,” but to someone who has only seen monkeys in zoos, to see them within feet of you with no bars was incredible. There was a mom, her baby (so cute!) and two, what I presume, were males, eating garbage outside the homes surrounding the university where I work. Though no official contact was made (they have been known to snatch stuff from people), the few times they caught me staring at them was enough to make me run away a few times. Very, very cool just the same. 🙂

The other highlight of the week was eating possibly the most delicious Indian food I have ever had. My co-worker Joyce and I went out to check out an apartment in a trendy, expat suburb called Bangsar (though too far away and too expensive) and had dinner in this open, noisy restaurant with no menus and terrible service. However, the delicious chicken tandoori (with three types of curry) and garlic cheese naan that was brought out after finally convincing our server to take our order made the whole experience worth it. It was incredible! And that, plus two chocolate milks, cost less than $4. Amazing.

Work has also been going well. My official title is manager in the corporate affairs office for UCSI Group, which is largely made up of UCSI University. Though I am still not exactly sure what all my responsibilities are,  my job so far has been editing and writing speeches and articles for the university. So far everyone in my office has been really friendly and really helpful, especially when it came to housing recommendations, and we seem to get along well. Hopefully the good vibes will continue. Tomorrow starts week two!