Japan, Aisheteru!

For my birthday this year I gave myself a trip to Japan. I have always wanted to go since I was five years old and saw the PBS special "Big Bird goes to Japan".  In this special he started out in Tokyo and got lost from his tour, then he meets a beautiful woman whom helps him get to Kyoto and then to Osaka to take his flight home on the 15th. So for my trip the number one priority was to go to Kyoto. The easiest way to get there is from Osaka airport. From there you take the JR line to Osaka and then switch to the Kyoto line. This will take you about an hour and a half to do. Thankfully, Air India fed me on the plane and was able to make this journey without my stomach falling out. I have a feeling that a lot of people would be dying of hunger by the time they got to Kyoto.

My first kimono sightings at the shrine

5 Things I Miss- The update

My first post about the things I missed about America was written about three years ago and posted here from my old blog. I've realized over the past three years the things I miss has evolved in some respects. (Others, no... Give me my free refill!) Here is the updated Things I Miss from America list.

Mommy in Macau- prt. 2

We will now diverge into our eating, relaxing and museum portion of the blog. My mom and I went to Macau for a ladies of luxury weekend over Easter where we stayed in a very nice room, ate lots of food and lounged in an amazing bathtub. Let's breakdown the Hotel more for you. I have already talked about the great price and the great staff but let's talk about the room and the food! After all that's the most important parts!

There is gold leaf on my lollipop and I am going to eat it! I feel so filthy rich!

Top 5 Foods of Hong Kong

The best thing about living in Hong Kong is the food! Cantonese food is really delicious and unique to this area.  I was not a huge fan of Chinese Food in the US, it always gave me a headache and made me feel bad. Probably, because of the MSG used in American Chinese resteraunts.
But when I came to Hong Kong I learned to LOVE Chinese Food. I will never go back to over salted General Tsao's chicken again! In case you want to take a food tour of HK, I demand you try and eat all of these to have the full experience.

A Guide to Mardi Gras

I lived in Lousisiana for two years in Grad school. Best thing about living in Louisiana is the food AND the fact we get a week off in February to celebrate Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is a holiday that is derived from the French Carnivale. It happens on the eve before Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent for all Catholics. Because Catholics must abstain from pleasures during Lent, Mardi Gras is an evening where one is supposed to revel in pleasure (because you're about to give something up.) A lot of people forget that Mardi Gras is a religous based holiday and it only has such as large base in New Orleans due to the fact that a large population of New Orleans is still Catholic.

Mardi Gras is some form or another is also celebrated in Belgium, Amsterdam and Italy with their traditional Carnivales which happen at a similar time. There is also gay Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia where they take the day of Mardi Gras and use it as a venue for their yearly Gay Pride festival. 

TRADITIONS- AND WHAT THEY MEAN

Top 5 Cupcakes in Hong Kong

Like all good Americans I believe the cupcake to be the perfect dessert. It is supposed to be sweet and creamy with a touch of whimsy that perfectly fits in your hand. In Hong Kong the search for a girl's perfect cupcake is a very personal ones as different people have different needs in their cupcakes. Some people like toppings, some people like tons of frosting and some people want modern flavored cupcakes!

Being a Georgia girl I love red velvet cake so the number one cupcake goes to the bakery with the best red velvet in town!

Red Velvet Cupcakes! GIMME!

Journies of a Foodie- Prt 4- Talking Turkey

Enjoying honey candy in Kaoshing! Delish!

The food of Taiwan is something very natural and organic. I would find it completely normal to travel there and simply eat my way across the country. The food just like the people are very warm and comforting and also tell you a lot about the part of the country in which you are in. Regional cuisines are very common in Taiwan. Seafood dishes in Kenting, Turkey Rice in Chiayi, Pork balls in Hsinchu, Coffin Cake in Tainan and Suncake in Taichung: just to name a few examples. You can go to a different city and enjoy a different dish in each one. The food is part of the people and they spend a large portion of their lives producing delicous food. Some things that they make are not so healthy for you and some things are fresh, straight off the farm. Street Food is a huge part of the Taiwanese culture, particularily at CNY when a lot of the main resteraunts are closed and in order to feed yourself you must hit the streets and hunt for food among the markets. Avoid the stinky tofu though! It's foul and you can smell it from a mile away!

Top 5 Brunches in Hong Kong

I am huge fan of brunch! You all know about my obsession with eggs benedict but the thing about brunch is that it's the perfect meal. It's the perfect mix of sweet and salty and often comes with unlimited coffee. Sure, you can get booze but that's not really my thing I'm there for the food! I try to give a variety with this list from those who give unlimited brunch (like Top Deck in Aberdeen) to those who will give you a little something different in your Sunday Brunch.

Living like a local in Taiwan

A wild turkey in Taiwan. Very noisy!

I have just gotten back from Taiwan for my CNY vacation. I spent days going north and south. I had the most fun in a town called Chiayi. Chiayi is not mentioned a lot in the guide books. It is most famous for being the starting point of the Alishan Rail Way and for being a large bus port for several buses to several hot spots such as: Guaziling (hot springs) or Sun Moon Lake.

I was going to Chiayi to see my friend, Amanda. I met Amanda in Luxembourg after my 10 hour train ride on Christmas Eve. We bonded over a hatred of our Russian room mate and love of Taiwan. She invited me to come back to Taiwan and visit her and my room mate Michael and I took her up on the offer.

In Chiayi with friends!

Journies of a Foodie- Prt 3- Seoul Food

One of the best parts of going to Korea last year was eating with my friend Juno! She has a passion for Korean street food and culture and I have a passion for eating! Despite ending up with pneumonia at the end of my trip I had a great time and left with a deep love and desire for great Korean food. Still have yet to find decent Korean food in HK, if you know of a good place let me know! I need some bim bim bop!

I coughed really badly after this photo was taken. I was not aware there was chinese mustard in my bean sprouts!

Journies of a Foodie- Prt 2

Foodie journies continue in Paris! The must go place for gourmands and choco-philes. I will go through different categories of what I ate on my journey. I believe I gained weight on my trip as my pants were beginning to feel a little tight at the end; however I got very sick when I returned to HK and actually lost more weight than I gained. Oh well! As most good journies, we start with dessert!

CHOCOLAT

Mousse au chocolat was my favorite thing I discovered in Paris. I had it before I went to France but believe me, having it in Paris is a whole other experience. I have never had anything so good, rich or addictive before. I ate it everyday. Sometimes for lunch and sometimes for dinner. Once I had mousse for dinner. Mousse runs for anywhere from 5-8E for a serving with a coffee at most cafes. You can get good mousse from the grocery store for 2E and it has 5/6 servings in it. I prefer the dark mousse but most grocery store packs have a milk chocolate mousse as well available for sale.

Mousse au Chocolat, I ate it every day in Paris!

Journies of a Foodie

I traveled three countries in ten days with my backpacking trip to Europe. My mother is a weight watcher's member and did the points for one of my meals. Apparently, in one meal I ate 75 points. This is enough points for three days according to weight watcher's which is why I probably gained a million pounds in France!

Apple Beneighs in Ghent.

My food retrospective begins in Belgium.

WAFFLES

Waffle Van outside the Royal Palace in Brussels

 Waffles can be purchased in many different ways from travelling vans as appears here in Brussels, to christmas market stands (Ala the asian street market style), to out of vending machines as pictured below.

Vending Machine Waffle

There are two kinds of waffles you can buy in Belgium. A square flat waffle known as a Brussels Waffle which is less sweet and not sticky on the outside or a Litz Waffle which has caramelized sugar on the outside which adds a nice crunch to it. You can get your waffles dressed up at street carts but DO NOT do this unless you are a small child or a sugar addict. The caramelized sugar on the waffle is sweet enough, adding the chocolate and whip cream is overkill and makes you look stupid. A waffle in a paper sleeve is the perfect treat to carry around in one hand while your other hand is holding your camera. A christmas market waffle will run you about 2E and a vending machine waffle about 1E but you can go to the grocery store and buy a multipack of 8 for 2E and save yourself a lot of money if you plan on making waffles a major staple of your European diet.

Top 5 Eggs Benedicts in Hong Kong

I have eaten Eggs Benedict at twenty resteraunts in Hong Kong. It is a serious passion of mine to find the perfect eggs benedict. Something about this dish gives me mad cravings for it; other Eggs Benedict fans have explained to me that it is a perfect dish. I kind of agree it is salty and creamy and has bread so it fills you up properly and most importantly.... soft poached eggs.

The Benedict Blog

1. Brunch Club, Peel St., SOHO, Hong Kong
4/5 Eggs
Time served: ALL DAY!
Brunch club gives you three options for their benedict which is great if you're veggie but love hollandaise or in the mood to try something different. I tried the traditional which I had heard wonderful things about. Cooking time is slower due to the fact that Brunch club is basically two stove tops and an oven. Herb Focatia is used instead of the traditional muffin and gives a great flavor and texture boost the the benedict.
Eggs were perfectly cooked, Bacon was smoky and thick. But I would have wished their hollandaise was thicker.

The 5 worst things I ever ate!

 SCARY FOODS AHEAD!

I am a wanderer and foodie. Put me in a new place and I'll try anything! I have a nut allergy which prevents me from something but NOT others! Through my adventures in food I have discovered some amazing things. Oyster omelets in Taiwan, Pickled Radishes in Korea, Blood Pudding, Sweet Breads at a french resteraunt, escargot, kangaroo, Crocodile (Although these things are gross sounding they don't taste so bad.)

1. Betel Nut- Taiwan
Spotted in a street cart during last year's chinese new year. Juno and I happened upon these. Seeing they were popular with the locals we each got one. HORRIBLE! It tastes like the inside of cigarette and grass. We later found out Betel nuts were precursors to cigarettes in Taiwan, are highly addictive like tobacco, can ruin your teeth and gums and are illegal in some countries. I can see WHY!

What betel nuts can do to you teeth! EW!

Betel Nuts! RUN!