The Hongdae I Didn’t Know

Learning about Goan Cuisine with Siolim Cooking School

Mar 042013

After emptying a liter of gasoline with the few rupees we had in our pockets, I hopped on the back of the scooter and we darted off toward Siolim for our cooking class. We passed a few cows and dried out rice paddies while zipping past the slower motorbikes and cars in the process. From Vagator Beach, the drive was pretty short, and we noticed the signs for the cooking school as soon as we reached Siolim. We parked up at the side of the road, and walked into the shady outdoor cooking area where would we would spend the next few hours. Continue reading »

Adventures in Internal Organ BBQ

Asia, Food, Korea 16 Responses »

Dec 202012

Having little time left in Korea has given me motivation to try and do some of the things I haven’t yet. When my friend Meghan told me that she has eaten ‘intestine BBQ’ in Korea, and that is was actually good, I knew I had to force myself to go. Korea has it’s fair share of bizarre foods, and while I’ve already had live baby octopus and decided against trying dog soup (yes, it exists), intestine was a the best next choice on the list.

But ew…intestine? What if it’s not cleaned properly? What if it tastes as bad as it sounds? Continue reading »

Only In: Poland!

#OnlyIn, Food No Responses »

Dec 072012

This week’s “Only In” comes from Agness Walewinder, half of the blogging duo at eTramping.com. She is an adventurous Polish girl, who has been traveling the world with her best friend Cez since 2011, all while trying to stick to a budget of $25 dollars a day!

It goes to show traveling can be cheap!

Agness says:

“Only in Poland… can you taste delicious Pierogi!

Yum!

Pierogi is one of the most delicious traditional Polish dishes. They are made of thinly rolled-out dough and can be stuffed either with meat, vegetables, mushrooms or cabbage. They are then topped with fried onion, oil or seasonal fruits and whipped cream or yogurt. Homemade pierogis are served only in Poland and are available in all traditional local restaurants and bars.”

Agness also informed me that an order of pierogi usually costs 8 Polish Zloty, or about $2.50/ 2€. Cheap! They can be savory or sweet. If you happen to be in Poland, be sure to try her favorite kind: strawberry pierogi with whipped cream and lots of sugar on top.

Recently, Agness left her travels in South East Asia to visit home and explore more of Europe. She re-visited Poland’s capital, Warsaw, and wrote a great post on how to visit on only $21.

You can also follow her eTramping adventures on Twitter and Facebook.

Do you want to submit a photo to the “Only In” series? E-mail me at CuriosityTravels@gmail.com with the photo and a summary and I might feature it on Friday!

Remember to tag all your travel tweets or instagrams which show something special/unique/funny/delicious with the “#OnlyIn” hashtag!

Have you been to Poland? Have you had pierogi?

OnlyIn: Malaysia

#OnlyIn, Asia, Food, Malaysia 7 Responses »

Nov 302012

Only in Malaysia, would something so disgusting looking, taste so good.

Meet assam laksa, a Malaysian noodle soup. Most famously made on the island of Penang, assam (or asam) laksa, was named #7 on CNNGo’s World’s Most Delicious Foods list. It was also praised by Anthony Bourdain, where he ate it at the very same street food stall as me! Oh, the joy that brings me. You can watch him devour the bowl, here.

Penang assam laksa is a fish-stock based soup, made from an assortment of ingredients such as tamarind, lemongrass, chili, galangal, and poached, flaked mackerel, to name a few.

In my opinion, the best foods in Malaysia come from street food stalls and aren’t always pretty.

If you happen to be in Penang, Malaysia, make sure you stop by this one.

Pasar Air Itam Assam Laksa

At the foot of Kek Lok Si Temple. Jalan Pasar Road (beside Air Itam Market) near the intersection of Jalan Pesar and Jalan Air Hitam. 11500 Air Itam, Penang, Malaysia. Open 7 days 11am to 8pm.

Oh yeah, did I mention it will only cost you $1? (RM 3).

Amazing. Only in Malaysia.

Want to see your photo featured here? See the first #OnlyIn on how.

Five Bites Korea Part 2: Kimchi Recipe

Asia, Food, Korea 2 Responses »

Nov 132012

Kimchi, Korea’s national dish, is eaten with every meal of the day either as a side, (Koreans love side dishes) or as a main presence in a dish (Kimchi stew, kimchi fried rice, kimchi kimbap).

As promised to accompany Five Bites: Korea, I wanted to included a kimchi recipe. Interestingly, this turned out to be more difficult than I first thought. Though I’ve made kimchi before, it was when I first arrived in Korea and was done at “kimchi world” where everything was prepared and measured beforehand, and we didn’t come home with a recipe to keep. Recently, when I casually scoured the internet looking for information on making authentic kimchi, I kept coming up empty-handed. Nothing seemed to use authentic ingredients, and all the recipes differed drastically. Continue reading »

Five Bites: Korea

Asia, Food, Korea 1 Response »

Nov 072012

Who knew it would take me this long to get a “Five Bites: Korea” onto this site. Over a year and a half of eating Korean food, you’d think it would be the first cuisine I’d feature here!

Since I arrived in Korea in February 2011, I’ve eaten the stuff almost every day. Korean food no longer feels like a novelty, an excitement, or even a bore, it’s just normal. I’m happy about that. Continue reading »

Then It Got Weirder: Experiencing Okpo

Asia, Food, Korea 14 Responses »

Oct 162012

A foreign enclave is the last thing one would expect to find while stumbling around rural and seemingly remote Geoje Island. Upon arrival, I had heard of such a place, spread across a few streets within the constraints of Okpo city. A mini-Itaewon is what the online sources claimed; the result of foreign employment in the Daewoo and Samsung shipyards at the nearby port. So after Taylor and I’s time prancing around the POW camp, we set off to find this mysterious temptress of a neighborhood. Continue reading »

Five Bites: Taiwan

Asia, Food, Taiwan 2 Responses »

Aug 282012

Though we had some troubles eating outside of Taipei due to the language barrier (as I’ve stated in my other posts) we still had a lot of great meals. Surprisingly, we were even pleased with the food at 7-11. (Which we had to eat a lot of on our scooter road trip.) At a 7-11, in the middle-of-nowhere-Taiwan, I had a great sticky bun and fresh papaya! Also, the “tea eggs” (hard-boiled eggs cooking in a big pot of dark brown tea) were a great snack on the run.

But don’t worry, I am not picking any of my Five Bites from any 7-11s. Below are the best meals, and/or items I found in Taiwan…recipe included!

Taipei’s Night Markets: Bucket Lists, Stinky Tofu & Snakes

25 Before 25, Asia, Food, Taiwan 1 Response »

Aug 242012

Bucket list item #17, check!

The reason I put Taipei night markets on my bucket list was because I had heard so much talk about them. How great they were, how great the food was. It sounded like my slice of heaven. Walking from cart to cart, trying different things; all entirely delicious. Like most things in Taiwan, and most things in life, the reality of the place or situation is completely different from the expectation.

Five Bites: Thailand

Food, Thailand 5 Responses »

Aug 072012

I love food, and there aren’t many things I don’t like or won’t try. I also think one of the best parts about traveling, is eating. Therefore, to sum up some of my culinary travels I will be starting a series of posts called Five Bites. Each of these posts will include 5 of my favorite dishes from a particular country or region, along with an occasional recipe.

My first addition to this series is Five Bites: Thailand. Continue reading »

The Hongdae I Didn’t Know

Food, Korea, Photos 8 Responses »

Aug 032012

I usually come back from a night out in Hongdae with three things. Black feet, an empty wallet and embarrassing memories. All of these can be attributed to myself, but I usually blame it on wearing sandals in grimy dive bars all night, cheap street cocktails and abundant kebab stands. (In no particular order).

I have recently experienced a whole new side of Hongdae. One that I have never walked through, heard of, or would have known about if it wasn’t for my surprise birthday date. Continue reading »