Black Kampot Pepper
Cambodia – This week, trials began for officials of the Khmer Rouge, the communist regime that held Cambodia in a state of terror in the 1970s and was responsible for the deaths of almost a fifth of the country’s population. Many months ago, I visited Cambodia and brought back some Kampot pepper with [...]
Som Tom (Papaya Salad) & Muu Yang (Grilled Pork)
Bangkok, Thailand – At this very moment, I am lying down with a distended belly and a buzzing headache. No, I don’t have the vapors and I don’t need to be sent out of Bangkok for some fresh air.
I’m planning to head to Isaan, the northeastern [...]
Wing Bean Salad (Yum Tua Pu) with Shrimp and Shredded Chicken
Bangkok, Thailand – Wing beans, so called for the four feathery ridges that run lengthwise across each bean, are rather mild in flavor. When sliced crosswise they appear to be flattened green x’s with a white bean core. Though they are relatively tasteless, what [...]
Kuay Tiaw Kua Gai Vendor on Soi Ari
Bangkok, Thailand – In most of southeast Asia, fish sauce is essentially salt used in nearly every dish to add savoriness. Not so for this noodle dish. For kuay tiaw kua gai, or fast-cooked noodles with chicken, soy sauce replaces fish sauce, specifically kecap manis, a sweetened soy [...]
Pineapple Shake
Bangkok, Thailand – Recently in the New York Times, a writer claimed he had given up on trying to recreate the mango shakes he’d enjoyed in Cambodia. I hate to be the naysayer, but that was probably the best path. Shakes don’t require amazing culinary skills; their greatness is derived from the quality of [...]
Thanon Sunthon Kosa (Sunthon Kosa Road or Khet Khlong Toei)
Bangkok, Thailand – The Bangkok bus system is a tangle of routes without a comprehensive map or Web site to assist new commuters. I wouldn’t recommend it as a mode of transportation for new visitors as you have to be able to recognize where to get [...]
Yellow Watermelon on a Fresh Fruit Cart
Bangkok, Thailand – You don’t realize how you’ve grown accustomed to something until you leave and then come back. I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a single piece of fresh produce during my eleven-day stint in central Europe and I most certainly did not have fruit every single day [...]
Red Curry with Roasted Duck
Bangkok, Thailand – I love this dish. Red curry with roasted duck, which, as you can see, is garnished with some fresh coconut cream and Thai basil leaves. This one has pineapple and grapes, as well as tomatoes and pea eggplant, those hard little green balls that look like peas and [...]
Thailand Post Box
Bangkok, Thailand – After almost a month away from Thailand to visit the Western world, I’m back. Back with an internal system that feels like it was brought to a stuttering halt by huge portions of fried blond foods. Don’t get me wrong. There were things I loved in Austria, like the gorgeous [...]
Map of Vienna, Leopold Museum
Vienna, Austria – My last morning in Vienna I rushed around the Naschmarkt, the city’s famous outdoor food market, trying to take in as much as I could – cheese stores, butcher counters, pastry shops, oriental stores, bags of spices in the hundreds, turkish delight and all sorts of middle eastern [...]
