tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34029523716048385812024-03-13T03:50:57.123-07:00{ Global ~ Eats}A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-16598904457136399172016-02-26T23:40:00.000-08:002016-02-27T00:25:56.969-08:00Rediscovering Discovery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Walking through the streets of Georgetown on Penang island at 10AM I was already pouring perspiration, having to constantly wipe my eyebrows to keep the salty, smoggy sweat from running into my eyes. I was on a mission to Ah Leng char kway teow- reputedly* (*see- internet) one of the better spots on in town for the local famous pork fat wok-fried noodles. As I pushed through the heat and my appetite grew I began daydreaming of my soon-to-be lunch. That unmistakable combination of burnt rice noodles and caramelized sugar from the screaming hot wok, the moment when a spoonful of sambal hits the carbon steel and sends its eye-watering exhaust airborne, slips of sweet chinese sausage and fresh plump prawns resting atop the mound of steaming, lard-slicked glory. These visions became more and more intense the closer I made it to Ah Leng..until I spotted it- closed. I had been walking for close to an hour, and now was faced with only a shuttered metal sliding door. I spoke to a lady out front who told me he was on 'rest' until Saturday. Not closed up for the day, not sold out--but vacation. Good for him.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But back to me- I was still sweaty and still hungry. Now without a destination. I fretted for a moment then thought to myself- </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: normal;">Why am I relying on other people's pallate to tell me what to eat? Mine works damn fine and its rarely steered me wrong. I've eaten enough and seen enough and read enough about food to know pretty well how something is going to be just by looking at the situation- whether it's the level of care the vendor puts into the preparation or the makeup of the patrons eating inside. Screw it, from now on my senses will lead the way- not some internet 'must eat' blog that only raises expectations to unrealistic levels. Random, back door discoveries season your meals with more flavor than any top top list could manage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: normal;">As I continued onward I stopped in at a nearby cafe serving up 'asam laksa' which I had spotted on the walk over. I ordered a small bowl and a white coffee, wiped my brow yet again and took a seat on a red plastic chair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Asam laksa is another prime example of the greatness of Penang cuisine. A tamarind and shrimp paste savory/sour broth is topped with sliced cucumber, pineapple, fresh herbs, shaved ginger flowers and shredded mackerel. I sipped the warm, piquant broth and all was right again. The mild heat from the chilis tingled my throat as the umami notes from the fish and tamarind caused my mouth to salivate. I chewed on the soft slippery noodles with wilted mint and shallots as the ceiling fan kept my sweat momentarily at bay and realized once again that there are discoveries just about everywhere to make in this world. Why not be the one to make those discoveries instead of following a trail someone else has blazed. Searching for that pre-packaged dining experience won't ever compare to the unknown.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">So stay on the lookout, stay hungry and above all- Stay Global.</span></span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-22243076934574654172015-01-13T09:16:00.000-08:002015-01-13T09:16:39.079-08:00Districo Federal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Eating abroad is naturally more stimulating because of the undeniable appeal of the unknown. Yelp-researched domestic eating cannot contend. Back home you may try a new flavor of ice cream one day or get pizza with a new topping the next- but for the most part you have a healthy idea of what you're about to experience. In foreign countries it's a new ballgame each and every time you wander up to a new street vendor. It's this which keeps me curious. Order up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The catch is once you've experienced really, really excellent fresh food you become aware of that level. And if that level is incredible high like <i><a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2014/04/global-lap-2014-ramen-experience.html" target="_blank">ramen</a></i> in Japan or <i><a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2009/05/craving-some-quang.html" target="_blank">Mi Quang</a></i> in Viet Nam then you're just not going to be satisfied eating said meal anywhere else. It can be a very good plate of <i>pad siew</i> or an expertly charred slab of <i>naan</i>- but the very best of the best is something that can't be shaken easily from your memory. I'm still haunted by the <i><a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2010/06/king-mi.html" target="_blank">Cam Ranh Banh Mi</a></i>- and that was almost 5 years ago. I can now add tortillas to the list of foods I no longer view the same. This recent 5 day jaunt to Mexico has me re-evaluating the humble corn patty and it's ability to inspire awe. Sure I've had fresh tortillas many times before- and I'm blessed to live in an area full of Mexican eating options but...just tasting how they do it south of the border changed me. I'm born again. In the form of <i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">maíz</span>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The average Mexican eats around 170 pounds of tortillas a year. And when you're feeding 123 million every day they have to be done right. There's no other option. And they are. Boy, they fu*king are. Before I wax on about the beauties of griddled <i>tortillas</i> or deep fried <i>quesadillas</i> or bean-stuffed <i>tlacoyos</i> let's talk about the building block of one of the world's most dynamic and diverse cuisines.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Masa.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The cement. The foundation. Like rice in Japan or Tomatoes in Italy you simply can't produce quality comestibles without the proper base. Please stop it with the store-bought tortillas or even dried <i>maseca</i>. Just stop. Real food deserves more respect than that. A Mexican eating an industrial, preservative laden tortilla is like an American eating a frozen hamburger or farmed fish from Thailand. Wait...we do that. Damnit. Well in other countries they actually like to eat fresh food that is made from..food (that is until <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2586011/Vietnams-McDonalds-serves-400-000-customers-month.html" target="_blank">McDonalds</a> arrives). It's quite the fascinating concept.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Masa is traditionally made from corn kernals soaked in calcium hydroxide. This diluted solution is highly alkaline (opposite of acidic) and breaks down the structure of the corn, making it maleable. After the corn has been soaked and rinsed thoroughly it's ground into a dough (<i>masa</i>) and off it goes to feed the country. Stuffed with meats, steamed inside banana leaves or flattened and puffed up on a screaming hot <i>comal. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's see what they do with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Tacos Campechanos</i>. A <i>Districo Federal</i> street-side favorite. Essentially combination tacos- above we have <i>suadero</i> (a braised beef cut from the underside of the cow similar to brisket) and <i>longaniza</i> (pork and beef sausage with a touch of heat) nestled in between tortillas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mexico city wakes up late. Food stands and restaurants generally didn't open until 10, and Mexicans eat their lunch in the afternoon. It's kind of odd. In Asia you generally have different foods for different times of the day- but Mexico City has tacos around the clock. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A <i>taquero</i> with his bubbling vat of pork and beef. Chicken breast and tofu didn't quite make the cut.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So first off some distinct differences between eating tacos in the states vs. eating tacos in Mexico City. In D.F. the tortillas are not only fresher, but thinner and smaller. This makes a 5 tacos sampler snack just that..a snack. The tortillas are delicate, light and provide just the right amount of starch to cradle the ounce or so of meat tucked inside. These aren't massive meat mountains like many stateside tacos. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This isn't to say Mexicans don't eat large portions. They haven't become the <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-takes-title-of-most-obese-from-america/" target="_blank">most obese nation</a> on earth from copious cabbage salad consumption. If we weren't walking 12-15 miles a day during our trip the never-ending onslaught of cheesy, deep-fried, stoner-approved delights would have taken a toll. I can see how the locals acquire that shape. And no, we ain't talking hourglass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Taqueros</i> either rock the vat (as seen above) or <i>comal de bola</i> (round pan with a raised, bulbous interior for griddling tortillas) for cooking meat. The outside of the <i>comal de bola </i>becomes a meat juice moat where sausage and intestine drippings coexist harmoniously. Many of these stands have their own specialty. For the most part, <i>Tacos de Carnitas</i> taco stands sell <i>carnitas</i> exclusively. The same goes for <i>Tacos de Birria</i>, or <i>Barbacoa</i> or <i>Al Pastor</i>. The master focuses on his meat and does it well. You reap the benefits for a handful of pesos. Everybody wins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Tacos De Canasta. </i>The tortillas are first lightly fried in a chorizo-infused oil, filled with pork, potatoes or beans and left to steam inside of a towel-lined basket. Soft, gooey and greasy. It has that microwaved pizza chewy texture- and that is absolutely a compliment. Blue collar, pocket change eating at it's finest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZIteXeNZr3CRMH52v5wtvFrOnpXDWxRQ49Baj40hxdKSK97OZak9OJQv21S0PBi30fhcrH2X6oPP8jjspmMlI6JV0zOvNUBKCW7bxNHXUXaZYNji9QwoRRvEU-i2mYrMO5SwF4CRK0U/s1600/IMG_0127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZIteXeNZr3CRMH52v5wtvFrOnpXDWxRQ49Baj40hxdKSK97OZak9OJQv21S0PBi30fhcrH2X6oPP8jjspmMlI6JV0zOvNUBKCW7bxNHXUXaZYNji9QwoRRvEU-i2mYrMO5SwF4CRK0U/s1600/IMG_0127.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><i>Barbacoa </i>Taco<i>. Slow-cooked lamb (or goat) atop a griddled blue corn tortilla. Tough to imagine three better bites than this.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pambazo. Check this one out: They dip the bread in chili sauce before griddling it, then stuff it with potatoes, chorizo, lettuce and queso fresco. The bread is light and slighly crisp from the frying- with a touch of char. Note the piggy bank tip jar in the background- nearly every vendor in the city has one. Tip your waitress! We couldn't finish the mammoth </span><span style="font-style: italic;">bottle of coke</span><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span><a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-drinks-ten-cans-coke-4725796" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Fortunately</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Quesadilla De Flor de Calabaza (squash blossom).</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mexico City doesn't have the night markets of Taiwan or the sheer density of street food served from 7AM thru midnight like Ho Chi Minh City, so if you'd like to put together an impromptu food crawl your best bet is to comb the streets surrounding markets. We decided upon this <i>quesadilla</i> stand outside of the <i>Mercado de la Merced</i>- although there were easily 50 different edible options to choose from. Packed stall + melted cheese + plastic tub of masa.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tostada de Pulpo. Sometimes you just need a little bit of octopus to wash down all that pork.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Better yet, how about a Michelada.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most D.F. rendition of this beer cocktail were simply lime juice and salt added to your cerveza. This michelada at Mercado De La Merced was full of piss and vinegar- in the form of chili powder and hot sauce.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Picante.</span></i></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-71555836470314168482014-07-25T09:53:00.001-07:002014-07-25T10:15:54.627-07:00GLOBAL LAP 2014 (MEET MOROCCO)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After the layover in Dubai I was off to take my first steps in the continent of Africa. Long overdue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let me introduce you to the Kingdom of Morocco. Alright, so maybe it's Africa 101 to the hardcore globetrotters but for me this North African country of 33 million was the proper entryway into this massive continent of intrigue and unknown. Once I earn my passing grade I'll have no problem signing up for the upper division Sub-Saharan curriculum. So Morocco; a little dusty, a little gruff, a whole lotta new. Lets get dirty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wake up. A hot cup of joe with plenty of rectangular sucrose cubes and a warm slice of pan griddled semolina cake known as <i>harcha</i>. Dense, filling and best eaten warm with a drizzle of local honey. When cold these cakes are more effective as paper weights than breakfast items. Get yours while the gettings good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Snail Soup. Virility is overrated. This bowl was vile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What I found both surprising and discouraging about dining in Morocco was the lack of an 'eating-out' culture. In Asia you're clearly spoiled for choices, and anyone who has stepped foot in that part of the world knows noodles and grilled meat and steamed surprises beckon on every corner. Even in the poorer areas there are cheap roadside stalls set up to feed the working class. In Morocco I found myself asking 'WHERE IS EVERYONE EATING? AND WHAT?' </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All the cities and towns were full of cafes serving Whiskey Morocaine (ultra-sweet mint tea- booze free) and coffee- but I didn't see anyone EATING anything. Just 100% dudes 100% of the time 100% kickin it with some cigarettes and a coffee. Paul Thomas Anderson would approve. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It wasn't until after several conversations with locals that I found out most everyone cooks and eats their meals at home. Hows about an invite? Alright, until then I'll have to settle for food you actually have to pay for. Shit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can divide eating out in Morocco into three general categories-</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> *<i>Formal</i> <i>Restaurants</i> are a relatively new phenomenon brought about by tourism and recent wealth. These places are geared towards tourists and almost all have the same regurgitated menu of <i>tagines</i>, <i>cous cous</i> and <i>salad marocaine</i>. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The food ranges from passable to downright embarrassing. Steer clear. But you know this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> *Local Food Stalls which usually specialize in a couple dishes. Maybe it's a lamb carcass hanging by hooks, ready for the grill [see below] or perhaps a place that sells one or two varieties of simmering tagines. Humble shacks with merguez sausage sandwiches and the like are also found throughout the country. The prices are more reasonable at these local eateries- but I've found the quality still varied widely. You're not guaranteed a good meal but the ambiance is exponentially more raw than you'd find in any restaurant. BYO pepto.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> *Street Food- Morocco is no Asia when it comes to strictly street food eating options. No, No, No. Perhaps some donuts, fresh squeezed juice or charmoula stuffed sardines- but don't expect much in the way of push-cart dining.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't think of a country in which I had more difficulty finding good grub. Bold words, but frustrating it most definitely was. I came to realize that for all the romance and exoticism people equate with Moroccan cuisine, the reality was quite different. A stockpile of aromatic spices and incredible olive oils doesn't add up to a delicious meal if you can't put those ingredients together properly. But who am I to</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> focus on the subpar in life? Let's highlight what kind of incredible you can wrap your lips around in Morocco.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the best dishes from the trip. Folks, they call this the <i>berber omelet</i>. Fry some diced tomatoes in buttery olive oil and crack a couple eggs in the pan. Top with olives, cilantro, chilis, preserved lemon and a heavy handful of cumin. Fragrant and spicy with fantastic fruity notes from the olive oil. Mop up all that goodness with a baguette, and don't you dare forget those crusty bits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of the most memorable dining experiences are those that come completely unexpected. On a ride from <i>Chefchaouen</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> to <i>Marrakech</i> the bus stopped at a road-side grill serving one thing- lamb. Lamb is fantastic. I've always said it's beef to the power of 2. The problem is most places fuck it up. Either too tough or too dry or too pungent. A real shame. Give lamb the respect it deserves. Back to the story. Most pit-stop eateries on bus routes are mediocre and uninspiring- shoveling out average food to the masses. I wasn't planning on snacking here until I hopped off the bus and peeped the scene. Was I back in the <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2008/10/no-substitute-for-good-cha.html" target="_blank">cuts of Hanoi</a>? Nah, but I'm liking what I'm seeing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">C'mon, at the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">very</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> least this has to be good. Better than most of the watery, insipid tagines I was becoming used to. Let's order some and see what happens. I walked over to a man who seemed to be the master of the entire operation [blood stained shirt and handfuls of cash] and ordered a couple hundred grams of the good stuff. Behind him stood an enormous meat grinder overloaded with shallots, cilantro and chunks of meat. Ground fresh. Always a good sign. I paid for my lamb and brought it over to the Moroccan pit master for a proper kiss over hardwood. The rest is history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I got hooked on this stellar dish of roast chicken during my time in the charming coastal town of <i>Mohammedia</i>. Little birds are rubbed with turmeric, ginger and garlic then spit roasted. The drippings are mixed with onions, herbs and olives then spooned right on top. I appreciate any establishment that properly utilizes rendered animal fat. Moroccan roast chicken shops are no exception. Be sure to ask for a side of fries with the spicy mustard-mayo dip. Brings that tingle straight to the nasal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lunch Time. Bread is served with almost every meal, so get used to it. The bean dish up top is Lubia, white beans stewed in a cumin-laced tomato sauce. Giddyup.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The f*cking French. They're never wrong, and have superior <i>everything</i>, but they're responsible for the birth of </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Bánh Mì</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> in Vietnam so I give em a pass. These are </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'Beignets'</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> in <i>Mohammedia</i>.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Chewy, eggy and quite stupendous. These fried rings became my go-to breakfast choice during the latter portion of my trip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Global.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-9557171587058249192014-07-08T09:18:00.000-07:002014-07-18T19:59:14.730-07:00GLOBAL LAP 2014 (Changes)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It couldn't have been more of a cultural slap in the face flying from Japan into Abu Dhabi to spend a day in Dubai. Gone were the giggling girls with pony tails and knee high socks, reading their cartoons on the subway. Turbans replace 'Chicago Bulls' caps and the '<i>arigatougozaimas</i>' hymn [so commonplace in Japan I'd nominate it for national anthem status] was also long gone. In Japan respect is everything. It's one of the many incredible aspects of the country to observe from an outside perspective. I was continually amazed at what lengths strangers would go to assist you without ever asking a thing in return.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I read somewhere that Dubai is separated into two classes, the have-nots and the have yachts. Agreed. Gucci clad young money boys peel around town in their Aston martons or range rovers, guzzling the same oil that has provided them with their seemingly limitless wealth. It seems a bit unfair to generalize given I was only in Dubai for less than 24 hours, but I got feeling that if you didn't have anything in this city, you're nobody. Throughout the day I witnessed multiple acts of inconsideration that would make most onlookers uncomfortable, but in Dubai the pecking order has been established- and accepted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the top sit the Arabs and UAE locals, flush with cash and material wealth to flaunt. While someone had to have worked to acquire all this money, I'd be surprised if the younger generation lifts more than a finger on their busiest of days. The Filipinos are there to wash their dishes and do the laundry (there are 450,000 Filipino workers in Dubai- over 20 percent of the population) and the Indians build their mansions and sweep the leaves off their driveways. Social pecking order isn't something exclusive to the Middle East, but I was extra sensitive to the change coming from Japan. After walking around the dubai mall (one of the main tourist attractions of the city) and witnessing all the wrongs that these consumption dens represent- corporations without individuality and a reliance on the importance of an external image- I had seen enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remembered reading about an Indian bazaar on the north side of the city near the Dubai creek so I hopped on the metro with hopes of inspiration. The fact that I was surrounded by pungent bodily odors instead of Georgio Armani's latest fragrance was an encouraging sign. I followed this car full of south Asians to what I eyeballed as the closest stop to the Bazaar. When I walked out of the station and saw hundreds of men and women sitting cross-legged on the grass engaging in real conversations, I immediately felt at ease. I could actually breath again. When I looked across the street and saw a Bollywood theatre with all the latest hits, I knew I had made the right choice. Time to wander.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Groups of 20 something year old men with their uniquely Indian plaid button-up shirts strolled through the streets, arm in arm or sometimes hand in hand. There's something so approachable and genuine about the demeanor of a native Indian fellow. Those sparkling, inquisitive eyes. Always curious yet rarely aggressive. I strolled around the block in search of an iPhone charger. It took about 45 seconds to find a small electronic shop pedaling new and used wares manufactured solely in the republic of China- obviously for a fraction of what they were charging in the aforementioned Dubai mall. I agreed to the first price the man offered for the charger- something unheard of in India or Southeast Asia. I was feeling good. Outside I grabbed a piping hot cup of 30 cent Chai. Aromatic and delicious. I was off to find this dosa restaurant the shop owner had recommended.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The streets were lined with sweet shops displaying various fried and syrup-doused treats, kitschy clothing stores and their $6 trousers, pint-sized barber shops where lightning-speed scissors turned out the latest hairstyle of the subcontinent and of course the ubiquitous neon flashing lights advertising any and everything to the casual passerby. Almost like the real India, minus the roaming cows snacking on piles of fermenting trash. After a few loops around the neighborhood I made it to the restaurant to eat the dish I had been craving. The cafeteria style eatery smelled sublime upon entering, and nary a fork or knife was to be found at any of the tables. Score. I ordered my dosa. The waiter wagged his head. A few minutes later my lentil crepe arrived with a trio of sweet and savory chutneys. The dosa was on par with many of the South Asian renditions I sampled during my trip to India. If downtown is the skin then my subway ride took me to the heart of Dubai, where blue collar workers spent their well-deserved time off from building this billionaire city to live, laugh, and breathe.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-4194061079390810512014-06-24T09:16:00.000-07:002014-07-08T09:20:13.641-07:00GLOBAL LAP 2014 (The Grain)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After settling back into the groove of American life and having time to reflect I can undoubtedly say that my time in Japan was the most unique and memorable part of my round the world journey. I can still remember individual spoonfuls of <i>shio ramen</i> broth, the <i>miso</i> and <i>sake</i> braised mackerel on Tanegashima island or the way that expertly sliced <i>aji</i> dissolved in my mouth during one of the finest dining experiences of my life in Tokyo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I mentioned in my previous entry, the pursuit of perfection makes for incredible cuisine. Their pride and dedication to excelling in their field is and should be an inspiration for both chefs and avid home cooks (such as myself). Don't ever let yourself settle for good. Always continue to improve and build upon what you know. All the great chefs of the world are constantly thinking how to make their food BETTER. It's a constant, tiring and endless process- but the results speak for themselves. Of the 33 countries I've had the pleasure to visit- Japan takes top honors in care put into the craft. This isn't to say everything I ate was great- but it was never due to lack of effort. The gastronomic culture of Japan will resonate with me as I continue to develop my cooking skills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are a handful of dishes that represent all that is satisfying about eating in the country of Japan.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIav0MlxLv4T0ZbAwJdWpzlrgl0l_ZZyVOc9L0rdrMBQJa9wlmwP5ABB4PoUBsFq6aJaNTAZExvbIC0jlzRecAHjRYKqxwR095eXOprZRnn0dzVOnFcFKjkJdc43BgkXSt_yqI9tLFi7Q/s1600/IMG_0223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIav0MlxLv4T0ZbAwJdWpzlrgl0l_ZZyVOc9L0rdrMBQJa9wlmwP5ABB4PoUBsFq6aJaNTAZExvbIC0jlzRecAHjRYKqxwR095eXOprZRnn0dzVOnFcFKjkJdc43BgkXSt_yqI9tLFi7Q/s1600/IMG_0223.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had landed the previous night so this was my first solo meal in Japan. A common breakfast in Tokyo for business types are 'standing soba noodles'- little shops specializing in slippery buckwheat strands swimming in a soy-seasoned dashi broth. Quick, cheap, warming and wholesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a frigid February morning so I was grateful the shop was only 200 meters or so from Abram's apartment. I stepped inside the shop and was immediately greeted by the soba chef and an older lady washing bowls and utensils. Knowing absolutely zero Japanese I gave the lady that curious yet helpless look and she scooted over to assist me with that intimidating big button machine. 'Tempura Soba' I announced.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hai.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I inserted a bill and she clicked the appropriate button for me.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arigatougozaimas.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As with Ramen shops I handed the ticket to the chef.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I stood there in silence surrounded by salary men slurping their soba. As I watched the chef deftly boil soba noodles, fry vegetable tempura and crack raw eggs into steaming broth I knew this was exactly where I wanted to be. Yeah, I'm gonna like it here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kyushu is famous for it's Kurobuta pig. Damn I love pork. Clearly it would be of the utmost importance to eat all things porcine in this southern province. One of those being <i>Tonkatsu</i>- a simple panko-crusted fried pork cutlet served with shredded cabbage. On this instance I was actually looking for a hotel for the evening when I randomly eyed this restaurant. It looked inviting from the outside and the interior was even cozier. The menu wasn't going to do me any good so I ordered some 'tonkatsu' and prayed to the gods I don't believe in. 10 minutes later arrived this gorgeous set equipped with all the Japanese fixins- white rice, miso soup, shaved cabbage, grated daikon in soy and a runny egg. The pork was crisp, seasoned well, and incredibly juicy- with a rich, clean flavor unlike that of American swine. The crunchy cabbage cuts the richness of the tonkatsu- and you get unlimited refills of this shaved green brassica. For free. The rice and miso soup were flawless. Naturally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>'I've got a shop you're gonna love.'</i> Abram tells me one morning. <i>'They do tempura. Only tempura.'</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Saddle up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We hop aboard a couple subways and make the 45 minute journey across the city, arriving at our destination after a few lefts and rights through some smaller side streets. Though my stomach was empty, my mind was full of visions of crispy-fried delights. The inside of the restaurant was mostly taken up by a large U-shaped bar surrounding an elderly couple and what I can only assume was their son. The husband was frying tempura in a hot-tub sized wok while the wife was busy pouring bowls of miso soup and scraping portions of rice out of the bamboo steamer. For 650 <i>Yen</i> you get a decent portion of mixed seafood and vegetable tempura, miso soup and rice. An excellent value. The tempura was light, with a crunchy coating that wasn't too think. Some of the best I've had. Interestingly enough it was the rice from the meal that is still etched in my memory. For the casual observer it looks like a bowl of white rice- similar to the millions (billions) of bowls taken in every day around the world. Japanese rice is mostly short-grain, meaning it's 'stickier' than Indian Basmati or Thai Jasmine long-grain varietals. Not mushy, sticky. This makes it a pleasure to eat with your chopsticks, as you can easily grab yourself a chunk even if your stick game is less than satisfactory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In Vietnam rice was always around. You might be able to skip out on rice for a meal or two but there was no avoiding this grain. The steamed rice served at street side lunch stalls was fine- but by no means memorable. The savory coconut juice braised pork belly and crispy fried mackerel were what brought your back. In Japan it's different. Rice is a meal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This rice at this tempura shop was unreal. It was toothsome. It had chew. There was fragrance. Each individual grain was its own, yet they hugged and clung to each other like eskimos huddling together for warm in the arctic.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This rice is incredible!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know, right? It's Japan.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rice, please accept my sincere apologies. I never knew your potential. Now that I do I'll never take you for granted. Respect the grain.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Tireless.</span></i></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-83881076134389461462014-04-19T10:06:00.000-07:002014-04-23T18:06:21.284-07:00Global Lap 2014 (The Ramen Experience)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> It gets me fired up when I see people going all out to be their best, and that's a common sight in Japanese kitchens. Each and every time you step into a restaurant you can expect at the <i>very</i> least well-prepared, visually pleasing food. At best you can expect your fu*king mind to be blown. Lemme take you through what it's like to eat a bowl of <i>ramen</i> in Japan.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Waiting in line for Miso Ramen in Hokkaido. Some folks queue 90 minutes or more. Sounds absurd until you take your first spoonful.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once you've decided on and arrived at your <i>ramen </i>destination, step inside and look out for the vending machine. Here you'll find a mess of 20-30 square plastic buttons with the different bowls and side dishes on offer. Abram usually translated for me, but if you're solo and struggling just howl and someone will magically scurry over from the shadows to provide you with assistance. Or just play <i>ramen</i> roulette. I hear the top left button is a pretty good bet. Make your selection, insert <i>Yen</i> (usually between 600-900 [$6-$9]), take your ticket and bring it over to the counter. From there the chef will pick it up and get to work on your order. Patience.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Eating out in Japan is actually a better value than many believe. There's absolutely no tipping, no tax and no 4% healthy S.F. surcharge! Plus you don't have to deal with annoying servers trying to push that second bottle of Barolo on your table. They let you be.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most <i>ramen</i> bowls start with a chicken and/or pork bone base. This is the structure. The foundation. The soul of the bowl. These bones simmer with various aromatics for hours and hours until the flavor is lovingly extracted from the animal carcasses. A variation on the basic ramen broth is <i>Tonkotsu</i>, which gets it's opaque, milky appearance due to vigorous boiling of pork bones on high heat for several hours until the insides are liquified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> S<i>outh in Kyushu where the famed Kurobuta (black pig) is farmed, you'll find rich bowls of Tonkotsu. </i></span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kurobuta pigs live off sweet potatoes, so the meat is incredibly clean and tender.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So far we've made ourselves chicken soup, or <i>brodo</i> or <i>caldo</i> or whatever you may call it. Delicious, but we can't call it r<i>amen</i> broth. The distinctly Japanese stamp comes from all the other oceanic goodies chefs use to infuse the broth. <i>Kombu </i>(edible kelp), <i>katsuoboshi</i> (dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna), <i>niboshi</i> (dried baby sardines) and dried horse mackerel are a few of the most common flavorings. You're essentially combining the fishy, briny, slightly smokey flavors of <i>dashi</i> with a robust bone stock to create fantastic depth. From there the soups can go in many directions; add a soy and <i>mirin</i> sauce called <i>tare</i> for <i>shoyu</i> <i>ramen</i>, sea salt for <i>shio</i> <i>ramen</i> or <i>miso</i> paste for a <i>Sapporo</i> style bowl. These final additions are usually added to each bowl to order, customizing a large pot of broth into several tantalizing varieties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <i>When the ingredients from China's Sichuan province are placed in the hands of Japanese ramen chefs you get Tan Tan Mian. To me it's the best of both worlds. Highly addictive tingle from the sichuan peppercorns, creaminess from the sesame base but with a firmer noodle and distinctly Japanese presentation.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Abram stressed that <i>ramen</i> is one of the few Japanese food where there is no wrong. While <i>sushi,</i> <i>tempura</i> and <i>tonkatsu</i> have typical preparation techniques and ingredients, <i>ramen</i> is a relatively new phenomenon in Japan so there's no established protocol for construction. That 8 inch bowl is the personal playground for these young chefs, and they are free to do as they please within these ceramic confines. With <i>ramen, </i>like all great soups of the world, it's really about putting tons of love into your base broth. No matter how spectacular your toppings and noodles are, if your broth is watery or lacking that punch- customers will not return. Survival of the fittest.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pots for heating up individual servings of ramen broth. This particular shop used a tonkotsu and mackerel bone base. Most exquisite.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's something truly entertaining about sitting in front of an open kitchen and watching food preparation. If there's a spot at the bar, I'm there. In foreign countries it's that much more interesting because there's that extra element of intrigue due to unidentifiable ingredients and the inevitable language barrier. I'm a firm believer food tastes better when you're spoken to in a language you don't understand. There are no expectations. No <i>yelp!</i> hype. Usually you know little of the specifics of what you're about to eat, but as you look around to see a restaurant full of satisfied faces quietly mowing down their <i>tsukemen</i>, you realize it really doesn't matter.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In Sapporo, Miso ramen is what you'll be eating. I love the mouthfeel and umami miso provides. This bowl got a little grating of ginger on top for some pop.</span></i><br />
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In America, <i>ramen</i> shops aren't as ubiquitous as Japan so the places are usually newer and more formal. You go out for <i>ramen</i> as a part of a meal. In Japan <i>ramen</i> is a fast food, and while many obsessive freaks set aside a large portion of their day to wait in line for something incredible, it's also something to grab on a quick lunch break or before heading out for a night of brews and karaoke. From placing your order in the ticket vending machine to downing your last mouthful of broth it's usually a 10-15 minute affair (line pending of course!). There isn't much lingering or chatting or texting or dillydallying or cappuccino sipping. Receive your bowl, snap photo, and get after it. Once you're done you get your ass out, as there's usually a hungry patron waiting to grab your seat.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rolled pork bellies (chasu) simmering in Tare. This is one of the most common toppings for a bowl of ramen.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the broth almost always leaves the biggest impact, noodles and toppings need to hold their own. Traditionally, <i>ramen</i> noodles are made with <i>kansui, </i>an alkaline solution (containing sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate) that give them their signature 'al dente' firm texture. A soft noodle in Japan is a deal breaker. Try to order ramen 'to go' and tell me what type of look the chef gives you. Toppings can vary widely but regularly include some sort of pork product. <i>Chashu</i> is rolled pork belly thats been simmered for a good while until it breaks down a bit but still retains it's shape. One of my favorite ramen shops took the tender slices of fatty pork and charred them a mini grill before laying them on top of the noodles. Even after all these years you know I love me some char.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One classic, please.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even with all the exciting contemporary <i>ramen</i> permutations there's still something to be said for old school <i>Tokyo Ramen</i>. It's a <i>Shoyu</i> base with a couple tender slices of <i>chashu</i>, bamboo shoots, a boiled marinated egg, spinach and seaweed. Straightforward honest flavors, and a broth that's light enough for you to finish without heart palpitations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Bowls of Ramen are like snowflakes."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<i>Ramen Beast</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Experimental.</span></i></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-68891322588381632852014-04-14T10:39:00.001-07:002014-04-17T12:54:42.105-07:00Global Lap 2014 (Words with the Ramen Beast)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over my 2 1/2 years in Vietnam I grew accustomed to incredible 75 cent lunches and $5 hotel rooms. Icy beers at street side restaurants were 50 cents and a full service haircut with a straight edge shave wouldn't even take $1 from your pocket. I knew <i>all</i> the prices. I bargained for pennies. Even trips throughout Southeast Asia could be done cheap as chips with Air Asia and Cebu Pacific. The thought of spending in one evening as much as I'd ration for a week in Southeast Asia seemed crazy. I think differently now. While this guy still appreciates a good value and hates nothing more than getting taken- certain experiences comes with a price. The Japan experience certainly isn't one for shoestringers, but as an avid enthusiast of Asian cuisine I had absolutely no excuse. It was time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Yakitori.</i> Deceptively simple. Yet so much more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Slivers of mysterious fish drape themselves over <i>perfectly</i> cooked grains of rice that force you to reconsider your opinion on the humble grain. <i>Kurobuta</i> pork chops laced with silky fat that dissolves on the tongue. A level of customer service so above and beyond any other destination in the world it's almost difficult to comprehend. The well known quest for perfection by the Japanese leads to some transcendent bites. Flavors and freshness you wouldn't believe until you tasted. Chefs leave their restaurant to bow to you after a meal. Hotel managers walk through winter's bitter bite in order to personally escort you to your destination. It's truly another world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's much more than much to talk about, so let's kick off Japan with an interview with the <a href="http://ramenbeast.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Ramen Beast</a>, Abram Plaut (Instragram: eiburamu). This Bay Area native has been living in Tokyo for over ten years and I was lucky enough to stay with him and snack on everything the city has on offer. The guy eats absolutely everything- from lamb brains to <i>fugu</i> sperm sac to late night convenience store miso clam soup (top-notch hangover prevention) so we're a natural pairing for eating explorations. He's also a bit of a local food celebrity, with a weekly column in Japanese Playboy and regular appearances on <a href="http://vimeo.com/34939682" target="_blank">television</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While Abram is game to take down most any land or sea creature, without a doubt his area of expertise and extreme dedication is <i>ramen</i>. Hold up. Just so we're clear- not the <i>ramen</i> you find sealed in plastic with dehydrated spices for 79 cents at Foods Co. Real Japanese Ramen. We're talking about fresh, springy alkaline noodles. 15 hour broths. <i>Tare</i> simmered pork belly. Char-grilled spring onions. Layers upon layers of flavor. Japan's fast food and like nothing else on this planet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Talk to me Ramen Beast.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What are the core elements of ramen?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are basically three elements; soup, noodles and topping, although the variations are endless within. I think with traditional Chinese ramen, it's usually a simple one dimensional soup. It's a cheap food, and I don't think they've ever taken it to the level they do in Japan. You have <i>miso</i>, <i>shoyu</i>, <i>shio</i> and <i>tonkotsu</i> broth bases to start. Then theres <i>tsukemen [dry ramen noodles with a concentrated broth on the side for dipping] </i>which adds a totally new dimension. Then theres all the combinations of noodles and toppings. Even with the eggs it's a carefully calculated science; how long to cook them, cool them and marinate them. These are just the eggs! Japanese people are obsessed with perfection and I think it's that which has elevated the ramen in Japan more so than anywhere else in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A bowl of Kagoshima style Tonkotsu Ramen with crispy garlic. This bowl started off with a ladle of rendered animal fat before the broth and noodles were added. Vegetarians, go away.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you remember the bowl that started it for you?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was studying abroad in Tokyo the summer between my junior and senior year in college. It also happened to be the year of the world cup in Japan! The very first ramen shop I went to was right next to my dorm. It was a miso ramen shop and it was fucking awesome and the gyoza was awesome. I must have eaten there 10 times in the 3 weeks I stayed at the dorm. Even years later I come back and I still think it's great. I think I lucked out, because if my first bowl wasn't legit like it was I might not be into ramen crazy like I am now. Also, after the summer semester finished I had a homestay with a Japanese man from Arizona. He showed me a late night spot serving Ramen until 5 am. <i>Tonkotsu shoyu</i>. You get your bowl and eat it on the street. After that I knew I wanted to live in Japan, I just didn't know 2 years would turn into 10.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What makes a good bowl of ramen great?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Impact. It's all about impact. Something that pops. For me the most important part of the bowl is the broth- the soup. It's the very first thing I taste. When you sip it, and it gives you that 'OH! Wasn't expecting that!'- that's what I'm talking about. My favorite bowls are the ones where you eat all the noodles and all the toppings, and there's still some soup left and you cant help yourself to finish the whole bowl and just crush it. A lot of ramen bowls aren't meant for you to drink all the broth, but my favorite bowls beg for you to finish.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Biggest ramen shop no-no?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Theres two main things. I don't give a fuck about decor or how the restaurant looks, as long as they put care into the soup and what they're doing. Maybe the guy is handling cash and handling noodles. Not ideal but I can live with that. As long as they are dedicated to their craft. When I walk into a place and it looks and feels like the staff is only working a part time job, going through the motions, and you can tell that the chef is just getting paid a salary and isn't the owner- these are all bad signs. In any of the chain shops that is gonna be the case. The ramen shops that have just one outlet, it's gonna be the main guy running the show. I cringe a little bit when I ask someone their favorite ramen shop and they tell me a chain shop.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How many bowls of ramen did you take down in 2013?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">209.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prediction for 2014?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Depends on how much time I spend in this country (Abram travels quite a bit). If I'm in Japan <i>I'm dedicated</i>. I'm definitely planning on crushing 150 minimum- maybe 200.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Side of tender <i>Chashu</i> with bean sprouts and <i>negi.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What's the craziest ramen you've had?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Probably pineapple ramen. Shop name is pa pa pa pa pine! It's a pineapple-themed ramen shop. One location serving hot shoyu ramen or a chilled alternative.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you feel your ramen knowledge and experience is both a blessing and a curse?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a curse in the sense that now I can't enjoy bowls that I definitely would have enjoyed a long time ago. If it isn't a cut above the rest it's one and done. No need to come back. It's a little cruel, a little harsh. I'm like a fucking snob, honestly. Theres so many shops I need to get to. But ya know, it's kinda fun cause the search is a lot of what makes it cause the search never ends. It's a curse but it's great to always be able to try new ramen.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What's the main problem with ramen outside of Japan?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel it's a combination of many things. The number one problem is outsourcing and ingredient availability. There's a few important components for noodles. The water is different abroad. It's hard to duplicate the noodles. It's difficult to get the best <i>niboshi</i> (dried anchovies) in the States. Also, there haven't been any pros who've tried to do their thing abroad. It's only gotten competitive recently. Up until now the demand has been higher than the supply. It's inevitable the ramen quality will go up. Ramen shops are opening quickly, the good ones will weed out the bad ones.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5t4QsAASuevulA6_eWWgcSiSD7IUU7_lBWG4SMeKnGjLbcGSQQoH2248lFkUpT_ljUoQbBvM-S9gtEqptVLR5TEZ3NRJdms-qi3dg8RtIW1LpNcCl3fr5_dFEK47glUFOW7OspubxPQ/s1600/IMG_0391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5t4QsAASuevulA6_eWWgcSiSD7IUU7_lBWG4SMeKnGjLbcGSQQoH2248lFkUpT_ljUoQbBvM-S9gtEqptVLR5TEZ3NRJdms-qi3dg8RtIW1LpNcCl3fr5_dFEK47glUFOW7OspubxPQ/s1600/IMG_0391.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">もつ そば- Wagyu</span> Intestine <i>Tsukemen</i> in <i>Kyoto</i>. With <i>Tsukemen </i>you can expect a bowl of room temperature noodles with a separate bowl of broth- usually much saltier and more concentrated in flavor than typical <i>ramen</i> broth. Supreme indulgence.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Talk about current Ramen trends in Tokyo.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Five years ago it was <i>tonkotsu</i> and fish based broths. Then <i>tsukemen</i> started to blow up. Trends are constantly changing, especially in a city like Tokyo with endless ramen options. In my opinion though, when you're looking for the next rush, that extra kick- <i>tsukemen</i> is the new ramen. For the hardcore ramen junkies, it's the next level.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last supper ramen</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The soup at Oyaji Ramen (Machida) is my #1 Miso Ramen soup in Japan. Maybe there are a couple of bowls that I would say from top to bottom are better but something about that soup at Oyaji is just incredible to me. The noodles are pretty good, the toppings average, but the soup brings me back again and again.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you were a bowl of ramen what would you be? </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Something memorable and unique and great.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Stay Beastly.</i></span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-52560136256466104192014-04-07T07:54:00.001-07:002014-04-08T10:53:58.283-07:00Global Lap 2014 (Intro)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">74 days, 18 train rides, 17 flights and 3 continents equaling 1 westward lap around this world. From SFO back to SFO- the scenic route.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My journey started with stints in <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2010/09/taiwans-resurgence.html" target="_blank">Taiwan</a> and <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2010/10/hitting-mainland.html" target="_blank">Hong Kong</a>. I've been to these spots before but still have some friends there begging for my company so I decided to do a little Oriental island hop before the main event. Those first 8 days are still a haze. Anyone who's sipped spirits in Hong Kong knows what I'm talking about. I was feeling the physical after-effects for quite some time but it was without a doubt a power-packed start to my trek.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLsdJDaAgDh-iRoF0NtvJf2-RmgYPfYQPuy7O_tWOAYxqncEzNG7eUxV6dNlpXZkCv0bHBjPx0dllafh3Go-sc6iu519mbHEpymiaf71xReiLpkZDZW9rwxmM_iiZ-tMJlxso9iM8jZ20/s3200/IMG_0030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLsdJDaAgDh-iRoF0NtvJf2-RmgYPfYQPuy7O_tWOAYxqncEzNG7eUxV6dNlpXZkCv0bHBjPx0dllafh3Go-sc6iu519mbHEpymiaf71xReiLpkZDZW9rwxmM_iiZ-tMJlxso9iM8jZ20/s3200/IMG_0030.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've let my gripes be known when it comes to <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2009/10/wan-bring-ur-napkins.html" target="_blank">Taiwanese food</a>, but there are a handful of dishes I'd happily devoir over and over again when given the chance. <span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">凉面 [<i>Liang Mian</i> = 'cold noodles'] is one of those. Chilled wheat noodles with a garlicky, spicy, sweetish sesame sauce. Occasionally you'll see a bit of shredded omelet and/or carrots on a plate of Liang Mian but this <i>Zhongshan</i> district vendor kept it clean. A perfect plateful for a balmy Asian afternoon. The lady enthusiastically gave me the recipe, a cookie <i>and</i> refused to let me pay for the noodles. If only it worked like that in Europe.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTuqsKdaK7FREa3MH1z7CH4TJL8MpfLf9OxQI8BXq1PBfPHUYsR9Fcnz-ztvgE8hOgBf2pdxhzOwLKPDVzyP9xn_Ko5Ffvvx09h_cUELLz4GFbTcZ0k7w6NYOuw3Rly-GlngUhxHfMqI/s3200/IMG_0099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTuqsKdaK7FREa3MH1z7CH4TJL8MpfLf9OxQI8BXq1PBfPHUYsR9Fcnz-ztvgE8hOgBf2pdxhzOwLKPDVzyP9xn_Ko5Ffvvx09h_cUELLz4GFbTcZ0k7w6NYOuw3Rly-GlngUhxHfMqI/s3200/IMG_0099.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not alone when I say that </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">燒鴨 [R</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oast Duck] in Hong Kong</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(like Pizza in Naples or a <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/09/5-8-club-matts-bar-juicy-jucy-lucy-burger-review-minneapolis-mn.html" target="_blank">Juicy Lucy</a> in the Twin Cities) just feels like something you should be eating. Oh, I ate. The salty ginger scallion sauce improves anything it touches. As does rendered duck fat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Join me as I encircle the globe- eating everything within arm's reach in pursuit of that perfect bite. It's out there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Global.</span></span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-32736354553401711702013-05-26T09:34:00.001-07:002014-04-07T08:01:26.034-07:00Enter Sri<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">For the latter portion of our trip the three of us decided to take a quick break from the Republic of India and hop off to a neighboring island. At this point we weren’t necessarily <i>over</i> Indian grub (well, Kagwa perhaps) but a change was most definitely welcomed. There's only some much <i>roti</i> and <i>chicken fry</i> the bowels can take. Enter <i>Sri Lanka</i>. We winged down via <a href="http://www.spicejet.com/" target="_blank">Spice Jet</a>- quite possibly Asia’s worst airline. Anyways, we made it. New country, new people, new landscapes and new bites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTWjaIxoymaCzKMqR9iLzulauUeOrdJO4HVEJYyraE0z7dDzZgQCkM7oX0nv-N-hmnp4lsWCHor60d3Dn1LJAzhf_cDK96ogE_Qq5-UcGUurqnmgY3Oya69HT6Z7Vnc7ScCyugQhDaMk/s1600/IMG_2159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTWjaIxoymaCzKMqR9iLzulauUeOrdJO4HVEJYyraE0z7dDzZgQCkM7oX0nv-N-hmnp4lsWCHor60d3Dn1LJAzhf_cDK96ogE_Qq5-UcGUurqnmgY3Oya69HT6Z7Vnc7ScCyugQhDaMk/s1600/IMG_2159.jpg" /></span></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A young Sri Lankan corn peddler.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKb1vPS6fqEaxiim6ocdr7VCQYrbcEPTBCnVK-iTfOO1Ym9cfDVE1nCJv_FtugI6ovXnEvgcX44vws6fxRJP7d-D-6PivXuf5Hm2gJG9yET_q0lcnLAFbW5VGtR2o4PizK2o5qBoe6wk/s1600/IMG_2097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKb1vPS6fqEaxiim6ocdr7VCQYrbcEPTBCnVK-iTfOO1Ym9cfDVE1nCJv_FtugI6ovXnEvgcX44vws6fxRJP7d-D-6PivXuf5Hm2gJG9yET_q0lcnLAFbW5VGtR2o4PizK2o5qBoe6wk/s1600/IMG_2097.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <o:p></o:p>A fishmonger showing off his yellowfin offering. This fish be <i>everywhere</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tuna features prominently in the cuisine of this teardrop nation. Usually cooked in either a green or red ‘curry’, chunks of tuna are served with rice and an addictive condiment called <i>pol sambola</i>. More on this shredded coconut sensation later.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWCNcNosV9RoK13sxGVQVrlOdIlFy12yOX0Wj8L0tXVpr5vX5OUtWCtHQQtuNanAEAKD16-9O29Ukb1XoDpciApcOGzN55yTywuqQm1sbFaEcMUHCV4VcDamhuN7DjKtkoBCFI5ZoEes/s1600/IMG_2137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWCNcNosV9RoK13sxGVQVrlOdIlFy12yOX0Wj8L0tXVpr5vX5OUtWCtHQQtuNanAEAKD16-9O29Ukb1XoDpciApcOGzN55yTywuqQm1sbFaEcMUHCV4VcDamhuN7DjKtkoBCFI5ZoEes/s1600/IMG_2137.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fresh tuna is also boiled, smoked and sun dried to make a product called <i>Maldive dried fish</i>, which is used to season and flavor countless local dishes. Think of it as Sri Lanka’s fish sauce.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHsBVJNiVMs2xXXxGYALL4Rz1TJAYyP6paOfn46Xhz6-bNguDdlHTkBxrTvvvr-h-WLsV2LWOqb2M9V4PR3V9A7kDKVsWRaC3lTL7gBI2pShjlktc-3f_7qv7nNMTRQHTvpM2lz1c0iQ/s1600/IMG_2179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHsBVJNiVMs2xXXxGYALL4Rz1TJAYyP6paOfn46Xhz6-bNguDdlHTkBxrTvvvr-h-WLsV2LWOqb2M9V4PR3V9A7kDKVsWRaC3lTL7gBI2pShjlktc-3f_7qv7nNMTRQHTvpM2lz1c0iQ/s1600/IMG_2179.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Pol Sambola.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s a condiment, but it may very well be the most delicious thing in Sri Lanka. Peep preparation technique: Freshly shaved coconut is hand-pounded in a mortar and pestle with chilis and shallots. Fresh lime juice and flaked <i>Maldive dried fish </i>are added and the whole mess is pan fried in coconut oil for a few minutes until it crisps up just a touch. For fresh coconut connoisseurs such as myself, this stuff is heaven. The coconut has a splendid natural sweetness that plays well with the other spicy, salty elements.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJ_c5uw_5ETYH7VDZHtzQc8tCZxxWKJq3-2ed46OcP-MaPIfreUePypoWPQ-wbQ-ssIIXVJlNMsJwBOXhoR4u1NTH7xTk_UHqKC4Xc4lNxwUFTDY61auBM1lorwV7rZ3Dqy2L0b9Htb8/s1600/SRIricebowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJ_c5uw_5ETYH7VDZHtzQc8tCZxxWKJq3-2ed46OcP-MaPIfreUePypoWPQ-wbQ-ssIIXVJlNMsJwBOXhoR4u1NTH7xTk_UHqKC4Xc4lNxwUFTDY61auBM1lorwV7rZ3Dqy2L0b9Htb8/s1600/SRIricebowl.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No utensils necessary.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLS4pwZOf4ZodRoOdX_LreqKoGDUxWJucVBwC0dfBt-o1qzmwNmKXbXCsX8GNCcYEoyAduAPsF75qS-a2lukqiaq8cnWDtDR557xIjtEkS9f4Q0KLk26ltTK4S5pVh9I_WNbc2dsMMYLY/s1600/IMG_2229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLS4pwZOf4ZodRoOdX_LreqKoGDUxWJucVBwC0dfBt-o1qzmwNmKXbXCsX8GNCcYEoyAduAPsF75qS-a2lukqiaq8cnWDtDR557xIjtEkS9f4Q0KLk26ltTK4S5pVh9I_WNbc2dsMMYLY/s1600/IMG_2229.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Plastic lining. Just like your grandma's couch.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: left;">When you've had your tuna fix, try sampling some <i>Kothu Roti</i>. It isn't hard to find, just follow your ears. All across the island at night you can hear the telling sounds of metal slapping metal- a cook chopping fresh <i>roti</i> with mixed vegetables (cabbage, carrots, onions) eggs and a protein of your choice. A national favorite, many <i>Kothu Roti</i> spots are open until the wee hours to satisfy the night owl locals. Unfortunately, both times I ate this dish I wanted to like it more than I actually did. Tasted like a southeast asian stoner mashup- only problem was I wasn't stoned. Perhaps I should have done like the islanders and indulged in healthy amounts of pre-meal <i>Arrack </i>to lubricate the buds.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98moANv0VPs92oOP9osQsBB6ZRusH-Ul98qtZswaG4f_wOxAIIy6D8ox60HslSsgDEv3TaHq_dh5XJum0uqUruR3ewJ1Y4moTqOfMmgjBE8qRoIxV3pKxviw7SKvywm5o9HLmQ3CB4K0/s1600/IMG_2304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98moANv0VPs92oOP9osQsBB6ZRusH-Ul98qtZswaG4f_wOxAIIy6D8ox60HslSsgDEv3TaHq_dh5XJum0uqUruR3ewJ1Y4moTqOfMmgjBE8qRoIxV3pKxviw7SKvywm5o9HLmQ3CB4K0/s1600/IMG_2304.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A fisherman and his beloved Arrack.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Arrack</i>: Fermented and distilled coconut palm flower sap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Strength</i>: 67 proof</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Price</i>: ~$5 bottle</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Aroma</i>: Butterscotch & Vanilla</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Taste</i>: Watered down rum- in a good way.</span></div>
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Stay Tipsy.</span></div>
A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-4303937923927040942013-04-20T11:27:00.000-07:002013-04-21T08:30:30.932-07:00Ingestible India (Part IV)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">When I used to think Indian food, gravy-based plates like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogan_josh" target="_blank"><i>Rogan Josh</i></a> (Braised Lamb), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palak_paneer" target="_blank"><i>Palak Paneer</i></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_chicken" target="_blank"><i>Murgh Makani</i></a> came to mind. Or perhaps various meats charred in a tandoor with some puffy garlic <i>naan</i>. Generally the Indian food we eat at restaurants in the U.S. is Northern style. The south does it different. </span>Cream and curd thickened curries are replaced with thinner renditions, flavored with chilis and fresh coconut milk. In Kerala, oceanic creatures are eaten daily and hand-tossed flaky <i>roti paratha</i> and steamed <i>appum</i> are the breads of choice.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXY6_qKVmWTzuWOKGPk61e14DLqtk64T9dvv5pOMBl1pVY_-DqaYzonG890qFgp8uQWXNacOKmzw-LVijOHhLG6MJQo2AWK7ebv8-HQcCo03JU2H-1RVLs62iCMW6WBvbm7NuMsLVO5U/s1600/ANCHOVIES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXY6_qKVmWTzuWOKGPk61e14DLqtk64T9dvv5pOMBl1pVY_-DqaYzonG890qFgp8uQWXNacOKmzw-LVijOHhLG6MJQo2AWK7ebv8-HQcCo03JU2H-1RVLs62iCMW6WBvbm7NuMsLVO5U/s1600/ANCHOVIES.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anchovies: one of the most under appreciated fish in the sea.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBu4OugEbTr1JFFNZImB2JqmUUV1-X2cwfAL-xmqwr8v7_zsoBUNCvzzw9pXX39E4uByPVTI9cEioBVXvRlBA5nsUzj7O_Za3I64aYfUG4ouEXfWtK3SobJBlpaYuVuH9MhYD8ZISjZU/s1600/IMG_0231_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBu4OugEbTr1JFFNZImB2JqmUUV1-X2cwfAL-xmqwr8v7_zsoBUNCvzzw9pXX39E4uByPVTI9cEioBVXvRlBA5nsUzj7O_Za3I64aYfUG4ouEXfWtK3SobJBlpaYuVuH9MhYD8ZISjZU/s1600/IMG_0231_2.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <i>Gobi Manchurian</i>. An Indian adaptation of Chinese style sweet and sour- said to have been originally developed by Chinese immigrants living in Kolkata. Cornflour breaded Cauliflower is fried and tossed in a sticky spicy glaze. Indian vegan pub grub.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWSIu5D23aI0u3WQAl2vPIpV0Q5Zx32vzYRR5yf20MMEL_TsGC0MoW_rNobSAVKi1QTPRHT5iWiJ4LB67lnfchnnk0hoILUQsv_9IDktxBwhDIqh4UE1V7-uMICv96ZsLPD95iW1F-rw/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWSIu5D23aI0u3WQAl2vPIpV0Q5Zx32vzYRR5yf20MMEL_TsGC0MoW_rNobSAVKi1QTPRHT5iWiJ4LB67lnfchnnk0hoILUQsv_9IDktxBwhDIqh4UE1V7-uMICv96ZsLPD95iW1F-rw/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The beloved <i>Dosa</i>, here served with a coconut chutney and a ramekin of <i>ghee</i> (clarified butter). The batter is typically made from rice and skinned black gram. It's left to ferment overnight- creating that characteristic tangy flavor similar to San Francisco sourdough- yet more addictive. Yeah, I said it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTht0wYCb7gypuGuWedUSn8eNyK3eZJxhn8BJ-__2uZvyrOkdTSgtzU9g5iOXjFUkXsUrScAhtiNkQ2OWUUVEXcHvFia2Lba37sV-1m4bwv0EZTmDVXMg99LDZKYOx3Kxjq6OAImlkOmM/s1600/IMG_0466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTht0wYCb7gypuGuWedUSn8eNyK3eZJxhn8BJ-__2uZvyrOkdTSgtzU9g5iOXjFUkXsUrScAhtiNkQ2OWUUVEXcHvFia2Lba37sV-1m4bwv0EZTmDVXMg99LDZKYOx3Kxjq6OAImlkOmM/s1600/IMG_0466.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Typical Kerala style lunch. Heat level: medium high. Always some paratha on hand to sop up that oily, heavily spiced gravy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGUHqUgzufHbJ2iARqB8abRhyphenhyphencX0AboRbO91iYDAjK_dJB8HnHbqJKx1pAp0Kswj8khhd4tduEhy_Dwrivw6rvREKx-38fQVImjFmB4c7_Rt3iaUbjChOpxrw5CJNDMs02_-oRJn5cdg/s1600/IMG_1415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGUHqUgzufHbJ2iARqB8abRhyphenhyphencX0AboRbO91iYDAjK_dJB8HnHbqJKx1pAp0Kswj8khhd4tduEhy_Dwrivw6rvREKx-38fQVImjFmB4c7_Rt3iaUbjChOpxrw5CJNDMs02_-oRJn5cdg/s1600/IMG_1415.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <a href="http://media.nbcconnecticut.com/images/654*491/marktwain.jpg" target="_blank">Mark Twain's</a> long lost cousin cooking up some <i>paratha</i> and omelets on a<i> tava</i>. Shirtless cooking is fairly commonplace in India. The chef should be comfortable in his domain. I'd definitely go topless if I could. The 'stache is real by the way. I asked.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3IozgxZXRRfOH_88R3eGk8kDQEozcuYLqFOq8UhV-wryIzXaQSIJMnjJkWlXm-IBZNzwIkQ6NL-kM1riVBkoqW94fQarf47i_5L2mx4F6AuMgfxsufxbtBxlFwOsPCkiqNb1J6ZtlyQ/s1600/coconut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3IozgxZXRRfOH_88R3eGk8kDQEozcuYLqFOq8UhV-wryIzXaQSIJMnjJkWlXm-IBZNzwIkQ6NL-kM1riVBkoqW94fQarf47i_5L2mx4F6AuMgfxsufxbtBxlFwOsPCkiqNb1J6ZtlyQ/s1600/coconut.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fun fact: Kerala actually translates to "Land of the Coconut Trees", and produces around 45% of the India's tree-hangers. Few countries I've been to thrived in front of the camera like these folks. Smiles a plenty in the subcontinent. Unfortunately, the coconuts generally paled in comparison to places like </span><a href="http://english.bentre.gov.vn/node/3" target="_blank">Bến<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Tre</i></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> or even neighboring Sri Lanka. Still beats out the canned stuff by light years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Stay Streetside.</i></span></div>
A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-25251245430599277102013-04-04T16:34:00.001-07:002013-05-26T09:38:41.214-07:00Ingestible India (Part III)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once upon a time before Starbucks began slanging spiced-tea lattes with vegan foam to the masses there was a delicious and humble beverage served all across the subcontinent. This drink was warm, velvety and incredibly fragrant- </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">providing millions with a natural, invigorating morning tonic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Without further ado:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em>The Chai Experience.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Elements:</i><span class="s1"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Tea</i> - Usually black. Steeped with care.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Sugar</i> – Depending on the <i>Chaiwallah</i> [<i>Chai</i> Seller] you’ll get tea that’s either sweet or really sweet. A bit a sugar actually does wonders to carry out the flavors of spices like cardamom, but be weary of the <i>Chaiwallah</i> who gets too liberal with <i><a href="http://www.nutritionmd.org/images/photos/sucrose.gif" target="_blank">C12H22O11</a></i>. An unbalanced or overly-sugared cup of <i>Chai</i> is an unfortunate way to start the morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Milk</i> – Most of the time fresh, whole milk is used. You may also run across <i>chai</i> prepared with condensed milk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Spices</i> - A combination of, but not limited to: dried ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and cloves. These spices are what set apart <i>Chai</i> from your basic cup of British-Style boiled leaves.</span></div>
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<i>The Pour.</i></div>
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<span class="s1">The pour from cup to cup is supposed to froth up the milk in the tea. </span>To be honest I didn’t notice much of a textural difference between the long-pouring style and <i>chai</i> poured straight from the thermos- although extra point are always awarded for flamboyance. A skilled <i>Chaiwallah</i> can pour steaming liquid from one cup to another with a deft touch up there with brain surgeons, <i>pizzaiolos</i> and brick-layers. Respect the craft.</div>
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<i>The Sip.</i></div>
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<span class="s1">Upon lifting the glass you’re immediately hit with the sweet scent of cardamom and clove. These wafts not only infiltrate your nostrils, but permeate the epidermis of your soul. The froth hits your lips with a gentle splash, providing a dual sensation of warmth and sucrose. In order to fully appreciate the multiple layers of flavor found inside this 6 ounce glass please practice sips of 1 ounce or less. </span>Swish gently and swallow.</div>
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<i>The Savor.</i><br />
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<span class="s1">A typical glass of <i>chai</i> provides around 7-12 sips. Take your time. </span>Meet your neighbors. <span class="s1">Snack on a <i>vada</i>. Read the <i><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/" target="_blank">Times</a></i>. </span>Postpone your meetings. Swallow your tea and drink up India.</div>
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<i>The payment.</i><br />
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<span class="s1">A cup of street-side <i>Chai</i> will run you up to 8 rupees. That’s 15 cents. Tip the man, please.</span></div>
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<em>Stay Frothed.</em></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-52099134088034465622013-03-16T13:49:00.001-07:002013-03-16T15:05:25.959-07:00Ingestible India (Part II)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chicken. World population: <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/07/global-livestock-counts" target="_blank">19 billion.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’re outnumbering us 3 to 1, so when I say respect the bird it’s for a reason. India is a far cry from China or U.S.A. when it comes to poultry (or meat) consumption. In fact, they’re pretty much <a href="http://vegetarian.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004748" target="_blank">dead last</a> in the world in that category.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">India’s per capita annual meat consumption (fish not included) is around 3.2 kilograms. I’m sure you can picture what 7 pounds of meat looks like, but lets take it a little further.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There’s a restaurant called <a href="http://www.montecarlo.com/restaurants/brand-steakhouse.aspx" target="_blank">Brand Steakhouse</a> in Las Vegas. It’s located inside the Monte Carlo and they have a $250 steak on their menu. It’s <i>120</i> <i>ounces</i>. Here’s the challenge: If you can put down the entire steak in less than one hour it’s free. These two professionals <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqB_TTCE-3U" target="_blank">did just that.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, what a proud American will attempt to eat in one sitting off of <i>one plate</i>, your average Indian eats over the course of a year. Lord, almighty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">A dish of fragrant Biryani and Chicken Fry, served with an onion, carrot and curd salad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> During my month in India I ate exactly 0 ounces of pork, perhaps 8 ounces of beef, and a handful of mutton dishes. The majority of our land-grazing animal flesh intake came in the form of chicken.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>By far the most ubiquitous dish we ran across was ‘Chicken Fry’. Frying food is relatively easy and inexpensive for vendors and let’s be honest- it’s damn tasty. Chili powder, salt and fennel powder are common seasonings for an Indian style chicken fry.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Travelmate B putting in serious work. Humble eateries like this one have a limited menu or 4 or 5 dishes. Here we've got some spicy fried chicken, an omelet (with shallots and green chilis) and a highly addictive onion gravy for dipping the flaky hand-tossed roti prata. Nothing very fibrous on offer, so fruit was a common post-meal push-through.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why do we get sick in foreign countries? Certainly not an easy question to answer but a major factor is bacteria.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With bacteria it’s all about time. Bacteria likes to multiply in warm, moist environments so tropical countries are already working against an accelerated clock in the race against spoilage. That’s why in these countries many times street food is actually <i>safer</i> to eat than something from a restaurant. The vendor purchases his or her provisions for the day, cooks them, sells them, goes home, and watches cricket. None of this behind the scenes defrosting and re-frosting nonsense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The argument about the unsanitary conditions of street food vendors doesn’t hold up in my mind. A street vendor doesn’t make much money to begin with- perhaps a few dollars a day in India. Getting people sick would be extremely bad for business, so wouldn’t it behoove them to take extra precaution to prevent such occurrences? I thought most of the stalls we ate from in India were relatively clean, and the food was handled with care. Sure it’s more…dusty? I’ll give you that one. When given the choice of 3 day old lamb or dust, give me dust. I enjoyed food from the streets every single day. I threw up once- and I’m pretty sure it was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paan#India" target="_blank">Paan</a> (areca nut and tobacco chew snack) that did me in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I feel it's not necessarily <i>bad </i>bacteria or even <i>more</i> bacteria that causes problems, just <i>different </i>bacteria.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sadly, most of the western world has yet to appreciate crispy fried eggs. A shame.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was talking to the <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2012/01/global-guest-sf-oyster-nerd.html" target="_blank">Sf Oyster Nerd</a> the other day (over healthy doses of Jameson) and he felt that we tend to almost romanticize the idea of getting ill in foreign countries, especially ‘poor’ ones. Tell me which story you’d rather re-tweet:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was holed up in my room for a couple days after I picked up some food poisoning at our hotel in Paris. I’d venture to say it was the apricot scones from the morning buffet, they had an unpleasant aftertaste to them.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I came across a 72-year-old tribesman in the mountainous northern region of Kashmir who was grilling chicken necks in a mud pit. BEST. MEAL. EVER. Puking my brains out for the next two days! #bambooleaftoiletpaper #worthit</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The point is that nobody wants to hear about how you ate a suspect caesar salad at the cheesecake factory and puked. It was a fluke. If the same thing happens in Sri Lanka then it's the vendors fault. Hmm.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A chicken butcher shows off the scarlet aftermath of Pan. Nothing a little Scope can’t buff out.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most Westerners would probably feel more comfortable eating a frozen bag of chicken legs than something butchered in front of them on a tree stump. These Tyson tenders come sealed in nice little plastic bags, so it's guaranteed to be safe!</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">‘See son, this here is a zip lock. It’s a patented design invented in America that effectively protects the chicken from any sort of bacteria infestation. See how the chicken breasts are about the size of that tri-tip we grilled last night? This means it’s a strong, healthy chicken. Let’s buy it. Only $1.69 a pound!’</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So there's how to select chicken at Foods Co. Now lets purchase some bird in India.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A chicken butcher in <a href="http://municipality.tn.gov.in/colachel/abc_city.htm" target="_blank">Colachel</a>, Tamil Nadu. In between drags off a cigarette he breaks down a freshly slaughtered chicken for a paying customer. Chicken coop to plastic bag in about a minute and a half. Beat that <a href="http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/news/20130215/salmonella-outbreak-foster-farms-chicken" target="_blank">Foster Farms</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Stay At Ease.</i></span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-13659504038478483692013-03-09T14:41:00.000-08:002013-03-10T04:00:45.331-07:00Ingestible India ( Part I )<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you haven’t noticed, I'm a guy who prides himself on culinary discoveries and willingness to sample everything the globe has to offer. That’s a given. I want to eat everything. I want to know how to make everything. I want to know every ingredient on my plate. Tell me that’s not possible and I’ll book a ticket to Beirut just to prove you wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even so, I've always been somewhat intimidated by Indian food, to the point where I never even attempted to cook it (save for yellow curry powder and Tyson chicken college experiments).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So many spices! So many colors! So many curries! So many people (1.24 billion and quicky counting). Coriander, ginger, cardamom, mace, star anise, tumeric, cloves, fennel, cumin, cinnamon....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How does an Indian kitchen use all these ingredients? What if I just wanted something simple? Do I need to run down to my neighborhood spice market and drop $60 just to season an omelet?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There was really only one way to find out. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 gentlemen. 1 month. 0 itinerary.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meet me in <i>Mumbai</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I could sum up one of the most common pieces of advice I was given from friends and acquaintances who had traveled through the subcontinent, it would go something like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The food is incredible, you just can’t eat it from the street. If you do, plan on getting violently ill.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s a loaded statement for me to take in. That’s like telling Ron Jeremy he can look but can’t touch. No street food? Are you serious? In my head I’m as cocksure as ever:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">‘They don’t have my stomach. Their insides aren’t coated with a protective layer of Vietnamese bacteria. I spent 2 1/2 years building my iron-clad digestive tract, and you’re gonna tell me I gotta eat my Vegetable Pakoras next to these Russians honeymooners?*’</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">* I have nothing against Russian people. Or marriage. Just soulless tourist fare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Granted I’ve been in the relatively sanitary state of California for most of the last two years, but I’ll still stand behind my gut in most any gastronomic challenge. Of course I was going to make logical choices, but I wasn’t going to let the fear of the <i>chance </i>of getting sick dictate my trip. One of my travel mates felt the consequences of these streets first hand, as he was infected with a wicked case of giardia on his last trip to India in 2010. Kudos to this kid for diving back in after an 8 month squirt-session filled with a slew of misdiagnoses and explosive, unpredictable trips to the john. If I gave out global medals of courage, he'd receive the first.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So <i>India</i>, perhaps the final frontier of gastrointestinal fortitude?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The black diamond of belly bacteria.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The King Kong of colon cramps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Game On.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Dauntless.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-66610531906883183492013-01-13T21:20:00.001-08:002013-03-09T15:20:49.262-08:00HWY 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">San Francisco - Ft. Bragg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Clams / Cream / Croutons</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYShJlnXjSwhZYt9hI-8iTqy0zy9ev0TE0DEDePk67XW38dHZA0kM-0uq873k7dxM9zUORL6wdZ_So0fO0lmRTuEwlqAuD90NbXC1KP455mS-7Z0Td50f9_LB11RWBRat5XMiw9CfYWU/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYShJlnXjSwhZYt9hI-8iTqy0zy9ev0TE0DEDePk67XW38dHZA0kM-0uq873k7dxM9zUORL6wdZ_So0fO0lmRTuEwlqAuD90NbXC1KP455mS-7Z0Td50f9_LB11RWBRat5XMiw9CfYWU/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Smoked Trinity</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggPHbO8Mq8YFMC3doNcdnRvj0e6IaBbnzS65lHcfqEWFcfoQxBaMA-QPWsm9NbpAL85t8KVgfdYFOJS2NOvkaNr41ABitWy5-GLZ14CEYaV4NoQNSrUyCH33c-BEpTAEa9JVdbdsarNA/s1600/IMG_0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggPHbO8Mq8YFMC3doNcdnRvj0e6IaBbnzS65lHcfqEWFcfoQxBaMA-QPWsm9NbpAL85t8KVgfdYFOJS2NOvkaNr41ABitWy5-GLZ14CEYaV4NoQNSrUyCH33c-BEpTAEa9JVdbdsarNA/s1600/IMG_0414.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Al Pastor Torta</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq2zQY2QnJU2bW3MgLPchpFMc4FdO9fX7zR6Udg2N_4dYEPLH5oK-PVjG9biJlgw8vWtHupztYgjIzARYD9H7ieZLxJ8l_F9AHz7r1GvQna1a3791Do4FPx90vdS0V6HeTMqxjDdscFQ/s1600/LENS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq2zQY2QnJU2bW3MgLPchpFMc4FdO9fX7zR6Udg2N_4dYEPLH5oK-PVjG9biJlgw8vWtHupztYgjIzARYD9H7ieZLxJ8l_F9AHz7r1GvQna1a3791Do4FPx90vdS0V6HeTMqxjDdscFQ/s1600/LENS.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq2zQY2QnJU2bW3MgLPchpFMc4FdO9fX7zR6Udg2N_4dYEPLH5oK-PVjG9biJlgw8vWtHupztYgjIzARYD9H7ieZLxJ8l_F9AHz7r1GvQna1a3791Do4FPx90vdS0V6HeTMqxjDdscFQ/s1600/LENS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next stop:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">भारत गणराज्य</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Global.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-77324961624915606382012-12-04T11:55:00.001-08:002013-03-10T12:20:59.608-07:00Jackson & Lincoln<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This past week my good friend <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2008/03/iron-fest.html" target="_blank">Mike Corsini</a> was in town from Hong Kong. This kid is globally renowned for his awe-inspring ability to shovel food down the hatch. 11 egg breakfast anyone? San Francisco isn't known as the cheapest of cities, so surely trying to fill the bottomless pit that is Corsini's gut would put a sizable dent in the pocketbook. Or not?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here at globaleats it's not enough to just eat well. Eating deliciously for blue collar prices is one of the most satisfying activities out there. Flavor is flavor (Corsini quote) but at the end of the day it's more gratifying to know you've done the same with $5 that others are doing for $18. I decided to make it interesting and see how much variety one could sample for less than $25. Prices include 8.5% sales tax, when applicable.</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meal #1</span></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46poLk2-lpAb0FOTd61liGz-zUY12bz9O54FrXd9RRmFbpLIRgVdlrmq0HA2UQqo1MQxxUsLa0J9X910g7AV7vQlDxaAAqjYKeggxkMGy9PTT9V98UQczaX02G5_NW3I6b_mYBTRxvKA/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46poLk2-lpAb0FOTd61liGz-zUY12bz9O54FrXd9RRmFbpLIRgVdlrmq0HA2UQqo1MQxxUsLa0J9X910g7AV7vQlDxaAAqjYKeggxkMGy9PTT9V98UQczaX02G5_NW3I6b_mYBTRxvKA/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baked <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">叉燒包 {chā shāo bāo}</span> @ Lung Fung Bakery - 1823 Clement Street {@19th}</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm a big fan of this little bakery in the Outer Richmond, where they toast up these <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">叉燒-</span>stuffed buns for chess-playing, tip-sipping patrons as well as the random picture-snapping whitey or two. This bun has that fluffy interior and slightly crisp exterior we all seek out, and the pork inside balances sweet and savory with a touch of rice wine tang. Gristle free since '83 as well.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">$1</span></b></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meal #2</span></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8kNhik_5ypqfVOwI5ongld4gbl6mqtRhZby8HNVgh6tZig8leN-6M6WthkD0F-Mgfjwj42-ivDZz8_6Y-nDuL7QGDVYtKOOqTqCJQVXEjxUyreGEOR990gjBBMYYVNEIVuq3r8c96ck/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8kNhik_5ypqfVOwI5ongld4gbl6mqtRhZby8HNVgh6tZig8leN-6M6WthkD0F-Mgfjwj42-ivDZz8_6Y-nDuL7QGDVYtKOOqTqCJQVXEjxUyreGEOR990gjBBMYYVNEIVuq3r8c96ck/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Mì Vịt Tiềm</i> @ Hải Ký Mì Gia - <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">707 Ellis St {@ Larkin}</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Our second stop brought us west of Van Ness to Little Sài Gòn. One of the more popular bowls at this buzzing lunchtime dive are the braised duck leg noodles, for damn good reason. The duck is simmered in an aromatic 5-spice broth until it just begins to fall apart, and served atop chewy egg noodles. I order mine 'dry' so I can mix in just the right amount of broth, hoisin and chili oil.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b>$7.50</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><u>Meal #3</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKrtrXg-235cTGI7II92nDdfzWZMti9HSRJnSq06nmBWeT8TzuMKk77d9VGs9ztHIuXf21ZCLeFfAZ22XQ9WzhGLdeP4yMn2rKtrJOTJgNGYEoKk22AkdewQ_RQEkG9thyJ0vi-AIumQ/s1600/IMG_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKrtrXg-235cTGI7II92nDdfzWZMti9HSRJnSq06nmBWeT8TzuMKk77d9VGs9ztHIuXf21ZCLeFfAZ22XQ9WzhGLdeP4yMn2rKtrJOTJgNGYEoKk22AkdewQ_RQEkG9thyJ0vi-AIumQ/s1600/IMG_0085.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Bánh Mì Đặc Biệt @ Hoàng Đặt</i> Coffee Shop - 930 Geary Street {@ Larkin}</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This <i>Bánh Mì</i> is pure nostalgia for me, as this style sandwich was one of my go-tos back in the People's Republic. The <i>bánh mì</i> trend that hit the states 5 years or so ago brought about several variations of the classic Vietnamese sandwich, although at <i>Hoàng Đặt</i> they keep it classic- and that's plenty good enough for me. The <i>Đặc Biệt</i> ('special' or combo) is a mix of <i>chả lụa</i> (steamed pork paste), <i>giò thủ</i> (head cheese) and <i>ba rội</i> (sliced pork belly roll) with the standard sidekicks of mayo, pate, scallions, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and sliced chilis. Nowhere near <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2010/06/king-mi.html" target="_blank">Cam Ranh</a> status, but it'll do. The seasoned sandwich slanger from <i>Sài Gòn</i> scoops out the interior crumb to make room for the fillings as well as create a more appropriate stuffing to bread ratio. That means a lot to me.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">$3.50</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><u>Meal #4</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXxVgkM5dd82C_s7azFYzb-PiTF7MM9heZqpBosjvMjPIGrqWzhmnzevPndDgGYiGj8t008Um3X8CfoV5sU6sxdABnIGK8oM7TYepYCtTnTscH4EOmUE5av4DpkKDWcnm_EhxvMsEl78/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXxVgkM5dd82C_s7azFYzb-PiTF7MM9heZqpBosjvMjPIGrqWzhmnzevPndDgGYiGj8t008Um3X8CfoV5sU6sxdABnIGK8oM7TYepYCtTnTscH4EOmUE5av4DpkKDWcnm_EhxvMsEl78/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Tacos @ <i>Taqueria Vallarta</i> - 3033 24th Street {@ Treat}</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;">The taco bar at Vallarta is without a doubt the main draw of this homey mexican restaurant in the Mission. It's what keeps me coming back again and again...and again. A dozen or so meats sit on a circular <i>plancha</i>, each with their own compartment, happily bubbling away in their own fat. The skilled <i>taquero</i> takes the tortillas and gives them a quick dip in the <i>grasa</i> before charring them on the griddle. He spoons your <i>carne </i>of choice (this time was <i>suadero</i>, <i>barbacoa</i> and <i>tripitas</i>) on the tortilla and then it's up to you to finish with cilantro, onions and salsa. Just like the pork bun at<i> Lung Fung</i>, I appreciate the consistent absence of those sinewy nasty bits. These style tacos might be a bit of an adjustment for those used to <a href="http://www.papalote-sf.com/papalote-mexican-grill-menu.html" target="_blank">Papalote</a>, but once you begin your love affair with Mexican street style tacos it's all but impossible to step back to grilled chicken and ground beef with shredded iceburg. You can call me a snob, but I'll be at the bar. Eating <i>barbacoa</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>$5.25 (3 Tacos)</b></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meal #5</span></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YzJe0-NVh4ZX53Hax2FakMq8MhQ9L0DAntVitKzK1fYc7OP4-YRpixxD8otFTUYrwQ00LfI_PRLR0o3hsIGoHE5xRhqNJvuiYv-RWxeE8ybbJKJqH01WFRBxyWsDuZx9w03qiqG3LA8/s1600/rosamunde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YzJe0-NVh4ZX53Hax2FakMq8MhQ9L0DAntVitKzK1fYc7OP4-YRpixxD8otFTUYrwQ00LfI_PRLR0o3hsIGoHE5xRhqNJvuiYv-RWxeE8ybbJKJqH01WFRBxyWsDuZx9w03qiqG3LA8/s1600/rosamunde.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wild Boar Sausage @ Rosamunde - 2832 Mission Street {@ 24th}</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The last stop on the tour brought us to ever-popular Rosamunde Sausage Grill. Sure we ran into more white devils here than the rest of our trip combined, but it felt right to conclude this multi-ethnic eating crawl with something as <i>Amuricun</i> as apple pie: Grilled meat...inside a white bun...served in a plastic basket. Pass the mustard! God bless this <a href="http://fatamericans.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Fat-Americans-3.jpg" target="_blank">land of the free</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">$7.05</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grand Total: <b>$24.30</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Boom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Tactful. </span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-69135069560253184702012-08-23T13:43:00.000-07:002013-03-16T16:54:36.470-07:00A day in the Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've eaten at hundreds- maybe even thousands of food stands in Asia and beyond. I love the experience of walking right up to somebody, watching them prepare your food and enjoying their creation while engaging in friendly banter. During these moments, I'm in my element. While I'd become buddies with more than a handful of vendors in Vietnam, I never actually followed them to witness their daily preparation process from start to finish. A damn shame that is. I expect more from myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was another quiet evening in <i>Tol</i><em style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">ú</em>, a small fishing town on the northern Colombian coast that attracts a decent amount of domestic tourists from <em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">Medellín</em> and around. The beaches are unspectacular, and there's really not <i>too</i> much to see or do besides take a boat tour of the surrounding islands. Did that. Now I'm hungry again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the center of town I stumbled across a cart selling what looked like my beloved <i>carima</i><em style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">ñ</em><i>olas; </i>yucca root fritters stuffed with meat or cheese. They're a <em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">costeño</em> specialty, meaning you see them a lot more in the northern coastal areas of Colombia. More importantly they're utterly spectacular once inside your mouth, so anytime I came across these little golden fried bundles of pleasure I made a point to sample.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Typical shredded carrot and beef mixture for <i>empanadas</i> & <i>carima</i><em style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">ñ</em><i>olas</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my rudimentary (yet emerging) Spanish I took a crack at asking this vendor how he prepared his <i>carima<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">ñolas</span></i>. After a puzzled look that read <i>"Why are you so curious gringo?"</i>, the gentle vendor of few words could sense my interest in the operation at hand. I was winning him over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He told me if I wanted to learn how to make them I should come to his house the next day. Easy enough. I had plans to continue north the following day, but my trip itinerary was flexible to say the least (read: nothing to do, nowhere to be for 25 days), so I weighed my options internally...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>*Bus ride up north to a large city to hang out with whites oooorrr a day spent pushing yucca root though a meat grinder and slanging fritters streetside with my new </i><i>coste<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">ñ</span>o</i><i> amigo? No contest! Sign me up!*</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He penned his name & address down on the world's thinnest one ply napkin, normally used for absorbing excessive <i>empanada</i> grease.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">'Roque</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Playa Hermosa'</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is this where you live?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Si.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you have an address or street for me?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How will I find you?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They know me.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aight. Uno mas empanada for the road please.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Corner store, where children enjoy the expansive ice cream selection. I was sent here on assignment to purchase some <i>queso coste<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">ñ</span>o</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next morning I flip-flopped to the town's central square (a park with three old men sitting under a tree) and hailed down a motorbike taxi.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Playa Hermosa, a la casa de Roque. Sabes?"</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Si Siiiiiii!"</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm no stranger to the overeager mototaxi man. 'Nam cut my teeth in that respect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Either <i>Roque</i> was right about everyone knowing him or this mototaxi driver just wanted my business <i>or</i> <i>Roque</i> was a gangster kingpin who secretly lured unsuspected <i>Carima</i><em style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 16px;">ñ</em><i>ola</i>-curious whities to his house where he held them for ransom. Either way I was on my way out of town on this dinky dirt road, eagerly anticipating my upcoming deep fried cassava tot tutorial.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ten minutes later we pull up to what looks like a tool shed with a corrugated aluminum roof. Is this a bathroom break?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh wait there's my main man <i>Roque</i>! He ain't lying! The kid's the king of <i>Tol</i><em style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">ú</em>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thanked the taxi driver for his services and made my way inside the house, where his wife was busy putting together <i>Empanadas</i> & <i>Jugos Naturales</i> for the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time to learn!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Making a <i>Carima</i><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">ñ</em><i>olas</i> is a bit time intensive but very straight forward, as with most Colombia dishes. Firstly, peeled yucca root is boiled until just tender- but not mushy. After that it's left to cool completely (<i>Roque </i>stressed this step repeatedly)...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...ground up through a <i>molido</i> (meat grinder also used to grind corn for <i>Arepas</i>)...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">...The resulting 'dough' is kneaded together to form a lump free, homogenous mixture. A bit of </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">agua</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> may be added if the yucca is too dry. Grab a small piece off, flatten it your hands to about the thickness of a </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">pupusa</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and stuff it with meat or cheese, then roll to seal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's now ready for the deep fat treatment!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a swell ole' time playing sidekick to <i>Roque</i> that evening. We talked, drank ice cold carrot juice, gawked at the pretty girls in short shorts and ate some of the best <i>empandas</i> and <i>c</i><i>arima</i><em style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 16px;">ñ</em><i>ola</i><i>s</i> the coast had to offer. He even let me hold down the fort for a few minutes when he left to buy more cooking oil! By 7 P.M. or so <i>Roque</i> had completely sold out, so it was time for him to return home for dinner with his family. We parted ways and I wished him good luck. The next evening I found myself staying at a tourist hostel in <i>Santa Marta </i>surrounded by mammoth backpacks and conversations of travel conquests in languages I couldn't understand. I felt awkwardly out of place. In my mind, I was still in <i>Tol<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">ú</span>. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Roque's</i> wife and youngest child.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Roque</i> suffers from "<i>Medio Polio</i>", which leaves one side of his body paralyzed. Loosing your ability to walk can't be easy for anyone, especially a street vendor with three mouths to feed. I admire and respect this guy's diligence and dedication to his family. He's the type of person you wish the best for. Days like the one I had with <i>Roque</i> are the reason I look forward to the next stamp in my passport.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-60913349088605719772012-06-13T20:25:00.000-07:002013-03-16T16:57:53.992-07:00Hackin'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Making my way up to the Caribbean coast . . .</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Capurgana,+Choco,+Colombia&hl=es&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&geocode=FSO-gwAd9bpj-w&hnear=Capurgan%C3%A1,+Acand%C3%AD,+Choc%C3%B3,+Colombia&t=h&z=12" target="_blank">Capurgan</a></i><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Capurgana,+Choco,+Colombia&hl=es&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&geocode=FSO-gwAd9bpj-w&hnear=Capurgan%C3%A1,+Acand%C3%AD,+Choc%C3%B3,+Colombia&t=h&z=12" target="_blank"><span class="st"><i>á</i></span></a> was hot. I'm talking searing of flesh hot. The smackdown of ultraviolet light was one of the most intense I've ever experienced. Now I like me some rays, and those who know me can verify I'm one of the more aggressive sun worshipers this side of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1v5Q9VjO0UxDsjTS7wAgyHvgDW3Jjdsarto9qXef1Hn4Ww6injP3a1VxKS-lxdRYuklKTEEnVgWF26thlyClqWAwqVH-aM1m_QvMME78f-7z27dPwM0y2BVvtAQQR4B1ajVF7dC1J7M-/s1600/isabelle.png" target="_blank">Sweden</a>. Even so I felt like <span class="st"><i>Crème brûlée </i></span>after just five minutes beneath this merciless <i>sol</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strolling along the beach one day, I spotted from a distance a couple of older ladies chopping up what looked like carcasses and tossing the severed heads into a big pile. Actually when I got a bit closer I realized they were just chopping open fresh coconuts. Hey now, border areas <i>can</i> be sketchy and Mama said keep your guard up.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERK5z3mYZzKZ_zH0a-SIBXq3ONrtzdyug7cLipCL3o9VVG3sG-ZqlkA4ipGfud1dCRSnTkMRN3brXZlGzOvj6-1WG7r-enfcmArmEzKueu5449j4wsAoEiocg2n949FXXlqBynEgDI3g/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERK5z3mYZzKZ_zH0a-SIBXq3ONrtzdyug7cLipCL3o9VVG3sG-ZqlkA4ipGfud1dCRSnTkMRN3brXZlGzOvj6-1WG7r-enfcmArmEzKueu5449j4wsAoEiocg2n949FXXlqBynEgDI3g/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sorry, coconuts on trees don't look like <a href="http://www.picturesofhawaii.com/hawaii_images/palm_trees_with_coconuts_0071-0903-1511-2244_SMU.jpg" target="_blank">this</a>. Some hardworking citizen has to individually hack them open with a 24 inch machete and tear them apart piece by piece. All day. Every day. Yes, even Sundays. <i>Wait, so that means no bottomless mimosa brunch?</i> Please give thanks to these industrious ladies of <span class="st"><i>Capurganá</i></span> next time you ignorantly slurp down that Vita Coco (which actually taste like sh*t when compared to a freshie).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Also! Don't even attempt to try this at home without a proper pair of rain boots. Rubbers make all the difference.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Sheltered.</span></i></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-75776007005734035002012-05-29T11:33:00.000-07:002013-03-09T15:11:58.844-08:00Colombia (Part II)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbq9X4VgC9S0ZXm1HK_1ZT81trYPRu8dd902VYm6KKgVe6lt9ztrg4r8_oTBzEfawbo00gBrTIsJLMr2oGncL7U6dLKwKmT-yauO4pSo7duRTkRVeIOEDQ37bYTAnVxoxhPLwnVOn31I/s1600/IMG_0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbq9X4VgC9S0ZXm1HK_1ZT81trYPRu8dd902VYm6KKgVe6lt9ztrg4r8_oTBzEfawbo00gBrTIsJLMr2oGncL7U6dLKwKmT-yauO4pSo7duRTkRVeIOEDQ37bYTAnVxoxhPLwnVOn31I/s1600/IMG_0838.JPG" /></span></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Empanadas</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Cars run on gas and people run on carbohydrates. We know this much. In Latin America they shovel starch down the hatch like they're gorging for winter hibernation. Colombia is no exception. Time to dive knee deep in the grain game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We can't talk Colombia without talking bread and we sure can't mention any other bread before we talk <i>Arepa</i>. The <i>Arepa</i> was born and raised in <i>Venezuela</i>, where the word <i>erepa</i> means 'cornbread' in indigenous jargon. The cornbread made it's way over to Colombia, and these days <i>arepas</i> are an everyday staple. Allow me to introduce you to Colombia's <i>tortilla.</i> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-27MLkjlQVgwNFo11t5MPQlE7-8Pve884ie3v6Ffy8D-_K7QEWGBRhbBzJn9k7dawp9RL0O4QIYQrIs4gEmhypnnUUOv26Tmnp1sRPCehprHCUlQ6fLCCTJ0bqgKpqv_mTRZVibMkjAk/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-27MLkjlQVgwNFo11t5MPQlE7-8Pve884ie3v6Ffy8D-_K7QEWGBRhbBzJn9k7dawp9RL0O4QIYQrIs4gEmhypnnUUOv26Tmnp1sRPCehprHCUlQ6fLCCTJ0bqgKpqv_mTRZVibMkjAk/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <i>arepa con carne desmechada</i><i></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The most basic variety of <i>arepas</i> is the <i>arepa paisa</i>. Usually coming unseasoned and tasting like a disc of styrofoam, I like mine with generous stuffing of <i>carne desmechada</i> (shredded skirt steak). Before the pre-packaged era all <i>arepas</i> were painstakingly prepared by soaking dried corn --> peeling the corn --> smashing the corn in a mortal and pestle called a <i>pilón</i>. Nowadays a packaged, pre-cooked mix is the more convenient option. Either way, it's a corn flour and water combination they grill, fry, griddle or bake. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCFm7gyAGBxZYmbRFfB2aO5sMbKuyIJWwjqWslL956_OlPWHguLZblykbYT2euSEC4If_UcK6zHSUUE_J64Od7Cj3va_zRmS3JKoTvM5L7AkW1QFQiKaMusmOJdGZs4zwg951p_V9L0k/s1600/IMG_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCFm7gyAGBxZYmbRFfB2aO5sMbKuyIJWwjqWslL956_OlPWHguLZblykbYT2euSEC4If_UcK6zHSUUE_J64Od7Cj3va_zRmS3JKoTvM5L7AkW1QFQiKaMusmOJdGZs4zwg951p_V9L0k/s1600/IMG_0076.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Aji Picante</i> / <i>Arepa Boyacense </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's a different variety called the <i>Arepa Boyacense</i> from the <i>Boyaca</i> region. A little sweet, a little thick, and a good deal more flavor than your bare bones <i>Arepa Paisa</i>. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXxAU5E5XipnexaUG19SW8A__BjlM_-Rcufj5dM2ud4GaEhBlfplzvzpMlyCcKlZ-LFpTo0uGMN9CDJ-MO6LGsBzb9l7yH2SJh5X6PpuPvHSbNe9LWiGCWHIw5wY_ipSXrxNRga5us34/s1600/IMG_0138_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXxAU5E5XipnexaUG19SW8A__BjlM_-Rcufj5dM2ud4GaEhBlfplzvzpMlyCcKlZ-LFpTo0uGMN9CDJ-MO6LGsBzb9l7yH2SJh5X6PpuPvHSbNe9LWiGCWHIw5wY_ipSXrxNRga5us34/s1600/IMG_0138_2.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arepa de choclo.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The king of <i>arepas</i> in my mind is the <i>arepa de choclo</i>. I first stumbled upon these in the Caribbean port town of <i>Turbo</i>. It was dusk and as per usual I had nothing to do other than cruise the strip. During my seaside stroll I spotted a lady pouring what looked like pancake batter into ring molds on a griddle. Business was booming, people were pulling up on their scooters nonstop to snag a cake or three. Attention grabbed. I wanted in. <i>Una arepa por favor</i>. They're Sweeter and softer than other <i>arepas</i> due to the '<i>choclo</i>' varietal of yellow corn and the addition of milk. It's sometimes served with a slab of salty <i>queso coste</i><span class="st"><i>ñ</i></span><i>o</i>, which is similar in texture to <i>queso fresco</i> but saltier and sporting a slightly funky aroma akin to Bulgarian goat's milk feta.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9vQdg6G2iUH2wIaxC385lF0SYV8oUK8zxW52BGL1BZL_yTP79D6yjBFnoRG6gfNCA9B6VxyGTj6QDfQEStKZSg2BmUGhYyjqHOePcHGvYnT2LvgLmtewCcrKs_kvt5EwfFzvhvnP2zA/s1600/IMG_0677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9vQdg6G2iUH2wIaxC385lF0SYV8oUK8zxW52BGL1BZL_yTP79D6yjBFnoRG6gfNCA9B6VxyGTj6QDfQEStKZSg2BmUGhYyjqHOePcHGvYnT2LvgLmtewCcrKs_kvt5EwfFzvhvnP2zA/s1600/IMG_0677.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="st" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Buñuelos</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Though they share names, these are much different than the cinnamon-sugar dusted dough balls from Mexico. In Colombia <span class="st"><i>buñuelos </i>are a</span> yuca starch, corn flour and farmers cheese merger that's rolled impossibly round and fried. Similar to a cake donut in density, yet a bit salty with subtle notes of <i>maiz</i>. These are <i>every</i>where. Every town. Every corner. Has <span class="st"><i>buñuelos</i></span>. A blessing and a curse. Best snacked on hot 'cause cold <span class="st"><i>buñuelos </i></span>are gastrointestinal-clogging bricks of corn.<span class="st"><i> </i></span>Chase with p90x.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOOyxE8QxqWY6o4IS8uFjrq7aLcBYyty98HIE-PSRAzN46VGI1WeeJkv26rfXA6_x9cBkKhgcErdTL41NmwgqycWrym40HIY_8GT4noklZXVcW167Y68UZoKnDGR3lzMH9DSmXnvss7g/s1600/IMG_0196_2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOOyxE8QxqWY6o4IS8uFjrq7aLcBYyty98HIE-PSRAzN46VGI1WeeJkv26rfXA6_x9cBkKhgcErdTL41NmwgqycWrym40HIY_8GT4noklZXVcW167Y68UZoKnDGR3lzMH9DSmXnvss7g/s1600/IMG_0196_2.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's always some <i>pan de bono</i> in sniffing range.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yuca starch and corn flour <i>baked</i> up nice 'n fluffy this time around. Another <i>pan</i>
where you gotta do yourself a favor and nosh 'em warm. Most
bakeries will have a glass display case of <i>pan de bono</i> and <span class="st"><i>buñuelos</i></span>
with a built-in oven underneath. As you wander through the streets keep a watchful eye on the <i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">panadero. W</span></span></i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">hen they pull out a tray of golden brown <i>pan de bono</i> skip on over and order up a couple <i>caliente</i>. You've got breakfast. A damn good one.</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Anti-Atkins.</span></i></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-5485819290925679412012-05-12T18:09:00.000-07:002013-03-09T15:12:12.805-08:00COLOMBIA (Intro)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Waiting patiently in Bogotá.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, I made it back.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Served with pride.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Actually I've been back in the states for nearly two weeks- but you know how <a href="http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/35kv9g/" target="_blank">first world</a> adjustment takes time. A red light means you need to stop your vehicle, it's not merely a suggestion. Meat needs to
be refrigerated (there goes all the flavor!) or else men in suits will come and throw it all away. Oh, and you're actually expected to
tip the apathetic looking cashier dude who handed you your $12 <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-may-1-2012/back-in-black---artisanal-foods" target="_blank">artisan sandwich</a>! Yes, I live in San Francisco.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jugo Naturales. Don't miss out.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">--><span style="font-size: small;">Enough ranting, I'm here to talk Colombia. You're here to
listen. It felt good searing another stamp in the passport after sixteen months
docked in the homeland. I was far from hating life here in the bay (it’s
quite enjoyable, indeed) but there’s nothing quite like that up-close-and-personal
T.S.A. pat down to signify an adventure awaits. Saddle
up.<i><br /></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Chorizo.</i></span></div>
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</style><span style="font-size: small;">In years past I’ve done my best to sum up a country within a single post, highlighting popular or recurrent dishes that I
felt represented the country’s eating habits and culture. Twenty five days in a country is a bit too long for one post so <i>Colombia</i> will be broken down into a handful, each post with its own theme. I figured it’s the best way to clearly convey my thoughts on the cuisine without having to bang out a 4,000 word / 34 photo all encompassing novel that nobody (<i>with a job</i>) has
time to read.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Pescado.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grub is basic down here. Sex appeal on the plate is low. As one
blogger based out of <i>Colombia</i> put it “<i>Gourmets, they are not</i>”. Contrary to so many times in Asia
where I bit/slurped/tasted and immediately thought<i> -what the fu*k did I just put in my mouth holy sh*t who is this old lady and how can I successfully pull off a sham
marriage with her daughter in order to poach the family recipe to that sauce</i></span><span style="font-size: small;">- most of my meals in <i>Colombia</i> were honest and homey, if not the most exotic.<i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Arepa paisa</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lets be clear before we continue, saying the meals were not exotic or mysterious is not a criticism. I vividly recall eating grilled skirt steak with beans and guacamole in <i>Guatemala</i> six
years ago. Clearly one of my most memorable dining experiences...</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgA0j5cjBc3zXFUCkIRtFdUH6FgdNMZtacQT3PB8tNuSKc2dNq4QbQPScd3HDystlbHfhyphenhyphenb4EZYA2RptfsadaTGQjhjrSkEONm3zMD5qEdKbUVDxLqoRs03GckO_L4wlhDH-rL-9C6gQ/s1600/IMG_0163_2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgA0j5cjBc3zXFUCkIRtFdUH6FgdNMZtacQT3PB8tNuSKc2dNq4QbQPScd3HDystlbHfhyphenhyphenb4EZYA2RptfsadaTGQjhjrSkEONm3zMD5qEdKbUVDxLqoRs03GckO_L4wlhDH-rL-9C6gQ/s1600/IMG_0163_2.JPG" /></a><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Choices </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">..and there was absolutely nothing
fancy about it. The price? $3. Service? Seven year old waiter who turned tables like a boss. The steak? Seasoned with nothing more than
salt and tossed around atop white charcoal. This statement almost comes off as trite but my point is great food can be utterly simple - and I’m sure you know this. If you can take a handful of ingredients and turn them into something
fantastic, something that adds up to more than a sum of it’s parts then I give
you <i>more</i> respect than a chef with a loaded walk-in at his/her disposal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAze_OiKDB0_kUinqdQkIxhkubMSwpcqmdvfrvHkMFujPeJvSU_O9UbE0xzc69Rd6t2189vRvuaYD1Ri-_7nLVG1fYxV8nKbxp-Q7JuFrWRizOcDcxcQvyTM2BaoeTSGdflfJDSbX9ePc/s1600/IMG_0362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAze_OiKDB0_kUinqdQkIxhkubMSwpcqmdvfrvHkMFujPeJvSU_O9UbE0xzc69Rd6t2189vRvuaYD1Ri-_7nLVG1fYxV8nKbxp-Q7JuFrWRizOcDcxcQvyTM2BaoeTSGdflfJDSbX9ePc/s1600/IMG_0362.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i> Mojarro Frito</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So some scrumptious morsels were definitely had down south, and </span><span style="font-size: small;">unfortunately </span><span style="font-size: small;">some nasty bits as well. It happens. Still glad I sampled. The above crispy fried fish resting in a <i>patacone</i> bed fell into the scrumptious category. No doubt. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Roque.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Almost more impressive than any meal I ate was the
willingness of every cook to show me their ways in the kitchen. They probably noticed my face light up after my first bite of <i>arroz de coco</i>, but everywhere I traveled locals were more than happy to chat <i>comida</i> with the strange
wandering <i>gringo</i> with a curious crush on street eats.<i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Cocadas = Coconut creations.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So hang around for a bit and lets learn about the little known edible wonders found in a place where the <i>aguardiente</i> flows like wine. <i>Where beautiful women
instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano</i>. I'm talking about a
little place called <i>Colombia</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Stay Global.</i></span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-6435675504930880532012-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:002013-03-09T15:12:26.109-08:00Next Stop...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See ya'll in a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Global. </span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-44751858736552021112012-03-15T23:05:00.000-07:002013-03-09T15:12:40.929-08:00Macro Series III<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://s950.photobucket.com/albums/ad344/globaleats/?action=view&current=IMG_0360-2.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad344/globaleats/IMG_0360-2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Crumbs. Donut World. San Francisco, CA.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-33432051253867376102012-03-12T10:55:00.000-07:002013-03-09T15:15:12.323-08:00HoodScene (Excelsior)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I've been told that the when the Mission District's young and chic hit the town (read: Mission) they usually draw
their southern schmoozing border at Beretta for cocktails, only occasionally venturing
south of Cesar Chavez for mac 'n cheese at Blue Plate. Those few
intrepid city explorers who drive (or better yet, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCqz3l33kU" target="_blank">bicycle</a>) south past <a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=37.735715,-122.424581&spn=0.003767,0.018668&t=h&layer=c&cbll=37.735714,-122.424596&panoid=ZKzPHCR9Y0vYrpbxnZjUgw&cbp=11,163.05,,0,1.34&z=16" target="_blank">Pupusa Peak</a>
will find a world to
themselves. A world of $20 foot reflexology and $3 tapsilog plates. A world
free
of ironic mustaches and macchiato pretense. A world where Schwinn gears spin at
liberty, free from the confinement of fixation. Yes, ya'll this is still
San Francisco.
It’s called the Excelsior. </span><span style="font-size: small;">No reservations necessary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">My first year of existence was spent in the Excelsior, in a house on London Street. My
grandmother has been living here for the majority of her life. When she was a youngin' the hood was mostly Irish and Italian, although these days the slew of Chinese B.B.Q. shops and Taquerias peppered along Mission are evidence of a much transformed ethnic demographic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sure, it’s foggy most of the year and dentures seem to outnumber residents under 30 by a sizable margin
but this slower paced section of the city has it's definite charm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I was cruising Excelsior's business strip (Mission Street) on a sunny Sunday afternoon when I spotted this unassuming store front beckoning me with tropical cuisine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I took a quick peek at the menu - is this for real? Sure I wasn't expecting much but these pre-dot.com-bust prices had me giddy. Perhaps I've been living in San Francisco too long, a city that conditions the mind to believe $8 is a fair deal for a <a href="http://www.juiceylucys.com/index.php" target="_blank">cup of juice</a>. To think how far I’ve come since the days of haggling over a
15 cent overcharge on a <a href="http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2011/01/best-of-vietnam-scene-ii.html" target="_blank">Cafe sữa đá</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Nowhere on the menu is there the claim of grass fed hormone free beef, and attempting to calculate the profit margin could conjure up unsavory
thoughts about product sourcing. Lets leave that to the haters. This patty satisfies. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">It’s charred sufficiently and seasoned well, two straightforward steps that other places charging 5x as much seem to screw up on the regular. No Acme bun. No humboldt fog. No
daikon sprouts. No secret smug sauce. My $1.85 cheeseburger was dressed simply with the holy trinity of mayonnaise, ketchup
and cheese product. That's how the Excelsior do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Stay Humble.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-90124860654081842942012-02-10T22:52:00.000-08:002013-03-09T15:22:52.572-08:00HoodScene (Bayview)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This stop on HoodScene brings us to the sunny southeastern section of San Francisco, a neighborhood called Bayview / Hunter's Point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rewind about 70 years, when WWII brought thousands of blue collar workers down to this part of the city to work at the naval shipyards. From 1940 to 1950 the area's population quadrupled to 50,000. The African American population alone rose from <i>7</i> to 11,080. After the end of the war and subsequent closing of the shipyard, most of the folks who moved to the Bayview for work found themselves jobless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Geographic isolation, racial segregation and toxicity left over from the shipyards all contributed to the marginalization of the Bayview and it's residents. Over the last few decades, this neighborhood has made news more for it's poverty, <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8366306" target="_blank">crime</a> and drugs than anything else. Let's take a break from the blight and cook up some smiles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Frisco Fried and Auntie April's are the two Chicken and Waffle players on 3rd street. I felt it was my moral obligation as a global eater to officially and impartially sample each rendition and share my experience for all ya'll to read. Or you can just look at the pictures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Still with me? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Marinated and freshly dusted fried chicken @ Auntie April's. Supremely tender and moist, without any of the dark meat sogginess that occasionally causes problems with under-fried thighs. Hate that. Peep that perfectly browned and blistered 4mm crust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Documenting the precise moment where sweet joins savory. The proper intermingling of hot sauce, butter and syrup is the first step to mastering the art of Chicken 'n Waffle consumption. You want vinegar laced spice and crunch in each bite. You want sweet grade B maple with that salty fried bird. I'm also firm believer that the square shaped nooks in Belgian waffles were made to hold as much butter drippings as possible- so fill said nooks accordingly. If you've been counting calories up to this point, then you've lost count.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A six block stroll south on 3rd street gets us to Frisco Fried, a decidedly new school spot decked out with orange walls, signed 49ers jerseys, multiple deep fryers and of course, a selection of jellyroll inducing soul food. The fried chicken here was indeed nice and crisp, although the tenderness and seasoning of the bird fell short to Auntie's. While perhaps playing second fiddle in the experience, it's important to give the waffle it's share of the spotlight. Both versions were the softer and fluffier type which I'm usually not crazy about, but my dining partner and I agreed the waffle at Frisco had a bit more excitement going on in that batter. Nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In the end I gotta give the nod to Auntie April's for her execution of fried chicken. It's really some of the best of its kind, served up in a casual, pay-at-the-counter neighborhood spot with absolutely decent pricing. I'll most definitely return to both eateries for further intensive research on the topic...as soon as I'm done digesting...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Fowl.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-6416423376137656242012-01-18T14:12:00.000-08:002013-03-09T15:21:46.261-08:00Global Guest: S.F. Oyster Nerd<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">Who are you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My name is Gregory Michael Babinecz, a.k.a. the <a href="http://sfoysternerd.blogspot.com/">S.F. Oyster Nerd</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">When and how did this oyster fixation spawn?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After graduating college I moved home for a couple months and got a job at a local fish market near Philadelphia. One of my job responsibilities was to shuck oysters and clams for patrons to take home. It was there where I gained exposure to several different varieties of oysters and shellfish. I next spent 1 1/2 years in Central America working and traveling and realized the food I missed the most were fresh oysters. Upon returning stateside I moved to out west to San Francisco where I won a shucking competition in the fall of 2010 that landed me a part-time job at <a href="http://www.waterbarsf.com/">Waterbar</a> restaurant. I’ve been cracking open oysters a couple times a week ever since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">So what is it you like about these brackish water rocks?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They are the flavor of the land. American palates tend to crave sweet, salt and fat while oysters are much more subtle with flavors and nuances you have to work for. In this era of ketchup, mayo and mustard squirts, oysters are one of last bastions of unadulterated nature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">For the oyster novice, lets talk oyster species.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your two main species available in the United States are <span style="font-style: italic;">Virginica</span> (east coast) and <span style="font-style: italic;">Gigas</span> (west coast). From these two species we have hundreds of varietals, depending on where they are grown.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In general <span style="font-style: italic;">Virginica</span> oysters tend to be brinier with a stronger mineral finish than <span style="font-style: italic;">Gigas</span>. You can also pick up citrus notes and <span style="font-style: italic;">Umami</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">Virginica</span> oysters are also a lot easier to shuck and generally prettier to look at.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Gigis</span> oysters are more vegetal than their east coast counterpart. I feel they’re more complex, with anything from watermelon rind to fresh cut grass notes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The <span style="font-style: italic;">Kumamoto</span> is a third species, and it’s the oyster enthusiasts love to hate. In my opinion the <span style="font-style: italic;">Kumamoto</span> is the Belevedere or Grey Goose of oysters- in a bad way. Many people think it’s the end all be all of oysters, but do you order Chardonnay every single time you go out to eat? As far as flavor profile, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Kumamoto</span> is buttery and creamy with honeydew melon and cucumber notes. All in all a difficult oyster to dislike, yet certainly not the only one to enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">What are your hard and fast oyster eating rules?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First off, always chew your oysters. Would you chug a bottle of 1961 <span style="font-style: italic;">Cheval Blanc</span>? No. You would smell it, sip it and savor it. Do the same with your oysters. An oyster has a beginning, middle and end. By merely ‘shooting’ and oysters and swallowing it, you are only getting the flavor of the ‘liquor’ (juice inside the oyster)- which is good in its own right but certainly not the entire experience. If you want to taste your oysters, then eat them straight up or with just a touch of <span style="font-style: italic;">mignonette</span>* or lemon to cut the brine. Also, be adventurous. Try new oysters whenever possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">* Traditional French style accompaniment to oysters made from champagne, champagne vinegar, diced shallots and cracked peppercorn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">Oyster nutrition?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re looking at about 7-10 calories per oyster, with B vitamins and tons of zinc. They’re also fat free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">Do you mind throwing out a few oyster suggestions for the intrepid crudo consumer to seek out?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Certainly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunken Meadow</span> from the Wellfleet area of Cape Cod. Artisinally grown with a lobster stock finish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tomahawk</span> from New York for it’s chewy, ‘snappy’ texture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Wild harvested <span style="font-style: italic;">Marion</span> from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Big and bold with earthy black truffle flavors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Drakes Bay</span> from right out here in West Marin. When they’re good, they’re really good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shigoku</span> from Puget sound, Washington. Ultra manicured with a nice brine and sweetgrass finish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">Finally, let’s play oyster word association</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hood Canal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mass McDonalds production type sh*t.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cape Cod.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Delicious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Long Island.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BBQ Oysters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gulf oysters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cocktail sauce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Scrotum kick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flipped and rinsed oysters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Swan Oyster Depot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">Thank you S.F. Oyster Nerd.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay Bi (valve) Curious.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3402952371604838581.post-42793024658675599922012-01-06T09:11:00.000-08:002013-03-10T11:15:20.032-07:00Macro Series II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a href="http://s950.photobucket.com/albums/ad344/globaleats/?action=view&current=IMG_0403.jpg" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://s950.photobucket.com/albums/ad344/globaleats/?action=view&current=IMG_0403-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad344/globaleats/IMG_0403-1.jpg" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Char + Cheese. Charlie's Coffee Shop. Los Angeles, CA.</span></div>
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A. Rizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12334784403812463788noreply@blogger.com2