Trying different foods while you’re out exploring the sights is a big part of holidays in South East Asia. 

Visit just about any town or city in the region and you’ll find vendors selling all kinds of dishes. They look and smell tempting, with the aroma of spices and the colorful ingredients hanging above the cart or stall. But how to choose?

The secret is out, Filipino food is on the rise! With more and more award winning Filipino themed restaurants cropping up across the nation, Americans are finally getting an elevated taste of the soul-stirring comfort food many hundreds of millions of Filipinos have been enjoying in their own home kitchens for generations!

A mixture of salty and sweet, soft and crunchy and slimy and crispy, this dish is a great example of a 'love it or hate it' flavor profile! In Chinese, it's called 皮蛋, or pídàn, meaning leather or skin egg. In English, it's commonly referred to as Century Egg or Thousand Year Egg.  

Cantonese inspired crispy roasted pork belly [SOURCE]

Local style contemporary food in Hawaii has been influenced from many different cultures from all over the world. Although there is a definite Polynesian base of cooking techniques and ingredients, there is also an overwhelmingly Asian flavor to most of our beloved dishes. Crispy roast pork is no exception. If you want to know more, then this post in the "Cooking Hawaiian-style Comfort Food" series is for you. 

The sign above the nightmarket shop couldn't have made it any clearer. Whatever lingering doubts one might have had as to what was being served on the menu here immediately disappeared once you looked up at the giant neon cobra flashing over the entrance way.

I am no stranger to exotic food. Deep fried chicken butt, fermented stinky tofu, boiled pig intestine hotpot, succulent fish eyes, juicy shrimp heads...these are just a few of the things I've not only tried but that I actually love eating as well. 

Garlic Shrimp Plate in Kahuku, Hawaii [SOURCE]

Have you ever tried the garlic-butter shrimp plates in Kahuku on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii? If you want to know more, then this post in the "Cooking Hawaiian-style Comfort Food" series is for you..

Some people literally travel from the other side of the world just to get their fix of the buttery, salty, tangy goodness of garlic-butter Kahuku prawns. 

But don't worry, if you don't have the time or resources to hop on the next flight out to Oahu just for this dish, I've managed to come up with a recipe that (somewhat) replicates the garlicky flavors and silky textures of this iconic North Shore "plate lunch" specialty.

Singaporean Dumpling Ladies [SOURCE]

In order to truly understand a culture, you need to taste their food. A country's cuisine has always been an important part of cultural identity, and Singapore is no exception. 

Although Singaporean culture geographically originates in Malaysia, the ethnic diversity and historical cultural interactions found within the borders of this country is also reflected in it's cuisine, making it both vibrant and unique.

Brown coconuts with meat perfect for grating [SOURCE]

When you crack open a coconut, what comes out? Is it a thick and creamy white liquid that looks like milk? Or does the liquid have more of a clear consistency, much like water? 

If you picked the second choice, you're right! But if WATER is what pours from a freshly cut coconut, then where do we get coconut MILK from?

I guess I always took knowing the different parts of a coconut for granted. 

One of the biggest questions I always get is, "What is Hawaiian food like?" It's a simple enough question, but one that may carry with it a variety of explanations. If you want to know more, then this post in the "Cooking Hawaiian-style Comfort Food" series is for you.

For starters, "Hawaiian food" in the strictest sense is just a small part of what makes up the local food we eat in Hawaii today. When locals say Hawaiian food, they are specifically referring to dishes that are of Native Hawaiian origin.

I consider myself to be a relatively creative person. However, I feel that my art is mainly translated through words on a page. Anything else truly artistic comes in secondary to that. This includes photography.

My dad has always had a way with plants. We grew up on acres and acres of land surrounded by trees, shrubs, vegetables, fruit and flowering bushes all planted and cultivated by my father's hand. If anyone has a green thumb, it's him. 

It's no secret that Spam is one of the biggest selling "meat" products in the islands of Hawaii. In fact, we've taken it and turned it into our version of a seaweed sandwich! If you haven't heard of this uniquely Hawaiian phenomenon yet, this post in the "Cooking Hawaiian-style Comfort Food" series is for you.

From the moment I announced it until submissions for this edition closed, there has been overwhelming support. Mahalo nui loa!*

I had Vietnamese coffee at lunch a couple Sundays ago. "Big deal," you might say. Well, it is a big deal, for me. You see, living in Taiwan, I've been deprived of conveniently accessible truly gourmet coffee for over three years now, and it's time for me to fight for my rights to again be obsessed with all things coffee bean along with any of it's aromatic byproducts.  

Lunch was not the first time I had ever tasted Vietnamese coffee. I can still think back now when my friend Scott got back from his trip through Southeast Asia, and one of the things he'd unpacked from his travels was a small tin contraption made up of several parts. I hadn't understood it at the time, but this filter would eventually TURN MY WORLD UPSIDE DOWN!

Hawaii Dried Plum, or Li Hing Mui, is a beloved childhood snack for many local kids in Hawaii. It's triple punch combination of salty/sweet/sour is an acquired taste for many who haven't grown up eating it. 

You may remember Scott Muehlbauer from "Chat With an Expat" a couple months ago. Well, now he has his own Drifters Blog column called "Shot of Scott" where he shares with us a photo or video clip from his many travels around the world!  In the first installment of this series, Scott takes us on a walk across Galata Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Galata Bridge links the historic old city of Sultanahmet with Galata and Beyoğlu--two districts of Istanbul known for their restaurants and nightlife.  I was interested in seeing these areas and sampling some of the fantastic Turkish food.  

PLEASE NOTE: On NOvember 8, 2013, Guiuan Town was the first area where Typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda made landfall, thereby sustaining the maximum amount of winds in the country. This beautiful town was 90% destroyed, leaving many dead and the survivors homeless and with no source of income. We lost all contact with my friends there once the storm made landfall. After 5 days of distressful thoughts, I finally managed to get word about my friends, and now we are in full contact again. They have all made it out safely, and are now relocated in an area hundreds of kilometers away in the northwestern part of Samar Island. Their lives are changed forever, but at least they are alive. Please remember the victims of Typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda, and continue to help them in whatever way you can.

Why is it that torrential downpours always bring out the journal-bug in me? It's 2 pm on a Saturday afternoon, and I'm at home under the shelter of a tin-roof shack in Guiuan, Philippines doing my laundry. This has turned out to be a long, drawn out process, as it's all done by hand, and can take hours to complete. 

Although the first step of scrubbing the laundry is done, I now have to sit and let the clothes soak in the soap suds. But as I sit here, waiting for the right time to move on to the next step, it starts to rain. 

Food Stall at a Taiwanese Nightmarket [SOURCE]

In order to truly understand a culture, you need to taste its food. A country's cuisine has always been an important part of cultural identity, and Taiwan is no exception. In this installment of ourFood in Four Courses series, we'll share with you three of the most beloved Taiwanese dishes, a starter, main course and dessert. And to keep things interesting, we'll add on a dish that's definitely not for the faint of heart.

The Chinese have had acultural influence in Hawai'i since the 1800's. The language that we speak at home, called Hawaiian Pidgin English (HCE), is heavily influenced by the grammar and vocabulary of Chinese dialects. The Chinese were one of the the first immigrant populations to intermarry and quickly assimilate with the Native Hawaiians, and many of us today can trace our genealogy back to at least one Chinese ancestor, if not more.

As exotic as the name "Maui, Hawaii" may sound to most, for those of us who actually grew up in a small town in Hawaii it can sometimes feel just like that: A small town. But this week's Guest Blogger Michelle Bolosan, who was born and raised on the island of Maui, Hawaii, helps us to see that in-depth cultural experiences and international cuisine can be found in some of the most unlikely places, even in your own hometown.

Many people love to travel. I am one of those people. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to travel to various places. I've learned that when traveling to a foreign place, along with exploring the culture and the sights, experiencing the FOOD is a must! But what if you don't have the financial means and circumstances to explore the food beyond your own backyard BBQ and kitchen stove?

In order to truly understand a culture, you need to taste their food. A country's cuisine has always been an important part of cultural identity, and The Philippines is no exception. 

In this installment of our  Food in Four Courses  series, we'll share with you three of the most beloved Filipino dishes, a starter, main course and dessert. And to keep things interesting, we'll add on a dish that's definitely not for the faint of heart.

I am presently in Asia, sitting under those good old golden arches, eating a fish filet sandwich with french fries and a medium sized Coke. I'm also considering the possibility of getting myself a twist cone very soon.

It seems to me that a lot of travelers would be ashamed to admit this openly, but I happen to be fine with my current dining choice. Just because I choose to stop by and say 'howdy' to the yellow-and-red clown, (literally, they have one at the front door,) does not make me any less of an avid globe drifter. Ronald McDonald and I go way back, and I am not about to forget an old friend now.