Travel Musings of a Hawaiian Living Abroad
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The Drifter Journals

Asia in a Food Bowl: A Gastronomic Exploration of South East Asia

5/23/2014

8 Comments

 
Man at a Filipino Market Stand Selling Fish - Philippines
Man at a Filipino Market Stand Selling Fish - Philippines
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?

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8 Comments

12 Tasty Filipino Dishes: Southeast Asian "Soul-Food" Recipes To Make Your Taste Buds Tingle! [Philippines]

5/16/2014

8 Comments

 
BATCHOY CHICHARRON AND PORK LIVER NOODLE SOUP
LECHON BABOY ~ SPIT-ROASTED PORK
BUKO SALAD ~ COCONUT FRUIT BOWL
SUMAN (BUBUD) ~ STICKY RICE & COCONUT MILK CAKE
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!

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8 Comments

Dish of the Day: Chinese pídàn 皮蛋 or Century Egg [Taiwan]

5/11/2014

13 Comments

 
Century egg with tofu
Century egg with tofu
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.  

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13 Comments

Cooking Hawaiian-Style Comfort Food | My Personal Recipe For "Crispy Roast Pork"

1/6/2014

4 Comments

 
Cantonese inspired crispy roasted pork belly
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. 

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4 Comments

Eating Snake at Liuhe Nightmarket: Have You Tried This Interesting Delicacy? | Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

12/9/2013

12 Comments

 
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The giant neon cobra hypnotizes passers-by
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. 

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12 Comments

Cooking Hawaiian-Style Comfort Food | My Recipe for a Kahuku "Garlic-Butter Shrimp" Plate

11/24/2013

6 Comments

 
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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.

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6 Comments

FOOD IN FOUR COURSES: Singaporean Cuisine From a Drifter's Perspective

11/21/2013

9 Comments

 
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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.

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9 Comments

DO YOU KNOW: What's the Difference Between "Coconut Water" and "Coconut Milk"? (Molokai, Hawaii)

11/6/2013

6 Comments

 
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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. 

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6 Comments

Cooking Hawaiian-Style Comfort Food - My Personal Recipe For "Easy Shoyu Chicken"

9/20/2013

22 Comments

 
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Japanese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Filipino, Chinese & Korean ingredients
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.

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22 Comments

"Capture the Color" Photography of 2013

9/14/2013

20 Comments

 
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A shot I took with one hand while clinging onto a mule with the other
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.

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20 Comments

Exploring My Dad's Naturally Grown Flowers & Produce in Kalamaula - Molokai, Hawaii

7/22/2013

26 Comments

 
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My Dad Watering His Backyard "Jungle"
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. 

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26 Comments

Cooking Hawaiian-Style Comfort Food | My Recipe For "Spam Musubi", The Sandwich of Hawaii 

7/3/2013

10 Comments

 
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Spam Musubi, The "Sandwich" of Hawaii [SOURCE]

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.

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10 Comments

THE CARNIVAL OF DRIFTER BITES, First Edition: Getting Things Off To A Great Start!

5/23/2013

12 Comments

 
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First Edition: May 23, 2013

As some of you may know, I was a little nervous when I first launched the idea of hosting a travel carnival on The Drifters Blog. It can be intimidating.

Will people submit? Will it be good content? Will there be others promoting the project?

I have to say, thanks to you guys and all your help, it all went off without a hitch! 
From the moment I announced it until submissions for this edition closed, there has been overwhelming support. Mahalo nui loa!*

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12 Comments

Vietnamese Coffee: How I Found Myself Obsessed & Instructions on How to Join Me

4/25/2013

27 Comments

 
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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!

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27 Comments

Dish of the Day: Li Hing Mui! The Beloved Childhood Snack of Hawaii [Pickle Mango Mui Recipe]

4/9/2013

25 Comments

 
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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. 

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25 Comments

Shot of Scott: Fresh "Simit" on The Galata Bridge - Istanbul, Turkey

3/15/2013

26 Comments

 
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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.  

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26 Comments

Tarukog & Palauan - Finding the Familiar in Guiuan, Philippines

2/9/2013

20 Comments

 
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.
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View of a Waray house from the outdoor kitchen
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. 

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20 Comments

Taiwanese Food in Four Courses: A Different Kind of Chinese Influenced Cuisine

1/15/2013

20 Comments

 
Shilin Night Market, Taiwan
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.

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20 Comments

International Cuisine For The "Traveler at Heart" By Michelle Bolosan

12/31/2012

56 Comments

 
International Cuisine For The Traveler at Heart by Michelle Bolosan
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?

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56 Comments

Filipino Food in Four Courses: Adobo Alternatives Beyond Balut

11/25/2012

64 Comments

 
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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.

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64 Comments

Drifter's Thoughts: Dining Choices...Foreign vs. Familiar

10/15/2012

1 Comment

 
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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.

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    I'm JR. I come from a long line of adventurers, some were nomadic explorers of the sea and others wandering cultivators of the earth. Ultimately, this legacy of drifters has deeply affected my view of travel. Read more... 

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