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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?
Chances are you’ll recognize some of the dishes on offer from Asian restaurants and noodle stands back home, but you can expect them to taste slightly different. 

Ingredients will be fresh and local, and the recipe won’t have been changed to suit Western palates (which is great, as travel is about new experiences). 

These meals should still be reassuringly familiar, but why not branch out and try something more unusual?

At home, you’ll often find all Asian dishes classed together. If you take holidays in several different South East Asian locations, you’ll soon discover that every country, and even every town, has its own distinct cuisine. 

Noodle dishes are common, of course, but that’s where the similarity ends. 
Malaysian Street Food - Hawker Centre in Gurney Drive, Penang
Malaysian Street Food - Hawker Centre in Gurney Drive, Penang
Vietnam offers the noodle soup called pho and the deliciously soft ban mi baguettes. Cambodia has amok trey, known in the US as Ho Mok, a dish made from fish and coconut milk. 

Indonesia is the home of the ubiquitous nasi goreng, fried rice with a variety of ingredients. 

Thailand's curries have a delicate flavor far removed from the Indian version, and pad Thai is a stir fry dish with its own distinctive character. 
Laotian Banana Street Vendor Selling Her Produce - Laos
Laotian Banana Street Vendor Selling Her Produce - Laos
Malaysia's mix of Chinese, Indian and Western influences has given its cuisine a unique flavor, while you can find foods from all over the world in cosmopolitan Singapore. 

If you’re in the mood for something really different, look out for local delicacies like chicken feet, and a variety of crispy fried critters including locusts, scorpions, ants and their eggs, and even tarantula. 
Indonesian Snacks and Treats - West Java, Indonesia
Indonesian Snacks and Treats - West Java, Indonesia
The culture surrounding street food in Asia is very different to that in the US. 

While hot dog carts in America are looked on with suspicion as purveyors of grease and potential hotbeds of harmful bacteria, across the ocean in Southeast Asia eating on the street is a regular, often daily ritual for families, friends and office workers alike. 

The dishes on offer will usually be very cheap by Western standards, but this in no way reflects the quality of the meals. 

Expect a world of variety, intense flavors, fresh ingredients, hygienic preparation, and service with a smile. 

Images by Achim Voss, Michael Camilleri, dancingqueen27 and Phalinn Ooi used under Creative Commons License.
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And now we ask you: What is your favorite dish from Southeast Asian cuisine?

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8 Comments
Courtney - Maui Jungalow Blog link
5/24/2014 03:03:28 am

This is the nicest site I've seen created w/ weebly. I stumbled on your site after doing a google search for "pidgin mother" after doing a follow up on a pidgin post for the A-Z Challenge this past April. I was hoping to connect w/ you on twitter, but the twitter button takes me to a dead site. Aloha, Courtney

Reply
JR Riel link
5/25/2014 11:28:28 am

Hey thanks for the compliment! I'm continuously working hard on my site design to keep it updated and fresh. I know what you mean about the "limitations" of Weebly templates, but once you learn how to get around those, you can really get some nice designs and still keep the convenience of plug and publish. It's awesome that you're interested in Pidgin. Are you from Hawaii? Or have roots there? And thanks for letting me know about the dead Twitter link. I believe I've fixed it now. If you find me there, just tweet me to let me know that you are Courtney from Maui Jungalow. Take care and aloha!

Reply
Katie Featherstone link
5/25/2014 12:51:57 am

Mouth-watering post thankyou! The street-food on Penang was the best I've ever had. I'd go back purely for the samosas!

Reply
JR Riel link
5/25/2014 11:29:35 am

Ahhh, yes. The memories of AWESOME Malaysian dishes still call me back to that country! I'm happy you enjoyed this post.

Reply
Kalei
5/25/2014 03:10:53 am

Fried locusts... I'd try that, not the scorpions or tarantula, that would creep me out.

Reply
JR Riel link
5/25/2014 11:30:40 am

Strange enough, cuz, I agree with you! I've had roaches, or something similar to those, in Cambodia. But scorpions and tarantulas?? Second thoughts on that one. ;-)

Reply
Kalei
5/26/2014 01:36:35 pm

When are we gonna hear from Scott again? The next "Shot of Scott" is long over due.

Liz link
5/25/2014 10:48:13 pm

Ooh, now I'm feeling very hungry, although I don't believe I could ever be hungry enough to eat a tarantula!

Reply



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