Liuzhou 柳州
Every Chinese city boasts with pride about its cuisine. Some go next level and build food museums. Liǔzhōu 柳州 has three. But even aside these establishments, this city has one pivotal magnet for foodies – a dish that single-handedly immortalizes Liuzhou in gourmet minds: snail …
Realm of Hainan Noodles
Upon stepping on the island, you quickly realize that you have entered the realm of Hainan Rice Noodles, Hǎinán fěn 海南粉. Throw a handful of rice noodles into a bowl, add an assortment of toppings – such as fried peanuts, pieces of meat, chopped scallion, …
Zhenjiang: fragrant vinegar, suspicious oddities
cold cuts on a dish black gold emits sweet fragrance lid floats in the pot Aye, I decided to catch your attention with this odd haiku. Don’t worry, odds are that it will all be clear soon. Welcome to Zhenjiang, the city of Three Oddities… …
Xinjiang: a foodie reconnaissance
One single city won’t reflect the cultural complexity of an entire region. But an immersion into its food can certainly help in grasping the intricacies of both history, geography and customs. Let’s look at Xinjiang through a foodie stroll around Yining. Xinjiang is the size …
Kunshan’s stove mystery
Unless you’ve heard about Kunqu, an important form of Chinese opera, the name of the city of Kūnshān 昆山 might not ring a bell at all. Close to the mouth of the Yangtze and between Suzhou and Shanghai, its location is an undoubted advantage. Kunshan …
A tale of food, old stones and couch surfing
Oh mighty Buddha and all the Hindu gods combined, how much do I adore Thai food! The big thing to be loved about Siamese cooking, particularly for a traveler, is its street food nature. Of course an haute cuisine incarnation of Thai cookery exists – …
The art of rice noodles
A photo shoot of a noodle workshop in Tha Bo, Thailand. Let me take you to the far northeastern corner of Thailand. Tha Bo (ท่าบ่อ) is a small town in Nong Khai (หนองคาย), a municipality that stretches along the Mekong river and borders the Lao …
The art of wheat noodles
Weishan 巍山 is a lovely ancient town in Yunnan. I walked a little bit away from the crowded main part of the historical center and found myself in a quiet alley. Long strands of noodle where hanging in front of a house. There was a …
Taste of North Korea
No, I haven’t been to North Korea… yet! But let me tell you about this restaurant I found in Laos… There are not many countries which maintain active diplomatic ties with North Korea. Well, among them is Laos, and while in Vientiane, I took the …
Weishan 巍山: two noodle marvels
There are several unique culinary traditions in Weishan. It’s worth to mention two different local kinds of noodles: one made from wheat and one from rice. #1. The marvel of wheat Yī gēn miàn 一根面, or “one noodle”, is exactly what the name suggests: one …