Smelly – Stinky – Delicious??

The name itself should tell you exactly what this dish is all about – it’s stinky and it’s tofu. Found in many of the markets throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, Stinky Tofu can be smelled before seen.

Prior to my trip to the moderately tropical island of Taiwan, I had been advised by another expat to give it a try. As I made my way through the Shinlin Night Market during our first night, I kept my eyes open for something that might look like the image I had in my head (tofu on a stick). Making my way through the people and the vendors, I was taken aback from a wretched scent of burnt, stinky feet and I wondered to myself, “is that what the girl was telling me about?” Needless to say, I didn’t venture further to look for the source of the smell, I ventured for some fresh air instead.

From Taipei, I made my way down the east coast by train to the city of Hualien (absolutely beautiful – if you ever get the chance to go to Taiwan, this is a must stop place) and from there, onto Kenting (southern surfing town) and still hadn’t tried this “stinky tofu”. At this point, I thought to myself that if I was mentally prepared to go into snake alley and drink snake blood on my arrival back to Taipei, I could handle a little bit of noxious tofu. But whenever I made my way through the streets of Taiwan and caught whiff of the smell I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead I stuck with noodles, duck, dumplings and even McDonald’s (I have an addiction!).

It wasn’t until my FINAL few hours in Taipei that I braised myself and tried it. I don’t really know how to explain the taste except to say that it “tastes like it smells.” To me, it wasn’t something I would eat again unless I really had to but to other expats, it’s amazing. For me, I think I will rather just stick to my noodles, duck, dumplings and McDonald’s next time.

Around the world – airplane food

Love it or hate it, meat or fish, Delta or Asiana Air. Many people have tried it and have their own opinions on it (and if you haven’t, I hope that my little rant might inform you about it). It’s airplane food.

Before coming to Korea, I had never really experienced airplane food because I usually flew domestically with Air Canada (which I love) but who charges you for meals if you’re not flying overseas. I did however fly Porter Airlines from Halifax to Ottawa and was served an amazing breakfast – really the best blueberry muffin of my life! – After this experience, I asked myself, “why does airplane food get so much slack?”

Coming to Korea, I flew Korean Air from Washington, DC to Seoul and was served two meals, plus snacks, all of which were amazing. I then flew China Southern Airlines to China and even though our flight was short, we were served a really great meal. Then, flying to Taiwan with Cathay Pacific, the meal to Taipei was fine (I had recently stopped eating red meat and pork) and I had no issues, until our trip home…

We left Taipei at dinner time and I was very excited to eat my en-flight meal but with 30 minutes left before our descent into the ROK, we still hadn’t been served our meal. Finally, after a very long wait, our food came but they didn’t have any vegetarian meals left and I had to choose between the beef and noodles or fish with something else. Hating even the smell of fish, I took the beef and ate the side dishes and desert. Needless to say, this has been my only bad encounter with airplane food and, in their defense, the flight was very busy, but still, I was disappointed.

I have been told many stories about terrible airplane meals and service (I’m not going to name any names but I’m sure it’s not difficult to find them out…) and I’ve heard great stories (usually Arab airlines), but these are just a few of my experiences. I’ve since learned to pre-order my vegetarian meals before my trips… starting with my trip to the USA/Canada this coming September.

China – Tea time

I drink tea in the morning, in between classes, while in class to keep me coherent, in the evenings, while visiting friends and family, and even a cup before going to bed… I’m not gonna lie, I’m a tea person, which is why the different forms, uses and traditions affiliated with tea fascinates me.

During my travels in China last fall, the one thing I wanted to do was visit a traditional tea house – one that was not too expensive because I’m a budget traveller and poor – but after 3 days in Shanghai, I settled for just purchasing some tea at a market and gave up on looking for a “free” tea house until…

It was a rainy Tuesday and a day before flying back to Incheon, my friend and I ventured out on the subway towards the Jade Buddhist Temple only to learn it closed 20 minutes prior to our arrival. My disappointment soon turned to excitement when we came up to a little tea shop! We stopped by to have a look and the owner invited us in for some tea. Over the next fifty or so minutes he performed the tea ceremony that I was searching for and told us about his shop, Shanghai, Buddhism and the different benefits of different teas. When out visit was over, I of course, just had to take home some of his awesome merchandise and bought a box of his “family blend.”

The tea that I purchased at his tea house and the market earlier in my trip have been amazing but the experience I had with this man was much more rewarding. So if you’re a tea person, I highly recommend visiting a tea house in Asia (China, Japan, Korea) at sometime in your life, it’s well worth the trip.

Korea – The wonderful world of Kimchi

김치 (kimchi)

You cannot walk into a Korean-style restaurant anywhere in the world without coming into contact with this essential side dish. If you’ve never heard of it or tried it, let me give you a brief rundown as to what it is…

Kimchi is a traditional dish of the Koreas. It is made of vegetables (traditionally cabbage) and a variety of seasonings and then left to ferment to bring out the spiciness and flavor that so many people love or hate.

Many foreigners who come to Korea for the first time have never tried it and many hate it at first but with time, come to either accept it as part of their new life, or even love it.

My first experience with kimchi actually took place back in Canada before coming over here. A few weeks before my departure, a friend of mine took me to a Korean restaurant so I could try some of the food I would be living with over the next year (well it actually became longer but that’s for another time) and with my bibimbop came a little dish with a substance like I had never seen before. Luckily for me, I enjoyed it and so when I arrived, it wasn’t a  shock for me. The shock was how many different variations to this dish there are. They have different kimchi based on region, vegetables, seasons, seasonings, holidays, preparation times – you name it, they’ve got a kimchi for it. My favorite goes by the name of “oi kimchi” which means cucumber kimchi. It’s much less spicier and more juicy than traditional cabbage kimchi.

If you’re interested in learning more, check this out – Kimchi on wiki . Also, check out this video on food (including kimchi) and foreigners in Korea.

 

About – Foreign Muck Yuck

If you have ever travelled to a foreign country then you know there are many differences to overcome. Of course there’s the language, the customs and traditons, and importantly – in my opinion – the food.                                       

                                           

I have decided to set up this blog devoted to food… why? Well because I love food and want to share my experiences with the world! – and get feedback as to what else is out there to try. So… a little bit about me and this project I’m about to take on.

1. I’m a 25 year old Canadian (eh!) born living in the amazing country of South Korea.
2. I love food and learning about the different foods from around the world.
3. I love tea.
4. I have a cat that loves to eat bread.
5. I’m a pseudo-vegetarian (I don’t eat red meat / seafood / pork but I will occasionally eat chicken) BUT don’t worry all you meatatarians out there, I will be talking lots about meat friendly meals 🙂

Anyways, to anyone reading this, I hope you enjoy what you see and don’t hesitate to comment on anything you might want posted. Happy reading!