Robyn Eckhardt writes: Garlic cloves, chili sauce, and vinegar. Yes, at breakfast.A few weeks ago I read something that got my ire up: this article for travel site WorldHum , in which travel writer and author Eric Weiner argues for sticking with what you know for breakfast when on the road. For the traveler, breakfast grounds us in our home culture so we can work up the gumption to explore a new one. It also reminds us that however adventurous our spirit, however global our citizenship, we’re still products of a particular culture. At least once a day, preferably at the start of the day, we ...
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: Two days days ago we flew from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang. We were last here in 1995. As might be expected, things have changed.Perhaps the biggest shock is the town at daybreak. Almost without exception, in Asia rising before dawn has guaranteed us peaceful near-empty streets. Not so here. By 6:30am Luang Prabang is buzzing with tourists, alone and in guided groups, many toting cameras and stalking alms-collecting monks like hunters in a wild game park. Not a pretty sight. But the small morning market in ...
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: Memorable food in unexpected locations -- this is something that Thailand seems to specialize in. Stalls by the side of the highway or tucked in the bowels of a market, dull looking shops with dour-faced staff, restaurants that appear to entertain rarely more than a table of customers at a time -- here, all of these are potential sources of darned good dining.Case in point: Khao Soi Mae Jam Bpaa, an out-of-the-way (but not unreachable, from the city) spot off Chiang Mai's Mahidon Road. We stopped here nine days ago on the way out of town with friends. The taxi driver turned off an ...
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: I've spent the last couple hours wrestling with a couple of posts. I throw up my hands. It's just not going to happen today.So I give you this instead: a lovely mosaic of light and shadow -- and fish -- taken by the photographer this morning at Chiang Mai's Muang Mai market. Click the image for a larger view.It's evening now, finally cooling down, the light is perfect. We're out the door.
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: We're in Chiang Mai. And this is what we had for our second lunch on Monday. According to our local guide Fern it's the city's best grilled pig (an opinion seconded by our fellow eater, a pretty fervent pork fan herself).   Our porky feast was cooked up by a mother-daughter team (spitting images of each other, don't you think?) on the stretch of Muang Samut Road just south of Dalat Kamthieng, the city's large plant and flower market. They're there Sunday through Saturday (mom occasionally takes a day off -- "When I feel tired") ...
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: Call us surprised, and very flattered -- Saveur magazine has nominated EatingAsia in two categories (Best Culinary Blog and Best Special Interest Blog) in its First Annual Food Blog Awards.We're up against some pretty formidable competition, so if you're so inclined please hop over the the Saveur Food Blog Awards page and vote. If you're not registered with saveur.com already you'll need to do so before voting. (Warning: the captcha can be fierce. You may need to reload several times to get through security.)Winners will be announced in April. Thanks to the ...
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: Call us surprised, and very flattered -- Saveur magazine has nominated EatingAsia in two categories (Best Culinary Blog and Best Special Interest Blog) in its First Annual Food Blog Awards. We're up against some pretty formidable competition, so if you're so inclined please hop over the the Saveur Food Blog Awards page and vote. If you're not registered with saveur.com already you'll need to do so before voting. (Warning: the captcha can be fierce. You may need to reload several times to get through security.) Winners will be announced in April. Thanks to the folks ...
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Robyn Eckhardt writes:   Chengdu ren are known throughout China as incomparable idlers, lovers of leisure in the extreme. It's a stereotype to be sure, but it's not far off the mark. Chengdu-ites delight in long, sumptuous meals. They play mahjong, board games, and cards with a passion. (Walk down any Chengdu street any day of the week, at any time of the day -- you'll find at least ten games in progress.)  But the tip-top municipal past-time has to be tea drinking. Back in the day much of it was done in sweet little tea houses where elderly men sat up front telling stories in ...
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: ... while I dig out from a pile of due and overdue work. In the meantime, hop over to Photoshelter to view a gallery of gorgeous images from Sichuan -- food and not-food -- recently uploaded by Dave. Best viewed in full-screen mode. They make me want to hop a plane back to Chengdu pronto.
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Robyn Eckhardt writes: One thing that struck me in Chengdu was how many pet dogs there were.Little dogs, medium-sized dogs, a few huge dogs -- dogs were everywhere. Most wore jackets or sweaters (it was the depth of a chilly winter, after all), some rode in bicycle baskets. Dogs in shops, dogs in parks (Chengdu's municipal government should be lauded for its efforts at creating green spaces), dogs cradled like babies, dogs on chairs and on laps, dogs inside homes and outside, patrolling their patch of sidewalk. And not mean, wild dogs either, but well cared-for, well-fed dogs who've obviously been raised as companions, not guard animals.It's something you ...
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