Stories behind the stories. By Travel Writer, Amy McPherson
OMG where has the time gone? I’ve barely blinked since my last post and it’s almost Christmas! And you thought I couldn’t talk about Christmas early enough huh? :) It is that time of the year again, when bosses insist that everyone bond over a boozy night (some of whom pays, some don’t) – and …
I am sitting here in a Michelin listed Restaurant Eugene in Orleans, France, trying to do my job. Scanning the menu with a pen and a notebook by my side, I couldn’t make the decision on whether to choose the item that I understood or, the item that sounded lyrical on the tongue. “Can I …
I am not sure if this is still something the children learn in Taiwan, but one chapter in a primary school text that are taught nationally says every grain of rice, is a drop of the farmer’s sweat. I’ve grown up with this value ingrained in me, to understand that food doesn’t come easily, and …
“You are going there voluntarily?” asked a few colleagues. Well, yes. Why wouldn’t I? “You do know what they say about Essex?” Yes, in fact I’ve hear plenty of bad rap about Essex, especially the stereotyped ‘Essex Girls’, known to be, as described by Wikipedia, “as females viewed as promiscuous and unintelligent, characteristics jocularly attributed to …
Italy. One of those great destination for food lovers. And whenever I am in Italy, I just want to eat everything. It was my second visit to Italy on a recent long weekend visit, a country I will always associate with fine arts, impressive churches and incredibly lovable food. Incredibly. My most favourit-est (if that …
For Easter, we decided to skip the drizzly cold English weather (because Easter always rained) and spent it in sunny warm Lisbon, where we could get by with a light jacket and the southern European sun provided the much needed Vitamin D. In the land of famous things – no, not the footballer! The Portuguese …
That’s right. It’s about food again. I can’t help it. As you know food always play a large part of my travels! One of the best things about business travel, is that I get to eat in good cafes and restaurants where my backpacking budget would never have allowed me to. Kiev surprised me with …
Kiev made me fall in love with fat. Yes, that’s right, fat. We are talking lard, we are talking slices of pig fat rolled in spices, we are talking pan fried dumplings with its thin coating of oil. It’s very much country food in this region, and for both Russia and Ukraine, I have been …
I have been to Moscow a couple of times and will be heading off again in a few days. One of the things I have enjoyed in Moscow (as usual) is the food. You can find any sort of cuisine in Moscow, even an American Diner just a block away from the Red Square (notice …
Don’t be surprised that most of our activities at the Christmas Markets had something to do with food. Well, after all, I do love some market street food! In my opinion, Germans have got the best ‘street food’ culture in Europe, mostly because Europe as a continent just doesn’t really associate itself with street food …
Street food does exist in Europe, and in Germany where the society is used to the concept of ‘take away’ snacks, it is no wonder that there are countless of these wurst stands all over the country, selling variety of sausages and meats stuffed in a bread roll, just enough to fill the gap between …
I’ve been eating too much. Oh but I have been in food heaven. Not only have I had the opportunity to sample some regional Javanese snacks with Agata from Withlocals where we zigzagged the back alleys of local communities in search of her favourite street snacks and eating at some of the best local eateries. In …
It wasn’t immediately apparent what we should be trying in the Philippines. Filipino cuisine is not like that of the Japanese, Chinese, Italian and India, where there would be a restaurant dedicated for them on every street corner. No one hardly ever hear of trying Filipino cuisine unless you know someone who knows where to …
This is where I had my first meal in Hanoi when I visited in 2004. I had only arrived in the country for an hour, was wet and hungry and needed food. My love of street food took me to this little corner and my nose couldn’t go past the fragrance of the freshly steamed …
This, is ‘Durian’. The King of Fruits. The thing that make South East Asians happy and the rest of us gag. Of all these trips to South East Asia I have not in fact, brought myself to face the fruit and it is a challenge that I finally accepted today, with my new found Malaysian …
Wow, yesterday was a big day. As you know, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 3am in the morning, was able to ‘go to bed’ at around 5am and I slept for about three hours before my body clock woke me up due to the time difference between Sydney and KL. Never mind, I needed …
The last two booked I reviewed: A Moveable Feast and Female Nomad and Friends both have a focus on food around the world. I am a big fan of world cuisine, especially street food and traditional snacks, and I often try my hand at making them through local cooking classes. However, we all know that food …
I have previously written about my love of street food, and my experience at creating culinary delights at cooking schools, there is no doubt that food is a great motivator (on top of culture, tradition, history and people) for me. It isn’t always just about the food, but the tradition and practices that come with …
The smell is never as imminent as they say, and lunch at the Sydney Fish Market is always a treat for me. “Fresh fish doesn’t smell”, is the tip I got from the man behind the counter at Peter’s, one of the larger fish mongers here at the market. I select a few prawns, freshly …
This week’s #TTOT got me drooling over memories of street food all around the world. The question was more towards the paranoia of bugs and germs in terms of what’s worse: street food or a dirty hotel room? Overwhelmingly, a dirty hotel room was voted the worse out of the two, as most of us …
[Originally posted on old site] Wellington is a socialite’s paradise. Not only is the city full of great cafes and restaurants, its night life is second to none when it comes to quirky hang outs. Wellingtonians enjoy a bit of individualism and there are plenty of night spots that would satisfy even the pickiest drinkers. …
Beyond the harbour, the beaches and the expensive real estate that lines our shores, Sydney is a melting pot of cultures. It isn’t immediately apparent if you are only spending a few days in the city, but venture out to many of Sydney’s distinct suburbs, it is possible to eat around the world in a …
Many people have told me that they were disappointed with the food in Cambodia. To them, the food in Cambodia just wasn’t interesting, and it wasn’t special. I can’t say I agree. Yes, there were many similarities between Khmer cuisine to other Asian cuisines (such as Thai), but that’s because Khmer culture pre-dates Thai culture …
There is a saying that you haven’t properly experienced Taiwan if you haven’t visited its night market culture. Night markets are the essence of Taiwanese culture and if you are travelling around Taiwan you’d be silly not to experience one! So we took on the challenge and visited as many night markets in Taiwan as …
