What's over there?
HANOI, VIETNAM – After a stimulating morning at the Museum of Ethnology and a “quick stop” at the gigantic VinMart supermarket that turned into an epic hour-plus meander over the entire store, we were finally back on the street, and more than ready to find something to eat.
Continue reading “What’s for lunch? I have no idea, but we’ll take two…”
HANOI, VIETNAM – For most of the three-and-a-half weeks we’ve been in Hanoi it’s been around 70 degrees during the day (except for a brief cold spell, and a few days that were near 80) — a far cry from the chilly weather we experienced just before we left the Pacific Northwest.
Skipping winter from now on was one of my main desires when we were looking for a place to stay for a while. That and easy access to a market where we could buy fresh food.
So far we’re winning on both counts.
Continue reading “Southeast Asia – Come for the weather, stay for the fruit”
HANOI, VIETNAM – I’m not giving up, but I am pretty frustrated. Sometimes you just have your mind set on something and you don’t expect to be disappointed. You understand…
You really do, don’t you?
Yummmm. I am so looking forward to cheese popcorn. Just the right amount of salty to go with what I’m drinking at this time – a good dark beer. Here is a picture of the package.
First you have to get the darn packaging open, so I wrestle that project with a serrated knife big enough to kill. I walk into the living room with my drink, ready to sit down and relax.
Continue reading “Too many surprises for one night”
SCOTLAND – One of my most curious first impressions of Scotland was the so-called “Full Scottish Breakfast.”
The ‘full Scottish’ includes such typical morning fare as smoked bacon (mostly meat, unlike American bacon where it’s mostly fat), a savory link sausage, a fried egg (just one) and toast (white or brown).
Uniquely Scottish additions to the menu include a wedge of potato scone (more like a potato pancake than the scone I’m familiar with in the States), a slice of black pudding (another type of sausage – very salty – made from pork fat or beef suet, pork blood and oatmeal or barley), sautéed mushrooms, a couple of grilled tomato halves, and finally…
Continue reading “Baked beans for breakfast… and other quirks of Scottish cuisine”
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – The food here is really wonderful.
OK, I see Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald’s, but we don’t eat there even in the states. Otherwise, it is cooked to order and takes a few minutes more. Time is no problem over a good beer anyway.
In the morning we can walk across the street to the little hole-in-the-wall grocery and buy fresh-baked croissants, meat, and curry or chicken pies for the rest of the day. It’s great this inner city living. Continue reading “Edinburgh has a bit of a sweet tooth”