As you might have guessed from the subtitle to this site, the 'runcible spoon' reference is nicked from Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat.

I think no matter what context it was coined in, I was always going to love the term 'runcible spoon', but the fact that it appeared in a bit of verse about 'sail[ing] away for a year and a day ...' just made it that much more perfect.

It's true that we took some honey and plenty of money to get us along on this trip, and it's semi-true that we've dined on mince and slices of quince, all eaten with a runcible spoon.

Some people say that a runcible spoon is a hybrid sort of utensil - like a Splayd or a Spork. I reject this as far too boring. I think that runcible is more of a delightful nonsense word that should be more widely used: runcible cat, runcible hippo, runcible headmistress; that sort of thing.

All this puts me in mind of another reason why Runcible Spoon is an appropriate title for this blog, and that is: when I travel, I love to eat! Andrew and I are both complete obsessives when it comes to trying new foods, and travel presents the perfect opportunity.

So, I'd say you can expect lots of random and digressive comments on this site about what it is that we're eating ...

You can also expect my other travel passions to be indulged as well. I like urban environments, particularly megalopolises in Asia, and cities are where we largely choose to spend our travel time.

I also like everyday quirky stuff - the kind of things that just stop you dead in your tracks and make you think, 'what the ... ?' I like seeing things like saffron-robed monks climbing Angkor Wat with their mobile phones in hand, or chilling out in Luang Prabang listening to dance music on their walkmans. I like the weird and wonderful items you find in supermarkets and convenience stores - carrot milk in Hong Kong and carrot & vaseline soap in Ho Chi Minh City.

So, these are the kinds of things you can expect to find within this runcible blog!