FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, all of you that know us, me especially, know we’re big foodies. I LOVE eating, cooking, entertaining, the whole deal. I actually even spend evenings just “reading” cookbooks.So, you probably suspected there will be more than one blog about food.
So far on our trip, Bali has by far the best food. Quite honestly, I can’t remember anything much at all about the food in Fiji. It was typical resort food, good but basic international stuff.
In New Zealand since we were in the camper most of the time we rarely ate out and I cooked for the entire month. New Zealand rightly deserves it’s title of lamb capital of the world though, their lamb is simpy remarkable and that , combined with their incredible wines kept us quite happy. I didn’t mind cooking in the camper and the camp kitchens and we just ate quite simply most of the time. They have pretty good seafood as well and quite a good selection of vegies easily accesible. They also have great bread, one of my passions.
Australia was not as exciting. They do have some great seafood but other than that nothing too exciting. Not because it was bad but just because they have quite bland food and not a lot of spices are used. We had some good meals in Sydney but not much to write home about other than that.(other than that pizza.. see below!) We did have a very nice dinner for my birthday though, so there is potential.
Bali has good food. They have Indonesian dishes and then they have Balinese dishes and we’ve eaten a lot of both. My very favorite thing here is Soto Ayam, a chicken based broth soup with chicken, glass noodles, carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes and lots of spices without being too hot..just fantastic. We’ve been eating lots of curries and I do love gado-gado, a salad with tofu and vegies with a peanut sauce. Their crispy duck is incredible as are many of their salads, especially noodle and tofu salad and green papaya salad.
Here in Kuta, of course, they also have about anything you could want. On Tuesday we ate at TJ’s Mexican and were hopeful but dubious going in. However, it was really very good. We talked with our waiter for quite some time and the owners sister lives in California, guess that explains why the food actually tasted like US/Mexican food! Good margaritas too and gotta love those tequila shots:)
And then there is pizza. You all know we adore pizza and I make it myself at home often. For many reasons, we end up eating pizza a lot. Partially because we like it but it’s also just always a quick, cheap choice and the backpacker trail around the world is covered with pizza joints! We’ve had some that weren’t great, most of it has been average to pretty good, and then we’ve had 2 really great pizzas. The first was at the beer pub in Blenheim, New Zealand run by the two guys from San Diego. Along with some damn good beer they had really great, gourmet, brick oven pizzas. We had their vegie special and it certainly rivaled any pizza I”ve ever had in Portland. But, the winner was at Two Brothers cafe in Airlie Beach, Australia. We got the thai chicken pizza which had a spicy thai base, grilled chicken, chopped peanuts, a lime-cilantro drizzle over the top and a fresh lime to squeeze on top…best pizza we’ve ever had anywhere.
The fruit has been pretty great everywhere we’ve gone with all the regular choices but also rambutan, lychee, etc. We’ve been eating TONS of fruit and I’ve got to say the papayas’ here in Bali are the best we’ve had.
So, off to Singapore tomorrow and we’re told they have great street food so we’ll make sure to sample that. We’ve never had Cambodian food so that will be a whole new and exciting experience! Now if I can just get a job on the Travel channel traveling around the world sampling food when I get home!
As for today, I’ve never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving. Growing up it always meant running between 2 sets of relatives houses, stuffing myself with too much food, and eating often dried out turkey. As I’ve gotten older and actually started cooking the turkey I like it more. Last year Jim & I were also alone , although at the beach in Oregon, and because he requested it I did the entire feast, right down to a pie for desert. He is missing all that a bit this year so if we’re home by this time next year I guess I know what I’ll be making!
Our dear friends Ron & Dario are in Puerto Vallarta, one of our very favorite places, eating dinner at Felipes, one of our very favorite restaurants. For anyone who hasn’t been there you must go!
Until next time…enjoy your turkey. Cheers, Jim & Rhonda
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