Posts | Global Table Adventure

About the food of North Korea

While I’m not a huge meat eater, I never met a burger I didn’t like. Especially if it has cheese on top. Case in point: I loved the Aussie Burger we made for our Australian Global Table. This bad boy was loaded up with a fried egg, pickled beets, and a large slice of ooey gooey cheddar. It was all good. Still… the very Shakespearean question is whether or not I would still like a burger if it was called something else… if a burger, like a rose, is just as sweet by any other name. Turns out, in North Korea, it is. In this chilly, isolated country lives a burger chain called “Samtaesong” where the burgers are not called burgers but instead dubbed “minced beef and bread.” (Thanks to reader Brian for pointing this New York Times article out, as well as his list of other North Korean restaurants – dog meat, anyone?). Customers line up to enjoy the minced beef and bread just as heartily as anyone else, despite the rather technical, straight-forward name. Would you? Of course, while …

Monday Meal Review: South Korea

THE SCENE: My Wake Up Call I almost didn’t have anyone over for our South Korean Global Table. I was living in funk town and not sure I’d be great company. I tried to climb out of my shell – I went for a sunshiny walk and even put a smile on my face. “Fake it til you make it” says Joy the Baker. Sage advice. Still – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I’m a pretty shy gal. I like people and people like me, but I’m not very good at cultivating friendships – at making best friends. The last time I did it with any lasting success was in college. Something about being thrown into a stressful environment together practically guarantees lifelong friendship. To be honest, I don’t usually worry about it. I hang out with people now and then. We laugh. But at the end of the day, I spend most of my time with my wonderful husband and daughter. I go to bed happy. Last year, though, I had …

Menu: South Korea

Oh, Ava, Ava, Ava. You seem so bored. So disinterested. When was the last time you got excited about something you ate? When was the last time you were 110% focused on the goodness about to go into your belly? When was the last time you unhinged your jaw to make room for delicious food? Oh, nevermind. Ava has the right attitude … it is time to bring a little enthusiasm to mealtime. Friends, open wide for South Korea. Kimchi is your passport to funky town and bibimbap just might change your life. It did mine. What sounds good to you?* Quick, Magical Kimchi [Recipe] Crunchy Napa cabbage goes Korean with a blend of shrimp paste, red chili flakes, ginger, garlic, and green onion. After a couple of days of fermentation, unlock the pungent condiment of choice in Korea. Superstar BiBimBap [Recipe] A party in a bowl – a sizzling hot stone bowl – filled with rice, whipped together with an assortment of banchan (veggie side dishes), egg, and topped with sweet, spicy chili paste. …

About the food of South Korea

Funny story. In a momentary lapse in brain power (I blame motherhood) … I … I … forgot the alphabet, so we’re doing South Korea before North Korea. Ahem. Maybe not so funny. But, either way, there it is. SO. South Korea. Say hello! Hello. There’s lots of information floating around about South Korea. This mountainous country located at the bottom of the Korean Peninsula is hot, humid, and happenin’. I personally know of seven people that have been to South Korea or are natives. Anthony Bourdain even went there in a particularly entertaining episode of No Reservations. The most distinct characteristic of Korean cooking is how much of it happens at the table. Seriously sizzling fun. For example, there’s Korean hot pot, where a simmering vat of broth is utilized, fondue style, to cook tidbits of deliciousness. Thinly sliced meat can also be grilled at the table before going into lettuce wraps or on top of rice. And there’s bibimbap [Recipe] – a traditional rice and veggie dish (often with meat or fish) that can be assembled …

Monday Meal Review: Kiribati

THE SCENE I wanted our Kiribati Global Table to go perfectly. I had visions of something out of Norman Rockwell. Loving family, smiles all around, big appetites. My two year-old eating $35/lb lobster and loving it. Yeah, right. “Ava, you want some lobster? It’s like… fish.” “Uhuh” she said. The first bite went in. Is it good? “Uhuh.” Approximately 13.3 seconds later she spit it out. “Weird.” I died a little inside. That teeny bite probably cost $5.50. Okay, maybe only $3.50. As the dinner moved on, Ava never changed her opinion, although she thoroughly enjoyed dipping her rice into the coconut curry. Hey, I’ll take what I can get. As our quiet meal wrapped up, I looked at my husband and daughter, trying to memorize their faces. In the morning, I flew to California for the Homefries retreat with Joy the Baker and her crew. It was my first time away from Miss Ava and while it was only for two nights it was so, so, so, so difficult. Hoping to postpone the inevitable I: – Ate my …

Spam you very much! (w/ poll)

The thing about living on a coral atol with no good soil, waaaaay out in the middle of the Pacific ocean is … well, you’re a wee bit stuck when it comes to what you can and cannot eat. Bottom line, if nothing grows where you live, then breakfast, lunch and dinner all begin to take on the same appearance: Which is okay, since fish is the bees knees. And, as for breadfruit – it apparently smells like freshly baked bread – and pandanus fruit is said to be very sweet and juicy; they both sound like winners. Even still, the importance of imports in a country like Kiribati cannot be underestimated. Fresh deliveries of rice, colorful produce, and canned goods are much anticipated. I’ve even read that the chicken is imported. Now, time to get serious. Any ideas for what two of the most enjoyed canned goods in Kiribati are? …. wait for it…. …. Spam and corned beef. Are you into it?

Menu: Kiribati

What is it about Wednesday’s? They’re such a transitional day. A day when the weekend is too far away. From both sides. Listen, I want to tell you a secret. Although I like people, I’m rather shy. I don’t do a good job of being myself around new friends. Sometimes I trip and other times spill things on myself. Sometimes it happens all at once. Kiribati is a new friend. I’m trying hard not to trip. I hope you’ll understand if I take it slow. We’re getting our feet wet with two dishes in the hopes of dissuading any big messups. Still, I think you’ll like them. After all, Kiribati – all the way out in the great, big, wild ocean – is all about really simple food with big flavor. That’s something I can get behind. What sounds good to you?* Roasted Lobster Tails with Coconut Curry [Recipe] Here’s the most ridiculous thing. Earlier on this Adventure, I vowed I would never make lobster again. But I did. Thanks to Kiribati. True story. More on this tomorrow. …

About the food of Kiribati

Every country has a distinct personality. Think of Kiribati as a distant relative – one you might not have even known existed. And I don’t mean your grouchy Aunt Lola. Nope. I mean an upbeat and exotic cousin – one that somehow also manages to exude simplicity and thrift. At her most basic, Kiribati’s a hodge podge of 33 teeny weeny coral atolls in Oceania. Translation? Kiribati’s landmass is so small that “island” is not an appropriate way to describe her situation (although the grouping is officially called the Kiribati Islands – confused yet?). To be honest, I had never heard of Kiribati before GTA. It only took a few internet searches to realize I was not alone. Most of the information about Kiribati was sparse and – as I was to learn – completely wrong. The little good information I could dig up was found in World Cookbook for Students and on a neat web site called 12 Months in Kiribati (about a guy and gal volunteering in Kiribati for – you guessed it – twelve …

Monday Meal Review: Kenya

THE SCENE “Look Ava,” I said, “You can pick up the meat with your bread – it’s called chaaa-paaa-teeee.” Ava laughed. Then, without blinking, she screwed her face up tight and cried. Then she laughed. Then she threw her head back and tried to squirm out of her high chair. Ava was tired. Really tired. “Watch how mamma does,” I continued, trying to stay upbeat. I tore a piece of the still warm chapati and used it to pinch a small piece of meat between my fingers. Trying to look nonchalant, I offered it to her. “No!” she wailed. I popped it into my mouth and offered her some plain stewed beef instead. She continued to wail without stopping until her little face was beet red. Keith went and shut the windows. On his way back, he scooped her up and gave her a bear hug. Then they sat together, in his seat. Thank goodness. She loves sitting in his lap when she’s tired. On napless days it’s often the only way she’ll eat. But even on …

Menu: Kenya

“Let us see, then tell.” This Kenyan saying speaks to the importance of experiencing something before you can actually speak about it. All too often on this Adventure I have seen entire countries jump to life in my mouth, simply by tasting their food. The joy that hits me when I “get” a country on the first bite – it’s like going from black and white movies to color – or silent films to talkies. Stovetop travel really does let me “see.” In lieu of plane tickets I have pots and pans. In lieu of passports I have spices. I’m so grateful. Today’s menu will take you into the heart of Kenya, bite by bite. The sweet Kenyan who corresponded with me last week gave me wings with his words – wings right into his homeland. You can take your family, too. What sounds good to you? Chapati [Recipe] This simple homemade flatbread made its way from India to Kenya, where locals traditionally use it to scoop up food with their right hand (instead of silverware). …

About the food of Kenya

The best way to get out of a rut is to let someone in. To let someone help you. Just the other morning a very nice gentleman emailed me. In beautiful English he explains that he is from Kenya and – hurrah- he would like to help me with my Kenyan Global Table. His email was complete with a four page document of recipes, photos, and details about the food of his beloved homeland. Did he know that I was having a tough week? Did he know the wind had left my sails? No. He was simply sharing his passion – his patriotism. But, still, his beautiful email put a smile on my face just when I needed it most. How wonderful to receive first-hand accounts of food from far-away lands. And what glories I learned about the food of Kenya – an East African country which boasts some of the earliest traces of our species in the form of a boy’s skeleton from more than 1.5 million years ago. This boy, known as Turkana …

Monday Meal Review: Kazakhstan

THE SCENE Today is a tribute to my cat who died last week. To non-cat lovers, my apologies. Please return tomorrow for regularly scheduled programming. This week’s comfort food was exactly what I needed. You see, when we finally decided to put Cabo to sleep I was a red faced, crying mess. I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be sure of my decision. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be free of “what if’s.” Instead I felt horrendous for having such power over life. I didn’t want to decide when he would take his last breath. I didn’t want to break his unfaltering trust in me as his owner. I just didn’t want any part of it. I simply wanted to make him better by ousting the horrendous disease that swallowed him up – feline AIDS. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible. By the time the decision was made, he was a skeleton of his former mega kitty self. He’d developed a tremor in his last days that ultimately brought us into the vet’s office …