Gà Xào Sả Ớt The Pleiku airport has nourished me more times than I can count with containers of stir fried noodles and fried rice with a greasy sunny side up egg. By now you’ve probably figured out most eggs generally make a one way trip from my plate to the trash can. I so […]
Have you ever carefully studied a piece of chicken fat? Go ahead. Look at that nastiness the next time you see some at the store. It’s gross. And I mean seriously gross. A gelatinous stretchy piece of rubbery film covers other bits of nastiness like cartilage and the random vein here or there. I had the chance […]
The flight from Saigon to Hue takes just over an hour, but is just long enough for a cold snack in the business class cabin. The flight attendant spread a gigantic linen pale yellow cloth across my tray table and then moments later breakfast appeared. Thankfully I was not all that hungry. Two small slices of […]
Let’s change gears here and embark on a jet fueled field trip 38,000 feet above the Vietnamese streets normally providing so much tasty variety. Unlike most of the western world, complimentary meals on domestic flights in Vietnam are a given on full service airlines. And I will have to say for the most part this […]
Though this entrée is quite normal in an aluminum tube 39,000 feet high above Vietnam, I am not so sure it would fly in America. First off, I had eschewed the fish for chicken in hopes bird served on a plane would be a lot different than miles below on the street. Now I am not […]
Way back when in the beginning we sampled some fairly decent fried rice (#5) from the Pleiku airport in the central highlands. Typhoon Pakhor even spawned an emergency meal there cobbled together from leftovers and ramen (#109). Back we go for another meal straight from the same customer buffet in the gate area. Don’t worry…this […]
The ethnic food section at the grocery store used to seem so exotic with the fancy three foot wide display of soy sauce, ramen noodles and bottled teriyaki marinades. Oh how times have changed now that the entire city of Saigon is my ethnic food aisle, and I am sampling foods I doubt will ever grace a shelf at Safeway. […]
My hope…Succulent medallions of braised free range chicken pan seared with a savory blend of herbs and spices carefully paired with the freshest locally sourced Dalat vegetables. Accompanied by a bed of the freshest steamed Mekong Delta rice. My Reality…Never before seen cuts of the bird wrapped in fatty, spongy, gelatinous skin swimming in a sticky brown sauce. Plopped atop […]
My Spanish friend Eloy has nicknamed the little snacks on our shorter flights “Chernobyl Cakes” due to their frightfully artificial green glow. The catering slip in the galley tells us we have Pandan Coconut Cakes on board, and armed with this bit of information, I commenced some research into the intricacies of Vietnamese snack cakes with my coworkers. […]
Remember in the not too distant past when Delta Air Lines somehow dared serve hot meals to 302 Orlando bound passengers on a one hour flight from Atlanta? Fast forward 15 years to present day Vietnam where we can board a plane and jet back in time. Does anyone really remember how that Delta lasagna tasted […]
Down The Street and Back Again 