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I was fortunate to visit Asia this Spring. Traveled to Bangkok and southern Thailand; visited Penang, Malaysia for a few days; and, had just over a week in Japan. What was for dinner (and all meals) was a variety of tasty dishes. Snapped some food-related photos, offered below as inspiration when considering What’s For Dinner. Hope you enjoy.
Bangkok’s Chinatown offers a great view across the Chao Phraya River and much of the city. Neon-lit dinner cruises blared Thai pop music. I passed.
Bangkok after dark.
Stay alert crossing the streets. Tuk-tuk cabbies show no fear.
Love of food is visible everywhere from carts on nearly every city block to boisterous bistros and fancy dress saloons. Preference for the vernacular kept me munching as I wandered. Street food is available late into the night.
This chicken satay chef was well prepared for the day’s lunch rush.
Noodle dishes from Mr. Ang cost a typical US$1-$2.
Stalls offered a variety; a diner selected ingredients, the chef cooked and served at tables shared by local vendors. BYOB; no corkage fees applied.
Pad Thai ready at a moment’s notice. Please specify peanuts and other garnish.
Or duck soup, if you prefer. “Hail, hail Freedonia!”
This fiery wok cook had no hair on his forearms. Guy in red shoes seemed impatient for his takeaway.
This satay chef couple worked evenings on street outside of family house. Chef at left prepared peanut sauce and marinated cucumber sides to order. Kids served beverages.
After a few minutes this was set before me, a miniature feast of color and flavor.
Giant sea bugs are available, grilled to order, served with hot sauce. Som tam, green papaya and veg salad in the background, was fresh & always satisfying. The beer’s good too.
Speaking of bugs… cheap protein! I passed on the fried larvae.
Where was I…? Right, bugs. This crab fell into a hot wok with an egg, curry, & garlic mixture.
I lost count of the dishes at this stall.
This vendor was singularly focused.
This couple offered freshly squeezed fruit juices; pomegranate was popular.
As prevalent as the humidity, the ubiquitous “7-Eleven” stores offer an air-conditioned respite from the heat; ATMs; and, a variety of colorful sundries.
Better than a hot dog was watching Chao Phraya river traffic while munching mangosteens.
From Bangkok, traveled south on Thai Railways along the peninsula. Pictured are boats typical of those used by scuba tour companies.
Crew galley facilities can be basic. The aroma onboard was a mixture of diesel fuel, sweat, saltwater, and fish sauce.
Local ladies set up food stalls near the public dock in the afternoons. Fried meats on sticks, papaya salads, coconut-milk-rich seafood soups were freshly made. Dishes not sold on sticks are packaged in plastic bags for easy takeaway.
This lady pounded a tasty som tam in her mortar, and was always happy to vary the number of chilies based on customer taste.
Delicious pad see ew.
Banana pancakes are popular. The small print itemizes various toppings and supplementary ingredients.
A spicy breakfast was glass noodles and fried ground pork, squid, prawns, onions, cilantro, and garlic. Extra bird’s-eye chilies? SURE!
Two fellows netting fish from a river in Phetchaburi.
That lonely train whistle called to Malaysia. The Thai Railways breakfast of sugary juice, bruised banana, limp fries, and “club sandwich” made me feel lonelier. At least the coffee was black and strong.
Once detrained at Butterworth, and ferried to Penang, I found historic Georgetown to be cosmopolitan, fun, and friendly blend of Malay, Indian, Chinese, English, Dutch, Portuguese, and other cultures. Indian and Malay food — veg and non-veg counters — offered at the hospitable Sri Ananda Bahwan restaurant was a delight. Iced lime juices were lifesavers in the heat.
Large farmers’ street markets and fish markets were a cook’s delight; would that I had a kitchen handy.
Some food purveyors showed unwavering faith in their own abilities. Yes, dozens of eggs. Yes, the back of a scooter. Yes, lots of rope.
Encountered night markets and food stalls at various places in Georgetown. All were vibrant and busy,
as were dozens of Indian, Malay, and Chinese restaurants. Dim sum is usually a daytime meal.
But sometimes conventions must be discarded.
Wandering around Georgetown I ran across Red Garden , a large outdoor collection of food hawker stalls with a center stage and live music. One chose dishes from a couple dozen or more vendors who prepared and delivered to one’s numbered table. Lots of families, music* and drag burlesque, and the variety of foods was terrific.
* When I walked in a Malaysian duo was singing a Hank Williams song. Selections also included Chinese pop tunes, ABBA, and Johnny Cash.
Red Garden, Penang.
A few of the many stalls that sell noodles, seafood, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Thai, & European dishes.
Two big swimmer crabs wok-fried in garlic-pepper sauce, beer, and burlesque made for a nice evening. Eaten with fingers; many napkins were used. Grand total for dinner was around US$10.
The fish market is huge and busy, with crowds of tourists.
I arrived after most of the morning’s activities — giant tuna auctions, fish shipment transits, etc. — had concluded. Did see thousands of pounds of styrofoam fish packing boxed bulldozed into warehouses; the detritus of the seafood industry. Where does it go every day?
Side streets around the main warehouses were lined with tiny sushi counters, kitchenware and tool shops, with offices and cafes upstairs. Tourists seemed to queue up for overpriced sushi, while many workers climbed to second level ramen shops.
Noodles are a favorite of mine, and can be had just steps off the train at a Toyko station.
Insert money into machine, push button for menu choice, claim ticket, and hand ticket to chef.
Within moments appears a steaming bowl of soup. Beneath the vegetables and tempura…
hot udon swim in fragrant broth.
Pooties aren’t forgotten by the cafe service industry...
Wandered through Tokyo’s Kappabashi district, filled with kitchen shops…
Need a ladle or a meter-wide wok? It’s the Kappiest place on earth!
You know you’re in Kitchenware Town when you see this cousin to the Jolly Green Giant.
Cafes in Japan, and Nihon-jin restaurants worldwide feature menu items embodied in plastic sculptures.
Kappabashi is your destination if plastic food is on your shopping list. No mere rack of shelves, some of these places are plastic food boutiques, with prices to match.
Japanese dishes, burgers, spaghetti twirled on hovering forks… a lot of these were charming. Industrial-grade plastic, and toxic to eat… but charming. And expensive.
Have you ever given any thought to a price for that plastic corndog? US$30+… Maybe the discarded Tsukiji styrofoam boxes are recycled into plastic foods...
Travels from Tokyo took me to Hiroshima (followed BHO by a day), Himeji, and Kyoto.
After climbing through the Hiroshige print that was Himeji Castle in the rain, I was cold, damp, and tired.
Ducked into Ramen Tsurukameya in Himeji, and tucked into hot soup.
Behind a steamed kitchen window, the friendly chef made magic happen.
Big bowls of fatty pork, egg, & seaweed ramen in rich hot pork-bone broth were gratefully consumed by weary happy wanderers. In from the cold drizzle, Asahi helped keep patrons “Super ‘Dry’.”
Kyoto is a city with many beautiful historic sites. As Japan’s capital for over a thousand years, it combines ancient tradition with modern innovation.
Delicious tsukemono (pickled and preserved vegetables) complemented ikura and other fresh nigiri.
For the busy salarywoman, the local supermarket offered nigiri individually wrapped in plastic.
Too soon, I saw signs that foreshadowed a return to the USA.
