Some Memorable Moments Between Food and Me - All Around the World

I am notorious worldwide for my appetite (I don't think the "worldwide" part is too much of an exaggeration). Even in Costa Rica I sometimes ate three plates of rice and beans for dinner. And in Sweden people said feeding me was like feeding a family of three. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of my most memorable food experiences. This is by no means an authoritative list of the world's cuisines (come on, I don't even remember the names of most of the restaurants) but just a recollection of fine times I've had while putting something edible in my mouth. Aspects of consideration were quality of the food, the price, and the circumstances surrounding the meal (or snack).

In no particular order of rank or chronology...

Basashi at Kawaguchiko in Japan

You've heard of sashimi, right? Well, basashi is a type of sashimi. A very special type. It's not any kind of fish. It's horse. And it doesn't taste like chicken. Sorry to all those pony-lovers, but the taste is definitely unique. Oh, it's pretty expensive too. Sometimes I suspect the meal was so good because we had just gotten out of a hot spring. (The restaurant I visited is right across the street from Kawaguchiko Train Station, about three hours west of Tokyo by train.)

Lobster/Steak Dinner in Waikiki

I actually don't remember whether I ordered lobster or steak. The weather was a little gloomy too, but, hey, we were in Hawaii, and it was twilight, and the revolving restaurant really did revolve.

Beef Stone Bowl in Mexico

It was in a huge bowl made of black stone! I've eaten out of bowls made of ceramic, wood, plastic, paper, and even metal, but it was the first time for stone. And people who know me know how much I love beef. Having a Bavarian beer with it made the dish even spicier. It was kind of like getting high...I guess.

Fish Dinner with White Wine at the Luxembourg Garden in Paris

The fish wasn't too great, and the wine wasn't of excellent quality either, but the mood was magical. First off, it was Paris. Second, I'm a sucker for gardens. I'm pretty much tired of seeing huge cities and big buildings (except at night from the 70th floor), but gardens and natural landscapes still have their hold over me. It had also been a very hot day, so the soft breeze at 7 in the evening was more than welcome and refreshing. And in case you're interested in trying it out, there's only one restaurant in the Luxembourg Garden. You can't miss it.

A Little Bowl of Instant Noodles in Shanghai

Yes, you read that correctly: instant noodles, a staple food in the diet of most American college students (by the way, in Japan, instant noodles are much more respected). In this case, it wasn't the meal at all. Naturally, it wasn't too delicious or filling, but I believe it was the first time someone outside of my family had deliberately and personally cooked for me. It was a girl, no less. I remember thinking that she shouldn't encourage gender stereotypes by serving a guy food, but I was grateful nonetheless. She and I both regret that we have that little lake called the Atlantic (well, sometimes it's the continent of Eurasia) between us.

Chicken Cheese Katsu at Kawafuji in Tsuru, Japan

Tsuru is the little town in the countryside of Japan where I studied. My buddies and I frequented Kawafuji, most of us having tried the Chicken Cheese Katsu as our first meal there and eventually going back to it after trying the other stuff. It's just so good! The melted cheese is stuffed inside the strips of fried chicken. Each time we had it, it was like going on a survival mission. You had to be extremely hungry to finish that plate of delicacies and come out without a crippling case of food coma.

The Belgian Waffle

This little wafer must pack the most overwhelming sweetness per square centimeter of any snack I've ever tried. And you can't just go to any waffle place. There's one that I recommend, less than a block south of the Sheraton Brussels in Downtown Brussels. It's on the main shopping street, but it's pretty much a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but you can't miss the smell.

Dog Meat at a Restaurant in an Alleyway in Ho Chi Minh City

It does taste like chicken. For you dog-lovers, take solace in the fact that the dogs used for dog stew are never the species they sell at pet stores. Only specific species that grow to a particular size are used for dog stew.

Breakfast at the La Playa Ocotal Resort on the Western Coast of Costa Rica

The food was only okay, but the view of the Pacific and the nearby mountains was unrivaled. I don't usually stay at resorts when I travel (a luxury I can't afford...yet), and I don't think I've actually stayed at a resort since that time almost two years ago, so till this day that was a unique experience. When you stab your fork into a juicy piece of cantaloupe while observing the serenity of the sea, the ocean wind ruffling your hair, with good company around you, life is good.

NEGI RAMEN OMORI AT HAPPO IN TSURU, JAPAN

I love the Happo ba-chan and ji-chan (affectionate titles for people you would address as "auntie" and "uncle")! Great food starting at the low, low price of 400 yen (that's barely $3 - for more details on this restaurant, please see my article "The Best Ramen in the World - for $3"). "Negi" means green onion, and "omori" means large. It might not be an exaggeration to say that Happo, which means eight treasures, is my favorite restaurant in the world. My buddies and I went there more often than we went to Kawafuji. Even when I was alone I could chat with Ba-chan, who always teased me when I was there with a girl and no one else, American or Japanese. When things were busy, we had to write down our orders instead of verbally telling them, and Ji-chan would show off to the other customers my excellent kanji (for an American). Ba-chan even called me Yamamoto Terry after a while (their surname is Yamamoto, and the Japanese put their surname before their first). When she gave me their cell phone numbers, she wrote "mama" and "papa." I was near tears when I said goodbye to them, but it's good to know that I have multiple places where I can stay when I go back to visit.