INSPIRATION

While going for Thai food yesterday, my friends and I were reminiscing on what we miss in Asia. The organized chaos, the diversity, the smiles and most importantly, the street food! I still remember my first visit to a street food market in Thailand like it was yesterday. It is overwhelming and hectic, but is there anything better than sitting down on one of those plastic stools and enjoying this amazing street food that is both delicious and super cheap? I knew immediately this was going to be my next blog post. Especially after seeing this photo this morning of my personal hero Anthony Bourdain and the American president in a little Hanoi street food diner. Hey, if it’s good enough for the president, it’s good enough for you. Not everyone is as excited about street food as I am, it can be quite scary when you arrive in Asia and it seems like everyone is making something on the corner of the street. Which food is safe and isn’t going to sentence you to the loo for most of the evening (food poisoning is violent!). Which food will taste the best? What if all the street stalls are making more of the same? What does it even say on the menu? How do I figure out how much it costs? The best pad thai I’ve had? On a corner in Koh tao. The best and most deliciously soft squid? On a beach in Cambodia. Tom yum goon I will always remember? Next to the road on the motorbike loop of Pakse, Laos. Eating so much we lost ability to walk? Definitely all around Malaysia! There is nothing that breaks my heart more than hearing somebody went to Singapore, where eating is the national hobby, and was afraid to eat in the hawker stalls. Therefore, I wanted to give you my 20 tips for eating street food in Asia without getting sick. I’ve tried and tested all of them and hope they will help you scope out your awesome next meal:

You’re getting ready to warm up with some hot chocolate as the temperatures are lowering and the nights are becoming longer. As that first layer of snow falls, you’re planning secret Santa with your family and getting into the Christmas spirit. This is what I love. But oh wait, that’s not my reality this year (even though I heard it’s not cold in Belgium either). I’m traveling in Australia and will have to go a second year without my family this Christmas. Last year I still had a bit of cold in the mountains of Darjeeling, India, but this year I’m in full summer mode. That means water slides, barbecues, cold salads, air conditioning and walking around in flip flops and shorts all day, every day. This leaves me with the feeling of a shoe that doesn’t quite fit. Even though it is a reality for everybody living in the southern hemisphere, summer and Christmas do not seem like the most obvious match to me.

Discovering all those great spots in Amsterdam reminded me that I still had to share the amazing restaurant Caravan in London. You wouldn’t expect the area around King’s Cross to be hot and happening but it is! A lot of cool new places are opening up and you can even find Central Saint Martin’s, University of Arts here. Among these hip new hotspots is Caravan on Granary Square. I found this because I was looking for a quick (but nice) bite to eat near the station from which we were heading home with Eurostar. I was very surprised by all the hotspots I found such as Shrimpy’s and Grain Store but chose to pay Caravan a visit in stead.