mangosteen

“Before ripening, the mangosteen shell is fibrous and firm, but becomes soft and easy to pry open when the fruit ripens. To open a mangosteen, the shell is usually scored first with a knife; one holds the fruit in both hands, prying gently along the score with the thumbs until the rind cracks. It is then easy to pull the halves apart along the crack and remove the fruit. Rarely in ripe fruits, the purple exocarp juice may stain skin or fabric.”

I tried one of these for the first time today. It wasn’t too messy and I just used my thumbs to break apart the shell. The edible (white) bit was sweet with a hint of citrusy tanginess and a very soft texture-it turned to mush as I used my tongue to press it against my palate, a very fresh kind of mush. Too bad I only had one.

jok

In Thailand, rice congee is known as “chok” (โจ๊ก) and is often served as breakfast with a raw or partially-cooked egg added. In most, minced pork or beef is also added and the dish is usually topped with a small version of youtiao (known as pathongko by Thais), garlic, slivered ginger, spicy pickles such as pickled radish and chopped spring onions.

Most mornings (or maybe afternoons and sometimes late at night) I’ll make my way to the Chinese food stall right around the corner from where I stay in Bangkok and get myself a bowl of jok. I’ll add some soy sauce, break the uncooked yolk and stir it about until the yellowish hue is somewhat even throughout. I’ll throw in some of that slivered ginger, chopped spring onions and fried dough, then I go to town. It’s definitely worth every one of those 31 Baht. (That’s less than one USD if you’re keeping count.)

edible art

Confection

Charity Bake Sale/Art Exhibit on February 13th, 2009 at Our House West of Wynwood. Curated by Pres Rodriguez featuring a grip of Miami artists with proceeds benefiting the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Location: 3100 NW 7th Avenue, Miami, FL  33127

LINK.

doogh

by Sanctu

Carbonated water, yogurt, salt and dried mint, also known as Yogurtsoda. And I’d try it. It’s also the name of Mariam’s “new” blog, which focuses on the love for food and travel (sorta like what’s evoked by a name like buildings and food but with the execution). And I highly recommend it.

LINK.

side note: Aside from Yogurt soda (which I have yet to try) Mariam is solely responsible for turning me onto No Reservations.

side side note: I actually do like Alesh’s blogging.

asian tuna burger

asian tuna burger @ Tarpon Bend

This was my UEFA finals meal at Tarpon Bend in the Gables. My friend and I couldn’t quite locate Fritz & Franz amidst the sea of German jerseys, so fortunately decided to go around the corner (great seats, refreshing A/C, people rooting for Spain…).

Seared yellow fin tuna, wasabi mayo, caramelized onions and pickled ginger.

I’m not so much for pickled foods, but the ginger was delicious. Not to mention the tuna, and the onions.(And the bread!!!)

that good head

fed ex me that late pass, but I’ve noticed that if you pour a brew at that precise point where its consistency is the most dense, right before it begins to freeze, you’ll get a fair amount of head regardless of how carefully you pour it. a weighty type of head.

dave’s cafe

Today I met the owner of a cafe in downtown Hot Springs. The Exchange Street Cafe. I was taking pictures out late on Exchange Street when we bumped into each other and struck up a conversation. (It’s not so rare for something like this to happen when you’re holding a camera.) Pretty cool cat.

I was able to ask him for a bit of advice. I told him I planned on checking out one of the bath houses tomorrow and if there was any one he’d recommend. He told me to go to Buckstaff Baths for various reasons, but in part because they’re regular patrons of his cafe and happen to be very nice guys. Actually, I happened to read some good reviews about the place, but the local perspective, if you may, cemented my decision to head out there tomorrow. Something about 100+ degree springs and needle showers makes it irresistible. Plus, I so need the Swedish massage that culminates the 1.5 hour experience. Can’t wait.

As for Dave, he suggested a few other spots I could go snap some good pics. He also said that I would love it here, but probably not as much as Miami. Then he chuckled and drove off.

I’m going to try to make it out to his cafe either tomorrow or Saturday. They happen to have an all-you-can-eat fish fry (seems like the popular thing here) and I’m sure I’ll have worked up an appetite by then.

the arrival

Before flying out, I told my father we should get dinner after he scooped me up from the airport. He suggested a Mexican restaurant nearby, but I told him there was a local place I’d heard of and wanted to try. Besides, I could get Mexican any day of the week here in Miami. (As a matter of fact, there are two Mexican restaurants within walking distance from my place.)

Little Rock is a fairly easy place to get around: named streets run North to South, numbered streets are set East to West, while the highway cuts right through the heart of the city. It was easy to get my bearings after having checked out a map during my flight. This was also particularly handy b/c my dad had no idea where we were heading.

Easy enough to find, right off the highway and by the water. The Flying Fish. Some of the best fried/grilled/steamed catfish around these parts, damn good Po’ boys (from what I hear), easy on the wallet, and almost exclusively run by Mexicans.

We opted for the Wednesday “All You Can Eat Fried Catfish Fillet” special, of which one serving was more than I could handle and it sure was good but nothing out of the ordinary. I think I’m gonna get at their Po’ boys next time around. Or maybe I’ll just try that Mexican place my dad was telling me about.

kalimotxo

 

I was having a conversation with a friend last night and he half regretted not trying a sake bomb the last time we hit that sushi joint in South Beach. He seemed a little apprehensive about the mix but genuinely curious nevertheless. I mean, you get a half-full pint of beer, drop a shot of sake in it and boom. Simple as that. No need to take it to the head, and it’s actually quite tasty. This is when he mentions how in Brazil they like to mix beer and Sprite and that despite the odd combo, it’s not bad at all. (It’s called Shandy around some parts and it’s basically a poor *cough*wo*cough* man’s Smirnoff Ice.)

Interesting. I don’t think I’d ever dare add a soft drink to a beer purposely, but I wouldn’t flinch if it came down to trying something like it. And speaking of mixing, in retrospect, I can’t imagine why I second guessed Dominicans mixing Brugal and 7up, particularly considering I’ve had my fair share of Cuba Libres.

This is when I tell my friend that I’ve been trying to kill this big bottle of cheap wine I have at home by mixing its contents with Coke.

*record scratch*

The thought of mixing wine and coke definitely got his attention.

This was one of those things I would’ve considered blasphemy not long ago, but I was lucky and adventurous enough to pick it up on it while traveling around Spain. I was hanging out in Bilbao, in the thick of Basque Country, eating tapas and drinking kalimotxo for dinner. Good stuff, specially if you don’t have the best of wines to begin with. Think of it as sparkling wine with a tangy twang of Coke. Effervescent.

I wonder if I could order a glass of kalimotxo at a place like Tapas y Tintos in South Beach. (Another friend tells me the joint is good.) This is a hypothetical ofcourse, I mean, most people cringe at the thought of ruining wine by adding Coke to it. I bet they would be even less apt to paying for something like this. Then again, it’s South Beach… if nobody is doing it now, they could have a cash cow of a trend in the making.

Anyway, I recommend it. Kalimotxo that is.