Makan Makan.

Food.

Today I made the mistake of talking about food. Im loving Indonesia, and aside from a few fabulous dishes in Laos, the cuisine here is my favorite. BUT- theres some things that I really miss, and can't wait to have upon my return. It was like a snowball effect...starting just with pizza, but the more I thought about it, the longer the list....

1. PIZZA. REAL pizza.

2. Gordons Spaghetti and meatballs @ La Medusa in Seattle

3. Spaghetti and meatballs @ Bianca in NYC

4. Clams. MmMm. Fresh caught by dad and I. Fried clams, steamed clams, clams on the half shell-- and my moms famous-- deviled clams.

5. Big salads. With lots of greens and nuts and flaxseed and cayenne pepper-and good dressing.

6. REAL COFFEE. Since my time in Indo I've had more NesCafe 3in1 than I have in the past 24 years. I want my bialetti!! I want Julia to make me coffee in the morning- and I want an Americano from Milk and Roses in Brooklyn.

7. Venison. Tenderloin. Killed and butchered and cooked by my dad.

8. My dads famous crispy striper!!! Mmmmmmmmazing.

9. Mexican food. Any and all Mexican food. Limes, tortillas, salsa, guacamole, hot sauce. Mmm.

10. Pig. Homegrown, slaughtered by dad, pig. Because of the large Muslim population in Indonesia, you very rarely see pork on the menu. Also- in all of the world- I've never had ANY pig that tasted like one of my parents pigs...and you sure as hell can't find my dads white BBQ sauce anywhere.

11. Dads favorite...roasted chicken, mashed potatoes.

12. Sauteed perogies and onions, with a side of creamed spinach.

13. Scrapple.

14. Sushi.

And the biggest thing I'll celebrate upon my arrival back in the states...RED WINE!!!!!!!

Foods that I loved and will miss:
*Bunchao, Cambodia.
*Chocolate Banana pancake, Cambodia
*Mango with sticky rice and coconut, Thailand
*FRESH papaya salad, Thailand
*pad Thai, Thailand. The real deal, unlike Anything youve had in the states.
*black sticky rice with ground black sesame seeds and sweetened condensed milk, thailand
*Pho, Laos.
*chicken Laap, Laos
*jaew maek klen, Laos
*STICKY RICE, Laos
*Undi Undi, Bali
*Sambal, Bali
*fried diced tempeh, Bali
*fried bananas, Bali
*nasi Campur, Indonesia
*pancakes in southeast Asia...sometimes thick, thin, fluffy, crepelike...but always serves with lime and honey.
*donuts from the donut lady, Sumbawa Indonesia