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Personal Tastes
I could have called this Around The World In Eighty Dishes
One of the great pleasures of living in a lot of different countries throughout the course my life has been the discovery of unique local treats. Although our modern world has internationalized cuisine to a degree hitherto unknown, it’s still true that certain comestibles are instantly evocative of a particular location.
In south-east Asia, street foods are the true spirit of place, whether it’s a lunchtime pad thai or a plate of nasi goreng from your favorite stall. That said, Thai cuisine in general is a feu d’artifice, playing endlessly with the five basic flavors: sweetness from coconut and palm sugar and onion and garlic, mung from dried fish paste, saltiness, spiciness from chili, pepper, and fresh ginger, and finally sourness from tamarind and lime. Then add dance-in-your mouth herbs such as basil). If I had to eat nothing for the rest of my life but the products of a single cuisine, I’d opt for Thai. The range, variety, and subtlety is truly satisfying. Even tourist restaurants can’t mess it up too much.
Although Indian-style curries can now be found around the world it’s not the recently-invented Chicken Tikka Masala that speaks of the sub-continent; for me, it’s dahl. There’s nowhere outside of central India where you can eat a bowl of rich dark creamy dahl that’s spiced to perfection: enough to…
