the confined nomad

Reading through the April 19, 2010 issue of the New Yorker, I finished an article about a man’s experience moving back to the US after 15 years abroad, turned the page, and found myself looking at a large photo of a familiar restaurant’s open kitchen.  I quickly recognized it as Çiya Sofrasi, a very popular establishment on the Asian side of Istanbul, where we enjoyed a memorable meal back in September 2009.  We actually wrote a bit about it here after we returned from that trip.  Happy food memories came rushing back. read more »

Didn’t think we’d find authentic Cape Verdean food in NYC, did you? You figured that even though there are more Cape Verdeans in the US than there are in Cape Verde, but that most of them live in New England and the only Cape Verdean restaurants in this part of the country are in Boston, that we didn’t stand a chance. Well, consider yourselves wrong, because not only did we get incredible authentic Cape Verdean food prepared by an authentic Cape Verdean chef, we got authentic Cape Verdean food prepared by the chef of the Cape Verdean Ambassador to the UN! read more »

Once again, Team Confined Nomad’s progress has been delayed due to overseas travel.  This time, I was in India for a month, teaching in the international course SOIMA: Safeguarding Sound and Image Collections, organized by ICCROM.  This was my second time in India, and I’m happy to report that I experienced none of the gut-wrenching encounters with parasites and other food-born bugs that I did last time I was there.  In fact, nearly every meal I had was splendid.  Although in the end I was getting a little tired of paneer and naan, after a week back in NYC I’m really missing it. Well, I guess that gives us a good excuse to go out to Jackson Heights, or perhaps pay a visit to the Lexington Ave location of South Indian chain Saravanaa Bhavan that happened to have a location two blocks from my hotel, whose thali‘s I’m dreaming about even now.  My only regret is that I spent too much time enjoying my food, and not enough time taking pictures of it.  Or writing down the names of the things i was eating.

Here are just a few culinary shots of my trip. read more »

Not much progress was made in our alphabetical eating during September, but there’s good reason.  Supereg was in Las Vegas and then England for a couple weeks, while Noquar and I spent three weeks in the Netherlands, Istanbul and Greece.  As one might expect foodies like us, we spent a lot of time eating and drinking.  Every place we went offered fantastic new tastes and textures.  We snapped a few photos to savor the moments, and share with our dear readers. read more »

As I was skimming through blog headlines on my Google Reader, trying to digest the absurd events of the week in 5 minutes or less, a Boing Boing post called “TIME on unsustainable farming practices,” caught my eye.  After reading their quick excerpt of the article, I was motivated enough to head over to the TIME website and read the entire article, “Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food,” by Bryan Walsh.  My interest was partly because I was surprised to see this story in TIME, and partly because I’m actually very interested in this topic. read more »

Apologies for the delay in posts recently.  I’ve been away for the past three weeks, enjoying fufu and groundnut soup in Ghana.  The others kindly refrained from continuing on the alphabetical journey during my absence, so we’ll be picking back up again shortly.  We’re also waiting for a write up of our Bolivian adventure from a guest blogger, so be on the look out for that very soon.

To keep your mouths watering, here’s a picture of some okra soup and banku that I thoroughly enjoyed in the city of Ho, in the eastern Volta region of Ghana, close to the Togo border.

New York plans to raise taxes on people making more than $250,000.  Bernie Madoff’s Mets tickets are going to be auctioned by the trustee of his securities firm.  Vice President Joe Biden’s daughter videotaped snorting coke.  Exhortations against corrupt politicians in Albany.  Brooklyn trio sampling food from 192 nations without leaving the city.

The clock started ticking on our 15 minutes yesterday as we were interviewed and photographed by the New York Daily News for a story that ended up on page 3 of their Sunday paper.  We’re right next to Cameron Diaz and only seven pages away from the Queen of England. read more »

13 days.

10 cities.

3200 miles in a 1992 Toyota Corolla.

Pork, pork, and more pork.

This BBQ tour focused on two of the four reputed barbecue styles in the US: Carolina and Memphis.  In North Carolina, we savored the subtle yet distinct differences between Eastern style (vinegar based) and Lexington/Western style (vinegar with a hint of ketchup).   In Memphis, we debated wet vs. dry. We also picked up a few ribs, pork sandwiches, and other delights along the way, with stops Richmond, Savannah, Birmingham and Nashville.  We can safely say, we now know what constitutes a true “bbq joint.” read more »

The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia

I ate kangaroo while I was in Australia. Twice!  And it was delicious!  Actually, when I wrote the earlier post on my Aussie culinary adventure, I had already had it once, and completely forgot to mention it (I was totally jet lagged and still savoring the flavors of huge nice bowl of pho at the time, so I do hope you’ll forgive me for this extra bonus post).

The first time it was in the form of a nicely grilled, tender steak, over a bed of grilled vegetables, on top of mashed potatoes.  Washed down with a local Savignon Blanc.  Eaten on a old, docked ferry-turned-restaurant on Darling Harbor, which rocked for a few minutes whenever anyone came aboard.  When we sat down to dinner, my dining companions (who grew up in Sydney a few decades back) told me stories about taking that very same ferry to the famous Manly beach area, on the far north side of Sydney Harbor.  They also told me about the kangaroos they often see outside their house in Canberra.  Then they encouraged me to try the kangaroo.  Fantastic!

Later I came across the ‘roo again on a menu at a little cafe in a town called Katoomba.  This is in the famous Blue Mountains World Heritage area, where my colleague and I had spent a very full day hiking through the hills.   How could I resist kangaroo burger and chips after a long day of bushwalking?  Though not as tender and juicy as my first experience, the kangaroo burger hit the spot.

Did I actually see any living kangaroos during my trip, you ask?  In fact I did.  On the way back from a tour to Canberra, I spotted a number of ‘roo families grazing on the grass in the late afternoon sun.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see a close up.  Nor did I see a koala.  I did, however, see an echidna while in the Blue Mountains.  This little creature is both a marsupial and an egg layer, one of only two in the world!  Apparently, I am very lucky to have sighted it, as they are shy creatures.

Think we’ll find kangaroo on the menu when we eat Aussie in NYC?

So you decided we are a bunch of slackers because we haven’t written in a while?  Well, fear not fellow travelers, for we have not abandoned our mission (we’ve even done part one of Andorra, to be posted soon), but have merely been taking a break while I am in Australia.  I have been here now for a week, and have a week more to go.  The trip is work related (conference), but I’m finding time to get in some great sightseeing, and eat lots of different and yummy things.  I figured since Australia is an “A” country (on our list), and we’ll have to be eating some of their cuisine in New York in a few weeks, it would be worth a preview since I have a first hand look right now.

I should clarify that I am in Sydney, and have not been outside the city as of yet.  But there are plenty of culinary adventures to be found here.  What is Australian food like, you ask?  Well, there is a lot of this:

But there are also loads of other things.

Particularly notable is the delicious Asian food.  It’s also convenient that my hotel is a couple blocks from Chinatown, so I’ve been sampling some of the excellent Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese around.  Chinatown here is different from the Chinatowns of New York.  It is much less residential, and much more touristic than the Chinatowns of our fair city.  There are a lot of young Asians running around in packs, and fewer hunched over old ladies.  There are restaurants a plenty, but few vegetable shops (and no vege stands.  In fact, I have not seen any street food in Sydney at all, which is a little disappointing).  That said, I think the food might surpass that found in NYC.  The Thai food is far more dynamic, with more flavor and dimension that what one finds in a typical Thai joint in the Big Apple.  And the Chinese is also outstanding.  The other day, whilist walking home from a long day at the conference, the wind suddenly carried a distinctive smell my way.  It was familiar, but from a long time ago.  It took me a minute to place it, then it hit me: China.  It smelled like China.  Not in a stinky fish head way like you get in Manhattan C-town, but in a delicious, street food in Xi’an kind of way.  I haven’t smelled that since I was in China in late 2003.  So immediately I wandered into the first Sichuan restuarant that i found, and enjoyed the heck out of a scallion pancake and some Kung Pao chicken.

Cafe life in Bronte Beach

I’ve also had some cheap and excellent sushi (surprisingly cheap, considering food is generally rather expenive here), Italian and Spanish, as well as grilled fish, octopus, prawns, and scallops (more local fare).  They certainly do seafood right.  Sydney has a fantastic cafe culture; sandwich shops and pubs typically have tables spilling good vibes and eats onto the street.  And they have killer coffee.  Now, I am not a coffee drinker at home (maybe one cup every two years), but immediately upon arrival here (at 7:30am after a 23 hour journey) I grabbed a cup, and I’ve been hooked ever since.  The name of my new found love is the “flat white.”  This is a shot of espresso with milk.  I also add a little sugar.  And being the talented baristas they are, the Aussies make it look beautiful too.  You can also get a flat black, a long black, and the familiar latte.  Yum.

So we’ll soon be eating Australian in New York, and will have good basis for comparison.  I’m assuming it will be lots of grilled and fried seafood, to ensure the experience is typically Aussie.  I hope its as good as the food here.