Category Street food
Tacos in the parking lot: how we do street food in Chicago
Last fall it was our 25th anniversary and HOB asked me how I wanted to celebrate, and I was like, “Hmmmm…I think I want to eat something in a parking lot while standing over a trash can.” We ended up eating dumplings from the food court in this ginormous grocery store. Due to various annoying […]
Bracket envy and an introduction to traditional Chinese wooden architecture at Pingyao’s Zhenguo Temple
1000 years ago, back when Europe was clawing its way out of the dark ages, China already had a well established system of building standards. The Chinese consulted manuals to standardize the building process and did so with remarkable success considering the enormous size of the country. The basis of their traditional architecture was modular: […]
I’m famous in Pingyao, China
It was great being in Pingyao, China today because not only is it spectacularly beautiful: But I am also quite famous! All my fans want to have their picture with me! The food’s tempting too. I briefly consider ordering the Manual cat ears but finally decided that I’m more of an Automatic cat ears sort […]
Indigenous food at the night market of Hualien
Hualien is one of those charming interstitial cities, a place we visited not for its own sake, but as a means to reach Taiwan’s famous Taroko National Park. Hualien, a mid-sized city in Eastern Taiwan, doesn’t have any jaw dropping tourist attractions, but this ended up being the city that solidified my growing envy of […]
Stinky tofu and coffin bread: sampling the street food of Tainan
Here’s the formula for a excellent city; a strong engagement in cultural heritage, great transportation connections and superior street food. Tainan, on the Southern end of Taiwan, is one of the very best cities. Tainan is just bursting with vitality, beautiful art and architecture, and an intense snacking culture. Realizing we were in a street food mecca, HOB and I got down […]
Lunch boxes in Taiwan, budget traveler’s best friend
People, I am loving Taiwan so much. Not only is this country busting out all over with gorgeous cultural heritage, but it is a traveler’s dream. THERE ARE PUBLIC BATHROOMS EVERYWHERE. Clean, safe, public bathrooms (heart heart heart smiley face exclamation point). The transportation system is a snap with low prices and an easy-to-understand system […]
We tried to eat everything in Tbilisi
“We want to eat street food!” we announced to Irakli, the host of our guest house in Tbilisi’s old town. “No, not street food” Irakli instructed. “Instead you’ll eat fresh-cooked food from simple restaurants.” It was more of a demand than advice, and since Irakli is a expert on making people happy in Tbilisi, we set out […]
Urbino: Ideal Renaissance city drowned in a sea of drunken students
How could I help it? I idealized Urbino. Even though I’ve long maintained a vigilant stance against romanticizing people and places alike, this was Urbino: Renaissance mecca for humanists, scholars, art and architecture. The location, in the isolated and mountainous region of Italy’s Marche, combined with being a university town filled me with visions of […]
Masterworks in St. Lorenz of Nuremberg, three little weenies, and a tourist trap
St. Lorenz church is packed to the gills (or would be, if churches had gills) with masterworks of art. I’m not throwing the word “masterworks” around: we are talking about immensely talented sculptors Adam Kraft and Veit Stoss working at the top of their game. The church also has impressive (and sometimes funny) stained glass […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 