http://gastronomyblog.com My boyfriend likes Astronomy. I prefer Gastronomy. Fri, 16 May 2008 10:09:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I have a sick fascination with airplane food. Even though I was heading to Hong Kong, a veritable cornucopia of food, I was eagerly anticipating the on-board meal. As someone who prides herself on never wasting space on unworthy food, I'm a bit embarrassed by my enthusiasm for mile-high cuisine. As the ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/16/cathay-pacific/ Practically every vendor in town sells the same dish each day. This type of specialization usually results in a dependably consistent product. However, I recently found a lunch lady outside my office at 23 Hoang Sa Street in District 1 that changes up her menu daily without sacrificing quality. Score! Goi ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/15/lunch-lady/ Cuisine: Vietnamese 91 Cach Mang Thang 8 Street District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Phone: none Website: none -- Fried Finger Foods - cha gio (6,000 VND), banh xep (7,000 VND), xui mai (1,000 VND), banh tom thit (7,000 VND), banh bao chien (8,000 VND) -- I hate to typecast myself, but the fact of the matter is ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/14/the-art-of-deep-frying/ Okra (American English: [ˈoʊkɹə], British English [ˈəʊkɹə], [ˈɒkɹə]), also known as lady's finger, bhindi (Hindustani) and gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family (along with such species as cotton and cocoa) valued for its edible green fruits. Its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus. The species is an annual or ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/13/vegetation-profile-okra/ Bánh lỗ tai or ear-shaped cookies are one of The Astronomer's and my favorite Vietnamese snacks. Although they contain sesame seeds, their flavor is not purely sesame. They are a bit sweet, a smidgen salty and very addictive. Trust me. There are two types of bánh lỗ tai on the ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/12/banh-l%e1%bb%97-tai/ I don't cook much in Saigon, but these gorgeous squid inspired me to get into the kitchen and whip up something fresh and delicious. During Tet, The Astronomer and I won some noodles at the Saigon Times New Year's celebration and they've been sitting in the cupboard since then. Not ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/09/m%e1%bb%b1c/ April 20, 2008 Cuisine: Chinese 99 Nguyen Du Street District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Phone: 823 7799 Website: none -- All U Can Eat Dim Sum (120,000 VND per person) -- I like everything about dim sum except for the time of day it is consumed. For me, mornings are about whole grains and fresh fruit, ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/08/huy-long-vien/ April 18, 2008 Cuisine: Vietnamese 5A Tran Nhat Duat Street District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Phone: 8484240 Website: www.chacahanoi.com.vn -- Chả Cá Hà Nội - fried fish fillets with dill and spring onions (89,000 VND per person) Fixins - vermicelli rice noodles, peanuts, fresh herbs, rice crackers, limes, fish sauce and shrimp paste Ca Cuong Drops - ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/07/ch%e1%ba%a3-ca-ha-n%e1%bb%99i/ On our final day in Nha Trang, we did a bit of sightseeing and mud bathing. We spent the morning hours seeking out the city's famous giant Buddha, but stumbled upon a small Buddha first. Fat, peaceful and happy. We're getting closer---the giant Buddha from afar. At last! We found the giant Buddha. The ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/05/01/scenes-eating-in-nha-trang-iii/ We started off day two with complimentary breakfast from our hotel. I ordered a pineapple crepe and a banana smoothie. The crepe was all sorts of bland so I dipped it in The Astronomer's honey, which made it much better. After we finished breakfast, we headed off on a snorkeling ... http://gastronomyblog.com/2008/04/30/scenes-eating-in-nha-trang-ii/