tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:22:07 +0000freetownsierra leonecakefishfoodgyozashrimpEVOMiekeRobThaiUNDPbanana breadbloody marybreakfastcairocarrotscasablancacelerychicken soupchocolatecurrydumplingseggseggs mexicanaegyptenoteca ferrarafrancogroundnut stewhalf and halfhelicopterheston blumenthalhiyashi chukahot and sour soupjapankambialungi airportmalidvesmarrakechmoroccan winenasu dengakuonigiripastapho gapierogipotatoesprawnsprawns shihanoukvillerenatariceromerosesoupspicesstar anisetai-meshitarttea ceremonytempehtortillavietnamEating well (mostly) in developing countrieshttp://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Ewa)Blogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-8529047246162055068Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:37:00 +00002008-12-12T13:12:45.115+00:00Few with access to mainstream media would not have heard about the political turmoil taking place in Thailand the last few weeks. Well, it's been a lot longer than that, but recent events made it to the top of the international news agenda. Anti-government protesters occupied Bangkok's two main international airports, stranding between two and three hundred thousand passengers.As I am working http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/12/gourmet-under-siege.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-5248856630792184006Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:22:00 +00002008-11-30T07:15:59.526+00:00Yata is easily the best restaurant I have been to - to date. Yata is in the Gion area of Kyoto, and was recommended to us by a good friend of Toshi. We first went there around three years ago and now try and go back every time that we are in Japan. What makes Yata so special is of course the incredible ingredients, the quality of the food, the beautiful interior, the service and the fantastic http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/11/yata.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-3470959222183626611Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:50:00 +00002008-11-17T12:17:02.458+00:00And I'm back. Sorry about the silence. It's been a totally crazy busy few months. A lot of travel, a lot of deadlines and it was hard just to keep up with it all. But I'm back, and I'm in staying put in one place - Bangkok - for the next two and a bit months (well, more or less) so I hope things will be somewhat more quiet.My last post was from Japan, and so it makes sense that my next post is http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/11/return-of-nippon-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-6845084761227721120Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:16:00 +00002008-07-05T10:20:44.202+00:00I don't know what's happened. In the last few weeks I've completely lost my appetite and all inspiration. I'm searching for it. I will find it, I'm sure, in time. But please bear with me for a while. I'll be back. Promise.http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/07/uninspired-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-8707379638122485403Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:48:00 +00002008-07-01T09:10:07.727+00:00And I'm back.Sorry for the silence - it's all been a bit of a whirlwind. During the past two and a half months I've been on the road. Dili, Bali, Canberra, Melbourne, Singapore, Tokyo, Shikoku, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Jakarta, Aceh, London and now back in Freetown. It's been crazy. Crazy I tell you.Catching my breath now. Maybe this picture from the beautiful Japanese gardens we visited will http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/07/sushi-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-3156672404626957080Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:17:00 +00002008-06-17T12:19:55.435+00:00It's been ages, I know. I'm in Aceh, Indonesia and have really bad internet connection so I can't upload any photos. I have lots and lots of good stuff to write about from the Japan trip. Coming soon - promise!http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/06/bad-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-5162065306747626124Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +00002008-06-09T04:56:07.880+00:00As Napoli is home to pizza, Parma to parmagiano and Champagne to champagne, then Shikoku is home to udon. Udon is that Japanese fabulously thick chewy white noodle that is usually served in a hot or cold broth.Ever since Toshi and I watched ‘udon’ the movie almost three years ago we’ve been talking about making the ‘udon pilgrimage’ and last week we finally did it.The view of Mt Fuji from the http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/06/udon-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-4848523916097963221Thu, 29 May 2008 05:56:00 +00002008-05-29T06:10:57.113+00:00Ok, so this is a little strange and a little bit outside the scope of this blog but I have to tell you about it anyway. Yesterday Toshi and I went Oedo onsen to have our feet nibbled at by little toothless fish. These little guys are called 'doctor fish' and they have been imported from Turkey to eat the dead skin from people's feet (and presumably other parts of the body). For around ten buckshttp://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/foot-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-5958602867803759335Thu, 29 May 2008 01:11:00 +00002008-05-29T06:11:45.893+00:00Every weekday at around 17:30, thousands of Japanese salary men make their way to Ga-do shita (literally meaning 'underneath the train tracks') in Shinbashi (an area of Tokyo next to the well-known Ginza). Ga-do shita comprises hundreds of tiny hole-in-the wall type establishments which specialize in anything from yakitori to beef gut stew to sushi to you name it - oh and of course lots of beer,http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/salary-man-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-1164039846227102726Sun, 25 May 2008 08:00:00 +00002008-05-25T09:42:49.643+00:00There are a three places that we always go to whenever we come to Tokyo, and usually we go to them more than once. One of them is Vin Vino, the other Kiryu and of course the yakitori place I wrote about in my last post.Vin vino is a standing bar in Ebisu. It first opened in 1999 and was one of the first standing bars in Tokyo. Toshi first went there in 2000 and has been a regular patron ever http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/routine-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-7617937761895496812Fri, 23 May 2008 08:23:00 +00002008-05-24T08:55:51.678+00:00Last night we went to one of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo – Toriyoshi – it’s a little yakitori (literally grilled chicken but it’s soo much more than that) joint on a little street near the train station in Nakameguro. I love everything about this place. I love how everybody sits around the counter, which fits eighteen people tops and hungry patrons line up patiently outside waiting for a http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/nippon-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-6670477686777197737Tue, 20 May 2008 20:35:00 +00002008-05-20T20:38:08.423+00:00Long time and nothing from me. Heading to Japan now so a 'Japan special' is coming right up. Very excited!http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/aargh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-7993152625407901591Fri, 09 May 2008 06:54:00 +00002008-05-09T23:56:30.861+00:00I am delighted to introduce Rosie as today's guest blogger. Rosie and I met in Jakarta sometime in 2002 and have shared many embarrassing experiences since that time. Most recently Rosie has been in Afghanistan from where this 'interesting' korma recipe originates.Over to Rosie....Ingredients Lamb shoulderPumpkinTomatoesRed onionTomato pasteGaram masalaGarlicParsleyAlso..For survival cooking in http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/mutton-dressed-as-lamb.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-7690080970413657134Tue, 06 May 2008 08:58:00 +00002008-05-06T09:14:38.213+00:00Singapore airport is so civilized. Sure it's annoying to have to spend a whole day in an airport in transit when one could be doing much more useful things, but it's actually been quite relaxing and nice.I'm in the new terminal building, where I have free and fast internet access. I had a delicious hot and sour noodle soup at a very decent Chinese restaurant for lunch followed by a reasonable http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/so-civilized.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-2430627543762927350Mon, 05 May 2008 04:35:00 +00002008-05-05T04:54:49.398+00:00So here is that post about the ai manas - the delicious Timorese chili I wrote about last week. I searched for it high and low on my way to the airport on Saturday and finally found a plastic water bottle full of the stuff at a little road side stall. It cost a dollar.You can make ai manas by grating a lot of really hot small red chilis, chopping fresh limes into small pieces, chopping some http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/ai-manas-part-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-4944562371055053740Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:13:00 +00002008-04-30T10:21:47.738+00:00Ai manas is this amazing Timorese chili sauce, made from hot little chilies, limes, and what else I am going to find out in the next couple of days and tell you - because, it is FANTASTIC. I would have to say it is my favorite chili sauce ever.So a recipe for ai manas coming very soon and for now a couple of photos.Sara at the market in DiliDanilo chilling out on the verandahhttp://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/ai-manas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-8972959849870744856Sat, 26 Apr 2008 06:50:00 +00002008-04-26T07:06:39.931+00:00So I'm finally getting around to writing something - things have been absolutely nuts this week with work... but I'm just loving being back here in Timor Leste.I'm staying with an old friend Danilo in Lahane, which is a little bit out of the centre of Dili, in a gorgeous little house with breathtaking views.The view from the verandahIt's been so good to catch up with old friends, cooking, eating http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/lovely-lahane.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-7761195265950205527Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:04:00 +00002008-04-21T05:05:09.743+00:00Just a quick one to say I’m alive and now in the land of the sleeping crocodile – Timor Leste. I left Freetown Thursday at 2pm and finally arrived in Dili on Sunday afternoon. Talk about a long trip and lots of crap airplane food. Which raises the question – why does plane food have to be so bad? I exclude Singapore airlines here – one of the few airlines that actually seem to care about what http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-does-plane-food-have-to-be-so-crap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-4497561787091784942Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:11:00 +00002008-04-15T14:47:52.012+00:00I've never been able to cook the right amount of food. I have this intrinsic flaw and always, always, always cook way too much.  My mum is the same, so that's where it comes from I suppose.There are four people that currently benefit from this flaw of mine - Sorie (the generator/maintenance) guy and  the three security guards that protect our house (although to call them 'security guards' and to http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/gourmet-guards.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-6246883314489399189Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:46:00 +00002008-04-13T15:21:13.277+00:00Around eight years ago I shared a house in Dili, East Timor (Timor Leste) with three amazing women - Sara, Tegan and Vicky. It was a shell of a house really, significant parts of it were burnt during the conflict but we worked on getting it patched up and it was home for us. We were all pretty poor - all of us living on a volunteer allowance, but I have so many happy memories from that time.I'mhttp://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/vicky-tchongs-fish-soup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-1826632221961878173Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:11:00 +00002008-04-09T14:24:51.549+00:00Just quickly, I had to tell you about this recipe – Zucchini (courgette) spaghetti. We had it last night – and it was really good. It started out with two lonely zucchinis sitting in the fridge and me being too lazy to go shopping. I remembered seeing this recipe (or something similar to it) on Rocco’s dolce vita a while back. The capers, mint and the squeeze of lemon (or lime) at the end makehttp://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/zucchini-spaghetti.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-2861597952114877213Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:34:00 +00002008-04-08T13:17:37.200+00:00hot and sour soupIn an attempt to alleviate some of our cravings and missing the many things that we can't get here and in response to statements that start out like 'remember when we used to live in a place that had restaurants, and proper food stores, and there were actually fun things to do and places to go, and....' well, you get the picture, I am now on a quest to learn how to make the things that we used tohttp://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/hot-and-sour-soup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-3348506036613908320Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:36:00 +00002008-04-06T14:26:50.847+00:00Trust the Japanese to find a karaoke restaurant anywhere and everywhere - even here in Freetown. Last night we went to what I thought would be a very subdued dinner to welcome the new head of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Sierra Leone. Kobayashi san is replacing Kuge san, who went back to Japan a couple of weeks ago. We were sad to see him go, but very happy that he http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/hungover-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-5818622276074472809Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:27:00 +00002008-04-05T12:35:47.376+00:00As much as we try to use locally available ingredients, there are certain things that we can't get here that we would really struggle to be without.The top ten things we crave, smuggle and beg our friends to bring back for us:Dried porcini mushroomsMirin (sweet sake for cooking)Dashi (Japanese fish stock)Thai/Vietnamese Fish sauceGood cheeseGood wineGood whiskyKewpie mayonnaise karashi (although http://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/imported-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2873447105314145044.post-6338808687848251042Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:28:00 +00002008-04-02T20:21:23.322+00:00Can one eat well out of a can? Or does canned food belong in the ... can? (to use a quaint Australian expression for toilet)I certainly don't love canned food and if I had access to good fresh food I would stay away from it, but... here often I have no choice but to resort to some canned items.There are things that come in a can, which are just completely shocking to me and I wouldn't go anywherehttp://thirdworldgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/04/canned-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ewa)2