With the world not quite awash in COVID-19 (yet), I set off to Copenhagen in early March of 2020 to visit my sister. This city is one of my absolute favourites. Nowhere else in the world exudes such a sense of order and style to the point where I would say that there is nowhere else as civilized as Copenhagen.

While I have been to the Danish capital a handful of times now, there is always something new to discover. This time it is the local corner store KIHOSKH.

Not only can you drink at the corner store, yes just buy a beer and crack it on one of the picnic tables out front, but you can also do it in a hot tub. What?

Could there be anything greater?

Crack a beer, jump in the hot tub, get warm and enjoy the cold Copenhagen winter air in front of the local corner store. I don’t think it gets any better than this.

Once upon a time in Atlanta I had the most glorious meal, and certainly one that would make my top 10 or even 5 of all time. And while it was inspired and delectable, I found myself a few extra drinks in, and a little bit peckish in the way that fancy food can leave you.

As I walked from the Fourth Ward back to downtown, the warm yellow glow of the Waffle House sign invited me in like a warm hug. The denouement to this epic evening would be no disappointment.

Like most comfort food, the Waffle House waffle isn’t the greatest of all waffles, but it has a certain allure that can only be provided by a familiar factory-esque piece of cooked dough served up hot in a cookie-cutter late night diner, but it’s more than that.

Waffle House has soul. The women and men who work the counter and grill bring with them an enthusiasm that punches far beyond their pay grade. Whether in Atlanta or elsewhere, my experience at Waffle House has always been one of appreciative adoration.

This evening’s late night drunken waffle fest is no exception. I order my waffles with a side of bacon. The crew is jovial. As they cook my and the other late night patron’s orders, song breaks out behind the counter.

As I eat my second dinner, it’s like a Motown chorus as dinner entertainment. For me it’s the punctuation mark on an exceptional evening, but I get the sense that this is an average occurrence at this particular Waffle House.

Amongst the organized chaos of the city, one of my favourite activities is a quick sushi snack or meal at a neighbourhood Kaiten Sushi restaurant. Because I love Shinjuku so much, I have developed some favourites here, but they are likely not what you’d expect.

While there are more popular and polished looking establishments my preference is for a little hole in the wall near the Shinjuku Station south exit. There are about 20-30 bar seats formed around the centre kitchen with chefs working behind the counter and loading up the conveyor belt with sushi.

A small team of chefs dishes up an array of nigiri sushi on spec and by request. The colour coded plastic plates tally the final bill. Coming from a place where sushi can be rather expensive, an over indulgent meal here might cost the equivalent of about $25.

Part of the fun is the utilitarian nature of a quick sushi stop with sustenance delivered by conveyor. Join the salarymen in their post-work snack for a quick bite and indulge your senses in one of Tokyo’s greatest treats.

Perhaps a fitting place to begin this exercise in culinary journaling is with a trip to the 50th outpost of Copenhagen’s beloved Mikkeller Brewing.

The world of craft beer is changing and some of the titans of the industry are far from small now, yet they can’t be faulted for their success. Mikkeller has built a worldwide reputation for excellent beer and hospitality. With multiple bars in their hometown of Copenhagen, but also in San Francisco, Tokyo, and other European outposts they have spread the message of beer excellence to the masses of discerning hipsters and other craft beer lovers around the world.

On a cold and damp November evening I made my way across Helsinki to find the small tap room. I settled in for a beer in the barely furnished, but cozy room. The Danish idea of Hygge is a common denominator across all of the Mikkeller locations that I have been to, and despite being the 50th location in their empire, the staff and atmosphere manage to make this feel like it is the only one. A unique and intimate beer outpost in a world more concerned with profitability.

The reality is that with 50 locations, Mikkeller is still tiny in comparison to the Goliath’s of the beer world.

The more obvious part of what makes Mikkeller great is the beer itself. A mix of perennial favourites from the ever-changing lineup at their home brewery in Copenhagen, with additions from other breweries both worldwide and local. I can never remember which beers I drank too long after the fact, but perhaps that is the point.

Great beer is a social lubricant, and a way to relax and enjoy life — even when, or especially when, travelling alone. The memory for me is more of a sensory one.

It’s about atmosphere and the feeling that you were welcome, and part of a movement, even if only for a night. The beer itself is in many ways incidental.

Chinatown Duck Chop was one of the original video features we created for Eat Drink Drink back in 2010. The sheer volume of views was the inspiration to relaunch our site again in 2020.

There is something truly awe inspiring about watching a master at work, and that can often be found in the often overlooked kitchens of restaurants that have avoided the hype of celebrity chef culture, and continued to just do their thing exceptionally well year after year.

Unfortunately Kam Gok Yuen in Vancouver is now closed, but their legacy will live on in this short video. Thanks for watching!