All GREAT Things Must Come To an End....(for now anyway!)
| 08 July 2009
What an Adventure!
I have just returned home from Thailand, what a day of flying Phuket to Bangkok to Tokoyo to Dallas! The one very nice thing about having all that time was that it gave me the chance to look back on all the highlights of my adventure!
Beyond the Kitchen will post some of my "out takes" soon on video- and I have to say some of the first takes are rather humerous... but hey, everyone gets a little camera shy at first.. especially when you look like the weird-o holding your own camera in front of you recording yourself! After a few times, I quickly got over it, and just had fun! After all it is all about showing everyone what is really going on out there is this amazing world!
The Ultimate Highlight -was the Thai Food! I mean, WOW! I ate everything there I could get my hands on... okay, the insect thing was a bit weird.. but I think I just discovered where the term "I have butterflies in my stomach" comes from! I am a chef through and through, and all great chefs are passionate about food, but more so the ingredients that go into making a great dish! The Thai's have nailed it 100% from an ingredient stand point and a flavor profile stand point! They have the magic of combining the ying and yang of flavors.. they just melt together perfectly!
Reflecting Back- The one thing I realized on this trip is just how much I enjoy writing- not always being politically correct, just being myself... being real- writting about what people want to read about... THE REAL DEAL... not some "tour guide" to restaurants and attractions type nonsense... where to really go, what to really see, and how great it is to interact with people and embrace their culture and customs!
I have many of special thanks to give....
Mr. Bussey owner of Left Right Now. He has been a great inspiration of this adventure and journey through Thailand. He is also the creator of Beyond the Kitchen, and was my techinacal support from Asia! So Thanks Bussey, and remember i still have the Sanchez Hat! Perhaps it will make an appearance somewhere again!
My parents, for supporting my wild idea of taking a culinary adventure to Asia! Not exactly I think what they had instore for their son, but see the great benefits it had! They had all their friends following my blog while I was gone! So thank you! I have had so many of their friends say to me "I can't beleive you ate the bug!" hahaha!
Family friends, thanks for following, please stay tuned, there will always be more to come! And during the down time, there will be posts, so don't worry, the great humor will never end!
My friends (professional and personal)- Mike thanks for taking care of the casa, and everyone else for following and checking on me while I was gone...
My sister and my great brother-in-law Lance- thanks for following and keeping me in the loop, and not thinking that this was an insane idea!
Skype- thank god you exist!
And last but not least- O'neils (flip flops & board shorts), THANK YOU for having a durable flip flop that I wore every day and not once did you break or give my feet any trouble! Finding a great flip flop is hard to do these days.. and you passed the test!
Stay tuned for more blogs and content from Beyond the Kitchen
Thank You EVERYONE for the support!
Always remember....
TRAVEL. COOK. EAT.
Custom Made....
| 07 July 2009
Thailand is known for many things, but one of the most prominent is their textiles... I was told by a very close family friend to make sure to get a few suits made, etc. before I left... I had a tuk-tuk driver stop at one of the fabric/tailor shops with out me knowing, and wha-la it opened my eyes to many things (standard tuk-tuk game)!
Well, it freaked me out a little bit until I met Hari Lamichhane , this great guy from Nepal who recently took over a shop in Phuket. He worked with me and even kept his shop open to 1am (while he sent one of his employees to get us some beer and peanuts)... the long and short of the stoy is that I had 4 beautiful shirts made, 2 dress, 2 casual and a 100% linen sports jacket... let me say the cost is MINIMAL compared to what you would pay in the states, and he had everything wrapped up for me in 36 hours!
At this point I had moved hotels and was in Patong Beach, Hari (without even a hesitation) told me he would deliver me the rest of the clothes to my hotel. He was even 15 minutes early while I was the one who walked into the lobby on time... (I was to busy getting another foot massage! 
)
If interested in speaking with Hari, who I would fully trust, he can make custom fit clothing from wedding dresses to full suits, they have just about every material you could think of! He can have the clothing made and shipped direct to the US- If you pay via AMEX they will guarantee you your recipte of goods, so rest assured you are not sending money to a foriegn land. contcat me and I will pass along his information- (please note there is a standard foriegn currency commission fee for all overseas credit card transactions)
Here is a photo of Hari and I when he delivered me the sport coat and shirts to my hotel in Patong Beach... He is first class!
I can't wait to place my next order ....
Fresh from the Docks- my last meal
| 07 July 2009
After walking back to my hotel room on a full stomach from 2 bowls of noodle soup from Lek, I found a gold mine of a place! It was about 1/2 block of plastic chairs with little make shift kitchens throughout- I quickly had to know what was going on, but all I saw was people breaking down and cleaning everything... Then there it was!
I saw what I had been seeking out for a while... a place that you pick your own catch, and they cook it up for you right then and there! I saw a guy placing a baby skate back on ice and knew this place was going to have to be my last meal of the trip! It was like the field of dreams for a seafood junkie like myself!
I would be sure to return the following night!
....the following night (the final meal), I had been wondering what would be my final meal the whole trip as everyday the food and samplings became better and better! ...but there was no question I was going to walk back to the seafood mecca and sit with the locals and eat the best catch in the city... and just laugh at the tourists for paying 5X the price!
The way this place worked was you were seated from the curb (not to formal, right?) then once you placed your drink order were escorted to the seafood display where you made your selection. I was diving into the baby skate, no question!
They offer the seafood to you 3 ways.. (and 3 ways only).. steamed, wok fried, or "bbq". I told them prepare it for me whatever you think is best... but my eyes were bigger than my stomach (shocker!) and I also ordered a fresh calamari! The skate came to the table wok fried with stir fry veg glazed over with some type of chili-soy glaze!
As expected the bones were still in the fish, but easy enough to discard... KILLER DISH!!!!!
After enjoying this (which I could only eat half) out came the calamari, that was prepared over the BBQ... see the video below! It cooked on the bbq (or boy scout style charcoal camping stove) for 30-40 minutes. The calamari was so soft and perfect.. It got quickly stripped of the skin, cleaned, rubbed with garlic, oil, and a light chili, then placed in the fish basket to cook! WOW!
Fresh Calamari, the one on the left landed up being my second dinner!
So I went out with a bang- ultra fresh seafood, two large Change Beers, and the largest dinner bill I had yet 700 baht, including tip (20 dollars)... worth every penny!
