Around the World in 80 Meals meal number 2

Nicole and I are heading to the Netherlands for our second meal because Nicole wants to go to Amsterdam.   

Because I have not been to the Netherlands, I went to Wikipedia to read a little about the country.  I discovered that the Netherlands still have three special municipalities in the Caribbean.

The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying country, with about 20% of its area and 21% of its population located below sea level, and 50% of its land lying less than three feet above sea level. This distinct feature contributes to the country's name: in Dutch (Nederland), English, and in many other European languages, its name literally means "(The) Low Countries" or "Low Country". Most of the areas below sea level are man-made, caused by centuries of extensive and poorly controlled peat extraction, lowering the surface by several feet.

Our second meal is going to be Boerenkool Stamppot, and you can find the recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/boerenkool-stamppot-kale-hash-33269.

Around the World in 80 Meals: Results from meal number 1

Laotian Grilled Pork Skewers with Papaya Salad and Sticky Rice

I was excited to try this meal because I have always wanted to visit Laos.  When I was doing the research for this meal, I discovered why I wanted to visit Laos.  The adjective that most often applied to visiting Laos is forgotten.  For me, my theology centers around ministering to "the forgotten."

Anyway, to the meal.  I was letting the meat thaw when the heavens opened and the rain fell.  Because I wanted to cook the meat, I decided to use my grill pan instead of an actual grill.  I like cooking on my grill pan because the food tastes just like it was cooked on an actual grill.  The problem that I have using it right now is the stove's exhaust fan in my apartment takes the smoke from the stove and blows it into my face instead of removing it from the kitchen.  It only took a couple of minutes for my apartment to fill will smoke, and the smoke detector went off a couple of times when I was cooking.

I really really really liked how the meatballs came out.  They were delicious.  I think they will go great in my spaghetti too.  The only thing that I will do differntly is thgat I will add a little more lime leaf the next time I cook them.

For the rice, I simply cooked the rice that I had.  Thus, nothing to report.

The papaya salad is a completely different story.  First, I could not find a "green unripe papaya."  Heck, I had to go to three different stores just to find a papaya.  I purchased the most unripe papaya that I could find, and it was very ripe.  The papaya turned into juice right away, and by the time I put all the ingredients together, the salad looked more like a soup.  I must have done something wrong in cleaning the papaya because the salad/soup was very very very very bitter with a good amount of heat.  The salad/soup was soooooo bad that the meat, rice, or the beer that I was drinking could kill the lingering taste that was in my mouth.  The salad went straight into the trash.  I would say that this was the second or third time that I tossed something into the trash right after I made it.

This was a fun experiment.  I now have a new way to make meatballs.  I now know how not to make a papaya salad. And I am wondering what to do next.  Hmmmm....

Around the World in 80 Meals Summary

Meal Number	Country	Meal	recipe	Photo
1	Laos	Laotian Grilled Pork Skewers with Papaya Salad and Sticky Rice	http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/laotian-grilled-pork-skewers-with-papaya-salad-and-sticky-rice-recipe/index.html
2	Netherlands	Boerenkool Stamppot (Kale Hash)	http://www.food.com/recipe/boerenkool-stamppot-kale-hash-33269
3	Thailand	Spicy Basil Chicken – Gkai Pad Gkaprow (or Gai Pad Kaprao)	http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/basil-chicken-recipe.html
4	Greece	Souvlaki	http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Souvlaki
5	Mexico	Chicken Quesadillas	http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-quesadillas-recipe/index.html
6	England	Shepherd's Pie	http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/shepherds-pie-recipe/index.html
7	France	Ratatouille	http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-essence-of-emeril/ratatouille-recipe/index.html
8	Brazil	Brazilian Black Bean Stew	http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brazilian-Black-Bean-Stew/Detail.aspx
9	Spain	Paella	http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-paella/

Around the World in 80 Meals: Meal number 1

Our first stop on our world wide food tour is Laos, and here is some information about Laos:

Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, and it traces its history to the kingdom of Lan Xang, which existed from the 14th to the 18th century when it split into three separate kingdoms. In 1893, it became a French protectorate, with the three kingdoms, Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak, uniting to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after Japanese occupation, but returned to French rule until it was granted autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. Shortly after independence, a long civil war ended the monarchy, when the Communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975.

If you are thinking about traveling to Laos, The tourism sector has grown rapidly, from 80,000 international visitors in 1990, to 1.876 million in 2010. Tourism is expected to contribute US$679.1 million to gross national product in 2010, rising to US$1,585.7 million by 2020. In 2010, one in every 10.9 jobs was in the tourism sector. Export earnings from international visitors and tourism goods are expected to generate 15.5% of total exports or US$270.3 million in 2010, growing in nominal terms to US$484.2 million (12.5% of total) in 2020.

Hmong girls on the Plain of Jars

Laos has become popular with tourists for its relaxed style of living and for retaining elements of the "original Asia" lost elsewhere. The official tourism slogan is "Simply Beautiful". The main attractions for tourists include Buddhist culture and colonial architecture in Luang Prabang; gastronomy and ancient temples in the capital of Vientiane; backpacking in Muang Ngoi Neua and Vang Vieng; ancient and modern culture and history in The Plain of Jars region (main article: Phonsavan); Laos Civil War history in Sam Neua; Trekking and visiting hill tribes in a number of areas including Phongsaly and Luang Namtha; spotting tigers and other wildlife in Nam Et-Phou Louey; caves and waterfalls near Thakhek; relaxation, the Irrawaddy dolphin and Khone Phapheng Falls at Si Phan Don or, as they are known in English, the Four Thousand Islands; Wat Phu, an ancient Khmer temple complex; and the Bolaven Plateau for waterfalls and coffee.

Luang Prabang and Wat Phu are both UNESCO World Heritage sites, with the Plain of Jars expected to join them once more work to clear UXO has been completed. Major festivals include Laos New Year which is celebrated around 13–15 April and involves a water festival similar but more subdued than that of Thailand and other South-East Asian countries.

The Lao National Tourism Administration, related government agencies and the private sector are working together to realise the vision put forth in the country's National Ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan. This includes decreasing the environmental and cultural impact of tourism; increasing awareness in the importance of ethnic groups and biological diversity; providing a source of income to conserve, sustain and manage the Lao protected area network and cultural heritage sites; and emphasising the need for tourism zoning and management plans for sites that will be developed as ecotourism destinations. FruitFriends is a non-profit organisation promoting tourism through immersion programs and this with minimal impact on environment and culture.

Laos is known for its silk and local handicraft product, both of which are on display in Luang Prabang's night market, among other places. Another speciality is mulberry tea.

For our meal, we are going to try Laotian Grilled Pork Skewers with Papaya Salad and Sticky Rice.  You can find the recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/laotian-grilled-pork-skewers-with-papaya-salad-and-sticky-rice-recipe/index.html

The information about Laos came from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos

Around the World in 80 Meals

Nicole and I have been chatting about food, and we have decided to go around the world in 80 days. Not only are we going to try foods from different geographic regions, we are also going to try foods from cultures that are not tied to a geographic location. For an example, we are going to partake in a Jewish Passover meal at Passover.

I have decided to start using my blog again to document this journey.  On this blog I will share "where we went" for dinner, some information that I learned about the country and/or culture while I was doing some research for our meals.