Hello, welcome back! Election Day is tomorrow (go vote!), and Thanksgiving and Christmas are finally within striking distance. One of my favorite things about the holiday season is food – I have so many memories tied to eating together at family meals, cooking with my parents or grandmother, and of course, trying new foods abroad.
I haven’t traveled since last Christmas, and I am definitely catching the travel bug! But, because COVID-19 is spiking and I’m trying to stay home as much as possible, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and remember the best foods I’ve ever eaten. All of these foods are free of dairy, eggs, nuts, and shellfish, but some may have meat as I only went vegan earlier this year.
1. Roti Prata (Singapore)
To be honest, nearly every food that I’ve eaten in Singapore could have made it on this list – Singaporean food is incredible! I wrote a whole blog post about my favorite foods in Singapore. Roti prata is a flaky Indian-influenced pancake that can be found at nearly every food court and hawker center in Singapore. There are a number of toppings and fillings (eggs, cheese, chocolate, banana, etc.) but I prefer it plain with either curry sauce or sugar.
2. Vegan Afternoon Tea (England)
I was so excited when my mom told me that she’d found this because I think that vegan tea is a quintessentially British (or maybe tourist) experience. We went to the Podium Restaurant and Bar and just had to make a quick call to ask for the vegan menu before we arrived. I could eat everything on their vegan menu, from the bite-size sandwiches to the delectable mini pastries, and it was such a fun experience.
3. Mochi (Japan)
Mochi is one of my favorite foods, and while I have discovered competitive options in San Francisco Japantown and Hawai‘i, Japanese daifuku mochi found in supermarkets and convenience stores was absolutely delicious. I hope to go back to Japan one day, and I can guarantee you that I will be eating my weight in mochi.
4. Mango Sticky Rice (Thailand)
This dish has three of my all-time favorite foods: coconut, mango, and rice. Satisfyingly sweet with a perfect contrast between the sticky glutinous rice and fresh mango slices, mango sticky rice (Khaoniao mamuang) is easy to find because it’s a typical street food, something that I am ever grateful for.
5. Bread (France)
Yes, bread – just bread. While I have always loved carbs (bread, rice, pasta, cereal, etc.), there is something special about eating a rustic, freshly-made French baguette. I’m sure that croissants and crepes would have also made this list if I’d been able to eat them, but I was perfectly content to feast on the plainer baked goods. In France, we did stop by a crepe shop, and my sister got to help make a crepe, which was pretty cool!
6. Savory Pie (Australia)
I had so much good food in Australia that it was hard to pick, but I think that my favorite local dish was a vegan savory pie from a shop in Bondi Beach. I think that it’s a spinoff of the famous Australian meat pie, but since it was vegan, I’m calling it a savory pie instead. The crust was flaky and crisp, and the filling was perfectly flavorful.
7. Sorbetto (Italy)
I could have simply said “sorbet,” but “sorbetto“feels more gourmet, which is exactly how I would describe this delicious Italian treat. Sorbet, usually made with fruit puree, ice, and sugar, is a wonderfully refreshing dairy-free dessert for hot summer days in Italy. My favorite flavors are mango, lemon, and raspberry.
8. Kalua Pig (Hawai‘i)
With the exception of this, every food on my list is vegan, but authentic kalua pig is too delicious to omit. Cooked underground in an imu, the pork is tender and smoky. My family picks up kalua pig whenever we drive home from the North Shore of O‘ahu to Honolulu, and I love eating it with a bowl of my grandmother’s white rice. We also always buy laulau (pork wrapped in taro leaves), poi (pudding-like food paste made from taro roots), and chicken long rice (Chinese-inspired dish with chicken, clear mung bean noodles, and ginger), but kalua pig is my favorite.
