Forking Tasty

The Filthy Cook Shack

On the tails of my post from yesterday comes this meal I ate my second day in Cochin. I can safely say this is where I strayed from the path. This was the biggest food risk I had taken up to this point on the trip BUT it had to be done. Because Cochin is a big fishing and trading port, they have a lot of fresh fish on hand. Being the industrious and persistent Indians that they are, the locals set up a series of make shift kitchens along the side of one of the roads near the fish market. The deal is this…

Kerela Kitchen

After Goa I headed down to Kerela. Cochin to be exact.Yes, yes, where I made the chai. But before I made that Chai I got into some real cooking with those two chefs. The night I arrived in Cochin I was picked up by Babu, a driver sent for me, and brought to the homestay I was sleeping at for the next 2 days. By the time I arrived it was late but I was hungry. Leslie, the homestay owner, told me the guys were in the kitchen and I should head down once settled into my room.

A few minutes later I headed down the steps and out through the front sitting area to the kitchen/restaurant. I sat at one of the tables and waited for one of the chef’s. I was the only person around and so I asked if I could come into the kitchen and watch them cook. They saw no problem with this and so the two of us headed back into the kitchen so I could see what was going on. The video above shows, in detail, my appetizer and kingfish appetizer being created. What I stripped out of this video was the original audio. The jumpcuts required this but during almost the entire entree preparation I was engaged in a conversation about marriage. I was being questioned about why I got divorced, how i got divorced and why I was not married again. In India, getting married is a big deal that ALWAYS happens. Being 35 and NOT married is a mystery and intrigue to most. Perhaps one day I will post the audio because it contains some interesting nuggets of perspective from the two young chefs questioning me. For now we can just leave it alone by saying, if they had it their way I would be getting married again very soon.

Goan to the Spice Farm

One day while in Goa I hired a driver to take me inland to a town called Ponda. Just outside Ponda are two huge spice farms. I visited one and here is what went down.

Dewali Celebration

I suppose this is something like when my Jewish friends eat Chinese food on Christmas day. Diwali is the Indian-Christmas-like-New-years celebration in which on the first 3 nights everyone plays with firecrackers from dusk ’till 1am. And, I mean non-stop. 4 year olds lighting off cherry bombs. 15 year olds setting off 190 books of firecrackers in the middle of a busy parking lot. No rules and no reaction from the locals. It IS the way it IS. Happy Dewali is all I can say.

To celebrate I was headed up to…

Chai Guy

I have been working hard to organize all of the India goodness. I am in a bit of withdrawal from some of my new India finds and habits. I thought I would start the Indian malay of tasty with this “How to” video on one of my favorite new vices, Indian Masala Tea. This could have replaced coffee for me all together had I never left Indian. It is delicious day or night and I would say I consumed a good 100 of them in my 3 weeks.

This video was shot in the kitchen of a Homestay I visited in the town of Cochin, Kerela. I made quick friends with the kitchen staff and they allowed me in to get a little messy with them.

M.I.A.J.

I have been computer-less for the last 2 weeks. I have been all over Southern India with a backpack, a camera and a big appetite. Tonight, I returned to Mumbai for a 12 hour stop over before heading back to NYC via London. There is a ton to report on but it is going to take a few days for me to sort through all the curry, flat breads, chai’s and places. Over the next couple weeks, I will share with you what was certainly one of the most interesting food adventures of my life.

To end the trip in true Anello style, I headed to one last street cart for killer kebabs. Straight off the plane from Bangalore, I bypassed my Mumbai hotel and headed for Bademiya. I pushed to the front, ordered up some mutton, chicken tikka and chicken leg kebabs. Minutes later I was rewarded for my aggressiveness with three foil wrapped packs of goodness. I wacked them down right on the street. Delicious.

More India to come. It gets hairy, I promise. But, not how you think.

Eat. Drink. Ride. Dance. Drink. Ride. Sleep.

On the same day I met Stig and his Olives I took the Copenhagen guys out for dinner. Their choice of course. Henrik took us over to a restaurant/bar that lived in a converted laundromat space. As soon as we walked in Henrik ordered up three plates and some beers…

Shopping Netto

As in every country I visit, I need to visit the local outdoor market or the supermarket. Copenhagen being no exception here are a few of my favorite items I spied in Netto, Copenhagen’s answer to Stop and Shop. I also found…

Marinated Nut and a Giant Butt

I didn’t think you would want to marinate a nut but I was wrong. As an accoutrement to my dessert plate this nut not only opened my palette but my imagination. Let me back up a quick sec. I was looking for a quiet meal in Copenhagen after having spent 10 days on the ship with Ant. This giant cigarette butt wound up being the landmark that steered me to a small café which served up a delicious Spanish jamon, a savory lamb shank and that peculiar little nut I was just fantasizing about…

Vapiano reunion

Vapiano is a “fast food” Italian joint that I discovered three years ago while living in Berlin. Graciously called The Vap, Jen and I frequented the establishment at least 5 times a week during our Berlin days.

The last port of call on the ship was to the small town of Kiel Germany. To my amazement Kiel had a Vapiano. From the moment I discovered this I could not wait for the meal. The above shows how the reunion unfolded.