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It pains me that I have to spend 3 1/2 hours of my time in Malaysia, at lunchtime no less, in the KL airport .... Is there anything at all decent to eat in the domestic terminal? Probably not nearby --- I know the airport is in the middle of nowhere. Or should I just pack a sandwich?

Wow, my mind is reeling at all these suggestions. Thank you! The Aussie friend is born-raised Sydney, loves it, hates Canberra where she is currently working, doesn't get back to Sydney too often. She misses Sydney, she eats anything/everything, so I'm open to suggestions. Hmmm, she does really like Chinese, I suppose I'd be willing to go Asian for that meal, but it should be a nice meal. Anyway,what would you want to eat first in Sydney if you were returning after an absence? Big blowout/expensive meal ... would it be Watermark, Bather's Pavillion, The Wharf, one of those? Perhaps no Italian meal as replies are not resoundingly positive.... but would Leichardt be where I'd head to buy Italian ingredients .... like salt-packed capers and anchovies, etc.? Maliaty --- more specifics on the Turkish pide place please (after you've delivered!) --- King St., Newton ... landmarks? I'll do my homework and come back in a few wks with more questions...

I'll probably have abt six days total in Sydney. Some food goals: 1) mindblowing sushi. Somewhere we could put ourselves in the sushi chef's hands 2) an Italian meal that will make me think I'm in Italy 3) some very good Mediterranean --- preferably Turkish or Greek. If not that, then Moroccan. 4) a relaxing Saturday or Sunday (or Friday) lunch by the shore in a lovely (but not fussy or overdressed) setting 5) a meal where the focus is fish fish fish (this in addition to the sushi meal) 6) a meal somewhere that I can get a fabulous cheese plate (preferably Aussie and NZ cheeses) 7) lunch with an Aussie friend who doesn't splurge on herself much ... where should I take her? 8) oysters on the half shell!!! could be a meal or with drinks I live in Asia so I'm not looking for Asian food (other than sushi) .... and the above are all things that are in short supply where I live. Sydney is my chance to sate my cravings! We're not real comfortable in haute, dressy type restaurants (never feel I can laugh out loud); and my husband won't wear a tie. Friendly, welcoming atmosphere is important. Budget is sort of middle range - expensive (though I certainly wouldn't complain at suggestions in the low-middle range). We will allow ourselves one really blowout (in terms of expense) meal, could be any of the above. Thanks in advance (and to those who answered my query abt AGT too).

Here in Saigon we never get cilantro with pho. The accompaniments are hoisin (never plum sauce!) and sriracha or similar; a wedge of lime; sliced red chili (not the small super hot ones, the larger ones); and a veg plate with bean sprouts, basil, mint sometimes, and usually that slightly sawtooth green (rau mau in Vietnamese I think). In Hanoi you don't get often get the veg plate, that's a southern thing. Also a lot of pple in the south like pho ga (chicken) .... well, it's not available now what with the avian flu thing, but it's not an unusual variation when chicken can be sourced. And Vietnamese beef is really not very tasty (though the pho broth is). Someone mentioned bun bo Hue --- what I love about this dish is that it comes with a HUGE plate of mixed lettuces and shredded lemongrass, mix it in and it's like eating a salady soup (or soupy salad) ... and the fresh pounded chili sauce (red chilis, garlic, lime, maybe some fish sauce) is always on the table to accompany.

I've been subscribing to AGT for a few yrs (a gift from an Aussie friend) ... now finally heading to Australia and wondering what you all think of this mag's restaurant recommendations. I'm very distrustful of recs from glossy mags bec quite often the focus seems to be more on "what's hot" or "what's trendy" than on what is really good food (and sometimes reviews read more like advertising promo), so I'm not sure whether to seriously consult my AGTs or not. I'm not really into flash or scenester-type restaurants, though I'll gladly pay $$ for a really fine meal. So, what do Australian food-lovers really think about AGT? And an aside --- best cookware store(s) in Sydney? Best source for cookbooks?

It was probably preserved bamboo shoots. I haven't really found that they taste like, um, ass ... but it's certainly a strongly flavored ingredient. On future trips you might want to avoid, at Isaan and northern Thai restaurants, bamboo shoot salad (sup naw mai), as these goodies are the primary ingredient. What color was the curry, did it have coconut milk in it, and was it very sour? It might have been a variation of sour curry (gaeng som), which also has a hefty dose of shrimp paste. Yeah, even the food at the restaurant in the Amari Airport Hotel (actually attached to the airport ... worth the 500 baht departure fee if you've ever got a long layover in Bangkok) is quite good (and very spicy), much better than most Thai food I've had outside of Thailand.

Well, I don't know about authenticity Eric, but I just loved the unthickened broth and unadulterated, focused HOT and SOUR flavors of this soup (though I also like a good bowl of the brown stuff, I just don't think of it in the same way). We had bugged the wok-jockey at this place, where we ate dinner every day, for hot and sour for months but they never had pickled cabbage on hand. One day it showed up on our table, and it was fabulous! This was the early 80s and things were still pretty lean (and dishes very unadorned) in Sichuan, but I imagine that if he'd had any dried mushrooms or cloud ear fungus he would have thrown it in.

Has anyone else seen the Japanese game show that pits several Japanese women against each other in a pastry-identification fight-to-the-death? It goes something like this: on a table lies 24 or so plates, each with a teensy taste of pastry from a shop in Tokyo. Each woman must (after having her plate chosen at random, don't remember how) must taste the pastry and identify it by name and by pastry shop. Amazing (think of the preparatory research required to compete in a contest like this)! A variation has the women racing against each other to finish several plates of pastries; the first to shovel all of the goodies in her mouth is given the opportunity to, again, identify the pastry by name and shop. There were a few more variations. The show lasted several weeks and I saw it in spring 2002 on a Japanese channel in Thailand. Some of you in Japan must have seen it too....? What was it called?

I have never, in Sichuan, encountered suan-la tang (hot and sour soup) that remotely resembles the brown-brothed, chock-full-of-goodies, version (as delicious as it may be). What I have had in Sichuan is a thin-brothed soup of slivered pork and thinly-sliced pickled cabbage, flavored with black pepper, red chili oil (la you), and black vinegar (which, to my taste, is more "vinegary" than white vinegar .... and of course, the pickled cabbage lent some sourness as well). If what you remember was very spicy, perhaps the red color came from the chili oil?

Sichuan pork and cabbage soup with "dumpling knots". Essentially sliced pork stir-fried with soy and garlic and ginger, then lots of shredded green cabbage and scallions. Add water to cover along with lajiao and Sichuan peppercorns and simmer till cabbage is tender. Dumpling knots (knobs of water/flour/salt dough as big as the end of your little finger) go in last. The result should be a thick soup chock-full of tender cabbage and very chewy dumplings --- with lots of ma-la tingle.

Fantastic responses, thanks very much. I think we'll not include Cheju as my husband's been there and doesn't want to retrace steps. Jrufusj, how is signage and such on the roads, for driving? We've driven in Thailand and China, how does driving in Korea compare? I will definately re-inquire as the time approaches, summer or autumn, I should think.

>>By the way, if you want to find a country where people are as passionate about food as Italy, consider Malaysia. I have to wonder what Italian restaurants may be like there. I heard a story on the local English-language news report this past August about an Italian restaurant in Kuala Lumpur that admitted to compromising in one way to the tastes of its clientele: By adding large quantities of hot green pepper slices to its spaghetti bolognese. I think it would be interesting to solicit some comments on this thread by Malaysians.<< Thais are easily as passionate about food as Malaysians, but Italian food in Thailand is as "off" as much of Italian food in the States (with the exception of a fine wood-oven pizza place). Just some very bizarre things offered in restaurants that claim to be "real" Italian. In spite of the fact that very good local products are available (eg. Thailand's established dairy industry means that you can buy some very decent locally produced resh mozzarella there ... in the supermarket). I've not eaten Italian food in Malaysia (why bother, when there's claypot chicken, nasi lemak, roti, and sambal grilled fish? And if I found hot green pepper slices in my bolognese sauce I'd scream ), given my experience in Thailand and the rest of Asia, there's a lack of demand for "real" Italian (or a lack of understanding about what Italian cuisine is .. or both). Add to this the fact that a lot of better-off Asians, those who would be able to afford dining in a decent Italian establishment, look down on Italian cuisine and wine as a poor cousin to French cuisine and wine. It's the snoot factor, and you'll find it in otherwise very sophisticated, well-travelled people. >>What I wonder is: if someone came back from China where they really loved the food and went to one of these Chinese places in Thailand, would they consider it "good Chinese," or might they complain and say "this isn't very good Chinese food -- it has fruit in it." << The latter. Having lived in China, if I want "real" Chinese food the way I remember it from my experiences in China I usually make it myself. Though I can appreciate local variations for what they are, yuxiang rousi in Bangkok just ain't real yuxiang rousi IMO. The exception is if you find a Chinese restaurant run by Chinese immigrants FOR Chinese immigrants (there are a couple places in Bangkok) --- usually a Chinese-only menu and half the time they don't speak much Thai. Then it's the real deal and hasn't been watered down to accomodate local tastes (but isn't this much like the Chinese restaurants in the States ... or anywhere outside of China?). What's the point here? Oh yeah ... I agree that once you've eaten Italian in Italy it's hard to be happy with Italian elsewhere. And I think that it's a sad fact that in many cases, cuisines exported from their home are dumbed down/bastardized/however you want to put it --- to suit local tastes and the necessities of local products etc.

I would offer congee, not hot and sour. And perhaps some roasted fowl: goose, duck, or chicken (duck would be my choice). And steamed choi sum or gai lan with oyster sauce.

We are thinking that 2004 is the year to explore Korean food at the source. Probably 10 days total. We've been briefly to Seoul but (unfortunately) hosted by an expat who only eats 2 Korean foods: ginseng chicken and bulgogi. So we missed out on a lot, and figure a few days in Seoul this trip to make up for last time. Question: where else in Korea should one go to not only see the sites but have some excellent dining experiences? What are other foodworthy destinations? I really don't know much about Korea at all, one never hears about it as a travel or food destination. Don't know how easy it is to get around and whatnot, but I suspect that there is alot more than meets the eye foodwise and look forward to exploring. Also, what season? Winter, bec. it's cold and those stews sit so well? Or??? Caveat: we'll be avoiding dog dishes so won't need suggestions on the best places for Fido stew. Thanks for any input.

But anyone who avoids dining around Nana (Suk 4) will miss some of the best Lebanese food in SE Asia --- Al Ferdoss for fresh-out-of-the-oven Iraqi nan bread!

A historic bar-caffe in Alba (can't remember the name). We planned just an aperitivo, but they had such beautiful bar snacks (fresh grissini wrapped in prosciutoo, mammoth chunks of parmesan regg, lightly marinated artichoke hearts, etc.), and such a huge selection proseccos and champagnes and reds and whites by the glass ---- and it was Sunday night and we hadn't passed a single restaurant that was open --- that we stayed and stayed, and ate and drank, and drank. Crowds of Italian daytrippers ebbed into the bar, had a single drink and a few nibbles (the grissini always disappeared in less than a minute after they were put out), and left, and we stayed and drank and drank and ate. 3 1/2 hours on our feet. When we left our bar bill was so high the cashier actually gave us a discount. The bartenders high-fived us as we left.

In-laws seems to be a common theme here, so I might as well chime in. A quite recent meal that I somehow can't forget: Heart-shaped slices of seriously overcooked ham topped with maraschino cherry sauce (I think there was a good dose of cough medicine in there too). "Cheesy potatoes": shredded potato baked with velveeta (I didn't even know they still made that stuff) and a whole lot of Miracle Whip Apricot "salad": mile-high fluff colored a shocking hue of peach-orange, studded with tiny marshmallows and hard little nubs of dried apricot the piece de resistance, what will always be known to myself and my husband as (I hope this doesn't offend anyone) "Apples in Jiz Sauce" .... bec. it looked like apples chunks floating in, well.... Have you ever wondered if it's possible to screw up a fruit salad? Affirmative. My brother-in-law, tucking into his third helping with a sigh of contentment, asked his mom for the recipe, and here the secret is revealed: apple chunks in a "dressing" of sugar, water, flour, and cornstarch." "It's an Amish recipe," she said. Well, correct me if I'm wrong but the Amish were never known for their way with fruit salads. The in-laws are very good people. But they serve very very VERY bad food.

Well, perhaps you could use it sort of like shrimp paste in a dish like khao kapi --- which is rice fried with garlic and *lots* of shrimp paste and then served with an array of accompaniments like shredded green mango or green papaya or guava (something crisp and sour - granny smith apple would work); sliced cucumber; shredded cabbage; slices of crisped Chinese sausage; "sweet" pork; caramelized shallots; sliced scallions; chopped cilantro; and phrik namplaa (fish sauce with sliced fresh hot chilis), phrik namsom (white vinegar with the same), phrik heeng (crushed roasted dried chilis); and white pepper. This is one of my all-time favorite Thai dishes, bec. it's got so many flavors, textures, and temperatures (hot rice cool guava) going on at once. And I have also heard of dips (for raw veggies) made of crab roe (which you can buy in the market in Bangkok, the stuff in shrimp heads, or lobster tomalley, coked with coriander root, garlic, fish sauce, etc. There is a recipe for the latter in Thompson's book, I think (I've lent my copy out or I'd have a look).

Autogrills ... and what abt airports? Last yr when we mistakenly left a half pound of absolutely gorgeous parmesan reggiano in our rental fridge we picked up a vacu-packed chunk at duty free in Torino Airport, not expecting much. It was better than most of the stuff I've purchased at specialty cheese shops in the States!

Yeah, streetcarts. Don't forget the guys/gals selling coconut ice cream (more sorbet-ish, actually). Some say these carts are dicey but I've not had a problem. Best best is probably to go to the ones mobbed by office workers around lunchtime on weekdays. A blob of coconut sticky rice topped by coconut ice cream topped by roasted peanuts --- unbeatable! Aside--- some good locations to mix with the office crowds (these folks search out the best and best value): Wireless (Wittayu) Road across from the American Embassy; Soi Tonson behind the huge Sindhorn building on Wireless (there are several subsois with food and a big covered market with various vendors of tasty things); Soi Sala Daeng, betw. Sathorn and Silom --- another covered market with lots of food vendors and snacks; Soi Convent up near Silom and some vendors spilling onto Silom from that Soi; Sukhumvit Road across from Central Department Store.

Oh, OK .... but frankly I think the curry element of haw mawk would overpower the delicate sea urchin (sort of a waste). All of the haw mawk versions I've had have had enough heat to leave a tingle on the tongue.

Ah, duly noted for next trip to HK in a couple months. Maybe we'll make it an "all-Sichuan" trip (with breaks for dim sum). About those dandan mian -- I hope they were the version that do *not* include sesame paste in the sauce?

mistyped --- I meant that the ma-la flavors were *not* toned down at all.

Sichuan Da Ping Huo is a winner! We are quite picky about our Sichuan food as we have lived in Chengdu, and I am mistrustful of Sichuan dishes served in an "upscale" atmosphere. Don't let the lovely decor, relatively large number of expats and western tourists, and ultra-hip local clientele (more concerned with their Moet, cell phones and walkie-talkies than with the food and their dining companions, it seemed) put you off. This is real Sichuan cooking, not prettified (thought the ingredients are top-notch --- up to and including the fresh not dried "facing-heaven" Sichuan chiles), not degreased (plenty of fiery red oil left on serving plates after the food was consumed, and definately toned down in terms of ma-la heat. Of twelve dishes, 3 were not spicy. Highlights were a classic pork with peppers and black beans (and lovely slivers of Chinese celery and crisp pickled vegetable) and a classic pea green soup (thin, light broth seasoned with black pepper rather than red chili) that reminded me of the best cooking I've had in homes in Chengdu. Dinner ran about 2 1/2 hours, ended with a song by the chef, and cost 250 HK dollars per person, excluding beverage. Given the huge amount of food (not dainty-sized plates, though I probably didn't have to eat ALL of what was swerved to me), impeccable quality of ingredients and preparation, and setting, this is quite a bargain for Hong Kong. If you speak Mandarin you'll get rather more explanation of the dishes from the owner/artist ---- but you'll still feel quite welcome if you don't.

All the sea urchin we had in Thailand was served raw, with lime squeezed over.