Road Trip

[CharityCase]

Wow. I'm new to Egullet and with a thread like this it's no wonder I'm blown away. Great job!

In your Thai pictures, I believe those are Kaffir Lime Leaves on your salad plate.

[jogoode]

Wow. I'm new to Egullet and with a thread like this it's no wonder I'm blown away. Great job!

In your Thai pictures, I believe those are Kaffir Lime Leaves on your salad plate.

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Welcome, Charity Case! I'm glad you enjoyed my pictures.

Here's a picture I found of kaffir lime leaves. I'm not sure the leaves on my plate look like this; do kaffir limes leaves have a variable shape?

[Kim WB]

what a fun thread! thanks, jogoode for the time you put into it. ..very cool pix of Badland's.

Edited November 16, 2004 by Kim WB (log)

[Squeat Mungry]

Excellent report, jogoode, thanks!

My guess is that the leaves are fresh curry leaves. They look a lot like the ones I buy at my local Indian grocery. In this picture, take a look at the 'gamthi' variety.

Cheers,

Squeat

[little ms foodie]

Great post jogoode!! thank you!

[jogoode]

Thanks, squeat.

Strange, my leaves looked more like little lilypads.

[Squeat Mungry]

Thanks, squeat.

Strange, my leaves looked more like little lilypads.

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Oh. I couldn't really tell the shape from the photo. Don't you think that's probably what they were then, lotus leaves? I mean, considering the name of the restaurant and everything.

[jogoode]

Thanks, squeat.

Strange, my leaves looked more like little lilypads.

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Oh. I couldn't really tell the shape from the photo. Don't you think that's probably what they were then, lotus leaves? I mean, considering the name of the restaurant and everything.

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That's me -- overthinking, as usual!

[cstuart]

jj, great report, and thanks for posting the pics.

where in the mission did you eat?

[snowangel]

I have read parts of the original post to daughter Diana (age 14). Three years ago, my brother-in-law was brave (or foolish) enough to get into a volvo station wagon with an 11 year old (Diana), a 5 year old (neice) and 12 year old (also neice) and head from Berkeley to upstate New York.

It took them a month. They had a blast.

Diana's best memory: Vegas sure looks better during the night than during the day.

Given the ages of the kids, it was diner's and road food. Diana liked the diner's the best.

[jogoode]

jj, great report, and thanks for posting the pics.

where in the mission did you eat?

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Pancho Villa, Pancho Villa, and Pancho Villa .

I have read parts of the original post to daughter Diana (age 14).  Three years ago, my brother-in-law was brave (or foolish) enough to get into a volvo station wagon with an 11 year old (Diana), a 5 year old (neice) and 12 year old (also neice) and head from Berkeley to upstate New York.

It took them a month.  They had a blast.

Diana's best memory:  Vegas sure looks better during the night than during the day.

Given the ages of the kids, it was diner's and road food.  Diana liked the diner's the best.

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And I thought I was crazy going with my girlfriend! (Diana's got it right about Vegas.)

[chow guy]

Thanks, everybody!

Oh great pictures!!! Thanks so much for the travelogue.

BTW, may I ask what camera you used?

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I brought with me my brand new Olympus digital with 3.2 megapixels. Every night I emptied my pictures on to my laptop, which I brought with me for that purpose. (I refused to buy an $80 memory card.) I went through them and erased the terrible pictures and touched up the good ones using iPhoto. I took about 15 bad pictures for every good one! Buying a digital for this trip -- and for my subsequent trip to Japan -- was a great decision.

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Wow!!! Thanks so much jogoode. I wondered what camera you used, your pictures and reporting are fantastic. You really brought me back to a similar trip I made with my future wife back in the (pre digital camera) 80's .

We started in Florida and spent two and a half months on the road in a Toyota Van. We went across this gorgeous country up California back through the middle to New York and down the coast to Florida. It made me "All Vaclempt" to see your wonderful shots of so many of the places we enjoyed on our trip. Very smart idea about nightly downloading and erasing. You have inspired me. Thanks again.

I feel a road trip coming on.

[tanabutler]

Nam kao tod: cubes of Thai sausage, puffed rice, red onion, roasted peanuts, dried chiles, cilantro and mint. (Can anyone help me identify these green leaves to the right of the salad?)

Oh, yum, Nam Ka Tod is one of my favorites there!

I believe the leaves are Miner's Lettuce, aka Montia perfoliata. They grow wild all over the place, and are edible.

Miner's Lettuce

If not Miner's Lettuce, they could also be the edible leaves of the nasturtium.

Great work on your report: I especially love the shot of Chicago.

[Jason Perlow]

I have a sudden craving for mashed potatoes. A lot of them.

[jogoode]

Did you eat your Miner's Lettuce?

I meant to say, "It grows wild," as in: wild all over MY place. They're sweet and delicate little leaves. I can't imagine they're in Las Vegas anywhere, but I could harvest a bowlful of that, and purslane, and make a salad for everyone on a daily basis here.

But I don't.

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Now you'll just have to learn to make Nam Ka Tod!

I did eat the Miner's Lettuce (though I now remember the waiter calling it pennywort -- the mystery continues...). I was told to use the leaves to pick up bits of salad and shove the leaves in my mouth.

[jogoode]

I have a sudden craving for mashed potatoes. A lot of them.

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It's funny you say that, Jason. In fact, Devil's Tower formed after the Great Potato Volcano of '43.

[Devotay]

I am certain those were nasturtium leaves. I grow them, and they are delicious. A little peppery, great in salads, and the flowers are wonderful too.

Awesome post, Jo. I hope you'll pardon me when I imitate you.

[emmapeel]

What can one say (tissue in hand)? This is one of the best road trip photo essays I've seen. The food looks really fantastic, the photos are great, and you hit some of the major places. I've got to get me some ribs, (good ones.) Thanks, JJ.

[jogoode]

Thanks, Emma. As summer approaches, I'm getting more and more nostalgic. Thank heaven for Big Apple Block Party!

[Luckylies]

wow. Not only were your pictures stunning, but your actual trip seemed to be fun too. I'm now completely obsessed with the idea of going on a road trip...off to get my liscence. And some brisket.

[divalasvegas]

Thanks, Emma. As summer approaches, I'm getting more and more nostalgic. Thank heaven for Big Apple Block Party!

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jogoode, I'm relatively new to eGullet and I just had to say: thank you, thank you, thank you. The pictures were gorgeous and your running commentary was most enlightening and entertaining. The pictures I found most breathtaking, however, were the ones you took at the Chino farm stand. I mean, five different colors of baby carrots--if that's what they were--in the second photo (did you get to taste these?); tomatoes of all sizes and colors so vivid I almost felt as if I could reach out and pluck one off the screen; and the first photos with all the herbs and leafy vegetables, all were amazing!

Now, I'm inspired to take a food exploring road trip! Do you or anyone else out there have tips on how to put one together? I'm many years past 23 and I don't think I would be up to staying in some of the "creative" lodging choices that you and your companion made. If there are existing threads on how to do this, please just point me in the right direction.

Again, jogoode, fantastic job!

[PaoPao]

Jogoode, what a great travelogue! My then girlfriend (now adoring wife) and I took a similar trip in November of 2003 and spent approx. 7 weeks on the road. We had been talking about doing it and then one November day asked each other what we wanted to do and if we had anything planned for the next 2 months. The quick answer was "road trip and no". So an hour later we had packed her 1987 Honda Accord and started our adventure. Our plan was to circle N. America. Leaving from Vancouver we took the Trans-Canada Hwy E. all the way to Montreal. Then went South to New York and continued down the E. coast all the way to Key West. After that headed west all the way to Los Angeles. Then drove north home to Vancouver.

I really wish we took some photo's of the food we ate as it was a great adventure, food poisoning and all.

Very brief eating Highlights of the trip we're: Smoked Meat Sandwiches in Montreal, Peel and Eat Shrimp and Key Lime Pie in Key West, Amazing Tex-Mex in Dallas, and Tito's Taco's in LA. There we're tons more though ....

I think when we we're finished we had put about 12K - 13K on the ol' Honda. Heh, not to mention about 5 lbs. each on us.

Your pictures brought back some great memories, Thanks!

Our next road trip is planned in October where we plan to fly to NY and rent a car. After spending 3 - 4 days in NYC we will head north through the Coastal remaining States and eventually get to Nova Scotia. We're planning about a 3 week road trip coming back to NYC and then flying home . I'll be sure to bring my camera and make a travelogue hopefully as good as yours!

We just love traveling like this, no real plans, no reservations, just good ideas where we want to go steered by the local people we meet on the way.

Cheers!