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Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Jamila from Marrakech, Morocco. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge?

Staying in holiday rentals and settling into a place for a while offers opportunities to get close to people in ways that a hotel can’t. Often the hotel concierge is there to get a kickback from that restaurant he has an ‘arrangement’ with and doesn’t offer much more. Don’t believe us? These are some of the special people we befriended who touched our souls over the last year in some way.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Jamila from Marrakech, Morocco. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Jamila from Marrakech

The manager, housekeeper and cook at our riad in Marrakech, Jamila set the standard by which we would judge all our holiday rental contacts – or concierge – from that point onwards. Having been checking in and out of hotels pretty much constantly for the previous five years, Jamila was the first holiday rental manager we met and the differences were apparent from the moment we arrived when she told us to treat the riad like our home. We did. When we weren’t in our room, we were taking over a cosy nook by the fireplace to work, or Terence was taking over her kitchen to cook. Jamila’s warm smile and sparkling eyes welcomed us upon our return each day and there was a handshake for Terence and a hug for me when we eventually had to say masalama (goodbye).

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Maria from Alberobello

Maria, the manager of our trullo, didn’t speak English and my spoken Italian is dreadful despite countless trips to Italy. Yet somehow we found a way to communicate. We’re both good at listening and if there’s a skill to describe ‘attempt to communicate’, then we’d excel at that too. Maria spoke slowly and clearly in Italian and I responded slowly and clearly in a language I invented that combined English, smatterings of Italian, and Spanish spoken with an Italian accent. What was clear no matter what your language was that this was a woman with a colossal heart and generosity of spirit that knew no bounds. Almost every day Maria appeared at our trullo carrying tomatoes to hang in our kitchen, bottles of olive oil and olives from her own grove, and a big bag of flour and pasta board – no concierge has ever done that! Pizza and pasta-making lessons followed that last delivery, along with memorable meals with her family and friends, at our home, theirs, and their neighbours’ restaurant. When Maria dropped us at the train station on the last day, we hugged each other hard, and tears welled in our eyes. It was like saying arrivederci to an old friend – and we’ve stayed in contact ever since.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Marie Theres from Montmartre

We’ve been travelling to Paris for many years, for work and pleasure, occasionally staying in the home of a dear friend, a journalist who lived in Montmartre until she recently moved to Washington. Many expats we met in Paris recounted tales of how tough it was to meet Parisians. Even our French journalist friend, Sandrine, who was originally from Megeve, said it had been challenging for her, a native-speaker, when she first moved to the city. So when Marie Theres, a local artist and our guide for Context‘s art-themed amble around Montmartre, invited us to dinner, we accepted immediately. We took some wine and macarons that Terence had made at a cooking class that day. Marie Theres made a delicious dinner and we chatted about art and travel and living in Paris compared to the south of France where she had another home and studio. It was a lovely evening. These invitations may be as difficult to score as a Saturday night table at a Michelin-starred restaurant, but I know which one I’d rather have.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Desak from Bali

Desak was the cook at our Balinese villa. She prepared us two meals a day, breakfast and lunch or dinner, and made us many delicious meals throughout our stay. At least once a day I’d spend some time chatting to her in the kitchen. Desak taught Terence several Balinese recipes and, as she wanted to expand her cooking repertoire, he taught her how to make some Western-style dishes. They cooked together, and the four of us (including my Mum who was visiting for a week) sat at the dining table to enjoy the fruits of their labour. In addition to working, Desak is raising two sons alone for most of the year, while her husband works on a cruise ship. Terence took a family portrait of Desak and the boys which we had printed and framed, one for Desak, and one for her to give to her husband on his next trip home. On our last day, Desak prepared a surprise lunch of the dishes Terence had taught her to make. It was the nicest farewell gift anyone had given us.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Yuto from Tokyo

Our preconceptions about Japanese people couldn’t have been more misplaced. Based on our travels we perceived the people to generally be reserved, formal and conservative. Yet each day in Tokyo, encounters with locals told us otherwise. At Nagasaka metro a businessman kindly helped us buy train tickets. As we studied our map in the street, an office-worker offered to help, walking us a block down the street from where he’d just come. Unable to find an Akasaka restaurant we asked a kimono-clad woman who slipped on her wooden shoes, grabbed a parasol, and gestured for us to follow, escorting us in the rain to the next block and down another lane to our eatery. Another evening, standing outside our apartment discussing the best route to take to a restaurant, a young couple asked if we were lost and insisted on guiding us to our destination, a 15-minute stroll away. When Japan won a World Cup match, we shared the victory with ecstatic, drunk Japanese fans. We met Yuto, above, one night at a yakitori bar (where he gave us better eating tips than any hotel concierge) and again for drinks on the night of this shoot. Ask us what the Japanese are like now and we’ll tell you: generous, friendly and warm.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Rusty Irons from Austin

Rusty Irons (and, yes, as she herself tells those she meets, that is her real name) may call herself a ‘concierge’ to communicate the fact that she’s a hands-on holiday rental owner-manager who is there to attend to her guests’ every need. But if she is a concierge, then she’s the first who has ever picked us up from the airport and taken us out to breakfast, to dinner, and out dancing. She’s the first concierge to bake us cookies and to teach us how to cook a Texas-style barbecue, and the first concierge Terence has cooked dinner for – twice. Rusty is also the first ‘concierge’ we ever hugged goodbye.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

James M White from The Broken Spoke

In Austin we met dozens of down-to-earth people who let us into their lives for a while and invited us back to spend time with them again some day. One of those people was James M White, the owner of the oldest and most popular honky tonk joint in Texas, The Broken Spoke, where we found ourselves drinking beers and tapping our toes a few times. On our last night in Austin, we interviewed James and befriended his family, including his daughters and English son-in-law, and his brother, who had moved to Austin and were helping to run the place. Despite having an early flight the next day, we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave. An invitation from James to stay with the family on the ranch next time we’re in town will definitely see us returning to Austin for more toe-tapping fun.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

This Elderly Gentleman from Austin

The dapper old guy in the hat in the photo above taught me to dance the Texas Two Step. As we glided around the dance floor, I asked him how long he’d been dancing. “Only a few years,” he said. “My wife used to love to dance. She was a beautiful dancer. But I didn’t know how and never wanted to learn. But every week for our whole married life I’d take her out dancing. I didn’t mind her dancing with other men as I used to love watching her move. When she died a few years ago, I was heartbroken. I didn’t know how I’d go on. I missed her terribly. So I decided to do the thing she loved most. I learned to dance. I just love it now. But my biggest regret in life is never having danced with her… Now I go every week without fail, and, well, I feel like she’s still with me now, out here on the dance floor…”

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Fernando from Mexico City

South of the border, down Mexico way… we looked up an old friend. We met Fernando on our first trip to Mexico City many years ago. We’d been watching a riotous demonstration on the Zócalo, the city’s main square, where university students were setting alight a couple of public buses they’d commandeered. Fernando, an economics student at the time, approached us and warned us not to get too close. “These kinds of things can get out of control in Mexico,” I remember him saying. We ended up strolling Cinco de Mayo for a while, chatting, then a few years later, on a return trip, I emailed Fernando. We met, we clicked, and we hung out. This time, we did the same. Our long distance friendship is a fine example of how fleeting encounters can become lasting ones.

Have You Ever Wanted to Hug Your Concierge? Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

The People of Cape Town

In Cape Town we met dozens of people who affected us in different ways: from Faldela, a Cape Malay cooking instructor, who taught us the meaning of Ubuntu, to Monwabisi Sobitshi, an actor who passionately performed a moving scene from a play about the 1994 election, the first in which blacks were allowed to vote in South Africa; from Faizal, a guide who took us on a private tour of the city’s heartbreaking townships, to Shirley, Keith and Mildred, the hospitable owners and housekeeper of the beautiful house at Camps Bay in which we stayed. How is it that one place can produce so many kind and caring people we wondered. But that, my friends, is another post…

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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Comments

  1. wandering educators says

    February 25, 2011 at 10:26 am

    i LOVE this. you’ve met so many incredible people – these photos are just brilliant! my favorite? yuto – although i am partial to japan! :)

  2. Lara Dunston says

    February 25, 2011 at 10:47 am

    We have met some truly amazing people – it’s been an extraordinary year! Thanks for travelling vicariously with us! :)

  3. Alexandra says

    February 25, 2011 at 1:37 pm

    Oh gosh! That story about the gentleman in Austin teaching you to dance really brought tears to my eyes.
    This is a great post. How very many beautiful souls you have been lucky enough to meet!

  4. paris (im)perfect says

    February 25, 2011 at 6:10 pm

    This is an amazing post. Thank you for sharing! Travel to me is SO much about the people I meet along the way and your post just proves this again. You have had a blessed year :)

  5. Lara Dunston says

    February 25, 2011 at 7:39 pm

    Hi Alexandra – that story *did* bring tears to my eyes when he told me the story too. It was a beautiful tragedy in a way. Yes, we’ve met some very special people this year. And there’s more too that I didn’t have time to mention here. Thanks for dropping by!

  6. Lara Dunston says

    February 25, 2011 at 7:47 pm

    Thanks! Much appreciated. It has felt very special.

  7. Sabrina says

    February 28, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    #8 totally just made me tear up! I like the whole post, but that one encounter really stands out to me. Wow!

  8. Jen Laceda says

    March 5, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    I remember reading all about them!

  9. Lara Dunston says

    March 6, 2011 at 12:00 am

    It choked me up too – made it hard to keep chatting cheerfully as he twirled me around the dance floor. Thanks for dropping by!

  10. Lara Dunston says

    March 6, 2011 at 12:07 am

    Well that’s a good sign!

  11. JD says

    February 5, 2012 at 4:53 pm

    Perhaps I’ve missed a privacy policy of yours but are you able to share the establishments which each of these wonderful people represented? Would love to support their business.
    Cheers!

  12. Terence Carter says

    February 6, 2012 at 12:34 pm

    Greetings JD, links to the relevant businesses are in the story. Cheers and thanks for stopping by.

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About Grantourismo

Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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