Food In Asia
One of the best developments in India, China and South-East Asia in the past decade has been the increase in luxury boutique-type options offering international standards of service and comfort, and flavored with regional accents – like beautiful craftsmanship and ancient traditions (we’re talking Ayurvedic masseurs on tap) – which means that the continent is now a very desirable destination for the visitor wanting relaxation and pampering.
Quite a few independent hotels have sprung up, and ultra-luxe resorts have also entered the fray. In India, the pace was first set by the Vilas properties, owned by India’s very own, very fabulous Oberoi chain. Besides the Vilas properties (the best of which are Amarvilas in Agra, and Rajvilas in Jaipur, though some rate Udaivilas in Udaipur as their top choice), Oberoi runs some of the very best city hotels, as well as several spa resorts in key tourist destinations and a luxury backwater cruiser in Kerala. You will pay top dollar, but you can generally count on superb service and attention to detail. Best of all, you can often get great discounts on room rates by reserving in advance over the Internet (www.oberoihotels.com). Note that Oberoi also operates a tier of smaller, less opulent hotels under the Trident Hilton banner, aimed principally at business or family travelers.
India’s other famous hotel chain is the Taj Group, with an enormous inventory of properties, particularly in South India, where Oberoi is largely absent. Quality varies somewhat and service does not match that of the Oberoi group, but comfort is generally guaranteed, particularly in big cities and resort destinations – the best properties are the Taj Mahal in Mumbai and Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur. Be aware that any hovel will attach “palace” to its name in the hopes that this may attract more customers. This is often amusing if you’re walking past, but disastrous if you’re checking in.
Heritage Hotels – Staying in a medieval palace or fort is a unique and wonderful option among India’s accommodations, particularly in Rajasthan, especially when your host is the aristocrat whose forebears built the palace or fort in which you’re overnighting; the best are discussed in detail in relevant sections throughout this guide. Many were built centuries ago, so it’s not surprising that heritage hotels are seldom the most luxurious option, with the possibilities of many stairs, dodgy plumbing, low ceilings, strange room layouts, and other eccentricities. Acting principally as marketing agencies for privately owned palaces, forts, and havelis (Indian mansions), as well as a number of small resorts around the country (primarily North India), two websites worth checking out are www.indianheritagehotels.com and www.heritagehotels.com.
Most heritage properties are individually owned, but a group that enjoys an excellent reputation for selecting and renovating these is Neemrana; check out www.neemranahotels.com to view their select collection of really lovely boutique heritage hotels, often located in off-the-beaten-track destinations; rates generally represent excellent value for these atmospheric gems.
In South-East Asian countries like Cambodia accommodations often fill up in the winter high season, especially the finer hotels nearest tourist attractions such as Angkor Wat. Expect discounts in the low season. hi Chih Minh City, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have the highest concentrations of comfortable accommodations at international standards, but there are developments in small towns as well. Little seaside resorts often boasts fine high-end resorts, but in rural stops you’ll only find budget rooms. Some of the most convenient choices are the smaller, foreign-owned guesthouses where you’re likely to meet up with other travelers and can get the inside scoop on what’s going on in the area.
Food Eaten By The Locals
Bhutan / The Namgays
In Shingkhey, a remote hillside village of a dozen homes, Nalim and Namgay’s family assembles in the prayer room of their three-story rammed-earth house with one week’s worth of food for their extended family of 13. Cooking method: clay stove fueled by wood fire. Food preservation: natural drying.
One Week’s Food in February**
Grains & Other Starchy Foods: $0.25** Red rice,* 66.2 lb, this also feeds the many guests who drop by at mealtimes; flour,* 3.1 lb; red potatoes,* 2.2 lb; barley,‡ 2 lb, for toasting.
Dairy: ** Milk,* 2.8 gal, from family cows. Butter is churned from a portion of this milk; the byproduct, whey, is also used. About 1.8 lb of cheese is produced from the milk as well.
Meat, Fish & Eggs: $0.08** Eggs,*‡ 11; fish, dried, 4.4 oz, the family eats fish or meat — normally in dried form — once or twice a month. The fish in the photograph represents about three months’ worth of either fish or meat. The dollar amount represents what the portion they eat costs. Dried beef is eaten more often than fish.
Fruits, Vegetables & Nuts: $1.46** Mandarin oranges, 3.5 lb; yellow bananas, 1.4 lb, fruits are purchased infrequently; radishes, 6.6 lb; spinach,* 5 large bunches; mustard greens,* 4 large bunches; eggplant,* 2.2 lb; red onions, 2.2 lb; tomatoes, 1.1 lb; carrots,‡* 1.1 lb; green chilies, fresh, 4.4 oz, amount in photo represents about three months’ worth; red chilies, dried, 4.4 oz, amount in photo represents about four months’ worth. Normally, all vegetables are homegrown or borrowed from a neighbor. Vegetables are purchased infrequently.
Condiments: $1.27** Mustard oil,* 2.1 qt; salt, 3.3 lb, for cooking and feeding to cows for increased milk production; ginger, 1.1 lb; bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 small pkg., used to neutralize acid in tea; chili powder, 1 handful.
Beverages: $0.76 Tea rounds, 2 cakes, for butter tea; Red Label tea, 0.7 oz, for guests only; water comes in through a plastic hose from a spring above the house, used for cooking and boiled for drinking.
Miscellaneous: $1.21 Betel nuts, 80; leaves for betel nuts, 2 bundles; lime paste, 1 pkg.
Food Expenditure for One Week: 224.93 ngultrum/$5.03 **
** Total value of homegrown foods, if purchased locally: $29.06
Eating Out
In East Asia chopsticks are the eating utensil of East Asia. Outside of restaurants specializing in Western cuisine, forks are rarely available and knives are not to be used at the table. Rice is an East Asian staple, although in much of northern China and Mongolia wheat predominates. Fried rice is another popular dish, prepared in a variety of ways in different regions. Fried rice usually has some combination of eggs, vegetables, meat, and/or seafood fried with the rice. Occasionally, some places have other varieties, such as a fruit fried rice.
In Sout-East Asia rice is the main Southeast Asian staple, with noodles of all sorts an important second option.Fruit is available everywhere in all shapes and sizes. Mangoes are a firm favorite among travellers. The giant spiky durian, perhaps the only unifying factor between South-East Asia’s countries, is infamous for its pungent smell and has been likened to eating garlic ice cream next to an open sewer.Street vendors or hawkers. Be careful of some, but most offer wonderful food at a very inexpensive cost.
Middle Eastern cookery provides obvious evidence of the extent of Middle Eastern influence. Turkish doner kebab, Greek gyros and the shawarma of the Arab countries (everywhere from Oman to Morocco) are all basically the same dish. A traveller going overland from Europe to India will find very similar dishes — notably flat breads and kebabs — in every country from Greece to India. These are also seen in Central Asia and even China. Many Greek dishes are closer to Iranian cooking than to Italian.
In Central Asia, the further south you are, the better the cuisine is. Afghanistan and Tajikistan have far better cuisine than the Mongolic or Turkic cuisines, which are mostly hearty, spice-free, meaty fare.All Central Asian countries are heavily carnivorous. There are local vegetarians in ALL Central Asian countries (even Afghanistan) but they are in the minority. This means while you can go without meat and survive, you will attract odd looks.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 at 11:17 am and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.