Since we'll be experiencing all kinds of crazy food, here is a diary of all our favorites:
HAWAII
- Dinner: Ono, opah, ahi tuna, scallops: grilled, blackened, sushi, macadamia crusted, whatever your pleasure!
- Drinks: Lava Flow: half strawberry daiquiri, half pina colada
- Drinks: Basil Hayden: whiskey
- Camping: brats, s'mores, pop tarts, and mojo bars
PERU - Coastal
- Snack: Canchita: dried corn nuts
- Dinner: Lomo Saltado: steak fried with onions, and tomatoes, served with rice and french fries
- Dinner: Ceviche: mixed cold seafood marinated in lime, chili, and onions, served cold with corn and boiled yams
- Drinks: Pisco Sour: pisco, sugar, egg whites, and lemon juice
- Drinks: Inka Kola: bubblegum and banana soda
PERU - Mountains
- Dinner: Guinea pig (served with the head and feet still attached)
- Dinner: Alpaca with quinoa
- Drinks: coca tea: helps with digestion and altitude sickness
- Drinks: Magic Potion: our Inca Trail tour guide's concoction of rum, black tea, sugar, lemon, and cinnamon... delicious after a long day's hike and freezing temperatures
BOLIVIA
- Dinner: Empanadas or Chicken with potatoes and plantains
- Drinks: Singani: Bolivian liquor made of grapes
ARGENTINA
- Breakfast: Dulce de leche: carmel spread
- Dinner: Bife de chorizo (steak)
- Drinks: Malbec: red wine varietal
- Drinks: Espresso or coffee with milk
- Drinks: Mate tea: a mixture, kind of tastes like green tea
BRAZIL
- Snack/salad: Heart of palm: vegetable from the inner core of a palm tree
- Dinner: Feijoada: entire pig in sauce, served with rice and black beans
- Dinner: All you can eat Brazilian steak house: a buffet style restaurant that specializes in meat
- Drinks: Cachasa: Sugar cane liquor
- Drinks: Acai: Blue/purple berry found in the Amazon, squeezed and served as cold juice
ITALY
- All good food seems to come from Italy...
- Dinner: Pasta: a staple of all different shapes and sizes
- Dinner: Pizza: all combinations of toppings possible, but the simple Margherita is best: tomatoes and mozzarella
- Dinner: Pesto: sauce made of garlic, basil, pine nuts and olive oil (**Ken's favorite meal thus far**)
- Drinks: Chianti: Italian red wine
- and if that weren't enough: olive oil, parmesan cheese, risotto, limoncello, gelato, (the list goes on forever)
BELGIUM
- Breakfast: Waffles: in either the sugary or non-sugary variety, they are served with chocolate and whipped cream
- Dinner: Blinis: little pancakes with salmon and dill
- Dinner: Mussels: local catch right from the coast
- Snack: Chocolate: Godiva and many high-class expensive brands that are sold in stores that look like jewelry shops; our favorite was the mid-range Cote d'Or
- Snack: Speculoos: crunchy brown cookie that they also make in a spreadable form, yum!
- Drinks: Beer: Hoegaarden, Leffe, and hundreds more (of course our favorite Stella Artois); there really is no limit to the selection
THE NETHERLANDS
Unfortunately we didn't sample any specific local food, although we did find candy:
- Snack: "Drop": Dutch licorice
AUSTRIA
- Dinner: Weiner Schnitzel: breaded and fried pork or veal with potato salad and cucumber salad
- Snack: Manner candy: Neapolitan hazelnut and cream wafer candy
- Dessert: Apple strudel: layered fillo dough pastry with sugary apples on the inside
HUNGARY
- Dinner: Goulash: stewed beef with tomato soup, noodles, and potatoes (**Hillary's favorite meal thus far**)
- Spice: Paprika: a spice made from peppers
TURKEY
- Dinner: Doner Kebab: spiced lamb meat in a pita bread sandwich with dill yogurt sauce
- Dinner: Sarma: Turkish dolmas of rice mixture rolled in grape leaves, peppers, and eggplants with a side of eggplant puree
- Snack: Mixed nuts: pistachios, chestnuts, hazelnuts, chickpeas, and sunflower seeds
- Dessert: Baklava: Fillo dough pastry filled with nuts and drenched in sugar syrup
- Drinks: Turkish Tea: strong black tea served in little cups (also mandatory to drink while shopping for Turkish carpets)
TANZANIA
- Dinner: Ugali: doughy cornmeal that is a staple at nearly every meal
- Dinner: Zege: egg omelete with french fries stirred in
- Drinks: Fanta: ok, so this isn't from Tanzania, but we've been drinking a ton of cold Orange soda, it's everywhere
RWANDA
- Dinner: Tilapia: local fish from Lake Kivu
- Breakfast: Matoke: cooked plantains
- Drinks: African Tea: spicy tea with lots of sugar
INDIA
- We hadn't encountered such good food since we left Italy... who knew we both loved Indian food so much????
- Dinner: Chicken tikka masala: chicken in spicy red sauce served with rice, fried or baked bread, or thin pancakes
- Dinner: Tandoori chicken: red pepper spiced BBQ-style
- Dinner: Thali: we really don't know what this is, but it was always served on a round platter, kind of like a combo meal and we ordered it like a dozen times!
- Drinks: Lassi: sugared yogurt drink
- Drinks: Chai: tea with cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, and more
- Drinks: Cold Coffee: a melted frappucino-type drink
- Dessert: Barfi: sweet dessert of dried milk, sugar and nuts
- Dessert: Gulab jamun: fried donut balls in syrup
- Dessert: Paan: after dinner chewable betel leaf with an assortment of mystery ingredients including peppermint
- and if that weren't enough a whole host of others: millet, lentils, chutney, raita (yogurt dip), and a whole bunch of stuff we don't know the name but it tasted great!!!
THAILAND
- Lunch/Dinner: Papaya salad: shavings of green papayas, carrots, cucumbers, dried shrimp with peanuts in spicy sauce
- Lunch/Dinner: Coconut soup: hot and spicy soup with seafood or chicken with mushrooms, onions, and lemongrass
- Lunch/Dinner: BBQ’d fish, seafood, pork or stir fried chicken with vegetables
- Lunch/Dinner: Rice and noodles: usually white rice, but also fried or in soup
- Lunch/Dinner: Glass noodles: translucent noodles made from green beans
- Lunch/Dinner: Curries: spicy green, yellow or red sauce, massaman, or panang soup served with choice of meat and rice
- Lunch/Dinner: Herbs and spices: garlic, cilantro, lemongrass, basil and lots of peppers
- Drinks: Sang Som: Thai rum (beware)
- Dessert: Banana fritters: cooked bananas in donut batter or phyllo dough
- Dessert: Baked bananas in warm sugared coconut milk
- Dessert: Mango sticky rice: mango served over sugared rice
- Dessert: Fruit: bananas, watermelon, mango, pomelos, pineapples... and the fruit list goes on!
LAOS
- Dinner: Laap: Laos-style minced meat (chicken, beef, pork) with onions and other seasoning
- Dinner: Laos pork sausage: similar to other sausage but spicy
CAMBODIA
- Lunch/Dinner: Amuk: chicken or fish with coconut and lemongrass
- Lunch/Dinner: Soup: a crazy mix of ingredients, not sure but everything seems to come in soup form
- Dinner: Fish: served whole (with the head still on) and covered in salt
- Snack: Sticky rice: mixed with black beans and served in a bamboo shoot
- Dessert: Palm sugar: hockey-puck sized hardened sugar fresh from the trees
- Dessert: Fruit: milk fruit, jack fruit, taro, mangosteen, banana flowers
INDONESIA
- Lunch: Mixed plate: chicken, squid, green beans, bean sprouts, tempe, tofu, coconut shavings, and peanuts served with rice and crackers
- Condiment: peanut sauce: super tasty mixture of peanuts and oil, served as a dressing or dip
- Lunch/Dinner: fried egg: whether ordering fried rice or noodles, there always seems to be a fried egg plopped on top
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand cuisine was strikingly similar to the United States, although we did manage to find a few specialties:
- Dessert: Pavlova: meringue cake
- Fruit: Feijoa: green, tart apple, guava-type fruit
- Lunch/Dinner: Whitebait fritter: young fish in a fried patty
- Lunch/Dinner: Meat Pies: similar to chicken pot pies but more creative
- Lunch/Dinner: Lamb: chops, shanks, racks, you name it
- Also, many of their vegetables are the same as home, but with different names: kumara (sweet potato), courgette (zucchini), and capsicum (peppers)
HAWAII
- Dinner: Ono, opah, ahi tuna, scallops: grilled, blackened, sushi, macadamia crusted, whatever your pleasure!
- Drinks: Lava Flow: half strawberry daiquiri, half pina colada
- Drinks: Basil Hayden: whiskey
- Camping: brats, s'mores, pop tarts, and mojo bars
PERU - Coastal
- Snack: Canchita: dried corn nuts
- Dinner: Lomo Saltado: steak fried with onions, and tomatoes, served with rice and french fries
- Dinner: Ceviche: mixed cold seafood marinated in lime, chili, and onions, served cold with corn and boiled yams
- Drinks: Pisco Sour: pisco, sugar, egg whites, and lemon juice
- Drinks: Inka Kola: bubblegum and banana soda
PERU - Mountains
- Dinner: Guinea pig (served with the head and feet still attached)
- Dinner: Alpaca with quinoa
- Drinks: coca tea: helps with digestion and altitude sickness
- Drinks: Magic Potion: our Inca Trail tour guide's concoction of rum, black tea, sugar, lemon, and cinnamon... delicious after a long day's hike and freezing temperatures
BOLIVIA
- Dinner: Empanadas or Chicken with potatoes and plantains
- Drinks: Singani: Bolivian liquor made of grapes
ARGENTINA
- Breakfast: Dulce de leche: carmel spread
- Dinner: Bife de chorizo (steak)
- Drinks: Malbec: red wine varietal
- Drinks: Espresso or coffee with milk
- Drinks: Mate tea: a mixture, kind of tastes like green tea
BRAZIL
- Snack/salad: Heart of palm: vegetable from the inner core of a palm tree
- Dinner: Feijoada: entire pig in sauce, served with rice and black beans
- Dinner: All you can eat Brazilian steak house: a buffet style restaurant that specializes in meat
- Drinks: Cachasa: Sugar cane liquor
- Drinks: Acai: Blue/purple berry found in the Amazon, squeezed and served as cold juice
ITALY
- All good food seems to come from Italy...
- Dinner: Pasta: a staple of all different shapes and sizes
- Dinner: Pizza: all combinations of toppings possible, but the simple Margherita is best: tomatoes and mozzarella
- Dinner: Pesto: sauce made of garlic, basil, pine nuts and olive oil (**Ken's favorite meal thus far**)
- Drinks: Chianti: Italian red wine
- and if that weren't enough: olive oil, parmesan cheese, risotto, limoncello, gelato, (the list goes on forever)
BELGIUM
- Breakfast: Waffles: in either the sugary or non-sugary variety, they are served with chocolate and whipped cream
- Dinner: Blinis: little pancakes with salmon and dill
- Dinner: Mussels: local catch right from the coast
- Snack: Chocolate: Godiva and many high-class expensive brands that are sold in stores that look like jewelry shops; our favorite was the mid-range Cote d'Or
- Snack: Speculoos: crunchy brown cookie that they also make in a spreadable form, yum!
- Drinks: Beer: Hoegaarden, Leffe, and hundreds more (of course our favorite Stella Artois); there really is no limit to the selection
THE NETHERLANDS
Unfortunately we didn't sample any specific local food, although we did find candy:
- Snack: "Drop": Dutch licorice
AUSTRIA
- Dinner: Weiner Schnitzel: breaded and fried pork or veal with potato salad and cucumber salad
- Snack: Manner candy: Neapolitan hazelnut and cream wafer candy
- Dessert: Apple strudel: layered fillo dough pastry with sugary apples on the inside
HUNGARY
- Dinner: Goulash: stewed beef with tomato soup, noodles, and potatoes (**Hillary's favorite meal thus far**)
- Spice: Paprika: a spice made from peppers
TURKEY
- Dinner: Doner Kebab: spiced lamb meat in a pita bread sandwich with dill yogurt sauce
- Dinner: Sarma: Turkish dolmas of rice mixture rolled in grape leaves, peppers, and eggplants with a side of eggplant puree
- Snack: Mixed nuts: pistachios, chestnuts, hazelnuts, chickpeas, and sunflower seeds
- Dessert: Baklava: Fillo dough pastry filled with nuts and drenched in sugar syrup
- Drinks: Turkish Tea: strong black tea served in little cups (also mandatory to drink while shopping for Turkish carpets)
TANZANIA
- Dinner: Ugali: doughy cornmeal that is a staple at nearly every meal
- Dinner: Zege: egg omelete with french fries stirred in
- Drinks: Fanta: ok, so this isn't from Tanzania, but we've been drinking a ton of cold Orange soda, it's everywhere
RWANDA
- Dinner: Tilapia: local fish from Lake Kivu
- Breakfast: Matoke: cooked plantains
- Drinks: African Tea: spicy tea with lots of sugar
INDIA
- We hadn't encountered such good food since we left Italy... who knew we both loved Indian food so much????
- Dinner: Chicken tikka masala: chicken in spicy red sauce served with rice, fried or baked bread, or thin pancakes
- Dinner: Tandoori chicken: red pepper spiced BBQ-style
- Dinner: Thali: we really don't know what this is, but it was always served on a round platter, kind of like a combo meal and we ordered it like a dozen times!
- Drinks: Lassi: sugared yogurt drink
- Drinks: Chai: tea with cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, and more
- Drinks: Cold Coffee: a melted frappucino-type drink
- Dessert: Barfi: sweet dessert of dried milk, sugar and nuts
- Dessert: Gulab jamun: fried donut balls in syrup
- Dessert: Paan: after dinner chewable betel leaf with an assortment of mystery ingredients including peppermint
- and if that weren't enough a whole host of others: millet, lentils, chutney, raita (yogurt dip), and a whole bunch of stuff we don't know the name but it tasted great!!!
THAILAND
- Lunch/Dinner: Papaya salad: shavings of green papayas, carrots, cucumbers, dried shrimp with peanuts in spicy sauce
- Lunch/Dinner: Coconut soup: hot and spicy soup with seafood or chicken with mushrooms, onions, and lemongrass
- Lunch/Dinner: BBQ’d fish, seafood, pork or stir fried chicken with vegetables
- Lunch/Dinner: Rice and noodles: usually white rice, but also fried or in soup
- Lunch/Dinner: Glass noodles: translucent noodles made from green beans
- Lunch/Dinner: Curries: spicy green, yellow or red sauce, massaman, or panang soup served with choice of meat and rice
- Lunch/Dinner: Herbs and spices: garlic, cilantro, lemongrass, basil and lots of peppers
- Drinks: Sang Som: Thai rum (beware)
- Dessert: Banana fritters: cooked bananas in donut batter or phyllo dough
- Dessert: Baked bananas in warm sugared coconut milk
- Dessert: Mango sticky rice: mango served over sugared rice
- Dessert: Fruit: bananas, watermelon, mango, pomelos, pineapples... and the fruit list goes on!
LAOS
- Dinner: Laap: Laos-style minced meat (chicken, beef, pork) with onions and other seasoning
- Dinner: Laos pork sausage: similar to other sausage but spicy
CAMBODIA
- Lunch/Dinner: Amuk: chicken or fish with coconut and lemongrass
- Lunch/Dinner: Soup: a crazy mix of ingredients, not sure but everything seems to come in soup form
- Dinner: Fish: served whole (with the head still on) and covered in salt
- Snack: Sticky rice: mixed with black beans and served in a bamboo shoot
- Dessert: Palm sugar: hockey-puck sized hardened sugar fresh from the trees
- Dessert: Fruit: milk fruit, jack fruit, taro, mangosteen, banana flowers
INDONESIA
- Lunch: Mixed plate: chicken, squid, green beans, bean sprouts, tempe, tofu, coconut shavings, and peanuts served with rice and crackers
- Condiment: peanut sauce: super tasty mixture of peanuts and oil, served as a dressing or dip
- Lunch/Dinner: fried egg: whether ordering fried rice or noodles, there always seems to be a fried egg plopped on top
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand cuisine was strikingly similar to the United States, although we did manage to find a few specialties:
- Dessert: Pavlova: meringue cake
- Fruit: Feijoa: green, tart apple, guava-type fruit
- Lunch/Dinner: Whitebait fritter: young fish in a fried patty
- Lunch/Dinner: Meat Pies: similar to chicken pot pies but more creative
- Lunch/Dinner: Lamb: chops, shanks, racks, you name it
- Also, many of their vegetables are the same as home, but with different names: kumara (sweet potato), courgette (zucchini), and capsicum (peppers)
