My Top 10 Food Discoveries Abroad

My first attempt in food blogging. Warning the food I am about to mention here are not the gourmet food that you might be expecting. They are actually everyday dishes and snacks you can find in supermarkets, food courts, takeouts or restaurants. But anyways, hope you enjoy reading!
Pho or Phở (Vietnamese)
In the U.S. and Canada Vietnamese restaurants are quite common. This is not just your ordinary bowl of noodle soup. First of all, it is inexpensive, delicious and really filling. A great comfort food especially in the cold season. If you look in the menu of these restaurants you might get overwhelmed that there are more than 20 kinds of Pho noodle soups that the restaurant offers. The difference lies in the cuts of beef or whether tripe is added in the mix. Surely you will find the one combination that you desire. Click here for a description of the ingredients. This soup reminds me so much of La Paz Batchoy back in the Philippines but with a different lemon grassy / cilantro taste. If you do not like the taste of cilantro, you can ask them to separate it. Usually the herbs and chili pepper are served separately. You can also ask for some kind of condiment like fish sauce on the side. I think we have Pho restaurants in Makati even in the 90's but back then I found it way too exotic for me to try.

Nasi Lemak (Malaysian)
A friend of mine who used to work in Singapore introduced me to this simple but sumptuous rice meal. We were very fortunate that in Philadelphia there is a restaurant called Penang that served yummy and spicy Malaysian cuisine at the right price. Basically nasi in Bahasa means fried rice but I am not really sure what Lemak stands for. It is a light fried rice meal that has spicy anchovies, egg, achara and bits of roast chicken. Too bad Malaysian restaurants are hard to find anywhere.

Beef Rendang (Indonesian/Malaysian)
This is basically a beef stew that can be compared to our very own Caldereta. It is a beef stew that has a coconut milk base mixed sambal and other spices. Serve this with hot jasmin rice and you are in heaven my friend! (at least if you love spicy dishes)

Lamb Rogan Josh (Indian)
when I was in the US I never tried eating Indian food although I saw them regularly and their prices are quite competitive (ex. lunch all you can eat for less than $10) but only when I lived in the Netherlands I found them way too mainstream to ignore. I am glad I tried it and it is our new default takeout choice. I also recommend the Tandoori chicken and their eggplant dishes. I noticed though that the quality of food varies in different restaurants.

Cajun Chicken (Asian takeout found in foodcourts)
I think at least 99% of all American and Canadian shopping mall food courts will have this in their turo-turo menu. This has that nice sweet grilled barbecue taste that we Filipinos love. For like $7 it already includes rice and another side dish.

Rookworst (Hema in Netherlands)

If you would translate this into English it just means rook = smoked and worst = sausage. So it's basically a smoked sausage but oh so yummy. If you miss Purefoods hotdog, there you have it -- the rookworst. Another variation is the bratwurst but I am not sure if the taste is just the same. I hear some jokes from Dutch people here that Germans are fat because they eat bratwurst with beer all the time. The rookworst is also a main ingredient in the stamppot which is mentioned below.

Buffalo Wings (Board Walk Fries or even Hooters)
Take note that I am a straight married woman but I go to Hooters and of course for only one thing: chicken wings! At Hooters they have MILD, MEDIUM, HOT, 3 MILE ISLAND, 911, CAJUN, SAMURAI, or SPICY JACK take your choice! If you can't take seeing those huge 2 things displayed around you, the second best thing is at Board Walk Fries which can be found in most shopping mall food courts. They usually serve it packaged with hot french fries - board walk cut style (thicker than McDonalds).

Popeye's fried chicken
I'm sure if you are a Filipino and you live in the States this is one of your secret guilty pleasures. Take note, KFC's quality in the US is so-so and a big disappointment that this franchise stands-out pretty much in flavor and crispiness. They claim that they cook their food Louisiana style. My usual choice is the 6 piece wings and either the cajun rice or the mashed potatoes with gravy on the side. Beware of this temptation! I am half-glad it is not in the Netherlands because this is a sure fire way to expand my waistline and clog my arteries (sob).

Auntie Ann's pretzels
I never really understood why Americans in this side of the world love pretzels -- especially those that are plainly salted and tough. All they needed is mustard on top of it and they're in bliss. Now enter Auntie Anne's. This small store can be found everywhere and the the reason I actually like their pretzels is because it is not as hard and tough to eat like the normal ones I see sold by street vendors but you have a choice of different flavors, toppings and dips and also because it is kneaded right in front of you and cooked as you order. My favorite is the one with almond flavor or bits with caramel dip on the side. I heard they have this also in Metro Manila.

Philly Steaks (Philadelphia)
There was a time in my life that I worked at the central business district that stalls that sell these are too common that I ended up eating it for lunchtime almost everyday. Not too good for my health and figure so I had to stay away from it. But it's one of Philly's biggest tempations. It's a huge submarine sandwich that has onions, strips of beef, pepper and optionally you can add cheese or bell peppers with it and even ketchup if you like. I prefer it only seasoned with pepper and salt and yes, of course cheese.

Runners-up:

1. Stamppot (Netherlands) - a mixed up meal of fresh andijves (similar to lettuce), mashed potatoes, sausage, paprika (bell pepper) tomatoes, mushrooms and whatever you'd like to put in!
   
2. General Tso or Chao's chicken - an American invented Chinese takeout dish - an extremely sweet and spicy breaded fried bits of chicken. You'll get tired of it after a while though. (Tagalog: nakakaumay)
   
3. Blondies (Toronto) - I found this sinful dessert cupcake in Toronto. This is basically a white browny - think white chocolate but turned into cake. If someone from Canada would be visting this is one pasalubong I'd surely like to get. hehe. It is usually sold in small brown bags containing like 20 pieces or something.
   
4. Stroopwafels (Netherlands) - again this is another sweet bad thing to try because it is highly addictive. My sister actually bought a ton of these after visiting me here. It is like piyaya only that it is uniformly rounded. It is a sandwich wafer/cooky that has caramel filling. Plain but highly addictive.