What thin places have you traveled to?

 - It’s nice to be home but I do miss the Thin places, where the distance between heaven and earth collapses, can relax us and transform us — or, more accurately, unmask us.

Meet the most delicious pineapple basil pops you’ll never eat. Unless you come over on a hot day and I feel like breaking out the zoku. I picked up a zoku popsicle maker right before we left for Indonesia since I figured I’d be melting under the equatorial sun and always in want of a popsicle. But being engrossed in work and other things, I completely forgot I had the damn thing until I was rummaging through my cupboards for something else.

The zoku is simple and immediately gratifying. I keep it in my freezer at all times and when the urge for a popsicle hits, I blend some fruit together, pour it in the zoku, and in nine minutes flat, I’m poppin.

One of my favorite things about living out here (no, it’s not the pollution and lack of infrastructure) is the abounding bounty of tropical fruit. And I believe it’s done wonders for my skin. There is not a day that I am without a mango, pineapple, papaya, banana, or kiwi in a salad, smoothie, straight up, or now in frozen perfection. I may have severe withdrawal symptoms and a yellowing pallor when I move to Ithaca in the dead of winter only to find squash and potatoes.

These are the mango honey pops with chunks of kiwi. I also made a gorgeous papaya yogurt mint pop kissed with raw honey but those went too fast to photograph. The possibilities are endless. In this eternal summer, every day is a good day for a popsicle. What would be your perfect popsicle creation?

I’m not sure when it all began but I am having a love affair with noodles. If someone gave me the “okay,” I’d be slurping noodles six ways to Sunday. And the mie tarik (pulled noodles) from Mie Tarik Laiker at the Food Louver court in Grand Indonesia mall is by far the most addicting. There’s a Chinese place across the way that is supposedly more legit but it lacks the chewy perfection of these noodles, the deep shallot broth that rivals any soupe a l’oignon, and the perfect proportion of morning glory and crispy fried shallot sprinkled on top. Who says you can’t find good food in a mall food court?

Look at this guy go!  

Mie Tarik Laiker
found at food courts in
 - Grand Indonesia Mall
 - Senayan City Mall
 - Kelapa Gading Mall
Jakarta, Indonesia

I never posted this because I’m horribly inconsistent when it comes to the blogging. I keep saying I’ll get better at it but when it comes down to it part of me is lazy and the other thinks it’s self-indulgent. So let’s get actively indulgent!

Oh, the massive markets of Asia. When traveling, many of us go in thinking we need to get to the soul of a culture, whether it be through food, art, music, or simply meeting the people. You can often find all of that at a central market where you carefully eke through narrow aisles perusing stall after stall of everything.

Ben Thanh Market is in the heart of Saigon where many flock for its cheap goods whether it be lacquerware or nailpolish pens or a garment stall where they’ll make you 2 for 1 suits featured in the latest GQ magazine in two days flat for under $200. Those cats in the garment stalls are fast and dapper.

It’s always a good idea to see what the locals snack on. And I’m always curious to find out how the local dried squid is.

I saw this scene often on the streets. Women prodding each other’s faces to push out any facial impurities. Everyone in Vietnam is an aesthetician.

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New Year’s Eve in Ho Chi Minh City can be summed up in three words:

LIGHTS! SNACKS! LIGHTS!

Saigon Opera House.

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