Let's not forget about the FOOD

If you know me a little, and by this time, you probably do whether you wanted to or not, you know I like my food. However, I have some quirky eating preferences (you can read more about those in my best selling book Oh, You're a Vegetable) so I probably did not try things that you would have. If you don't like it, go on your own trip.

In preparation for the trip, I bought a couple of boxes of granola and breakfast bars and some trail mix JUST IN CASE, also, sometimes you don't really get a chance to eat between airport and hotel. In Japan, I really did want to try tempura, but it didn't happen. I did get to cook my own seafood on my tour to Mt. Fuji, and I loved trying out the beverage vending machines all over Tokyo.

 

In Harbin, China, I ate a lot of granola bars, because I wasn't sure what my options were, and it wasn't easy to ask. The breakfasts seemed to be much more on the savory/sour side, and that's just not my breakfast taste. When I was with my guide, she knew that I wouldn't eat any meat, and ordered the food accordingly. The dish below is eggs and vegetables, and it was so good. I was able to use my trainer chopsticks and had my first meal in three days. The eggs were so good, the sauce was a little salty. My beverage was hot water, which was typical for all of my Chinese meals; no tea, but hot water, which was actually refreshing because I was sick at the time. 

 I didn't eat the barbecue with military characteristics, but wanted to share.

 Dinner: water, frozen fruit coated in sugar and a snack cake. Yum.

Mushrooms and vegetables - oh my, there were at least three types of mushrooms SO good.

Six or seven slices of tofu - again so good, but way too much food for one person, even for me. I didn't get a fortune cookie at any of my meals.

Eggplant and fish with a tangy sauce and a little spice. Delicious. The second dish seemed to be a lot of cabbage, which was okay, but I couldn't eat a lot of it. White rice came with all of my meals, but I figured you didn't need to see pictures of that. at this restaurant there was a pitcher of something on my table, and I thought, ooh, tea. Nope. Warm soy milk. Blech. The waiter, who was a young kid, was helpful and handed me the bowl of sugar. Yeah, that didn't help.

On the way to Mt. Seorak - Below is just a picture of a hot dog stand with varieties of hot dogs, included one that was wrapped in potato.

Comfort food on Nami Island - Quattro Formaggio

Lemonade, but with a little fizz and a cup of warm water. You don't see the sweet and sour pickles with honey, because, ick.

In case you wanted to see what a bagel in Korea looks like accompanied by an orange/pineapple smoothie at the Holly Cafe.

There is a big no plastics movement (or at least a strong initiative to limit them). If you get food to stay in a restaurant, no single use plastic/paper cups for you. Straws are optional. Even at McDonald's (yes, I went there and had a McChicken and mozzarella, which was not my thing with it's vinegary sauce) I got a real plastic up, not disposable. Some shops will also charge for a plastic bag, so I brought my own.

Dinner and breakfast from A Twosome Place, a cafe near the hotel. A chicken and olive panini with another type of fizzy lemonade with elderberries. We need this drink at home.

I love my desserts. A vanilla cream choux pastry. Num num.

My last breakfast here in Seoul; Sweet toast with berries and royal milk tea. The sweet toast was French toast with whipped cream, minimal syrup and berries (cranberries and some others I don't know); the berries were froze, I don't know if that was intentional, but I ate them anyway. The tea was okay, I wanted to try it, but I don't really like milk in my tea. They had a potato latte, and I would have tried it for free, but I wasn't going to pay for it.

I did try a Korean treat, but my hands were full and I couldn't take a picture, but it was a doughnut type pastry filled with red beans. It was good.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with myself for the things I tried. It wasn't crazy, but it was enough for me.  I am looking forward to my hot chocolate at Caribou on Monday.