Recommend January 2011 - (Page 28)

A QUARTET OF GOURMET GETAWAYS: CHINA, HONG KONG, KOREA, MALAYSIA followed by participants making their own dish, then dining on the fruits of one’s labor. Intermediate and professional classes are by reservation only. O’ngo can be a culinary food-ﬁnd in another way with its trio of customized restaurant tours: the Night Dining Tour starts with a traditional market visit, then heads for a Korean barbecue house, followed by a full-course meal in a tent restaurant, and ending with rice wine in a tranquil Buddhist-style drinking spot. Another option is the Korean Taste Tour highlighting the popular spicy rice cake shop (tteokbokki), a seasonal Buddhist temple cuisine restaurant, followed by tea at a traditional teahouse and ending with a walk along traditional houses (hanok) streets and a ﬁne rice wine. The third offering is the Fish Market Tour starring giant octopus, stingray, elephant shrimp, ugly eel and huge crabs. Here you pick your meal from live tanks, then have it sliced and served at a local restaurant. And for a full food-focused visit, ABSOLUTE TRAVEL (absoluteasia.com) suggests a South Korea: Cultural and Culinary Traditions tour, an 8-day private program featuring several hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations at culinary academies in Seoul, along with visits to fresh produce markets and other sights of culinary interest. Additionally, there is plenty COURTESY OF KTO TOURISM MALAYSIA Streetside food stall in Seoul, South Korea; fine dining in Malaysia. of cultural touring in and around the capital city, and a full-day excursion to Gyeongju, an open-air museum of royal tombs and temples. MALAYSIA: A MULTI-CULTURAL FEAST With Thai, Indian, Chinese and traditional Malay inﬂuences, the cuisine of Malaysia offers a spicy and ﬂavorful buffet worth exploring. Rice is the staple diet in any Malay meal (nasi lemak is the national rice dish), although roti jala (lacy pancakes made with a pinch of turmeric) sometimes replace rice. Most meals are eaten with the ﬁngers, and all dishes are served at the same time, accompanied by a refreshing drink. Popular Malaysian delicacies are satay, renday, roti canai, murtabaki, laksa, chicken rice and fried noodles. What you won’t ﬁnd in a mostly Islamic country is pork dishes, and what you will always ﬁnd are very sweet Malay desserts. Penang, an island off the northwest coast of Malaysia, is known for its culturally diverse cuisine that has earned it the title “food capital of Malaysia.” In fact, in 2004 Time magazine named Penang as having the world’s best street food. Actually, the whole nation takes its food traditions seriously and stages an annual Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF.com) A8 recommend.com http://www.absoluteasia.com http://www.MIGF.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend January 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk
Tour Talk
A New Look at Ancient Egypt
Celebrity Cruises' Eclipse
Asia Travel Planner
Viking River Cruises' Viking Sky
Discovering Piedmont, Italy
Latin America 2011
The M Resort in Las Vegas Hits its Off-Strip Stride
Gansevoort Miami Beach
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Recommend January 2011