Bali and Your Belly - Coconuts for the Fruit Stand

The ubiquitous tropical fruit stand. Actually, it could be either friut or veg, but you see them along the highways in almost every tropical country you visit. With a flimsy shelter and well displayed produce, travellers are enticed to stop and pick up groceries or just a snack. I must admit, I wanted that whole stack of passionfruits and mangosteens (see the mottled orange round fruit on the lower shelf and the dark colour round fruit on the top shelf above). At home I find fruit tastes one dimensional. An banana, an orange, and apple, even berries - most of us rely on the grocery stores where they don't retain the complexity of flavour. In the tropics the fruit yields the full benefit of the sun, ripening until their sweet tangy juices develop until bursting.

I was happy to know most of our fellow travelers were eager to stop here and pick up some delicious treats. You have to admit, the display is enticing - they know how to attract buyers. The variety is outstanding. Being a Caribbean girl, I always prefer tropical fruit. Our Van (see left) stopped and we didn't wait long before the road was clear to run over. We were inundated with children wanting to sell us trinkets, which was both sad and frustrating, making our fruit stop bittersweet. One of our companions with a big heart even had a hard time with a child following her into the van! They are persistent, but not aggressive, which pulls at my compassion. I hope they are family with the fruit vendor, so at least they benefit from our purchases.

On a separate leg on one of our journeys we crossed paths with a coconut stand. We had coconut previously at a restaurant (read: tourist trap) which turned out to be lacking in flavour and a bit of a disappointment. This stand, however, made up for it completely. It was young, full of sweet water, and I'm not sure about everybody else, but mine had young tender flesh. Ah, I miss fresh coconut! They chopped it for us and we enjoyed it on our continued drive.

I don't think Enrique got one, I believe we shared. So when it came time to get the flesh, I used my nails to pare away the flesh from the bowled interior to feed him large sections of the almost jelly like flesh. OUCH! It's not easy to do. It takes time, but I wasn't going to let that flesh go; great coconut meat is not easy to come by. Of course we shared it - I fed myself as well - and oh, for such healthy food, it is damn tasty.

I enjoyed these last minute stops. Not only are they delicious, but it was fun. En & I lucked out in traveling with a great group, and everyone had a great sense of humour and weren't afraid to pipe up to Jack (our guide) and say "oooh! Coconuts! Let's stop!"

It just goes to reinforce my belief in straying (even if just a little) from the beaten path. That restaurant was great and an interesting experience, but if you want the best stuff, you gotta go to the local vendors.

Bali and Your Belly - The Market

In Denpasar you will find the central market of Bali. This is the largest market on the island, where food, household goods, and clothing are sold. The non-food items can be found inside the long building (seen in the above photo), and the food can be found in the older building (see below) and during the day, stands fill the walkways and are tented as the only protection from the sun. While En and I did check out a local Jumbaran market (which is open daily from 4-8am) which ran half a street long, this market was far more overwhelming.



I noticed the fruits and vegetables are mostly, but not always fresh, yet there is an abundance that surprised me. Cartons upon cartons of eggs that were replenished by incoming shipments on the backs of pickups and bushels of greens were continuously being delivered on the tops of the deliverer's head. Who was buying all this food in the middle of the day?




I assume, like some other countries in the general area, that food preparation at home is likely limited. There is an abundance of street vendors and tucked away local restaurants that seem focused on a take away clientele with limited seating. Balinese do not seem very interested in the sit down dining that we westerners are used to. And it's true - most dine-in restaurants I observed always have English accompanying the signage.



Take this poultry vendor, for example. Somebody is buying and preparing all that meat today. There is no refrigeration to preserve these buckets. But who am I to complain? All the local food we've had has been outstanding! Even within this market (unfortunately I didn't get a picture) were many women who made and sold treats, and while the contents weren't always identifiable, what little we tried was really good.



One thing I must say about traveling; the local markets tell much more about the people in a short time than probably any other experience you can encounter. Oh, and the passion fruit? Ah.... I could definitely live in Bali!

Bali and Your Belly - Resort to Breakfast

When on vacation, there are two ways to approach food. One extreme is demonstrated by the all-inclusive, all-you-can-eat buffet. Think quantity. Think generic. Here you will find the domesticated North American who misses their french fries and hamburgers. The other extreme is, to me, not extreme at all. It's going native; eating as the locals eat, seeking where they eat, and observing how they eat.

Where you stay doesn't always have to determine what you eat. We've stayed with many resorts which offer many food options, and just because the food is free does not mean you are chained to the resort . Yes, they may have great food, but at some point during the day, when I'm away exploring, I can find delicious delicacies that I will never again in my life have the opportunity to enjoy. So I don't need to backpack in hostels to get to the local fare. Find a balance. There is something said for adventure as much as the the resort's relaxation (that being said, few resorts are exempt from the mad-dash of 'hurry-we-need-to-get-a-table!' syndrome). After all, I am on vacation.

Our resort was only partially inclusive. Breakfast included, and being an exclusive resort, the small plates of small portions discouraged overindulging. Everything was replenished often, yet the sight of dinner-plate sized platters of various cheeses, sliced for your convenience, made one mindful of their selection. This, coupled with the low occupancy and high tranquility of the open air breakfast room, created a serenity in which you could fully enjoy the luxurious unhurried flavour of morning.


A quick bite or a lengthy lunch - it makes no difference to the staff. That being said, it it still 'resort' food. It caters to the international palate of the traveler. Some may be picky, some adventurous. Let's face it - the majority of tourists will come from North America, Europe, and in Bali's case, Australia. What do you serve that will accommodate all tastes? They may offer something resembling Balinese food (ie - Panang, which is similar to a fried rice), but the majority of what would please the tourist is a sampling of cheeses, smoked salmon, prosciutto, other meats, various breads with condiments, fruits (some tropical, some common), and eggs any way you like'em. Tastes veer to the sweeter side for your first meal of the day? A tray of pastries. Want both? Take both. No one judges. Well, at least not out loud, they don't.


And while I can say I enjoyed breakfast every single day, I can say that it did nothing to give me a sense of what Bali offered. It's what a great hotel would offer, but if I wanted to eat as the Balinese ate, I would have to venture outside the gated property. And after a leisurely breakfast beside the lotus pool, my husband and I were invariably ready to do just that.

Pho Vietnam

I could dedicate many posts to this elixir called Pho. There are few places that do it right - I'm not talking about doing it authentically, I'm talking about creating an addict out of me. My favourite pho dealer deserves a post all to themselves, but another place, not far from home, creates such a wonderful broth, and really, if you have anything less than a great broth, your entire dish might as well be dishwater.

Pho Vietnam; 1280 Kennedy Road, Scarborough Ontario

Fried Rice
My husband likes fried rice. Growing up on the Guyanese version, I could do without it. But once in a while, it's nice to have a few bites, because it still is delicious.
Pho Vietnam's fried rice was steamy hot and flavourful. Unlike some places where the douse it in soy sauce, this is delicate, fluffy, and the peas are not rock hard half frozen pebbles. They're soft. Fresh. It was the first thing to come, so me and my hungry self had a few bites.





Pad Thai
I find Vietnamese restaurants offering more of this dish. The Vietnamese have a similar dish, which they call Saigon Noodles, but, eh, I can understand from a business perspective that most diners are not going to squeal "ooh! Saigon Noodles!" hence, we have Pad Thai on the menu. And that's what I ordered. I should have known better.
It wasn't horrible, but my pet peeve about bad pad Thai is that it tastes like rice noodles bathed in ketchup, with 'stuff' mingled throughout. Now, the 'stuff' - which comprised of shrimp, chicken, tofu, and the rest of the accoutrement, were cooked perfectly. Tender, firm, flavourful. Their ingredients were great. It was the execution where, maybe a heavy hand in the 'vinegary-sweet' department, made the dish pedestrian. Now, if they had Saigon noodles, I would be all over it (Saigon Noodles, from what I understand, are also not intended to be predominantly tangy).

And then, there's the pho.


Pho Ga
Look at that. Can you see that body behind the table? That's my husband. A Man. And he ain't no scrawny man either. That's a medium sized serving of Pho before him. Your mind cannot fathom the size of a large serving. I could swim in that bowl of absolutely comforting broth that is my saviour on a rainy day. You can't see it in the picture, but the bed of flat rice noodles, grilled chicken (beef, in true pho) are absolutely piled inside. There is a perfect ratio of solids to liquids. And the fish sauce, lime, thai basil, and sprouts are always on the side for me to add.

The thing about pho is that it does for me what chicken soup does for most. Anyone who loves pho will understand exactly what I'm saying. the feel of rice noodles slurped and the savoury spicy bone warming broth can wash away a month's worth of worries. And this bowl, when brought home, is the perfect way to end any cold or rainy day. Ask my husband. Bringing this home can wrap me up away from any troubles. Are you reading this, darling? :-)