One word, Asia...

I stood through the abominations you call "Ovaltine" (Argh, teh sweetness!), "Beef" (avoid, avoid at all costs all throughout Asia!) or "Sausage" (the only remotely sausage-like feature is its shape!). Like a well-raised child i ate all of the so-called "Spaghetti Carbonara", "Pesto" or "Gordon Blue" (this is not a joke, go to Lovina!) you served and even paid for it. I tried every place that promised "great burgers", only to find that none of them had just the slightest clue about the most basic rules of good burgermaking. I drank well-known cocktails like Caipirinha that seemed totally alien all of a sudden. I tried out every unknown fruit I came across (Jackfruit & Mangosteen: VERY good; Snakefruit: Interesting; Jasmin apple: Like watery apple; Rambutran: Lychee with tentacles, stone doesn't peel nicely; Durian (aka "Stinky fruit"): Run away unless you like Papaya+Onions+Garlic taste in your fruit!). I took a Thai cooking course and learned about your special ingredients, your three kinds of basil and your seven kinds of ginger root. I don't mind the neon-colored desserts in Thailand, and I have to say I did find some really interesting tastes wrapped in Palm- or corn-leaves. I say "Bring on the rice!", even though I'm a pasta- and especially potato-lover (I do miss the potatos quite a bit though). I like Bali/Java coffee in the morning, I love black rice pudding and balinese Tapioka- and Rice crackers, and I actually need my daily dose of Yakult drinking yoghurt. I drink Arak like a Balinese man and Samsong like a Thai. I eat Sate and other stuff in Thai and Balinese food stalls. I can even live with the napalm-level hotness of your dishes that seem to incinerate every carbon atom in my body..

In other words: I'm not the least bit afraid of new tastes and of trying out new local food. But honestly: Is it too much to ask for to take the fucking bones out of the meat before you chop it up to little bits? Do my teeth look like dog dentals? Is this some kind of "crunchy frog" joke I just don't get?

Sincerely yours,
Daniel