in the know....

so here's what i think....and what Greg thinks...

Memphis, Tennesse.

+Corky's BBQ...great eatery for take-out option...pulled pork sand a must...chicken a little dry

+Payne's BBQ...fab fab fab, dive dive dive...don't b scared to walk in b/c once you do, you'll thank me, or greg:)....must have: chopped pork sand...don't change a thing...hot sauce...BEANS!

+Mollie Fontaine House....great example of something to do with an old home...must have: sliders and cocktails!

New Orleans, Louisiana.

+Mr. B's...whoa! just go! must have: lunch-time cocktails(virtually free), bbq shrimp, duck spring rolls(heaven), and i tried the fish...and yummo!

+Galatoire's...great atmosphere, dress to impress for full experience! must have: crabmeat maison(not for me, but its really good if you like mayonnaise-based dishes), oysters rocker-feller(rock your body good), any fish topped with seafood...rich, deeeelish, so much food! **if you get an appetizer, skip the sides b/c you'll be full**DO NOT MISS THE SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE!

+Johnny's PoBoys...get em how they come....must have: fried shrimp/fish/oysters...whatever but no cold-cuts

+Central Grocery...must have: muffaletta(spell?) and a Barq's root beer!

Phew i'm stuffed!

bite this...

hey all you spicay cajuns!  I bet you think you can handle ANYTHING???!!!  hahah...so did I, but THINK AGAIN!  Man, we've come across some spice since we've been out.  And most come in the form of these little dried out devils!  We love giving them a go...but sometimes regret it in the end.  Austin loves putting his belly through the fire...and pushes his limits a bit more than I do.   They do make pretty pics though!

china dolls and food stalls

Well, China was a bit weird in the food dept...but we aren't quite sure if that was purely because of tourism, or because they really do enjoy scorpions and starfish and crickets...OH MY! Regardless, we were able to see some really odd things on sticks ready to face up to the BBQ pit. We just looked though, no one brave enough to have a go. But where is this exactly?  Right in the heart of a pretty fancy pants area in Beijing.  It is a long row of food stalls ready to face up to the masses.  We did manage to scarf down some yummy dumplings(veggie) and potatoes:)  But if you wanna give it a go...start with these...

Some other not so weird but interesting things included these bubble teas...     

We think they had dry ice in them...but people were drinking right out of these crazy things!

try this...

while in Vietnam one CANNOT pass up the opportunity to try Bahn Xeo. Found more in the South than in the North and even some places like Hue and Hoi An call it their own. This little scrumptious piece of heaven is no more than a super thin rice pancake filled with a few shrimps(2 if you are lucky), bean sprouts, and depending where you are, pork. The pancake is served with herbs, rice paper, and peanut sauce(I like mine with spicy fish sauce). Okay, here's how it works so you'll look like a local:) First, WASH YOUR HANDS....and then place an open piece of rice paper in your palm...then place the open pancake on top of that. Now fill the pancake with your favorite herbs....once you've followed those easy steps, proceed to roll the whole lot up like a spring roll. Just look at that fine piece of work!! Don't stare too long...just dunk and eat....mmmmmmmm mmmmm! Making me hungry just thinking about it!

The best place we've found was a small food stall in KonTum, Vietnam...each at 12cents a piece!

Yum-O!

*for those of you who are following Lonely Planet, they suggest a place in Saigon...Banh Xeo 69A or something...I would try them before you get to Saigon, we didn't like the one's in Saigon!

all about my tummy:)

throughout this whole trip, nothing has held us back from tasting whatever our eyes fancied! Well, except for that whole 5day tummy issue in China(we knew it would happen eventually)! But last night!!! Well, that was UNBELIEVABLE! Austin and I spent 3whole hours at an international buffet at the Caravelle Hotel's Restaurant, Nineteen. A buffet that could not be recreated anywhere else in the world! And yes, folks, we ate for a full one hundred and eighty minutes straight:) The buffet consisted of...seafood: lets see...huge grouper(about 100lbs), prawns...tiger, giant, river; crabs, clams, snails, oysters, all freshly steamed as you pick it and to your liking, sushi, bread bread and more bread(much to my liking), Vietnamese dishes, salads, CHEEEEEEEEZE(not that that gets me excited...psssssshhhh!), and if I haven't mentioned it yet....FREE FLOW WINE!! We had such a wonderful time, we decided to stay till closing:)

Just another event we will never ever ever forget!!