Porchetta sandwich (New York, NY)

What is it? Porchetta sandwich. Chopped roast pork shoulder (with crackling and fat) topped on a ciabatta bread.

Where to find it? Porchetta's on 7th Street in Manhattan.

Thoughts... There's no need for any condiments as the melted fat serves
as the condiment. The sandwich is best eaten immediately and hot before the fat gets
a chance to congeal. Every bite is a surprise as it can be the crunch of crackling or the soft chew of fat...really good stuff.

*Sorry for the lack of picture, I didn't have my camera on me when I went to Porchetta's.

Arepa (New York, NY)

What is it? Arepa. Venezuelan sandwich consisting of a corn cake patty outer shell and stuffed with a mixture of cheese, meats, beans, and veggies.

Where to find it? Caracas Arepas is the most popular restaurant for arepas and has 2 locations in NYC (7th Street in Manhattan and Grand Street in Brooklyn).

Thoughts... I recommend the De Pabellon arepa at Caracas Arepas with shredded beef, black beans, white salty cheese, and sweet plantains. You can also find arepas at NYC street fairs with many arepa stands now popping up, but usually their corn cake patties are not made fresh so I'd suggest sticking with the real deal.

Aero bar (Nova Scotia)

What is it? Nestle Aero. Aerated chocolate is covered with more chocolate. It comes in different flavors: milk, mint, dark, etc.

Where to find it? Throughout Nova Scotia and even at the airport terminal.

Thoughts... The chocolate had the same sweetness as the chocolate of a Kit Kat bar. The aerated chocolate taste the same as regular chocolate, but just has a different consistency and is easier to bite into.

Oatcake (Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia)

What is it? Oatcake. This oatcake was dense and a had a texture like a shortbread cookie.

Where to find it? Bakery in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia and other bakeries throughout Nova Scotia.

Thoughts... I think this is probably something the sailors or fishermen would live off for months at sea due to its probable shelf-life of a few years. This reminds me of a rock cake that I had at a colonial reenactment event.

Maple Dip Donut (Nova Scotia)

What is it? Maple Dip donut is like a Boston Creme donut with the creme filling, but instead of chocolate glaze, it's a maple glaze.

Where to find it? Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's is the Canadian version of Dunkin Donuts and can be found in any decent-sized town in Canada.

Thoughts... This donut with an iced coffee quickly became a morning ritual. Also munchkins at Tim Horton's are called Timbits.

Rappie Pie (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia)

What is it? Rappie Pie made with potatoes and shredded chicken. The potatoes are shredded and stewed down to an apple sauce consistency, mixed with chicken, and then baked off . (Pictured in the top right corner of the plate)

Where to find it? Austrian Inn, Highway 1, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Thoughts... I first had Rappie Pie at another restaurant where the consistency was like rubbery, glue. The taste was good, but the consistency was hard to get over. At the Austrian Inn, the Rappie Pie was more like apple sauce consistency and was quite good.

Solomon Gundy (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia)

What is it? Solomon Gundy is the Nova Scotian name for pickled herring. (Pictured at the very top of the plate)

Where to find it? Austrian Inn, Highway 1, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Thoughts... Solomon Gundy tastes exactly the same as the pickled herring that comes in glass jars in the States - firm fish, pickled withe slices of onion.

It actually took a while to find an eatery serving authentic Nova Scotian fare. The Austrian Inn serves a Nova Scotian buffet with tons of local dishes and lots of dessert. For $14 CAN, this stop was definitely worth it. This place is popular among the locals, as older ladies were waiting in their cars starting at 10:30 am for the restaurant to open at 11 am.

Shaved ice (Taipei, Taiwan)

What is it? Shaved ice topped with your choice of toppings (beans, fruits, sweetened condensed milk, etc.).

Where to find it? Ximen Ding (Ximen Square/Station area) in Taipei, Taiwan

Thoughts... Shaved ice, Taiwanese style, is refreshing especially in tropical Taiwan. I always order my shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk and like to mix up toppings from sweet red beans to sticky rice balls.

Jian Bao (Taipei, Taiwan)

What is it? Jian bao (translation: fried bun) is meat bun that is pan fried, as opposed to steamed.

Where to find it? Shilin Night Market in Taipei, Taiwan

Thoughts... Meat in a bun is delicious.

You Tiao with Soy Milk (Taipei, Taiwan)

What is it? You Tiao (translation: oil stick) is a fried stick of dough that is served in different ways alongside a bowl of freshly made soy milk. Above is you tiao wrapped with an egg pancake. Below is you tiao with dried, shredded pork rolled in rice.

Where to find it? Breakfast stands/nooks in Taipei, Taiwan

Thoughts... This is a typical Taiwanese breakfast. The you tiao with dried, shredded pork is one of my favorite breakfast food.

7-eleven hot food (Taipei, Taiwan)

What is it? Meat on a stick. The skewer on the left is pork wrapped in cabbage. On the right, are fish balls on a skewer. The sticks are kept warm in hot broth which you can ladle into your cup. The broth itself has a ton of flavor.

Where to find it? 7-eleven in Taipei, Taiwan

Thoughts... You probably think I'm kidding, but I'm not. The hot food at 7-eleven (home of the slurpee) is awesome. Besides meat sticks, they also have meat buns available. Plus, 7-eleven is as rampant throughout Taipei as Starbucks is in Manhattan.

Green Tea Kit Kat (Taipei, Taiwan)

What is it? Green tea flavored Kit Kat

Where to find it? Taipei, Taiwan

Thoughts... I wish this was available in the States. Green tea-flavored white chocolate surrounds the familiar Kit Kat wafer.

Wonton noodle soup (Taipei, Taiwan)

What is it? Wonton noodle soup

Where to find it? Food stall in Taipei, Taiwan

Thoughts... The broth is very simple in taste, but quite satisfying.

Dan Dan Mein (Taipei, Taiwan)

What is it? Dan Dan Mein (Dan Dan noodles) served with pig's feet and seaweed

Where to find it? Taipei, Taiwan

Thoughts... Dan dan mein is one of my favorite noodle dishes. Minced pork in a bean paste sauce is ladled over noodles. The pig's feet takes a bit getting used to texture-wise, but it is worth getting over skeamish part for the flavor.

Back to Taiwan...

After touring Japan, we went to Taiwan for a week before heading back to the States. Taiwan definitely has some of the best street food in the world.

Chinese food in Japan (Kyoto, Japan)

What is it? Chinese food presented in a Japanese bento box

Where to find it? Kyoto, Japan

Thoughts... The Japanese people take pride in food presentation. For Chinese meals, I'm used to the large communal plates service, but here everything was carefully placed and presented. Apparently, even a child's lunch meal in Japan is an ornately prepared and even assembled to look like a cartoon character.

Green tea mochi with sesame seed paste (Japan)

What is it? Green tea mochi with sesame seed paste

Where to find it? Japan

Thoughts... This had a stronger green tea flavor for mochi than what I usually tried. I love mochi.

Tonkatsu (Kyoto, Japan)

What is it? Tonkatsu. Fried pork cutlet served with cabbage served with a soy sauce, sesame paste sauce.

Where to find it? Kyoto, Japan

Thoughts... The actual act of eating food in Japan is a wonderful experience. For this dish, you grind the sesame seeds to a paste while you wait for the tonkatsu to be served.

Mega Tamago and Mega Tomato (McDonald's, Kobe, Japan)

What is it? Mega Tamago (Egg) and Mega Tomato sandwiches. It's similar to a Big Mac, but with 3 meat patties and either an egg or tomato on it.

Where to find it? McDonald's in Kobe, Japan

Thoughts... I didn't actually try oneit. I just had some Kobe beef for dinner... :-)

Sushi lunch box (Atami, Japan)

What is it? Sushi lunch box

Where to find it? We picked up these lunch boxes at the train station in Atami before boarding the bullet train.

Thoughts... The sushi in Japan is so fresh and it seems like everyone knows how to prepare it.

Kuro-tamago (black egg) (Owakudani, Japan)

What is it? Kuro-tamago (translation: black egg). Eggs are hard boiled in the volcano-heated hot springs. Boiling in the hot springs turns the eggs black.

Where to find it? Owakudani (translation: Great Boiling Valley) in the Hakone National Park.

Thoughts... Sulphur vents around the spring fumigates the area with a strong smell of sulfur. Supposedly eating one of these eggs adds seven years to your life. Eh, why not, tastes like a hard boiled egg.

Ramen (Tokyo, Japan)

What is it? Ramen in a miso-based broth topped with pieces of fatty pork, fish cake, and seaweed (nori).

Where to find it? On the eighth or ninth floor of a shopping mall in Tokyo, Japan

Thoughts... Not to be confused with 10 cent ramen available in the States, this bowl of ramen was heavenly. The broth is saltier than what I'm used to, but delicious nonetheless.

Takoyaki (Octopus ball dumpling) (Tokyo, Japan)

What is it? Takoyaki. Octopus pieces are mixed with batter and cooked in semicircular cups. The dumplings are then drizzled with a teriyaki sauce and topped katsuobushi (fish shavings).

Where to find it? Nakamise food stall around Asakusa Kannon Temple.

Thoughts... These dumplings have a very strong flavor from the teriyaki sauce and an interesting texture from the batter and octopus.

Sushi (Tokyo, Japan)

What is it? Sushi. This particulary location is also known for its fresh tofu.

Where to find it? Tokyo, Japan

Thoughts... In Japan, they do not mess around with the quality of fish that gets used in sushi.

Mochi (Tokyo, Japan)

What is it? Green tea mochi with red bean paste filling. Mochi is a sticky treat made with glutinous rice that is filled and flavored with different ingredients such as peanuts, seasame, red bean, green tea, etc.

Where to find it? Nakamise food stall around Asakusa Kannon Temple.

Thoughts... Mochi is delicious. Some people are turned off by the gooey texture, but I love it.

Senbei (Rice cracker) (Tokyo, Japan)

What is it? Senbei (Rice cracker). The rice cracker is grilled over charcoal (basted with a shoyu-based sauce) and then wrapped with nori (seawood).

Where to find it? Nakamise food stall around Asakusa Kannon Temple.

Thoughts... The crisp, airy rice cracker with shoyu and nori make this an interesting cracker with asian flavor.

Red Bean Paste Bun (Tokyo, Japan)

What is it? Red bean paste bun. Batter and red bean paste is dropped into molds and then baked over flames.

Where to find it? Nakamise food stall around Asakusa Kannon Temple.

Thoughts... This cake filled with sweetened red bean paste comes in different shapes. Quite tasty and not too sweet.

Cheesecake (New York, New York)

What is it? Cheesecake

Where to find it? Juniors Bakery, New York, New York (Manhattan location near Times Square). The original Juniors is in Brooklyn.

Thoughts... This is some good cheesecake - very filling and should count as a meal, even though you eat it for dessert.

Hot Dogs and Papaya Juice (New York, New York)

What is it? Cheap hot dogs with papaya juice.

Where to find it? Gray's Papaya, New York, New York. There's a few Gray's Papaya in Manhattan.

Thoughts... Apparently, the original hot dogs and papaya juice establishment is Papaya King, but I haven't been there. So for now, this place is my favorite hot dog place in NYC. Note: Sometimes the papaya juice is not as sweet, but it's cheap, I'm happy.

Shaved ice (Haleiwa, Hawaii)

What is it? Shaved ice doused with flavored syrup. There are tons of flavors to choose from; you can even order your shaved ice with vanilla ice cream or azuki beans.

Where to find it? Matsumoto Grocery Store in Haleiwa, Hawaii. There's shaved ice throughout Oahu, but Matsumoto is known for their shaved ice.

Thoughts... As with everything in Hawaii, so good...

Shrimp scampi plate (Kahuku, Hawaii)

What is it? Shrimp scampi plate. Garlicky, shrimp served with two scoops of rice.

Where to find it? Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku, Hawaii. There are other shrimp trucks in the area, but Giovanni's is one of the most popular.

Thoughts... The shrimp was super meaty, the flavor was super garlicky, the plate was super good.

Plate lunch (Waimanalo, Hawaii)

What is it? Plate lunch. Kahlua pig plate lunch (foreground) and bbq chicken plate lunch (background). Both plates are served with rice and macaroni salad.

Where to find it? Keneke's on Kalaniana'ole Highway, Waimanalo, Hawaii

Thoughts... I could live off the plate lunches in Hawaii. Complete happiness on a plate.

Kalua pig and cabbage (Honolulu, Hawaii)

What is it? Kalua pig and cabbage, pulehu shoyu chicken, corn, rice, and macaroni salad.

Where to find it? Iva's Hawaiian Grinds, Honolulu, Hawaii. Iva's is a food truck amongst the vendors at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet.

Thoughts... The smoky, shredded pork and shoyu chicken make this a filling meal. Afterwards, walk off the meal at the swap meet.

Haupia (Honolulu, Hawaii)

What is it? Haupia. Looks like an apple pie that you would get from any McDonald's in the States but the filling in this pie is creamy coconut pudding.

Where to find it? Honolulu, Hawaii

Thoughts... It's interesting. The crust is the same as the apple pies and the filling is good.

Spam Musubi (Honolulu, Hawaii)

What is it? Spam musubi. Rice topped with a piece of spam and terriyaki sauce wrapped with nori (dried seaweed). (The spam musubi is covered in plastic wrap, the food itself isn't shiny.)

Where to find it? ABC store in Honolulu, Hawaii. There are tons of ABC stores (think 7-eleven meets a gift shop) throughout Honolulu, but not all stores sell hot food.

Thoughts... Quite good considering a main ingredient is Spam (I've always been a bit hesitant of meat in a can). The rice helps tone down the saltiness of spam and the terriyaki sauce makes the musubi really good.

Tacos and Tamales (Culver City, California)

What is it? Tacos, Enchiladas, and Tamales

Where to find it? Tito's Taco in Culver City, CA

Thoughts... When I went to visit a friend in LA for the weekend, she took me here to Tito's Tacos. Everything is less than $3 so you can order a few different things to try. The best Mexican eateries in the States are in Cali.

Granita di caffe con panna (Rome, Italy)

What is it? Granita di caffe con panna. Lightly sweetened, frozen espresso layered with whipped cream.

Where to find it? Tazza D'Oro near the Pantheon.

Thoughts... Tazza D'Oro is known for their espresso and you can't go wrong with whipped cream. This treat is worth stopping by Tazza D'Oro, plus there's the Pantheon nearby.