Nomnomnom (or what I did pretty much all the time while in Ho Chi Minh)

As much as I wanted to be the cultured and classy person that you all think I am, the truth is that I grew up watching cable TV.  This affected me in so many ways: at 15 my dream job was to be a MTV VJ (fortunately, this has changed, else I will still be unemployed), I thought Rachel Ray was a genius making 30 minute meals (still do, but still can't make anything other than fried eggs in 30 minutes!) and "Oh Tokyo" at WINS made my day (seriously, bring it back.  The host was so good at creeping out the Japanese-- The Japanese, of all people! She should be given an award).  The cool life as I knew it existed on the tube and people in there seemed to have more fun than I do.  Perhaps the ultimate life-changing TV show for me were the Lonely Planet series shown on Discovery Channel when I was a bright-eyed teen.  It opened my eyes to the wonderful world and all the fun of traveling.  They featured places like Paris, Thailand, New York and Havana and every time I would swoon and wish that I could go there someday.  But no other episode of theirs has stuck in my memory than the one they had of Vietnam.  To be precise, nothing in that episode has struck me more than when they started featuring food: Spring Rolls, Bahn Mi and bowls and bowls of steaming hot and delicious Pho.  Oh. My.  I used those two words way before you met Christian Grey, Ana Steele.  And I am completely PG.

"Seoul" Food

Did you like my title?  No?  Yeah, I know I’m trying too hard on this “writing” thing.  But before you dismiss my seemingly pretentious entry, I want to make a proposition: It will be delicious.  I promise it will.  Why?  Well it’s because I will be telling you about what I ate during our trip to South Korea (Hence the title?  Duh). It’s not hard to like their cuisine because IMO it is made to be liked and enjoyed-- not super fancy that you are intimidated to eat it (maybe Kimchi is an acquired taste but you can’t get any more democratic than cabbage), always generous in servings (even in the student meal categories) and if you are a carnivore, welcome to meat land, my friend (along with entrails and parts you probably would not like to know).

What we chowed on while we freeze our butts off in South Korea after the jump...

A night of debauchery calls for comfort food

"Is that a turkey sandwich?"  No need to ask a stranger for comfort food, Borough is here.
(Still image from "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist". Copyright 2008. Columbia Pictures)

So... we still have quite a hang over from the Incubus concert last Thursday.  If you watched said concert and are watching that night's videos posted on youtube, drooling over the concert's photos and creating a playlist on your iPod titled "Incubus Manila tour 2011" (with the all the songs that they played on the concert arranged accordingly) then yes, you definitely have a hang-over with a bit of crazy mixed-in. We could go with the present mood and post something about the concert again or anything Incubus-related but then that would be a bit too much and most importantly we are not an Incubus fan-site.  Instead, we are going to be stealth and talk about what we ate after the concert which is exactly what those intoxicated (with alcohol, drugs, music and/or delusions) need: good, hearty, comfort food.

Food Tripping in Singapore

Hawker centre.  Image by Clarisse Hernandez.

We do realize that you, our loyal two readers, may think that this blog is having an Australian twang what with all the NSW tourist spots and that bit on Kylie Minogue.  But be rest assured that Quarter-life vices is still committed to bringing you our meanderings from other places as well.  Today, we felt particularly hungry and thought about all the gastronomic delights that one teeny city-state offers.  Singapore may be small in size but it definitely measures up on our list of places to go on a shameless and delicious food trip.  With influences from the Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures (not to mention the modern-day Western investors that have called it home in Southeast Asia) Singapore is indeed a culinary melting pot and the results are all the way yummy.

Our food-trip guide for the best chows in the Lion City, after the jump...

The Essentials: "Rained-In"

Image By Frank Vincentz (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

With the past few weeks leaving the Metro wet, damp and soggy it is pretty safe to say that summer (and its shenanigans)here in our beloved islands is officially over.  However, while waking up to a perfectly sunny day is one of the best, waking up with the sounds of raindrops on your window (preferably light, pitter-patters) on a weekend comes a close second (the worst? After a night of binge-drinking on Jägerbombs). With a rare opportunity to waste time at home, here are the essentials to make your "staycation" as cozy as possible.  Comfy slippers included.