6.241
3 (Thu) September 2015
Grilled Chicken + Sausage
0.5
from street vendor [takeaway]
in my room (Heritage Park Hotel)
-Honiara-
solo
Mission to the Solomon Islands, Day 5 (see previously 6.240 Spinach in Soy Sauce).
In Honiara. Flew from Manila via Singapore via Brisbane, arriving Monday afternoon — 24 hours, door to door. Tuesday through today, I help to facilitate a workshop on national health policy planning. Leaving tomorrow, back in Manila by Saturday.
Like in most other countries throughout the Pacific, restaurants in the Solomon Islands don’t offer much in the way of local cuisine. Which is a major bummer for someone like me. The solitary item that I’ve seen thus far — not counting the root vegetables at the lunch buffet — is the coconut fish from the hotel (see generally 6. Marinated Snapper…).
So, when I ran across vendors selling food on the street, I had to try it — last night in town, last opportunity.
I had a similar experience in Fiji (see generally 6.103 B.B.Q.).
In light of my work in promoting healthy diet, I should point out that eating meat from random street vendors is likely to be very unhealthy, in terms of nutrition and/or safety.
GROSS. The chicken had a peculiar flavor, like chemicals, possibly the industrial oil in which it was cooked, or perhaps effusion from the rusted barrels on which it was cooked. The sausage, oh my god. Nevertheless, I’m glad that I went local.
i know the exact face you made when you cut into that sausage. 🙂
i love that ‘oh my god’ – I think I laughed out loud!
writing this blog, i never know what people will react to. i mean, i’ve posted on hundreds of items since your previous comments, and this is what both of you pick up on??
I think I’m reacting more to the undertone of horror in your voice. Little bit of schadenfreude going on, you know what i’m saying? SO funny, though. You can’t end your blog after this year! Maybe no need to document every meal if you’re suffering from blog exhaustion, but definitely continue with the memorable ones.
“schadenfreude” — my second favorite “s” word.
i appreciate the support, but if i don’t do it daily then the blog loses its raison d’être.
another thing is that since moving to manila, the blog has seemed, even to me, to shift its focus. it doesn’t feel that “daily” anymore, where a lot of the meals were randomly just what i grabbed out of the fridge, what i cooked for the family. now it’s more about restaurant reviews and travel logs, mostly solo, so it’s very lonely.
i’ve also lost a lot of readers, and especially commenters, not that this was ever about popularity, but the feedback does help.
anyway, nothing is certain yet.
i really was aiming for 8 cycles.
the family will be joining later next year, so maybe that’ll reinvigorate.
cooking for you family or eating out with them with definitely reinvigorate! Eating for one is inherently lonely and I imagine a lot of people don’t like seeing other people being lonely.
never thought of it that way, that maybe i’m giving off a vibe of desperation.
have you heard of meokbang, where people subscribe to watch others eat?
What, like food porn voyeurism? No, I don’t venture into places like that.
And your first most favorite “s” word would be…
sesquipedelian?
oh my god, how do you know that?? we must’ve discussed, because otherwise that’d be too weird for you to know.
We have NOT discussed! I’m just incredibly astute and perceptive.
But really, (a) I seem to remember somewhere on this blog you wrote an entry that showed you getting PERMANENTLY INKED (which is totally crazy to me) with this word (or am I imagining things?); and (b) that is EXACTLY the ‘s’ word I would’ve chosen as a most favorite ‘s’ word for someone like you. I mean it’s like you and that word were made for each other.
the “permanent ink” (a redundancy) = “floccinaucinihilipification,” which, as the longest non-technical word in the English language, is the ultimate embodiment of sesquipedalianism.
I would strongl argue that “permanent ink” is NOT a redundancy; there are after all different kinds of ink, and certainly not all of them are permanent. Maybe redundant to you because the only ink you choose to acknowledge is the tattoo-ing kind.
Right, you put that incredibly polysyllabic word on your body, which made me associate it with sesquipedalianism. Same difference. You might as well have put that underneath in parentheses.
Or are you planning to put it on your back or something?
i sense another vortex, but “ink” as a metaphor is typically reserved for permanent tattoos. nobody would refer to henna as “ink.” done. i will entertain no more discussion on this matter.
i’d always wanted ink, but i could never decide on what to get. and i didn’t want to regret some silly symbol or drawing. but when i suddenly realized that words are something that i’d always embrace, the ideas started flooding. i have 6 designs that i want to do, but i need to find a new artist.
As on many previous occasions, you’re just simply wrong about “ink.” Done.
i admit that i’ve been wrong on many previous occasions (working as an “international civil servant,” i’m developing a strong sense of humility).
this is the nerdiest conversation i’ve ever read.
don’t know about nerdy, but the dialogue does present a peculiar juxtaposition of two seemingly incongruous subjects: lexicology and tattooing, although my own ink is the perfect embodiment of such high-low convergence.