.All Trips / Food / North America / Pacific Northwest / Washington

Spokane’s Pig Out In the Park

00 Pig Out In the Park (2)

For six days every year, ending on Labor Day, Spokane’s Riverfront Park fills with food vendors, music stands and people.  This annual event is known as “Pig Out in the Park”.  It marks the end of summer, the beginning of the school season and fall.  It’s a popular event that’s been around for almost 40 years.

Admission is free for those who just want to listen to one of the dozens of musical acts performing on the concert stage.  But the reason most people come is to enjoy great food.  This year there were 47 food vendors selling everything from lemonade to teriyaki to sausage dogs.  Seems everyone was carrying around several food items as they looked for a cool shady …

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“Pic of the Week”, June 21, 2019: Delhi Sweet Shop

00 Chandi Chowk Market (101)

In my experience it’s rare for people to want their photo to be taken by a tourist.  But the gentleman above was very proud of his job, and wanted me to photograph him cooking up treats in one of Delhi’s Sweets shops.  He was frying some pastries in a large pan of oil, scooping them out as they were ready.  When these were finished he poured in a bag of raw cashews, frying them as well.  

I’m quite cautious about eating street food in countries like India, a trait that has served me well over the years.  But I did buy a few of the cooked treats, which were quite good.  I’m sure they spiked my cholesterol level, but such are the …

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.All Trips / Europe / Food / Spain

A Market in Barcelona’s Gracia Neighborhood

Gracia Market, Barcelona

Having visited Barcelona’s huge and busy La Boqueria market, an interesting place but teaming with tourists rather than residents, I made a point of trying to visit a smaller community-oriented market in the city during our week’s visit.

Gracia is a small neighborhood within Barcelona that doesn’t have any major tourist attractions within it.  It’s a place in which people work and live, rather than a tourist destination.  We walked through Gracia on our way to Gaudi’s Park Guell and passed a community market on our way, so we popped in.  I wish I’d noted the name of the market, but sadly I did not.  

In any event, it’s a great market.  Much smaller and more intimate than La Boqueria, …

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“Pic of the Week”, February 15, 2019: Arabian Tea House Cafe, Dubai

02 Al Fahidi Historic District (53)

Just outside one of the more interesting neighborhoods in Dubai, the Al Fahidi Historic District, sits a small picturesque cafe — the Arabian Tea House Cafe.  I’d been on my feet for more than three hours and the heat of the day was ramping up, so I thought I’d take a break to rest and get a snack. 

The cafe was situated in a shaded courtyard (shade provided by both trees and canopies) with comfortable tables.  Some sofas for waiting were placed outside and inside the restaurant, so it must get busy at times, although that late morning it was not. Fans moved air around and it was quite pleasant, despite the ambient heat.  The clientele was a mixture of locals …

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.All Trips / Food / Nevada / North America / Southwestern USA

Nevada’s great Breakfast Diner! Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs

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While I don’t usually focus on reviews of restaurants, I do like to share special places that I’ve enjoyed during my travels.  Today I’d like to make you aware of a wonderful breakfast/lunch diner I discovered while visiting Northern Nevada . 

Peg’s Glorified Ham ‘n Eggs was founded in Reno in 1999 by a husband-and-wife team, Fred and Joanna (aka “Pops and Peg”).  The original restaurant became so popular that there are now eight sites, including Carson City (the one we visited), Sparks and Henderson.

Peg's Glorified Ham in Eggs

Peg’s Glorified Ham in Eggs


We breakfasted at Peg’s a number of times during our week in the Reno area and tried a variety of breakfast entries.  All were excellent!  Peg’s is especially known for its omelets and  “Glorified Skillets”.    While …

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“Pic of the Week”, December 14, 2018: A fine Crab Dinner in Ushuaia

03 Ushuaia

I have to admit that before my trip to Patagonia I didn’t know the waters of the southern Pacific were home to king crab, much like you find off the coast of Alaska.  While walking around the streets of Ushuaia, we found a number of restaurants that specialized in the cooking and serving of these large crustaceans.  These places seemed busy and very popular with tourists, especially the Japanese groups, so my wife and I decided to splurge and share one of these monsters for our last dinner in southern Argentina.  

The beasts are sold by the kilogram (sorry, can’t remember the price, but it wasn’t cheap).  The crab is cooked and served to you intact on a large platter, as …

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.All Trips / Eastern Canada / Food / North America / Nova Scotia

Halifax’s Seaport Farmers’ Market

00 Halifax Farmers Market and Food Tour (4)

Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market is the oldest continuously operating farmer’s market in North America, originating a year after Halifax was founded, in 1750.  For over 250 years the market has sold meat and produce delivered from Acadian farms in the Annapolis Valley and elsewhere in Nova Scotia.

The Market has operated in several locations across the city since its inception, including within the Keith’s Brewery Building.  In 2010 The Market moved into a converted warehouse along the Halifax Seaport and today hosts over 250 vendors! 

Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market

Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market

We spent more than a day exploring the waterfront area and made several stops at this market.  Our visit to Halifax was during the early fall so the produce available reflected the season — apples, peaches, plums …

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.All Trips / Asia / Food / Sri Lanka

Exploring the Pettah Market, Colombo

00 Pettah Neighborhood Colombo Market 04-2017 (56)

I love to explore markets and walked a few miles to see this one — the Pettah Market in Colombo.  Situated in an older portion of the city, the market extends over several blocks in the Pettah neighborhood and caters to local residents, not tourists. In fact, I think mine was the only white face in the market.  The market was lively, filled with colorful produce and interesting smells, and full of conversation and bartering — as any good market should be.

The fresh produce was beautiful, featuring what was in season, notably pineapples, wood apples, papayas, watermelon and lots of different types of bananas.  A huge assortment of vegetables were piled on the ground or on low tables and a …

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