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Fear Factor Korea (Part II: Fresh foods)

Filed under Fear Factor Foods, Korea by Christine Ka'aloa on September 19, 2011 at 12:02 am {7 comments}

Fake plastic models of alternatively safe ‘Korean fast food‘ meals for purchase.

Warning: video links referred to in this post are not for sensitive viewers or animal lovers.

Last year, I wrote a post, Fear Factor Korea: Foods which may make you cringe. This is belated but is the extension that I accidentally forgot to post…

It’s all too easy for a foreigner like myself, to point a camera and say, Ewww to foreign foods I’m not culturally raised with nor understand. That’s why in this post, I’d like to applaud Korea for is its proud aspiration towards healthy and FRESH foods.

And …to say, Ewww.

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Fear Factor Foods in Laos

Filed under Fear Factor Foods, Features Slide by Christine Ka'aloa on August 22, 2011 at 6:55 pm {9 comments}

Me with a spoonful of deep-fried grasshoppers!

As an American, I’ve lived most of my life in a shiny glass bubble…

Starvation? Self-induced (trying to lose 5-10 pounds here and there).
Rugged?   Wouldn’t call myself the woodsy, outdoorsy, camping type.
Raw survival?   Never had to test myself with it.
Adventurous eater?    I can eat the same thing each day for two months straight.

So for me, traveling is my time to experience bold new adventures and broaden the glossy sheen of my bubble. One of the greatest thrills for me in visiting Asian/Southeast Asian countries, is encountering the unique culture shock or Fear Factor (read my Korea’s Fear Factor post here) of its different cuisines. (more…)

Fear Factor Korea! Foods Which May Make You Cringe (Pt I)

Filed under Fear Factor Foods, Korea by Christine Ka'aloa on October 11, 2010 at 1:10 am {18 comments}

Sometimes you’re better off not knowing what you’re eating; in this case, Korea is just a land of too much information. Why? Korean food is delicious, but pushing it past the gates of your eyes won’t be easy. You might just lose all desire to order anything more than a pizza!

Welcome to Fear Factor Korea!
I’ve had bamboo worms and crickets in Thailand, tiger penis and cobra whiskey in Myanmar, so Korea?… I’m thinking, Easy, right? But after I had the popular Korean silkworm larvae snack during my first week, and had to live with the (more…)

Fear Factor Vietnam: Sapa Market, Vietnam

Filed under Fear Factor Foods, Off-beat, Weird... Reality! by Christine Ka'aloa on September 5, 2010 at 2:58 am {no comments}

Not far from my hotel, where D Phan Si Road off-shoots onto a smaller street, D Tue Tinh, you’ll find Sapa market. It’s a local market of tobacco, produce and meat and a bit of a spectacle for unsuspecting tourists, as you’ll be able to get a glimpse of the local delicacies that tempt the village palate. For vegans and vegetarians, you may not want to enter the meat section– it can feel pretty hardcore (Warning: If you are uneasy with seeing images of (more…)

Being a Vegetarian in Korea (Part II): Weight-loss in Korea

Filed under Fear Factor Foods, Off-beat, Weird... Reality! by MyCrazyKimchi on March 25, 2010 at 4:32 pm {6 comments}

A Popular Snack in Korea: Cooked Silkworm Larvae

I’m not sure how weight-loss works with Koreans, but let me shed light on how it works with foreigners. During my orientation, two girls I knew claimed to drop pants sizes within their first week of arriving. Not possible, right? Not without some major medical operation… but feeling my pants hang off of my body last week at work, the word “belt” comes to mind.

1. The Traveler’s Diet

As a traveler, I always feel like there’s something in the food of a different country, that despite how fried, oily or creamy something is… you lose weight. I take great groans in keeping fit or at least “looking it”. In Thailand, I lived on street food and almost everything I ate had a level of “deep-fried guilt” to it (even the bugs!) Yet upon my return, I was pounds lighter ! How’s that possible? Many who travel to Asia claim the same experiences. I understand the stress of navigating a foreign place or the constant movement to get your sightseeing in. Maybe all of that burns calories… (more…)