KELLIBRATION

I worked for a season as a server at Pok Pok, a well known restaurant which started first in Portland, and then other branches opened in the US. It was created by restauranteur Andy Ricker and known for its authentic as in real-deal renditions of Northern Thai food as well as the caramelized fish sauce wings, a Vietnamese recipe. At any rate, if you know you know!  Pok Pok was outstanding in so many ways, and it got me hooked on Northern Thai food before I had ever visited that area of Thailand. The dishes I ate at Pok Pok inspired my first trip to Chiang Mai, and when I arrived in Chiang Mai proper, the food scene was even more mind-blowing than I had ever dreamed it might be.   I realized that Northern Thai food is my jam. Chili jam that is. . . ;P I go back to Chiang Mai once a year now, and every time, upon returning back in the States, miss Northern Thai food so much that I’ve tried to replicate some of the dishes at home. I’ve found inspiration in cookbooks found in seco...

I had the chance to go to Malaysia again this past January and stayed in Johor Bahru, right over the border from Singapore, for a month. If you know me, you know that Malaysia is one of my favorite countries to visit for a variety of reasons.  The FOOD, the multicultural aspect, the laid-back friendly people you meet everywhere, the tropical weather, the very affordable prices, the FOOD. . . Here's a little glimpse of what driving around Johor Bahru  (known as JB to locals)  looks like: So many palm trees! Even smack dab in the middle of the city. One of the first things that I did was seek out some of my favorite Malaysian foods.  Why is it that you can find all kinds of Southeast Asian restaurants in cities around the world, except for Malaysian food? I used to travel to Chinatown and Flushing in New York City just for some authentic roti canai, but outside of NYC... Where are you my fine Malaysian restauranteurs? Even though this curry puff shop is originally from...

I'm starting this new blog after a long thought process of: -do I restart one of my old blogs? -if so, which one? -do I start anew, despite the fact that I already have many blogs? These questions kept me going in circles for ages, until I finally realized that it's a new day, a new age, and I'd already thought of a new name for a blog:  KELLIBRATION KELLIBRATION has several meanings. One, the result of my long deliberation about blogging again: Kellie + Deliberation And I also wanted this to be a travel blog, including my recommendations for places to go, but also the random thoughts and ideas that come to me when I travel, but most importantly, how travel always brings me back to myself and how it does that. Travel is my way of calibrating.  I am a Libra, and though I'm not super into horoscopes, I've always thought that the sign Libra suits me. I'm all about balance. I look at all angles when making decisons, and I always try to be neutral. When I'm not i...