Travel Gastronomy
Traveling to work in a country which is diametrically opposite to your culture is quite an experience. And with boundaries losing meaning, especially for corporates, it is an experience very frequently encountered. In as far as meeting people and sightseeing are concerned, most of us have no complaints. But few are adventurous enough to try local cuisines. Even the few who do try teasing their palates with unknown local flavors cannot thrive on it for long because they miss their home food.
Your problems worsen if you cannot get an apartment that has a kitchen or don't know or have the time to cook. This experience is specially worse for vegetarians and people with food allergies. But necessity is the mother of all inventions and discoveries and if you too are living in a country where they eat what you don't want to know, here are a few discoveries that make living on foreign lands simpler.
1) Rice cooker: Rice cooker is actually a misnomer because it can cook many other things besides rice. Even curries. So just plug in the cooker with all the ingredients and by the time you are back from work you will find your dinner ready to eat because an electric rice cooker turns off automatically at a set time. This is a boon specially for those who don't find the time to cook.
2) The evergreen electric tea kettle: This appliance will never run out of its uses. It has more uses than just making tea. You can use it for cup noodles, making soups and warming ready-to-eat packets ,for which, hot tap water is ineffective. A more experienced traveler can even use it for boiling rice! It is almost like a mini robot at your disposal!
1) Rice cooker: Rice cooker is actually a misnomer because it can cook many other things besides rice. Even curries. So just plug in the cooker with all the ingredients and by the time you are back from work you will find your dinner ready to eat because an electric rice cooker turns off automatically at a set time. This is a boon specially for those who don't find the time to cook.
2) The evergreen electric tea kettle: This appliance will never run out of its uses. It has more uses than just making tea. You can use it for cup noodles, making soups and warming ready-to-eat packets ,for which, hot tap water is ineffective. A more experienced traveler can even use it for boiling rice! It is almost like a mini robot at your disposal!
3) Fondue set: with a single hotplate: This one is particularly useful to vegetarians and vegans, specially the many Asian students who study in alien countries and cannot afford apartments with kitchens. The whole set comes for real cheap and is worth every penny you spend on it. Just plug the hotplate in, heat some oil (optional) and put all your veggies and spices in and cover the lid. Go for a twenty minute walk and your veggie-delight will be ready to eat by the time you're home.
These appliances are ideal for long term stay in foreign countries as by the end of your visit you will have made the most of every single penny you spent on them.