Hope springs eternal, in the form of cupcakes.

OK, now I'll grant you that this is specifically *not* New York related. But I've talked enough here about the trials and tribulations of my wedding that I simply must share this with you. And hey, if you ever find yourself the Crescent City way, it may be valuable information.

Remember all those issues I was having with trying to get someone to bake me a vegan wedding cake? I had practically resolved myself to baking my own when I got an email from a vegan-network-friend of mine who lives on the Northshore (New Orleans speak for the north side of Lake Pontchartrain). One of her friends opened up a bakery in Mandeville a few months ago, she wrote, and baked vegan cupcakes pretty regularly.

To which I said, YES PLEASE THANK YOU.

My parents are not so into the idea of a cupcake tower for the wedding, but they'll suck it up. I admit, I did have my heart set on a "real" cake for a while, but a delicious, gorgeous, vegan presentation is what it comes down to.

And after my meeting with KC of KC's Babycakes, I am absolutely convinced that it's exactly what I'll have. She came highly recommended from a trusted source, which is always good. But you just never know, particularly with vegan baked goods I think, until you sit down and sink your teeth in. This is precisely what I did last Monday. KC spent two full hours with me, and as those of you who know me are well aware, that is a LONG time to spend with me when I'm really excited about something. I sampled six (count them, six) different flavors of her vegan cupcakes. Somehow, each was more extraordinary than the last. You want to hear about them, don't you?

Cookies n cream: a crazy moist rich chocolate cupcake with just a hint of almond, topped with an intensely sweet vanilla buttercream speckled with crumbled oreo-style cookies, crowned with a whole cookie nestled in the middle for good measure. This is an excellent showcase for just how good a simple (but extremely well-baked) chocolate cupcake can be.

Coconut and Coffee: a subtly flavored caramel brown coconut cupcake, slathered in rich coffee buttercream then rimmed with a ring of toasted coconut shavings. Gourmet, doubtless; this cupcake is somehow simultaneously exotic and extravagant while also being comforting and homey. It may be KC's favorite of her vegan creations; me, I am having a very difficult time choosing a favorite.

Vanilla Chocolate Swirl: a basic made fancy, two moist and delicious cakes marbled in the cup and topped with a generous helping of vanilla buttercream, finished with miniature chocolate chips. It's hard to describe how decadent this cakelet is as it sounds so simple, so you'll just have to believe me.

Lemon Macadamia: a lightly lemon cupcake punctuated with chunks of real macadamia nuts, topped with a pungent, bright frosting made with real fresh lemon juice, and finally rimmed with colored sugar for a look that is both sophisticated and fun. (This one happens to be modeling the cupcake wrapper I've chosen - "Aloha" from Paper Orchid. Many thanks to KC for cluing me in on this new cupcake trend!)

Banana Split: here's where we really start getting crazy! A cupcake with a banana bread like consistency - because it's made with real banana, making it ultra dense and moist with true banana flavor - but sweeter and with mini chocolate chips in it. Then topped in a lush twirl of delicately banana flavored buttercream frosting. The cupcakes I tasted were sprinkled with pecans and then topped with a cherry, which was a great finish. However, to be more friendly to my nut-allergic guest(s), for the wedding they'll be drizzled in chocolate ganache before being cherried. Too divine!

Wedding Cake: a flavor that I *believe* was developed just for me! In case you don't know, in New Orleans there is a flavor actually known as "wedding cake flavor" - you can order it at any good snowball stand. It's generally a creamy almond flavor, and it's been a tradition at Nola nuptials since anyone can remember. This cupcake did not disappoint. A perfectly dense, moist, rich, creamy lightly almond and vanilla white cupcake, topped with wonderfully rich almond buttercream, and finished with the most darling candy pearls you'd ever wish to see. Simple and elegant, this is the flavor that really made the set for me. We'll also have a 6" cake atop the tower that will be baked from this batter. I really couldn't be more pleased with how this one came out.

I'll stop killing you with cupcake descriptions now - except to say that we actually haven't decided between doing the cookies n cream described above, or a classic red velvet. I didn't get to sample KC's red velvet, but based on what I've seen and tasted, I have zero doubt that it is exquisite. And I can't help thinking of some kind of chocolate-and-strawberry concoction... Maybe a small groom's cake? What can I say? Life is full of so many difficult decisions.

Some day soon I'll tell you what happens when you take a dozen of the fabulous cupcakes described above over to the only vegetarian restaurant in town (Cafe Bamboo), have a couple of Abitas, and start getting generous. But that, loves, is a story for another day.

The Food Plan.

So, the wedding is in 24 days. That is not a lot of days, and I pretty much feel like crap.

Now, I am not under the impression that I can cure myself and feel fantastic for this event. But I do think that I owe it to myself and to Jonathan to do everything in my power to feel as good as I can. I think it is far past time to buckle down and do what I need to do with my diet, at least up until the wedding. It's quite simple really, and it is I'm sure what I really should be doing all the time. But like all of us I live in this modern world with my bad habits only being encouraged by an overly taxed schedule. Perhaps I'll be able to develop new good habits though, or eat more along these lines, once I've been doing it for a couple of weeks.

So what does this plan entail? I want to really focus on whole foods - like as in only eat whole foods. Foods that I can see the structure of: beans, rice, whole grains (not whole grain products like bread, mind you, but actual whole grains such as quinoa and oats), fruits, vegetables. My hummus I think is still good, because even though it ends up as a paste-like substance, I myself see it in whole bean form first.

I'll also be cutting out sugar, and really making an effort to drink more water. I've been doing fairly well on the water front, but I want to step it up. On the sugar front I've been terrible, and it needs to stop.

So that's pretty much it. Breakfast will be muesli soaked overnight in almond milk (one of my few concessions); lunch and dinner will be some combination of beans, grains, and raw and cooked vegetables; and snacks will be vegetables and fruit. There will be plenty of water, and of course my herbal teas with just a smidge of agave, because it is warm and comforting and sweet and filling and is somehow the one thing that can calm my sugar jonesing.

I re-invoke my old plea: keep your fingers crossed for me.

The Glue That Holds All Of Us Together...

Shared by an anonymous doctor:

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY!

I want to share what I learned.... But I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being... How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire, Etc. Etc.

Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know)...

And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking... 'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart… how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!

It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin.

Here is how Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/ describes them:

'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.'

You see... Laminins are what hold us together… LITERALLY.

They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart.

And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE. But now I do.

And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)... Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it...

If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...


Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!
Amazing. The glue that holds us together... ALL of us... Is in the shape of the cross.

Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in Him all things HOLD TOGETHER.” (Colossians 1:15-17)

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool!

Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words.

And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another... By the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything Other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!!

Praise the Lord! Alleluia!

Consuming Raw Milk: Illegal and Toxic, or Healthy and Sustainable Food?

They’re sitting in the corner, whispering about milk. That’s dangerous stuff, milk. It’s raw, it’s off-white, it’s from cows. Is raw milk dangerous, or is it one of the most healthy and sustainable foods to consume?

I must confess to drinking raw milk from time to time. I don’t buy any myself, but friends buy it. Raw milk tastes good, and I haven’t had any health problems. Recently, there was a rally in my city to support a local raw milk dairy that many of my friends frequent. Officially, it is a cow share and not a dairy, since raw milk is not legal where I live. Unofficially, the business provides a steady supply of milk and yogurt to many people who believe in the worth of raw milk, ferried through a network that is underground yet visible if you know where to look and who to ask.

What’s the concern about raw milk? Well, since raw milk has not been pasteurized there are worries that it may contain e. coli bacteria that cause disease. Governments post warnings about the dangers of raw milk. Our local petting farm milks their dairy cows by hand and must toss out the milk that those cows produce. Food-borne illnesses can be nasty things, damaging your liver and your gut and leading to all sorts of public health problems. Health departments prefer to avoid these diseases and have set standards in place to make food safer. However, some people feel that these standards interfere with public choice, in this case the choice to choose a superior and healthy food product.

Those who advocate drinking raw milk say that pasteurization kills off the living milk. Milk has antibodies in it, albeit antibodies for baby cows. Raw milk advocates say that the milk boosts their immune systems. The Weston A. Price Foundation is one of the biggest raw milk advocates, saying that drinking raw milk means that the nutrients in the milk are more available to the human body and can truly build and rebuild bones and teeth, bone structures that may be in a state of disrepair from the standard American diet. Raw milk advocates are willing to bet that healthy cows from a clean farm will produce milk whose health benefits outweigh the possible risks.

Is raw milk a public health hazard, or is it an immensely beneficial substance that we are ignoring out of fear? I have no firm answers. Like all decisions that go against the grain, it’s a matter of weighing the risks in your own mind. I suspect that it could be both, depending on the circumstances. While I happily drink raw milk upon occasion, thoughts about making it a regular part of my diet are swayed by concerns about safety. Mostly, though, the dilemmas in my mind are moved aside by the fact that I am too lazy to head to a milk drop-off point every week to pick up my share. And so it goes: we drink water and eat raw cheese instead, legal and lazy as can be.

Top Food Films

Food-focused films have made it big over the past few years. Riveting food documentaries have taken America by storm, riding on the coattails of books and reaching a wider audience. But hiding in the shadow of feature film productions are some very exciting documentaries that explore smaller, less mainstream sides of food and agriculture today.



Eric Schlosser’s primary film, Fast Food Nation, which was made several years after his book of the same title, was along with the hit Supersize Me foundational in beginning the food dialogue through film. These films both appeared on the big screen in the earlier 2000s and were really effective in stripping the fast food industry bare, and revealing the myriad of health and agricultural detriments brought about by fast food.



King Corn, put together by two recent college graduates who attempt to grow an acre of America’s most popular and most tragic crop, extends the story presented in Supersize me and Fast Food Nation, exploring fast and processed food through its main ingredient: corn. This revelation was first really presented to the national audience in Michael Pollan’s infamous book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but becomes somewhat more poignant when put to the test in front of the camera.



The latest, and perhaps the film that has made the biggest splash thus far, Food Inc., combines the forces of food prophets Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser as they expose the realities of our food system. This is a must-see for everyone, but packaged in a way that appeals to the popular audience. If you’ve already been reading and learning about sustainable food, then you’ve probably heard a lot of what is presented in Food Inc., but it’s a great introduction to the basic problems that exist within our food system for those who are not yet aware of the situation.



Chances are you’ve heard of or seen some of these films, but there are numerous and insightful films that examine smaller sections and stories about food and farming. The one that I am most excited to see is The Greenhorns, a documentary featuring new sustainable farmers all over the U.S. who are swept up in the revival of farming and producing real food. The film is presented by a small non-profit of the same name and aims to promote and inspire young famers.



Focusing on a vibrant urban farming community, The Garden delves in to the story of the South Central Farmers in Los Angeles and their fight to protect the fourteen-acre garden that is the lifeblood of their community. Although the documentary was appropriately nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, it hasn’t been nationally distributed.



More and more Web documentaries about food are cropping up. They are usually low budget but very much on the pulse of real, grassroots issues in sustainable food and agriculture. The best one I’ve seen lately is Fair Food: From Farm to Table. The film is a short, 3-part dissection of the development of fair and sustainable agriculture. The filmmaker, who is also the head of the California Institute for Rural Studies, presents the story from the perspectives of the farm workers, farmers, and the advocates, which adds up to a well rounded story.



As the silver screen hits have demonstrated, film has become a really effective way to expose and explore food and agricultural systems. Keep your eyes peeled for screenings and new documentaries!

The Urban and Vibrant Bangkok

Sesudah Ho Chi Minh, destinasi berikutnya adalah Bangkok. Penerbangan selama satu setengah jam dengan AirAsia mengantar kami ke Suvarnabhumi Airport, airport Bangkok yang benar-benar berkelas internasional. Sangat modern, canggih, bagus, sekaligus berukuran raksasa dan serba jauh. Kami menginap di Hotel Ibis Nana (450rb per malam) di daerah Sukhumvit yang ramai oleh tempat-tempat wisata. Hotel yang compact dengan desain minimalis yang menyegarkan, pas untuk anak muda.

Secara umum, Bangkok tidak jauh beda dengan Jakarta. Panas, besar, kosmopolitan, padat, dan super macet. Banyak mal-mal untuk belanja serta memanjakan gaya hidup modern yang konsumtif. Sudah jarang ruang terbuka untuk orang berkumpul. Sepanjang jalan, yang saya lihat adalah pemukiman dan tempat komersil yang padat dengan latar belakang gedung-gedung pencakar langit.

macet dimana-mana - densely populated - ladyboy cabaret

Bangkok merupakan surga belanja. Yang pertama ada Siam Square : Siam Paragon, MBK, Central World Plaza, Siam Discovery. Deretan mal-mal ini cukup bikin capek menjelajahinya, karena jumlahnya memang banyak sekali. Yang mirip dengan di Jakarta : banyak anak berseragam sekolah berkeliaran di mal! Selain itu, penampilan anak mudanya sangat stylish dan unik, bukan template sama yang sering kita lihat di mal-mal Jakarta. Tapi untuk yang emang bukan niat belanja, menjelajahi mal-mal ini ya bukan merupakan hal yang spesial.

Tempat belanja berikutnya adalah Jatujak Market. Tempat ini sangat populer untuk belanja suvenir serta berbagai produk fashion yang bisa ditawar. Lokasinya luas, ada yang bagian indoor dan outdoor. Pastikan punya waktu yang cukup untuk menjelajah dan membandingkan harga. Saat sore, banyak juga penjual makanan dan aneka jajanan yang ada.

Yang wajib dikunjungi lagi adalah Suan Lum Night Market. Saya benar-benar wow dengan barang-barang disini. Super duper trendi dan stylish. Mulai dari fashion nya sampai dengan produk interior yang bikin kepengen setengah mati. Highly recommended buat anak-anak desain interior atau yang lagi pengen belanja buat dekorasi rumah. Untuk desain sekeren itu, harganya juga gak terlalu mahal (dibanding jika barang-barang super unik itu dibawa ke Jakarta, pasti harganya udah berkali-kali lipat di butik Jakarta). Selain itu tersedia pula tempat makan outdoor yang sangat lively sampai tengah malam.

jatujak market - food fiesta - suan lum - plenty of stylish goods

Selain untuk belanja, Bangkok memiliki banyak sekali show-show kebudayaan yang spesial dan unik. Yang terkenal adalah ladyboy show alias waria dalam bentuk kabaret (800 baht). Jangan salah, ladyboy-ladyboy di Bangkok memang terkenal dengan kecantikannya yang luar biasa. Kalau mau nonton ini, sekalian pilih yang bonafide untuk memasitkan ini bukan show yang ‘liar’. Selain ladyboy, sebetulnya ada juga pilihan menonton hal lain seperti thailand Muay Thai Kickboxing dan Siam Niramit. Walaupun harga cultural show ini cukup mahal, tapi yang disajikan benar-benar khas, unik, dan digarap secara profesional. Jadi worth it kok!

Kita juga sempet satu harian ke Ayutthaya dengan mencharter taksi. Ayutthaya sendiri terletak cukup jauh dari Bangkok, sekitar satu setengah jam perjalanan lewat tol. Ayutthaya sendiri merupakan kompleks berisi bekas struktur tempat kerajaan yang dulu. Mungkin bisa dibilang mirip candi Borobudur, versi lebih menyebar ke berbagai tempat. Di Ayutthaya sendiri ada beberapa spot yang diunggulkan sebagai pariwisata walaupun bentuk peninggalannya relatif tidak terlalu berbeda. Yang jelas, kombinasi reruntuhan-reruntuhan misterius ini membuat kita membayangkan bagaimana kemeriahan hidup pada masa peradaban Ayutthaya.

the magical Ayutthaya

Di hari terakhir, kami mengunjungi kawasan Grand Palace di daerah Kao Shan. Tempat tinggal raja Thailand ini serba mewah, keemasan, dan penuh dengan detail-detail tradisional. Tempat wajib foto untuk para turis yang pergi ke Bangkok. Sialnya, saat itu ramenya bukan main. Bener-bener over crowded oleh turis dan panas matahari nya memanggang. Jadi, kurang enjoy untuk menikmati area tersebut. Untungnya di daerah situ ada museum-museum yang nyaman dan tidak terlalu ramai. Lumayan buat ngadem sambil menambah referensi tentang Thailand.

although over crowded, Grand Palace still show its splendor

Walaupun macetnya separah Jakarta, Bangkok sudah punya 3 sistem transportasi yang cukup bisa diandalkan. Yang pertama BTS (Skytrain), kebanyakan menghubungi pusat-pusat komersil dan wisata. Yang kedua adalah MRT yang masih cukup baru, kebanyakan melewati daerah perkantoran. BTS dan MRT ini juga sudah sedemikian baiknya terintegrasi dengan beberapa interchange di titik-titik strategis. Informasi mengenai rute keduanya pun banyak tersedia dan mudah diikuti oleh first timer. Dan yang berikutnya adalah kapal yang melewati sepanjang sungai Chao Phraya. Ayo Jakarta, rasanya kita udah ketinggalan banget. Gak ada alasan untuk gak mempercepat pembangunan MRT Jakarta :)

Chao Phraya boat - skytrain - new MRT station

Trip singkat dan padat ke Bangkok selama 2,5 hari lagi-lagi mengharuskan saya membandingkan Bangkok dengan Jakarta secara pariwisata. Kota dengan tipikal yang kurang lebih sama dengan segala kemeriahan sekaligus kesemawutan. Walaupun disesaki oleh pusat bisnis dan hiburan dimana-mana untuk mengakomodir modernisasi sebuah kota besar, Bangkok masih memiliki identitas kuat untuk merepresentasikan budaya tradisional Thailand. Sesuatu yang menurut saya, masih harus banyak dipelajari Jakarta jika ingin tampil sebagai pemain atas kota pariwisata di Asia.

Snips and snails and sugar and spice:how the Cinnamon Snail got me out of bed at 7am on a Sunday.

At 7:00 on the morning of the day of St. Valentine, an alarm began to ring. And I, I knew it was time.

Slowly I rose to prepare for the challenge which I had, of my own volition, chosen to accept: to arrive in Hoboken, New Jersey by 9:00 in the morning on a Sunday. Bravely, as a partner should, Jonathan stood by me. In fact, he made me coffee.

The N train was on our side, arriving only moments after we had mounted our cold, exposed platform in Astoria, Queens. We were running late, however, and tensions ran high - impossible to know whether we would make that crucial 8:44 am PATH train. Our subway proceeded at a snail's pace - irony? - spending extra time at each intervening stop and prolonging our anxiety.

Arriving at the 34th Street PATH station at last, we flew through the terminal to find, thankfully, that the gods of transit had been watching over us all along: our train was running four minutes late, and we even got seats approximately sixty seconds before the doors closed for departure.

At 9:00 am exactly, we arrived at that far southeastern corner of Hoboken and emerged into the cold crisp sunshine, happy and determined on that Valentine's morning.

As usual, I know what you're thinking. Alright, she's officially lost her mind. She got up at 7am on Valentine's day to go to freaking New Jersey, and dragged her man along with? There is no good explanation for this. It's just not possible.

Oh ye of little faith. I in fact have the best reason *ever* for being in New Jersey at 9am on a Sunday.

Ready?

DONUTS. No, wait, it gets better. FREE DONUTS!

See, in case you haven't heard, Sunday was the grand opening of the Cinnamon Snail Vegan Organic Food Truck, which - weather and parking permitting - will be making daily weekday appearances in the Hoboken area. There are two vegan food *carts* that I know of in Manhattan, but the consensus seems to be that this is the very first truck. (Hear that Portland?!) For now it's just in Hoboken, but husband-and-wife owner-and-operator team Adam and Joey hope to make it over to Brooklyn as well at some point.

So what's the story on the Snail? Well, I'd heard all sorts of good things, but what really caught my attention was the offer of free donuts to the first 100 customers that opening day. That's the kind of offer I can't refuse. Pair it with gorgeous breakfast offerings from 9 to 11 am and lunches that will blow your mind from 11am to 3pm, plus a fully stocked pastry case all day long, and you've got a truck that will get me to Joisey.

And so travel we did. As it turned out, in all of our mad hustle, we were the first to arrive at the truck. No problems there though; as luck would have it the weather was lovely, and the view of the Hudson and Manhattan from their chosen parking place on Sinatra Drive was a sight to behold. It also allowed us a good view of the truck itself, which is a work of art. And when Adam cracked open that side panel and was ready for business, we quickly discovered that it had been well worth the wait.

First of all, we were immediately handed an apple cider donut covered in cinnamon sugar. It was definitely one of the best donuts I have ever eaten, vegan or not. From the breakfast menu, which is somewhat limited at the moment but will likely be expanded soon, Jonathan ordered the breakfast burrito and I ordered the kale baguette. While we waited, we split one of the cinnamon rolls... and saw a little bit of heaven. Think a vegan cinnamon roll can't be moist, soft, flavorful, and just melt-in-your-mouth amazing? Well then you think wrong, and apparently you need to get to Hoboken on the double.

The baguette was pretty fantastic for more or less being bread with kale on it. Sauteed kale on a nice soft baguette, slathered in tofu cream cheese, with capers thrown in for zest. (I skipped the olives.) The burrito seemed pricey at first, until we saw it! It is enormous, and delicious, crammed full of scrambled tofu, refried beans, and guacamole. Jon actually couldn't finish it and had to save some for later - after all, we needed to save some room...

Because at 11am the truck switches from the breakfast menu to the lunch menu. This is a significantly more extensive offering, and it pains me that I won't be able to go back every day to try something new. (Anyone know of job offerings in Hoboken?) From this menu, we ordered a mustard marinated tempeh sandwich and a grilled tofu sandwich. Both turned out to be enormous and divine. The tofu sandwich incorporated at least a third of a brick of tofu! And it was truly grilled - a rare gustatory pleasure.

While we were waiting this second time around we did a bit more pastry shopping: we got a mini chocolate ganache bundt cake, a Mississippi mud cupcake, a maple raspberry cookie (which Adam affectionately referred to as a "really legit pop tart"), and two of the two-bite sized peanut butter and chocolate cheesecakes - which naturally we ate while waiting. After all, they didn't fit in the box. We have Joey to thank for the absolutely fabulous baked goods that were on offer on Sunday; she had done the baking knowing that on opening day Adam would be at the grill while she hovered on site and tended to their youngest child. Joey told me that going forward both she and Adam will be doing the pastry baking, but that Adam is always the cook!

The truck on its opening day did not draw hoards, but there was an unwavering steady stream of customers. Many people came out specifically for the opening day event (hello, free donut?), while others simply happened by and were drawn in by the stunning truck, alluring pastry case, and enticing smells emanating from the truck's kitchenette. Comments overheard from patrons included such [paraphrased] sentiments as, "I'm so glad we finally have a real vegan option in Hoboken." and many versions of "OMG, this is the best ____ I've ever eaten!"

Nearing the end of the first day out on the street, Adam was feeling hopeful about his new enterprise, which has been about eight years in coming to fruition. "It's been so much fun - it's been a thousand times smoother than I could have ever hoped for. People have been very very sweet and accommodating." In talking about his food, Adam had no reservations. "I'm so confident about the menu - I love everything on our menu."

But when it came to his own lunch, Adam didn't take the easy chance to tout his own offerings; instead he sang the praises of the yerba mate which he was drinking from a special pot, and which he drinks daily. He hopes to serve it from the truck eventually. An avid yoga practitioner, he likes to "keep it light" during the day, and says that the raw pizza and salads from the lunch menu would be the most likely choice of fare for his mid-day meal.

The truck's location on the streets of Hoboken is subject to where they can find parking each day. As such, the best way to find them is through the miracle of the internet: they frequently update their Facebook and Twitter pages to let us know where they are and where they'll be next. The truck's hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm.

Adam described the Cinnamon Snail vegan truck project as his "life's dream", declaring "I'm determined to make it work out."

The Hidden Charm of Vietnam

Di Indonesia, Vietnam memang belum populer sebagai destinasi wisata. Tapi, justru ketidaktahuan itu yang mendorong saya dan ketiga sahabat saya –Adhyaksa Mardjuni, Agnindhira Napitupulu, dan Raditya Mahdi- tertarik untuk discover the undiscovered. Maka, berbekal tiket ekonomi promo AirAsia (500rb), datanglah kami ke Ho Chi Minh City saat liburan semester lalu.



Perjalanan pesawat dari Jakarta selama hampir tiga jam membawa kami ke Tan Son Naht International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City. Bandara yang kecil tapi cukup modern –memberi first impression bahwa HCM sudah cukup maju. Di sana, kami menginap di Pham Ngu Lao, District 1. Berbekal browsing, pilihan menginap jatuh pada Elios Hotel, hotel bintang 3 yang cukup nyaman dengan lokasi sangat strategis (500rb per malam). Pham Ngu Lao merupakan daerah backpackers yang sangat lively 24 jam. Di sekitar situ terdapat banyak kafe, convenient store, dan tempat makan berbagai jenis makanan dari segala negara. Selain itu, daerah ini juga sangat ramai dengan travel agen yang memudahkan kita mencari tur-tur singkat dan mencari informasi tentang pariwisata. Kemeriahan daerah ini dengan ramainya turis dari segala bangsa dan pilihan tak terbatas untuk wisata kuliner sudah menjadi daya tarik tersendiri.




Saat keliling kota, ada satu hal yang pasti sangat mencolok. HCM memiliki banyaknya gedung- gedung peninggalan zaman kolonial Prancis yang berada di pusat kota dan masih terawat sangat baik. Sangking banyaknya, rasanya seperti berada di Eropa. Antara lain Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, City Hall. Landmark-landmark itu letaknya berdekatan di pusat kota dan tinggal jalan kaki untuk pindah ke tempat lain. Yang terkenal, tentu saja Reunification Palace, seperti Istana Bogor nya Indonesia, lengkap dengan tur gratis ke dalamnya lengkap dengan segala penjelasan tentang sejarah kemerdekaan Vietnam. Ada pula Saigon River, daerah pinggir sungai yang cocok untuk bersantai. Tersedia kapal-kapal yang menawarkan paket dinner cruise dengan harga yang cukup mahal. Kalau mau ekonomis, lebih baik duduk-duduk di kafe-kafe pinggir sungai nya.

summer in "Europe"

reunification palace dan ruangan2 di dalamnya

Agak ke luar kota sedikit, kami mengikuti half day trip ke Cu Chi Tunnels yang berisi miniatur dan diorama tentang perang gerilya. Dimulai dari penjelasan sejarah perang Vietnam Utara dan Vietnam Selatan, melihat bunker-bunker bawah tanah, mempelajari jebakan perang yang bikin merinding, sampai langsung masuk ke dalam Cu Chi Tunnels (yang sudah diperlebar dari ukuran aslinya) untuk merasakan sendiri gelap dan sempitnya tempat para pejuang perang hidup selama bertahun-tahun. Selain itu, ada juga Cao Dai Temple yang sangat unik karena memiliki arsitektur campuran dari berbagai agama dan budaya.

jebakan perang yang menyeramkan - pose khas turis - inside the tunnel

penjelasan tentang sejarah - bentuk dalam tunnel

Bagi yang senang sejarah, HCM menyediakan banyak museum untuk menambah referensi. Ada War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Southern Women Museum, The Fine Art Museum, dll. Karena letaknya agak berjauhan dan beda district, pastikan dulu rute lokasi berkunjungnya.

simbol Cao Dai yang unik - ritual keagamaan Cao Dai - suasana Saigon River

Menjelajahi makanan di Vietnam wajib hukumnya. Walaupun sesama Asia Tenggara, bekas kolonial Prancis terlihat jelas dari makanan-makanan yang ada. Sehingga, makanan yang tersedia relatif cukup berbeda dari chinese food yang sering kita temui. Selain itu, harganya juga murah meriah!

kopi khas vietnam - baguette pinggir jalan

Dimulai dengan Pho. Mie lembut dengan daging sapi yang rasanya sangat gurih. Walaupun di Jakarta juga ada beberapa restoran yang menyediakan Pho, gak ada yang ngalahin kelezatan rasa yang saya coba disana. Cuma dengan belasan ribu rupiah, saya bisa makan Pho asli dengan size besar dengan rasa yang meresap. Selain Pho, Kopi Vietnam juga wajib dicoba. Penyajiannya pun spesial dengan alat penyaring, rasanya kuat dan manis bersamaan. Vegetable spring roll juga merupakan makanan khas Vietnam. Biasanya dengan ukuran besar, springroll ini terasa sangat segar dan fresh. Cocok untuk menu pendamping makanan utama. Baguette dan sandwhich juga bertebaran di pinggir jalan dan sudah jadi makanan sehari-hari orang Vietnam. Tak hanya itu, aneka olahan seafood juga cukup populer dan bisa ditemukan di hampir semua tempat.

mouth watering food : pho - vegetable spring roll - seafood steamboat

Walaupun sepanas Jakarta, HCM memiliki banyak taman-taman kota nan asri dan terawat di seluruh kota yang sangat berfungsi untuk tempat melepas lelah dan tempat berkumpul warga. Ketika malam, taman kota ini ramai sekali oleh orang-orang yang berolahraga serius mulai dari aerobik bersama sampai mengantri memakai alat-alat fitness yang tersedia gratis. Gak heran, kebanyakan orang yang saya temui berbadan slim dan slender (bahkan, size baju yang dijual memang sangat kecil-kecil). Cara efektif untuk mengkampanyekan gaya hidup sehat.
Berjalan kaki di Ho Chi Minh City terasa cukup nyaman karena pedestrian yang besar, banyaknya taman kota, serta banyaknya turis-turis asing pejalan kaki. Selain itu juga ada semacam satgas turis yang membantu kita menyebrang atau bertanya informasi. Yang paling mencolok, jelas masalah motor yang ada di setiap penjuru. Motor-motor ini bagai semut, siap menghadang dari segala penjuru. Menyebrang jalan jadi cukup bikin deg-degan. Untuk yang jarak agak jauh, akan lebih enak jika kemana-mana menggunakan taksi (merk taksi yang direkomendasikan : VinaSun dan Mai Linh.) Taksi berkapasitas besar tersebut cukup nyaman dan tidak terlalu mahal.

motorbikes everywhere - keruwetan kabel listrik yg jadi khas - suasana backpacker district

Sebagai turis Indonesia, rasanya gak mungkin kalau tidak mencari oleh-oleh dan belanja. Untuk mencari barang-barang branded, rasanya HCM masih kalah dengan Singapur atau kota lain. Jangan harap menemukan mal-mal raksasa macam di Jakarta, karena rata-rata pusat komersil berupa deretan toko layaknya di Eropa. Namun, berbagai suvenir tradisional cukup menarik untuk dibeli. Barang-barang unik dengan motif khas mulai dari tas, selendang, dekorasi rumah, boneka, cukup menggiurkan untuk dibeli. Selain itu, berbagai suvenir berbau perang dengan lambang-lambang sosialis juga tersedia dimana-mana. Kopi otentik juga merupakan oleh-oleh favorit para turis (merk yang terkenal adalah Trung Nguyen Coffee). Saat membeli bisa memilih sendiri jenis yang sama dan langsung digiling. Aroma kopinya benar-benar bikin meleleh.
Tempat untuk berbelanja suvenir antara lain di Ben Tanh Market (di malam hari, di depannya juga ada pasar malam yang meriah), Chinatown, dan sekitar daerah Pham Ngu Lao District. Untuk barang-barang merk ada di sepanjang jalan Le Loi.

aerobik massal di malam hari - taman kota yang asri - suvenir khas

Oh ya, kebanyakan warga Vietnam tidak bisa berbahasa Inggris. Tapi mereka cukup ramah untuk mencoba berkomunikasi dengan turis. Coba jelaskan pelan-pelan dengan bantuan body language. Walaupun terbata-bata dan kocak, tapi lama-lama pasti nyambung. Tips lainnya, selalu tuliskan lokasi tempat yang dituju dan tinggal mereka baca.

Selain Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam sendiri memiliki tempat lain untuk dikunjungi. Antara lain Hanoi ibukota yang modern penuh dengan museum, Hue (imperical city yang serba kuno dan unik), serta Halong Bay, danau dengan deretan bukit dengan panorama yang dramatis. Bahkan, kita bisa tinggal naik bus selama 2 jam ke Kamboja.

Konklusi saya, Vietnam ternyata salah satu pilihan negara di Asia Tenggara yang oke untuk dikunjungi. Serba unik, kaya sejarah, tourist friendly, penuh makanan lezat, namun tetap bersahaja dan charming.

*photos courtesy of Raditya Mahdi