Alas...

I am back from traveling Asia, well, more like Taiwan and Japan. Here are some of my favorite fooding events of the summer. My belly is temporarily satisfied with all the Asian flavors. Warning: there are a ton of pictures.



Eating White Bean Sweet Bun in the middle of Ginza, Japan.



Layers of Praline Mousse, Crunchy Chocolate Wafers, and Chocolate Ganache from Sadaharu Aoki.



Who knew the Japanese were so fond of French Pastries especially Macarons? There were endless shops selling Macarons of all flavors, shapes, and sizes. Brought tears to my eyes. I finally got a taste of the famous Pierre Herme Macarons.



Matcha Soup with Rice Balls and Adzuki Beans in Damaru.



I love Takoyaki, and this unadulterated version is lightly salted just for taste.



Fried Chicken Skin Dumplings at a Yakitori Restaurant in Shinjuku, Japan. I normally dislike eating any animal skin (with the exception of roasted duck), but this proves that anything fried tastes amazing.



Petite, perfectly round grapes fresh from the farmer's stand near Mt. Fuji. This is just an example of how cute, miniature, and flawless all fruit in Japan seem to be. They earned my approval.



Look at that deep purple color from that plate of sauteed garlic eggplant.



Steamed Spare-ribs with Sweet Yams from Yong Kang.



I love ending my hot summer days in Taiwan with a plate of shaved ice, and Ice Monster always serves the sweetest mangoes in Taipei.



But, my unfaltering favorite shaved ice spot is still Tai Yi Milk King.



Sauteed Water Spinach in Fermented Bean Curd Sauce from 1010 Hunan Pop.



Pan-fried Turnip Cakes are traditional to Dim Sum. What a great way to try all sorts of goodies.



A new Taiwanese trend is re-vamping traditional "bao zi" into these eye-catching, special flavored buns.



One of the most interesting flavors of this summer, Tea Smoked Enoki Mushrooms tossed with Red Chili and Cilantro.



My cousins and I went on a Tofu Expedition in Sheng Ken, Taiwan. We ate everything including: Steamed Tofu, Sauteed Tofu, Fried Tofu, Grilled Tofu, Tofu Ice cream, Tofu Pudding, Tofu Pannacotta, Tofu Cheesecake. This Tofu on a stick was fried and glazed in a sweet soy sauce, grilled, and topped with pickled cabbage.



Classic Stinky Fried Tofu with Pickled Cabbage.



So peppery! So tasty! Mushroom-Vegetable Savory Pastry. I could eat this day and night.



Like Steamed Soup Dumplings? Try eating Steamed Loofah Melon and Crab Meat Dumplings. Different, but so yummm.

Taiwanese Shaved Ice >>> Japanese Shaved Ice. All agreed. G'bye. Tastespotting!