Last year, on holiday to Thailand with my husband (who is deathy afraid of flying and travelling, go figure), we discoverd Singah Beer. We discovered that, for next to nothing, it could be brought directly into our waiting hands, as we lay by the side of the pool at our hotel after our first very long, very hot day in Bangkok. My husband, Ed, who barely knows where Europe is on a map, was amazed by how good the beer was. I wasnt sure if it was the heat stroke talking, or actually him. It turned out to be actually him, and after quite a few Singah's and a pinky swear promise to travel the world with me in search of "local lager", he discovered one of my top ten favourite things about travelling the world. The local food and drinks.


Food will have to wait until later, let's start with the drinks:

Singah and Chang Beer, Thailand. Since I was already going on about it, I might as well mention it first. It's just a really great, light beer that is completely refreshing after elephant riding and a spicy glass noodle dish in the hot and humid Thai climate.

Magners, Scotland. This has to be some of the BEST cider I've ever tasted. The Scot's add in a shot of Black Currant, and it's heaven. Move over Woodchuck and Strongbow, Magner's will definitely kick both of your asses!

Mercury Cider, Australia. Another cider, I know. This one is actually Tasmanian. I had it in Cairns, where Ed and I scorned the Fosters and did shot's of Absinthe. If you've ever had a shot of Absinthe (this one was like 80 proof or some absurd like that), you know that's some pretty potent stuff. The Mercury helped my stomach from setting itself on fire. Plus, it tasted really nice as well!

Stella and Carlsburg, England. When I moved to the UK in 2002 for school, I was definitely NOT a beer drinker. But, given the exchange rate, and how much a mixed drink cost, I was almost forced into it, financially :) I was lucky enough to meet some Brit's who knew of my beer aversion, and introduced me to Mr Carlsberg and Miss Stella Artois, which were cheap and on tap at every local pub. The rest is history.

Kingfisher Beer, India. Hello western world beers, meet Kingfisher. He is every lighter beer drinker (and I am sure you can tell that I am that sort of gal by now :))'s dream come true in a non-westernized city.

Guinness, Ireland. Ok, like I said, I am a light beer gal by nature, but I will say, when I was in Ireland, I had never tasted Guiness before in my life. I had said so much to a companion I was with, and was overheard by an elderly gentleman sitting next to me. He was shocked, to say the least, and IMMEDIATELY ordered me a Guiness to try. Before taking my first sip, he had the bartender add a bit of Black Currant to the thick drink, and urged me to try it. By god, it was good! Really good! Since that one time, I have never had a Guiness that tasted so good.

Sake, Japan. Ed and I were in Japan just before we went to Thailand, visitjng his brother who was in the Air Force and stationed in Tokyo. Our last night there, he took us, and a few of his japanese friends to this insane all you can eat and drink, 11 course dinner that never seemed to end. We drank many many many mini keg's of Asahi and Kirin before we moved onto the sake. Sake, from what I heard of it, was best served warm. No one told me that, when warm, it tasted like gasoline. So, cold sake for the rest of the evening. We ended the night, in a karaoke bar somewhere near Shinjuku, belting our hearts out to Sir Mix A Lot and Guns and Roses. Whenever I think of sake, I think of 80's hair band ballads.

Passion Fruit EVERYTHING, New Zealand. When I was down in New Zealand with STA, my friend Steph and I would frequently ask the bar tenders to make up something for us to drink, since the beer we had on offer was really not that great. I know, every bar tenders nightmare. haha. But, they all did, quite gamely. For some reason, EVERYTHING we drank was flooded in passion fruit. Weird, but good!

Ok, that's my list for now! I realize how long this is, and will go onto food in another blog!

Cheers, Kampai, Salute, À votre santé, and Sláinte!!