We have arrived in Medan, Indonesia. Third largest city in Indonesia. Largest city on the island of Sumatra. Historically important because of its strategic location along the Strait of Melaka. But for the purposes of this blog WAY MORE IMPORTANT is the fact that it is the current location of the fabled, almost supernatural Queendom of Pulandia. Long time visitors will know that Wife and de-I have an almost masochistic attachment to visits to this land of excitement and gastronomy and have Platinum Status with it's captive travel planning company, Pooh Lee Shah Travels. To further make this trip a bit different, Dowager Queen Pooh has morphed her Earthly persona and is now the Counsel General for the United States in Medan!
In all seriousness, it is a bit different to watch #2 work when she is in fact the head of the operation, even though this is a tiny outpost of the U.S. government. And with all the craziness going on in the world and the fact we are in a predominantly Islamic country, I would say the #2's are not really excited for us to just be wandering around on our own. This is okay because we have been pretty beat up from our long trip. Further we didn't do a lot of advance research on Medan and what we did indicated there wasn't a ton to see or do in the city. It's not the easiest place to walk around. We came with a mindset that we really wanted to hang with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson.
AND (unspoken) knowing we would get the full-on gastronomic experience that comes with each visit to Pulandia. Of course, it is not like de-I has to be led kicking and screaming. (That would be Wife pleading to not have her digestive track overrun again). Upon our arrival, the initial itinerary was something like,
- On Sunday we will be having this meal at this place
- On Monday that will be followed by lunch here and dinner here
- On Tuesday it will lunch at...
You get the picture. Actually we are lining up other things along the way and by the end of the week we will be getting out and about.
We haven't had an opportunity to take pictures in the real sense of the term so I just started to take shots with my phone as we drove around. So consider these just a bit of 'stream of consciousness'
Things are actually pretty slow here because it is Ramadan. A lot of people go back to their homes for the holiday. Public schools are closed. And many retail (especially food) businesses are closed until after sundown.
The Counsel General's vehicle has a flag so you are sure to know there is someone official inside.
Market that would be busy if it were not Ramadan
This sign says Goodbye / Thank you
Captain Wife and 2.1 chilling
Let the Gastronomy Begin
On Saturday night we were to go to high end Indonesian place but our reservation was messed up so we changed plans and went to a smaller place, well known to 2B and #2 that served a more eclectic Western focused menu
Bone marrow
Scallops in a cream sauce
A sort of Japanese Katsu Chicken Cutlet with Curry Sauce
We ordered a dessert that was 'Pancakes with a Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream'. We all thought it would be like crepes. But no. It was actual pancakes. We kind of looked at it askance until we tasted it, then scarfed down almost all of it.
Sunday afternoon we went to dim sum place for brunch. So many wonderful things and I only took pictures of a few.
Waiting for Dim Sum to start showing up.
Disembodied hand serving up fried rice noodles
Eggs with shrimp...many Yums
Shrimp in a thin rice paper wrapper steamed...Many Yums
Philippine Style Lumpia...Also Many Yums
One thing not shown here was a chunk of pork leg done Philippine Lechon style...also Many Yums. I don't even remember everything else we ate.
A note on the food scene in Medan.
Medan has a diverse population. It has the local Indonesian population. There is also a large community that has Chinese roots going back centuries. There are influences from Europe. An Indian Hindu population, etc. All this makes for a very varied food scene. Things here are also very inexpensive.
We had one splurge meal at a place that is normally only an event center but is open for lunch. It is right across the street from #2's office
Her being helped across a crazy street by her driver.
A Chicken based soup to which you added bean sprouts and cilantro - Yum
Appetizer plate with fried chicken, some kind of sort of dumpling that had been fried, a vegetable something, some crispy chip like somethings, and a scallops in sauce with macadamia nuts. Generally good. Two Yums.
No comments:
Post a Comment