WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO TAKE WITH YOU ON YOUR TRIP?

Having traveled quite a bit over the years to a number of countries, it occurs to me that the most important thing you can take with you is your smile.  It is surprising how this one thing can be so versatile.

It can build a bridge of communication between two people although neither can speak the other’s language.  It gets an impatient person who would otherwise likely not give you the time of day to patiently study a map and point out where to go.  It helps to convey, without words, appreciation for the food that is served to you.   It is an antidote for warding off touts when accompanied by a shake of the head or a wave of the hand, and can diffuse any number of awkward situations that arise involuntarily during travels in a strange land.  For those of you old enough to remember Karl Malden’s TV ad for the American Express credit card, “don’t leave home without it’.

So much for philosophical waxing.  Let’s talk about food.

In 2009 the NY Times wrote that its readers had voted Penang the 2^nd best place to go, after Beirut, for ‘foodie experiences’.  Must be a lot of foodies also like to wear Kevlar vests.  After spending 17 days and sixteen nights here, Penang gets my vote too!

In my time here in Penang I think I have consumed about this many ducks:

As far as the amount of pork I have consumed for the total trip, this is all that remains of Mr. Pig.

I will have withdrawal symptoms starting mid-day when I fly the first leg of my trip from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.  From there it is a hop to Bangkok, a skip to Doha, and a jump back to Arlington, VA

Each day I have checked the ‘dashboard’ of my blog.  It tells me the number of times it has been viewed, which countries the viewers are from, etc.   Since its inception, it has been viewed, at one time or another, by folk(s) in the US, Germany, Malaysia, Argentina, South Korea, Laos, Canada, the UK, and ,last but not least, Ecuador and Ukraine.   The total number of blog views as of this morning is 828.

I hope that whoever has looked at this blog has found some enjoyment and perhaps enlightenment about food along the way.  I have certainly enjoyed writing it and sharing my experiences of the past 5 and ½ weeks.

You are all invited to Chez Greenbrier for a meal.  I think my sweetheart can even speak some Ukranian!