A Breakfast That’s Not Continental…
Laura and I spent last weekend in the City and splurged on our hotel, staying at the Mandarin Oriental in the financial district. We like this hotel for a lot of reasons – partly bcause we spent our first New Year’s Eve together here, partly because it has 40-some floors with amazing views of the city and the bay, and partly because the service and rooms are impeccable.
On a whim, we ordered the Asian breakfast instead of our usual smoked salmon or granola. The Asian breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental included rice congee (porridge), steamed dumplings, and kimchi (pickled vegetables). Being raised on eggs, bacon, pancakes and cold cereal for breakfasts, it took me years to become accustomed to such different smells and textures at breakfast time. I remember the sense of adventure I felt when I first began flying over the Pacific to “exotic” Asian destinations. I’ve many a fond memory of flying to Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, or China, experiencing similar food for the first time, and feeling like such a worldly fellow. These days I get somewhat less excited about jet-setting around, don’t handle the jet lag as well, and I whine about my back. But I still follow a routine of converting completely to “destination cuisine” as soon as I board the airplane to any overseas location and I don’t switch back until I’m home.
I felt a wave of wanderlust while enjoying my breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental …
– Chris