Lombok: Indulging In Food.

If I had to choose between Lombok or Bali... I'd choose Lombok. The island was less crowded, less touristy, more relaxing, and sunnier. That was my experience with it. While I may have had my own villa to indulge in when I was on Bali, Lombok gave me a greater spa experience, weather... And food.

FOOD!

I really wasn't a huge fan of the food - except for the fried noodles at breakfast each morning - that I got in Bali. And while my favorite ritual in recent weeks has become "waking up, drinking coffee and writing for an hour", the "drinking coffee" portion was difficult to enjoy... Because Bali coffee (specific to Bali) was pretty bad.

But in Lomok, I got to actually enjoy my coffee a little more. 

The view of the ocean probably helped my enjoyment, I admit.

While traveling, I am trying to stick with ordering foods that are regional where I can. Like this spicy chicken dish...

This was amazing. It was served with rice, which I didn't even eat... Because there was so much chicken.

And this vegetarian carpaccio... 

It's zucchini, cucumbers, tangerine slices and olives! I will definitely be trying to recreate this one at home.

For my last dinner in Lombok, I chose the spicy beef stew...

Again... I didn't even touch the rice. The stew itself was wonderful. Extremely spicy. But so good.

And even though I was at a resort in a tropical location, I still couldn't have alcohol. Because of the Shamanic Dieta, I am alcohol free until about March 3rd. But I made up for my lack of ordering tropical cocktails by ordering fresh-pressed juices and icy tea and fruit libations...

The elixir in the shot glass was my most favorite thing in Lombok. It is honey that has been mixed with the essence from a strawberry blossom. Healthy... And it tasted divine! I've no idea how to even begin to recreate these honey shots at home. But trust me, I am giving it some thought.

My lunches were usually pretty light. Since I was sitting outside most afternoons, I couldn't bear anything heavy.

This was a spicy chicken salad. I can't recall what the spices were on it, but it was very good. And the sun-dried tomatoes were a bit of a luxury to see on the greens. I loathe regular tomatoes, but love sun-dried ones. (And roasted ones.)

And of course there was the traditional Asian/Indonesian satay...

The sauce was supposed to be "spicy," but it barely made me flinch. Delicious, though.

And one afternoon, I sat out by the pool and just had tapas-type dishes in the sun.

The spring rolls I wasn't a fan of, as they were filled with pumpkin. I have no idea if pumpkin are regional to Lombok. The chicken wings were similar to the chicken I'd had for dinner one night. Very spicy and amazing. But the edamame...

Wow. These were up there with those "honey shots" I'd had. So incredibly spicy and salty. They were perfect. I'm usually indifferent when someone wants to order edamame at restaurants. But these made me a huge fan. I wish they were served like this everywhere. 

I still have South Africa and Europe for which to go "gaga" over food. But so far on all of my travels outside of the U.S., Lombok had the best food.