street food

Thanks to our editorial intern Laila, we've been pretty solidly educated on the glories of the various kinds of Middle Eastern street food she grew up with. First she brought Turkey's wet burger to our attention. Then we learned about koshary, the most delicious way to feed the most people with the least effort, via Egypt's Rachael Ray. Now with knowledge of kumpir — a specialty in Ortaköy, Istanbul — I'll attempt to reinvent the baked potato. Or at least use up a lot of leftovers all at once.

I read myself to sleep last night with one of my favorite bedtime stories: Jon Chonko's Scanwiches book. It's a real thriller — intimidating Italian characters who may or may not be associated with the mob, a classic meat-meets-bread story, a little fluff, a sexy Cuban and a war (but I won't give away the twist). A war? Yes, Belgium wins. Awh, I gave away the twist. It's all because of the Mitraillette.

Sometimes referred to as the Asian Bourdain, Seetoh was born and raised with a deep understanding of Singaporean food culture as it pertains to its history, and that's why he's the perfect man for the arduous task of institutionalizing this essential facet of Singapore's identity (not that he's offering himself up).