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Highlighting great YouTube and online food shows we enjoy

Do you travel for food?  We do! Do you plan your vacations around food, or semi-around food?  We do too!  

As a Third Culture Kid (TCK), born and raised in Indonesia, my palate has enjoyed so many amazing dishes.   My wife, also born and raised in Indonesia, loves to try dishes from around the world too. We love to learn the culture of that local area we are vacationing or visiting for business and one way of doing that is through the local dishes.

As Deborah Cater said, “You have to taste a culture to understand it.” 

Today we will be taking you on a few of our family’s most favorite international food shows on YouTube and other online channels where we learn about the foods eaten in different countries and cultures.   There are tons of food shows on YouTube, Netflix, and other online channels for sure.  However, these are just a few of our most favorite international food channels that my wife and I enjoy over these last couple years.

  1. Highlighting great YouTube and Online Food Shows we Enjoy – Part 1 (Strictly Dumpling and Somebody Feed Phil)
  2. Highlighting great YouTube and Online Food Shows we Enjoy – Part 2 (Mark Wiens)
  3. Highlighting great YouTube and online foodie shows we enjoy – Part 3 (Max McFarlin)

 

Strictly Dumpling is one of our favorite food shows to watch on YouTube. We couldn’t say it any better when he says “I love food!!!” Mike not only shares a variety of different foods and cuisines from around the world, even though he favors dumplings, but provides a lot of information about the foods and their origins.  You are getting more than “it tastes awesome” when you connect with Strictly Dumpling.  You are also learning to the point you want to visit those locations where he is eating yourself.  Short Awards has a great write up about Mike Chen – https://shortyawards.com/11th/mikexingchen.  Another great online article about Mike Chen is at CNBC – https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/13/strictly-dumpling-youtuber-mike-chens-most-expensive-food-day.html

In Mike’s own words “Strictly Dumpling covers all that is food! Because we live to eat and hope you do as well!”  Well said, Mike.  My wife and I love to travel here in the U.S. and overseas.  We love to enjoy the foods of the area we are traveling, especially in Southeast Asia where my wife and I were born and raised.   

Mike Chen was born in China and grew up in the U.S. and started his YouTube channels back in 2013.  Mike’s food vlogging has taken him from places in the north and south hemispheres looking, tasting, and learning about all kinds of local dishes and cuisines. Mike not only provides amazing video of the foods he is sharing with us but has such a heart and desire to go beyond the taste of food by sharing his enthusiasm and volume of knowledge about those delicious dishes.

One of the major reasons we love to watch Strictly Dumpling on YouTube is because Mike connects with many locals of that area to find out what and where the really good authentic foods of that area are located.   One of our favorite quotes of Strictly Dumping is “I have always felt the best way to explore a new culture is taking a bite out of it.”  His research of what the locals vote is why we prefer to follow what Strictly Dumpling and other food shows on YouTube suggest in the area.  They know because they follow the locals!

We have many favorite Strictly Dumpling videos we enjoy and most of them circle around these countries – Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan. In fact, due to Strictly Dumpling’s great information and other food shows on YouTube, my wife and I have decided to visit different parts of Singapore, try great noodle and dim sum shops in Hongkong, put Vietnam on one of our vacation stops, and head over to Japan through the next few years as we go on our annual vacations to Indonesia.

You can learn more about Mike Chen and follow his online social channels (not all of them listed here) –

 As you travel around the world make sure you’re protected with travel medical insurance.  Don’t we plan our vacation with excitement and gusto?  Let us, with excitement and gusto, at Good Neighbor Insurance find the best travel medical insurance benefits for you as you connect with us on the phone, email, or contact us page.  Or you can go online to https://www.gninsurance.com/travel to find the best travel insurance to fit your holiday travels.

To learn more about travel medical insurance, check our “ask Doug” video – https://www.gninsurance.com/resources/ask-doug/travel-medical-insurance/understanding-travel-medical-insurance-101.

My wife and I enjoy the peace of mind of having a solid travel medical insurance policy as we travel our wonderful world for food, culture, and fun.  We want to extend this to you and your family because you also deserve to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with the best travel insurance benefits for you and your family!

“Somebody Feed Phil,” a Netflix series, caught our attention this past year even though the series started back in 2018.  The show has a different twist of foods in the area Phil is visiting. We also enjoy the pureness of the show which is wholesome for even kids to view. You can also tell Phil is a family man, especially how he brings his Dad and Mom into each show and also brings in his family, like when he did the Copenhagen hour show. 

Is “Somebody Feed Phil” a typical online food show?  Well, that all depends on who answers.  Right?! The “hardcore” foodie folks would say “no way.”  This show is a bit different than YouTube food channels for sure.  Yet, it is another take on what another person enjoys when visiting other places and cultures.  But for others, like my family, we love the different style of how Phil Rosenthal does his shows.  Not only does “Somebody Feed Phil” want us to visit those areas he has shared with us, like going to Lisbon Portugal, but his humor has won both my wife and I over as die-hard fans of the show and of Phil and his whole family – especially his folks!! 

You can enjoy “Somebody Feed Phil” visiting quite a few places throughout our great culinary world such as

  • Venice
  • Dublin
  • Copenhagen
  • New York City
  • Lisbon – one of our two family favorite – we actually are visiting this city in the next few years just because of this show.
  • Marrakesh
  • Seoul
  • Montreal
  • And Tel Aviv, to name a few.

The third season of Somebody Feed Phil, just out in May 2020, was bitter sweet.  It was great to see Phil with his humor throughout the five episodes. It was also wonderful that he included his daughter and wife in some of the episodes too. Sadly though, his mom Helen was only in one of the five shows since she passed on in October 2019. Phil shared, in the end of the Montreal episode, a little about his mom having ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).  Our heartfelt condolences to Phil and his family for their loss of Helen, his mom.  We know how Phil feels since we also lost our mom, my wife’s mom, who passed on suddenly to Glory a couple of years ago.  What was really cool is Phil still called in to his dad towards the end of the episode with Phil’s wife most of the time sitting next to her father-in-law.  That was so sweet!

You can learn more about “Somebody Feed Phil” and follow his online social channels (not all of them listed here)

 

We are excited to take you on our Part 2 foodie journey around the world here at Good Neighbor Insurance – https://www.gninsurance.com.

Being raised overseas in Indonesia for 19 years and married to a wonderful Indonesian lady, I have the privilege of enjoying so many dishes from Indonesia and throughout Southeast Asia. Today we will share all about Mark Wiens and his family’s travels, Migrationology, whom my wife and I love to watch throughout the week via his awesome channels on YouTube.

Mark Wiens and his family reside in Thailand.  Mark is a TCK like myself (which stands for “third culture kid”) and enjoys foods from around the world.  His newest YouTube Channel is “Big on Spice” discussing healthy spicy food in addition to his main channel.  We are so excited Mark has added this to his foodie journey for us.  My wife and I love to eat healthier, especially when it comes from organic farms.  Thank you, Mark, for taking on this awesome journey of eating healthier on your new channel, “Big on Spice!”

As celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis said so well “Food brings people together on many different levels.  It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love.” Let’s dive in!!

Here is some information about Mark Wiens

  • He was born in 1986 in Phoenix, Arizona, the year I graduated from Jakarta International School (now called Jakarta Intercultural School – https://www.jisedu.or.id) in Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • He is one of the most famous food vloggers
  • Mark is a TCK, like myself. He lived in France, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.
  • Mark graduated from Arizona State University in Global Studies.
  • He enjoyed traveling and taught English in Thailand which is when Mark started to do his food blog.
  • Mark decided to stay in Thailand because of the great ingredients and the different flavors to so many dishes. He just absolutely loved how the food in Thailand tasted.
  • Over the months and years, Mark has honed in his skills as a blogger, vlogger, and story teller of foods and now he is one of the most successful foodie vloggers to-date, especially on YouTube.
  • Not only does Mark share about the great dishes and cuisines of Thailand, but he also traveled (many times with his wife and child) throughout the world.
  • All of this sounds like Mark does not have a real job. But for sure it is real.  It takes a lot of time, in the background, to get the vlog all set up to place on YouTube.  For every video there is at least 2 plus days of work behind the scenes in front of his computer. 
  • But there is also a lot of preparation that goes in to research of the cuisines he shares with us on YouTube and get all the travel plans prepared.
  • Thus, it is not only a fun career for Mark, but also a lot of hard work to become successful at what he does.
  • Mark is blessed to have a wonderful family. He married Ying back in 2013 and they have a son, Micah.
  • Ying is not only a wonderful wife to Mark, but also works right alongside Mark sharing the love of foods and travel to all of us around the globe.

My wife and I love one of his newest episodes (June 28, 2020), where he cooked Indonesian fried rice at his home.   It made us homesick and in desperate “need” of wanting to get our Indonesian fried rice spicy dish fix from the side of the street “restaurant” – one with wheels.

You can catch this episode here on YouTube at the link in the description – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dBuuhH4f3M&t=22s.

Mark’s newest YouTube channel, “Big On Spice,” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtv-pAxgzWGSvcJgTlmUdfA, is an awesome channel.

My wife and I love it because we are now eating a lot heathier from juicing, eating organic, and by eating most of our foods (outside of noodles and wanton / dumplings of course which we love) that are plant based.

Thank you, Mark, for starting this channel, Big On Spice! 

We can’t wait to visit the places you are showing us on this channel like

  • “Meena Rice Based Cuisine (มีนา มีข้าว) – https://goo.gl/maps/RjKNpdhohhy4DwH8A – This restaurant specializes in the best quality, whole grain, and colorful Thai rice! But they also have a full menu of delicious Thai food, both plant based (vegetarian and vegan) and non-vegetarian. We decided to try their Thai vegetarian dishes, and it was an amazing meal!” – from Mark’s comments at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xzGg-zqulI&t=821s.
  • And that great Tofu (Tahu for us Indonesians) restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXzcfldDyvw.
  • And also on your other channel where you went to Khrua Luan Then restaurant – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fue_oeI45CA. In fact, my wife has been in that area on a sabbatical for a week many years ago and we have decided to take a few days’ vacation to that area in Southern Thailand.  Can’t wait to try those great dishes!!

Mark Wiens, currently, has three amazing YouTube channels sharing all about food throughout Thailand and throughout the world. 

You can also follow Mark Wiens on these other social media platforms

His web site at https://migrationology.com provides

  • City Guides from around the world such as Amman, Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jakarta, Lisbon, and many other cities globally.
  • Food tour of Bangkok, Thailand
  • A robust blog to learn all about different foods throughout the world.
  • And an amazing store with awesome hats and t-shirts to purchase with logos such as “I travel for food.”

We are just thrilled that there are folks like Mark and his wife, Ying, who love to share their passion of food from around the world with us.  Thank you, Mark and Ying, for not only sharing great food ideas for us but also sharing the history, tastes, and the ingredients of those mouthwatering cuisines to us.

As J.R.R. Tolkien said, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

This has been a “Ask Doug” production by Good Neighbor Insurance, here in Gilbert, Arizona – https://www.gninsurance.com/resources/ask-doug.

We are excited to take you on our Part 3 foodie journey around the world here at Good Neighbor Insurance, https://www.gninsurance.com. Today we will be taking a journey learning all about Max McFarlin and focusing on “My Kind Of Eats.”

Max is all about connecting, connecting with people through the wonderful medium of cuisine.  To borrow from Max McFarlin’s web site, he says, ‘‘I believe that food brings people together.“ 

Max grew up on a farm in a very small town of rural Arkansas. Thus, traveling was not the center of his world.  However, after a trip to NYC, where he was looking into medical school, he realized how much more the world had to offer through travel and foods from around the world. Max McFarlin loved not only travel but also learning about the different types of foods on his travels.  Putting these two ingredients together helped Max immerse himself with the cultures, history, way of life and values of the country he was visiting.

Max McFarlin is more than just a traveler visiting different cities and countries sharing about the local foods.  He is actually more like an online tour guide showing you and I the culture and way of life of these countries through our taste buds.  His videos have brought great awareness to global netizens to the point of helping the local tourism market of each different area.

Currently, Max resides in Vietnam and is bringing people together through sharing all the great Vietnamese cuisine.  In fact, Max McFarlin currently has over 120 YouTube videos sharing about the different foods throughout Vietnam.

Max is like my wife and I when it comes to food, he loves noodles and loves all things spicy.  That is a great combination and one you can find throughout South East Asia.  When it comes to street food, Max McFarlin is all over it.  We can understand since why since my wife and I were born and raised in Indonesia and adore the local street foods of the area.

There is nothing like stopping by a street food stall when your stomach is growling for food, and grabbing a hot plate of spicy noodles. In fact, some of the best memories of food dishes come from those street food stalls. However, my wife and I have never enjoyed a good ‘‘banh mi“ which is one of Max McFarlin’s go to meals in Vietnam.   In very simple terms, banh mi is all kinds of goodies tucked between a thin crisp baguette.  Similar to a sub sandwich here in the U.S., but with a Vietnamese twist.

Max McFarlin spends a lot of time on the road in Vietnam.  He travels almost daily and loves to backpack.  However, Max has settled down a with a permanent home in Vietnam but still travels 2 to 3 weeks a month through north and south Vietnam to find the best local cuisine in that area to share with us netizens and global travelers.

Check out Max McFarlin’s web site at mykindofeats.com.  His web site is loaded with great information on

  • Foods he‘s visited in many counties which are mostly located in South East Asia such as Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, and Singapore to name a few.
  • Food guides
  • Food encyclopedia
  • City guides
  • Food markets
  • As well as cafes.

You can also follow Max McFarlin here on these other social media platforms

We are just thrilled that there are folks like Max McFarlin who love to share their passion for food, travel, and cultures throughout the world.  As Amanda Jane Sturges once said, ‘‘Love is the food of life, and travel is the dessert.“

This has been a “Ask Doug” production by Good Neighbor Insurance, here in Gilbert, Arizona. If you enjoyed this video please give it a thumbs up and consider hitting that red subscribe button to see all of the Good Neighbor Insurance content.

For the most up-to-date information on our different international travel and expatiate medical insurance options, please –

Safe global travels – from your GNI Team here in Gilbert, Arizona.

https://www.gninsurance.com