Pickle Deli Square

Hi there! Pickle Deli Square is a collection of my experiences living, eating, and traveling the world. Currently an expat based in Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

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Trip Report: Lufthansa Business Class ORD-FRA Boeing 747-8

Dec 31

Dec 31 Trip Report: Lufthansa Business Class ORD-FRA Boeing 747-8

My favorite: upper deck window with side storage bins!

Trip Report: United Polaris Lounge at Chicago O'Hare (ORD)

Dec 30

Dec 30 Trip Report: United Polaris Lounge at Chicago O'Hare (ORD)

First time in this Polaris lounge - a mini version of SFO’s. With the most amazing pecan pie and apple pie trifles for the holidays.

Trip Report: United Airlines SAN-ORD First Class Boeing 737

Dec 29

Dec 29 Trip Report: United Airlines SAN-ORD First Class Boeing 737

First time with meal pre-order.

Tacos! Tuétano Taquería Old Town and the Taco Stand La Jolla

Dec 28

Dec 28 Tacos! Tuétano Taquería Old Town and the Taco Stand La Jolla

California, Food

Gotta get them tacos.

Trip Report: SFO United Polaris Lounge and SFO-SAN

Dec 17

Dec 17 Trip Report: SFO United Polaris Lounge and SFO-SAN

Still one of the nicest lounges I’ve ever been in.

Dawn of Post-Zero-COVID China: United Polaris business class PVG-SFO Trip Report

Dec 16

Dec 16 Dawn of Post-Zero-COVID China: United Polaris business class PVG-SFO Trip Report

Amazingly, I could “just walk in” to Pudong Airport. No more PCR tests or scanning codes. What didn’t change from previous years was the menu on the flight. In fact, the Polaris pre-arrival meal was the same as my pre-arrival meal in Economy 3 years ago.

It keeps on going…: continual COVID testing, quarantine scares, and today's lockdown

Nov 15

Nov 15 It keeps on going…: continual COVID testing, quarantine scares, and today's lockdown

Never-ending nonsense

Chaozhou: Late Night Eats, and Congee x 3

Oct 14

Oct 14 Chaozhou: Late Night Eats, and Congee x 3

Trust a city that stays up late to eat!

Revelation! Changfen (常粉) in Chaozhou (潮州)

Oct 13

Oct 13 Revelation! Changfen (常粉) in Chaozhou (潮州)

A completely different - and much superior - changfen than the thick tubes of rice noodles that I’d previously had in dimsum restaurants.

Chaozhou Highlight: Marinated Raw Seafood

Oct 12

Oct 12 Chaozhou Highlight: Marinated Raw Seafood

I don’t even like raw seafood normally!

Ancestral Village: Jianqiao, Guangdong

Oct 11

Oct 11 Ancestral Village: Jianqiao, Guangdong

Finding family roots in a beautiful little village between Meizhou and Chaozhou.

Meizhou Eats: Breakfast

Oct 10

Oct 10 Meizhou Eats: Breakfast

A second try for the typical Meizhou Hakka breakfast of yan mian (腌面) and san ji di soup (三及第).

Lodging Review: Meizhou Chengyu Hotel

Oct 9

Oct 9 Lodging Review: Meizhou Chengyu Hotel

Modern, functional, purple.

Meizhou Eats: Hakka snacks

Oct 8

Oct 8 Meizhou Eats: Hakka snacks

Special tangyuan (汤圆), and a whole host of other little bites along Zhongshan Road (中山路).

Meizhou Eats: Restaurants

Oct 7

Oct 7 Meizhou Eats: Restaurants

Three very nice restaurants trying mainly Hakka food, from the well-know braised and steamed pork belly, to these chewy balls of meat and vegetables.

Meizhou Eats: Eating a whole salt-baked chicken (盐焗鸡), at its origin

Oct 6

Oct 6 Meizhou Eats: Eating a whole salt-baked chicken (盐焗鸡), at its origin

So this is what it’s supposed to taste like!

Meizhou (梅州) Impressions, and a visit to the China Hakka Museum

Oct 5

Oct 5 Meizhou (梅州) Impressions, and a visit to the China Hakka Museum

Getting a sense of everyday life.

A 1.5-Day (2 Night) Itinerary at the Fujian Tulou (福建土楼)

Oct 4

Oct 4 A 1.5-Day (2 Night) Itinerary at the Fujian Tulou (福建土楼)

A perfect (for me) itinerary

Room and board (and cooking class!) review at Changdi Inn, Yongding Tulou (永定土楼洪坑村常棣客栈)

Oct 4

Oct 4 Room and board (and cooking class!) review at Changdi Inn, Yongding Tulou (永定土楼洪坑村常棣客栈)

A warm stay, from booking all the way to farewell.

Quiet moments with persimmons, Hongkeng village

Oct 3

Oct 3 Quiet moments with persimmons, Hongkeng village

Sun-dried and oven-dried products of nature.