DPRK Food, Day 8

Our last meal in North Korea was on the train in the dining cart. It was actually also our first opportunity to eat in the presence of the Leaders. And don't you just love the dangling plastic fruits and the nicotine stained ceiling?

For 5 euros a head we got served the set lunch. Clockwise from top: some kimchi stuff, duck stew, fried fish, chicken, and fried egg. I didn't really get to eat the duck and chicken because they were so bony. I tried the kimchi and fish, they were not as good as the stuff we were getting in restaurants. I moved on to the over-easy fried egg and I think that was a fatal mistake(more on that later).

The set of course came with rice and soup. We all decided to combine the two as the train was really bumpy. My rice was cold too so it was just as well. The cabbage soup was somewhat peppery and it was a good complement to the rice (I know it doesn't look it). It made eating dry plain rice a lot more enjoyable.

In my train cabin in the middle of the night I woke myself up with my tummy's rumbling sounds. Not a good sign at all. I avoided getting up and slept till the morning anyway but everything started to loose control by 7am. After a couple of violent episodes I ran out of toilet paper, but the unrest continued on. The worst nightmare was coming true: mingy train bathroom + the trots + no toilet paper. What could be worse?? Here's a big thank you to S for his generous donation of his tissues.

At 8:40am, our train pulled in to the Beijing Train Station. My stomach was getting worse despite my 2 doses of Imodium. The trip from station to airport was painful, literally. I got the nastiest cramps and it was difficult to stand up straight even. Luckily the comfortable lounge provided me the much needed bathroom and a lounge chair.

Once on the plane I was certainly not in the mood to stomach any food, especially crappy food. This is the chicken with pasta option on our China Eastern flight from Beijing to Shanghai. My sensible self decided I should eat something and so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and took a bite. Guilty as charged! The not-so-nice looking white sauce which reminded me of school lunch box had absolutely no taste at all. The chicken was freshly defrosted and you could still taste the freezer. The spaghetti was cooked to death and mushy....and don't even ask me about the starter and that blob of unidentifiable object in the little bowl.

Below is the meal we had on the way from Shanghai to Beijing. Tip: at least it's more difficult to screw up breakfast.

P.S. That croissant was probably the healthiest on earth. Not even 1mg of butter in it.