I Tried $1 Street Food Around The World - CourtneyR.dev's 2nd Brain

I Tried $1 Street Food Around The World 🔗 **Source:** [I Tried $1 Street Food Around The World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNePQW56rDU) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [street_food, budget_travel, food_culture] > author: Joshua Weissman > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNePQW56rDU > date created: 2024-12-19 14:30 > > # 🏷️ Title: I Tried $1 Street Food Around The World >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Research local street food markets before traveling — cultural immersion opportunity #travel - [H2] Try fire paan in Mumbai — unique digestive/palate cleansing experience #food_adventure - [H3] Connect with local food guides for authentic experiences — builds meaningful relationships #community ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📚 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - [Joshua Weissman YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaWeissman) - [Best Ever Food Review Show](https://www.youtube.com/@BestEverFoodReviewShow) ## 📝 Summary - Joshua Weissman travels to 8 countries testing what $1 can buy in street food - Countries visited: India, USA, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, China - USA was the only country where authentic $1 street food was unavailable - Key finding: Street food quality and quantity for $1 varies dramatically by location - Bottom line: Best value and hospitality found in Southeast Asia and China ## 📖 Main Content This video documents an ambitious global food experiment testing purchasing power parity through street food. Weissman partners with local food experts in each country to find authentic $1 street food options, revealing stark differences in food accessibility and cultural attitudes toward hospitality. The journey highlights how economic conditions, local ingredients, and cultural food traditions create vastly different experiences for budget travelers. Technical terms like "paan masala" (betel leaf preparation) and "guokui" (Sichuan flatbread) are explained through direct tasting experiences. Some claims about historical authenticity of dishes are presented without verification, and pricing fluctuates due to inflation during filming. The video presents multiple cultural perspectives through local guides while maintaining respectful engagement with street vendors. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=0) — [H1] Global street food challenge introduction - Key idea: Testing what $1 can buy across 8 countries for street food - Evidence: "Getting a good bite to eat just seems to be getting more and more expensive" #### ⏱️ [02:30](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=150) — [H2] Fire paan experience in Mumbai - Key idea: Edible camphor creates dramatic flaming effect but extinguishes safely in mouth - Evidence: "It immediately extinguishes when it goes in your mouth, so there's no heat" #### ⏱️ [05:45](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=345) — [H2] Gujarati breakfast plate value - Key idea: Complete breakfast including jalebi and fafda costs only 70 cents - Evidence: "When you think of a breakfast plate in America, you're probably thinking upwards of $10" #### ⏱️ [08:20](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=500) — [H1] Mumbai's Vada Pav phenomenon - Key idea: Three vada pav (potato fritters in bread) available for $1 - Evidence: "Mumbai is Vada Pav. Vada Pav is Mumbai" #### ⏱️ [11:15](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=675) — [H3] New York City street food shortage - Key idea: No authentic American street food available for $1 in NYC - Evidence: "We could not find any American foods for one dollar or less" #### ⏱️ [13:40](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=820) — [H1] Bangkok street food abundance - Key idea: Multiple high-quality options available under $1 throughout city - Evidence: "This is considered one of the greatest street food cities in the world" #### ⏱️ [16:25](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=985) — [H2] Thai coconut value proposition - Key idea: Entire fresh coconut with meat costs exactly $1 - Evidence: "Thai coconuts are some of the best... completely full of water" #### ⏱️ [19:10](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=1150) — [H2] Crispy shrimp fritter discovery - Key idea: Baby shrimp fritters provide concentrated seafood flavor - Evidence: "Condensed shrimp flavor because all the shells and heads are still on" #### ⏱️ [25:30](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=1530) — [H2] Japan wagyu katsu experiment - Key idea: $1 wagyu katsu uses meat trimmings for affordability - Evidence: "They're taking trimmings of the fat and loose ends of meat after they cut it up" #### ⏱️ [28:45](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=1725) — [H1] Korean market experience - Key idea: Mangwon Market offers authentic local street food experience - Evidence: "This market is Mangwon Market... really authentic" #### ⏱️ [32:20](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=1940) — [H2] Vietnamese banh mi value - Key idea: Complete banh mi sandwich costs only 80 cents - Evidence: "In America, what, 15, maybe even $20?" #### ⏱️ [38:15](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=2295) — [H1] Malaysia's Michelin-rated street food - Key idea: Michelin Bib Gourmand coconut pancakes available for under $1 - Evidence: "Shocked to look up and see a Michelin Bib Gourmand sign" #### ⏱️ [42:30](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=2550) — [H1] Mexico City taco excellence - Key idea: Al pastor tacos with generous meat portions for 65 cents each - Evidence: "Amazing taco! Perfectly seasoned, beautifully fatty" #### ⏱️ [46:50](https://youtu.be/RNePQW56rDU?t=2810) — [H1] China's exceptional value discovery - Key idea: Security guard's homemade noodles represent hidden culinary gems - Evidence: "Random security guard... making some of the greatest noodle and dumpling dishes" ## 📚 References - [Joshua Weissman YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaWeissman) - [Best Ever Food Review Show](https://www.youtube.com/@BestEverFoodReviewShow) - [Unnamed Traveler](https://unnamedtraveler.com/) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - Street food accessibility varies dramatically by country, with Southeast Asian and South Asian markets offering the most value and variety for budget travelers - Cultural hospitality transcends economic differences, with vendors and guides consistently welcoming foreign visitors regardless of language barriers - Traditional preparation methods and local ingredients enable sustainable pricing that would be impossible to replicate in higher-cost economies like the United States ## 📰 Newsletter **Global Street Food Adventure Reveals Cultural Connections** Joshua Weissman's ambitious $1 street food challenge across 8 countries showcases how food becomes a universal language for human connection. From Mumbai's fire paan to Bangkok's crispy shrimp fritters, each stop revealed not just incredible value but genuine hospitality. The standout insight? While America struggled to offer any authentic $1 options, countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and China provided complete, satisfying meals at that price point. The journey reminds us that the best culinary experiences often come from unexpected places—like a security guard's noodle cart in Chengdu. **Key Takeaway:** Travel with curiosity, connect with local food guides, and remember that shared meals create bridges across cultures. Resources: [Unnamed Traveler Guides](https://unnamedtraveler.com/), [Local Food Tours](https://localfoodtours.com/), [Street Food Safety Tips](https://foodsafety.gov/) ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Developer advocacy: Create travel-focused development content highlighting global tech communities - Education: Workshop on building location-aware food apps - Developer experience: Document APIs for currency conversion and location services - Developer marketing: Campaign around "Code Anywhere" remote work culture - Community management: Foster connections between international developer communities #### OSPO - Policy & Governance: Establish guidelines for international open source contributions - License Compliance: Review compliance across different jurisdictions - Security Management: Assess supply chain risks from global contributors - Software Inventory: Map international dependencies and maintainers - Developer Support: Provide multilingual documentation and support - Community Engagement: Fund travel grants for global contributors - Strategic Alignment: KPIs for international community growth #### Community - Maintainers: Support for organizing global contributor meetups - Contributors: First-issue programs in multiple languages - Sponsors: Transparent international funding allocation - Ecosystem: Cross-cultural project collaboration initiatives #### WordPress - Core: International performance testing across different network conditions - Core Performance: Optimize for emerging market connectivity - Core AI: Culturally-aware content generation guardrails - Community: Global meetup kit localization and cultural adaptation - Training: Multilingual learning paths with cultural context - Marketing: Region-specific campaigns respecting local customs - Polyglots: Enhanced translation workflow and cultural consultation - Accessibility: WCAG compliance across different assistive technologies globally - Meta: International .org infrastructure improvements #### The WPCC - Programs: Global fellowship programs with travel components - Projects: Cross-cultural documentation and governance projects - Funding: International microgrant distribution systems ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Street food pricing reflects broader economic inequality between developed and developing nations - Cultural food traditions enable more efficient ingredient utilization and preparation methods - Local guide partnerships significantly improve authentic food discovery compared to tourist-focused recommendations - Urban density and street vendor regulations directly impact food accessibility and pricing ### 📊 Methodology - Comparative pricing analysis across 8 countries with standardized $1 budget - Qualitative assessment of food quality, portion size, and cultural authenticity - Documentation of preparation methods and ingredient sourcing - Cultural immersion through local guide partnerships ### ❓ Questions - How do food safety regulations impact street food accessibility and pricing in different countries? - What role does ingredient seasonality play in maintaining consistent $1 price points? - How might climate change affect the sustainability of current street food pricing models? ### 🔮 Future Research - Longitudinal study tracking street food pricing changes over multiple years - Investigation into street vendor economic models and profit margins - Cross-cultural analysis of food preparation efficiency and waste reduction ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Budget travel strategies should prioritize Southeast Asian and South Asian destinations for food experiences - Policy: Urban planning policies significantly impact street food vendor accessibility and community food security - Security: Street food safety varies by location and requires cultural knowledge for risk assessment - Education: Food tourism education should emphasize cultural respect and local guide partnerships - Funding: Travel budget allocation should account for dramatic regional cost variations ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 8th Grade (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level) #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Extensive food preparation footage, market scenes, cultural context shots - Improve: Ingredient identification guides, preparation step diagrams, cost comparison charts #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Native language interactions, cooking sounds, market ambiance - Improve: Audio pronunciation guides for dish names, local music integration #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Detailed food descriptions, cultural explanations, historical context - Improve: Etymology of dish names, comparison to familiar Western dishes #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Hands-on food preparation attempts, walking tours, interactive tasting - Improve: Recipe cards for home recreation, cooking technique tutorials #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Clear pricing comparisons, systematic country-by-country progression - Improve: Economic analysis of pricing factors, ingredient cost breakdowns #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Local guide interactions, vendor conversations, community dining experiences - Improve: Discussion prompts about cultural food differences, travel planning worksheets #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Personal reflection moments, solo travel aspects - Improve: Travel journaling prompts, self-assessment cultural sensitivity questions #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Ingredient sourcing discussions, environmental context of markets - Improve: Sustainability impact of different food systems, seasonal ingredient awareness ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Good heading structure, location transitions clearly marked - Improve: Detailed alt text for food preparation sequences, audio descriptions of visual cooking techniques #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard YouTube player keyboard controls - Improve: Timestamped navigation shortcuts, chapter markers for easy jumping #### Contrast and readability - Present: High contrast in most outdoor market scenes - Improve: Subtitle contrast in low-light cooking scenes, larger caption text #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: YouTube's standard responsive design - Improve: Custom subtitle sizing options, mobile-optimized viewing #### Media and captions - Present: Auto-generated captions available - Improve: Professional captions with food terminology, translation captions for non-English segments #### Forms and interactions - Present: Standard YouTube interaction elements - Improve: Accessible commenting interface, keyboard-friendly sharing options ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: 8 different countries with local cultural experts - Improve: Indigenous food traditions acknowledgment, colonial history context #### Inclusive language - Present: Respectful interactions with all vendors and guides - Improve: Avoid "exotic" language, acknowledge economic privilege in travel #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Clear section transitions, predictable format structure - Improve: Content warnings for flashing lights (fire paan), sensory description alternatives #### Representation - Present: Diverse local guides, equal screen time for different cultures - Improve: Women vendors and food experts, accessibility of featured locations #### Psychological safety - Present: Respectful cultural engagement, genuine curiosity - Improve: Acknowledge cultural appropriation concerns, discuss ethical travel practices ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Valid comparison methodology across consistent $1 budget parameter - Inductive strength: Strong evidence for cost-of-living correlations with food accessibility - Causal reasoning: Clear connections between local economics and street food pricing - Analogical strength: Effective comparisons between similar dishes across cultures #### Fallacies - Hasty generalization: Single-city visits representing entire countries, limited sampling - Appeal to novelty: Assuming unfamiliar foods are inherently better or more authentic - False equivalency: Comparing street food culture in tourism-focused vs. local-focused areas #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Enthusiastic but respectful, genuine curiosity with cultural sensitivity, educational without condescension ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: No defensive patterns present - Attack: No attacks on critics or alternative perspectives - Reverse victim/offender: No victim/offender dynamics present - Emotional cues and rhetoric: Positive enthusiasm and grat --- ## Full Transcript [00:00] Getting a good bite to eat just seems to be getting more and more expensive. [00:03] But if I just had $1, what could I get? [00:05] In Japan, in Malaysia, in Korea, Vietnam, [00:08] China, Thailand, Mexico, India. [00:10] So we're taking to the streets with our $1 in hand, [00:13] scouring the world to find any bite to eat. [00:15] Will we find massive culinary deals, or will we starve ourselves trying? [00:20] Our journey begins in Mumbai, India, [00:22] and our first stop is not only under a dollar, [00:25] but also an extremely unique eating experience. [00:27] It's fire, fire, fire paan! [00:29] Which is not like a classical paan, but is a paan that everybody wants to try. [00:33] It's going to light your mouth on fire, but then the paan, the coolness of it, [00:36] is going to help you digest everything. [00:38] Showing me around Mumbai's best $1 street food spots is my good friend, [00:42] Chef Saransh. [00:43] I can't even begin to explain how many ingredients were put into this, [00:46] but I'll try. [00:47] First, on a fresh betel leaf, the vendor adds a nut paste, [00:50] like sesame paste, paan masala, rose jam, which he rubs all up in there. [00:53] That's more finger action than I think I've ever seen in my whole life. [00:56] Shaved coconut, sweet masala, shaved nut, another sort of shaved nut, [01:00] rose petal paste, and tutti frutti. [01:02] He then folds it up, adds more shaved coconut. [01:04] Oh, come on! How many things are we gonna add to this? [01:06] Did he just put f*cking curing salt on that? [01:08] What is that? Turns out it was more rose. [01:10] Anyway, he gave it a light, which is likely edible camphor, [01:13] and I opened wide. All right. [01:18] That's something! That's something! [01:20] Most people who were to see this online, they're like, "Oh, [01:22] it's gonna burn your mouth." It immediately extinguishes [01:24] when it goes in your mouth, [01:25] so there's no heat that you really sense at all. [01:27] And it's just super astringent, like an unripe persimmon or grape skins. [01:30] It kind of like sucks all the moisture out of your mouth and cleanses your mouth. [01:33] It's very almost minty, like a fresh peppermint. [01:36] And then you have all this sweetness from the rose, [01:38] the crunchiness from the coconut. [01:39] It does kind of blow your palate out, but not in, like, [01:41] a bad way, sort of like a cleansing way. [01:43] It's like a mouth freshener. [01:45] I was scared. But, you know, [01:46] sometimes there's good things on the other side of fear, [01:48] and I'm glad I crossed the border of fear. I feel good. [01:50] I'm ready to go on to the next. [01:52] On the way to our next stop, [01:53] we went down to the beach to cool off with a sweet treat: a [01:56] black plum flavored popsicle, Kala Khatta. [01:58] This was made fresh in front of my eyes. [02:00] It was delicious and it clocked in at a solid 70 cents. [02:02] Now, [02:03] when you think of a breakfast plate in America, [02:04] you're probably thinking upwards of $10, maybe even more. [02:07] What if I told you you could get all of this for 70 cents? [02:10] We have jalebi, fafda, sambharo, green chilies. [02:13] This is what makes the Gujarati community very proud. [02:17] We have this very, very soft fafda at the bottom, [02:20] which is basically made with chickpea. [02:22] They sort of hand push it down to make these long cigars. [02:25] You crack it, it has a bit of asafoetida, which is like the Indian ajinomoto. [02:29] Incredible! Boom! [02:30] A little bit of boom. [02:32] You have jalebi. [02:33] It's sweet, it's fermented, it's chewy. [02:35] We've got this papaya pickle and fried chilies. [02:38] Cheers! [02:39] Cheers! In restaurants, [02:40] this is what we call a perfect bite because it has multiple layers. [02:44] The crunch, the chewiness, the little crack from the seeds, [02:46] the burst of sugar, and then of course, all the layering of flavors. [02:50] It's spicy, it's sweet, it's a little salty, a little buttery. [02:53] This is incredible. [02:53] Like, I get the hype when I go to new places. [02:55] There are certain things that, like, a group of people will hype up, you know, [02:58] like, "Oh, this is like the best, the best!" [02:59] And it never lives up to the hype. [03:01] This lives up to the hype. You have to try this! [03:02] All the Gujaratis on Joshua's channel, raise your hands up. [03:06] Subscribe button right there. [03:08] Yeah! [03:09] Woo! [03:10] Phenomenal. Onward. [03:11] Onto our next item in India, [03:12] arguably one of the most popular street snacks in the country: Vada Pav. [03:16] You cannot come to Mumbai and not try Vada Pav. [03:19] Mumbai is Vada Pav. [03:20] Vada Pav is Mumbai. [03:21] And it's "Vada-Wow!" is what I like to call it. [03:24] You can have three of these babies in a dollar. [03:26] Wow! [03:27] The guy who was assembling it was moving at lightning pace. [03:30] Grabbing the bread, slicing it up, spreading the spreads on there. [03:32] Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! [03:34] Adding the fried potato and just hammering them out all day. [03:37] Cheers! [03:38] Cheers! [03:39] I have no idea how does McDonalds work in this city. [03:39] You have this right here on the street. [03:41] The first thing I notice is just the texture. [03:42] The bread is so soft, so fluffy. [03:43] It releases the air like the finest Tempur-Pedic pillow [03:46] as you bite down into it. [03:48] And then it just melts as you chew. [03:50] The potato is soft, seasoned beautifully. [03:53] Even just one of these is so filling. [03:55] Unbelievable value. [03:56] I would pay a dollar. I'd pay $5. [03:58] I'd pay $10. [03:59] For $1, you get something that isn't just good, [04:01] it's craveable. [04:01] I'm going to be thinking about this when I go back home. [04:05] We are moving on. [04:07] That is a wrap on India. [04:09] I gotta say, I had an unbelievable time here. [04:10] I absolutely need to come back. [04:11] I was only there for a very short period of time. [04:13] We hit so many other great places, like incredible street-side Pani Puri, [04:17] Bombay sandwiches, [04:18] and I had the greatest dosa I've ever eaten in my entire life at Benne. [04:21] They were homies. [04:22] They watched the channel. [04:24] They let me get back in the kitchen to cook with them. [04:27] India blew my mind. I'll be back. [04:29] Now, [04:30] although we have a lot of countries coming, [04:32] we're headed back to our home country, the USA, [04:34] to see if we can find anything for a dollar. [04:37] And after many hours of research in New York, [04:38] arguably one of the most prolific food cities in our country, [04:40] we were shocked to find out that we could not find any American [04:42] foods for one dollar or less. [04:43] But what about the classic one dollar New York slice? [04:45] Yeah, that is no longer one dollar. [04:47] Although we did find a samosa for a dollar. [04:49] But that's not really American food. It was okay. [04:55] That's why they're a dollar. [04:57] And there were other things that we found that were pretty good, [05:00] but they were all over a dollar. [05:01] So we leave New York for Bangkok, Thailand, finally... [05:05] this is my first time here, [05:06] and it's considered one of the greatest street food cities in the world. [05:09] So not only are my expectations high, but what can we even find for a dollar? [05:12] We're here with my man Mark Wiens. [05:14] Tell us a little bit about this market. [05:15] Oh, this is a local morning market. [05:17] It's called Trok Mor Market. [05:18] People come here to buy basically all the ingredients you could possibly [05:22] need to cook any Thai dish. [05:23] And there's a lot ready to eat as well. [05:25] Let's begin. [05:26] We didn't even enter the market, and our first item caught our eye. [05:29] An entire [05:30] gigantic coconut for exactly a dollar. [05:32] Classic fresh coconut. [05:33] It's like pregnant with water. [05:35] I'm like blown away with how much there is in it! [05:36] Blown away! Cheers! [05:38] Cheers! Back home, [05:40] I'm gonna go spend like $40 on some rehydration beverage. [05:42] This is $1, [05:43] and this is literally the most hydrating thing I've ever drank in my life. [05:46] Yeah, Thai coconuts are some of the best. [05:48] And it's so sweet. [05:49] So sweet! So refreshing! [05:51] And the other thing I like is that it's completely full of water. [05:53] When he pops it open, [05:54] it actually bursts because of that pressure. [05:56] Oftentimes when you open up a coconut, at least in the US, you've got like, [05:59] a half-full coconut. [06:00] The second you put the straw in, the first sip is the sort of, like, [06:02] slurping sound because there's nothing in there. [06:04] I have a lot to enjoy here. [06:05] This is phenomenal. [06:06] As we were leaving for our next spot, [06:08] I also found out the vendor will take your coconut back, [06:11] shave the meat out, and then give it back to you. [06:12] An even more insane steal! Now imagine this. [06:14] You're walking down the streets, [06:16] and the amazing smell of pork frying on the side of the street catches your nose. [06:19] Yeah, I'm going there. [06:20] Mark recommended we just get $1 worth of pork, [06:22] and he got some sticky rice for a dollar as well. [06:24] If you added vegetables to this, this would be probably $15 [06:28] in the US, and everyone would be like, "That's a good deal!" [06:31] So that's crazy. Here, you take a piece. [06:32] Thank you. [06:34] And I will eat that together with sticky rice because the combination is... [06:37] perfect. [06:39] So good. It's fatty, it's rich. [06:41] Salt level's perfect, but the seasoning on it is, like, [06:44] unbelievable. [06:45] But it's also, like, very unadulterated pork flavor. [06:47] I feel like a lot of the time with pork, you can easily mask the flavor. [06:50] Whatever they're spicing this with or marinating it with is really [06:53] highlighting the flavor of the pork. [06:54] So it's porky, it's rich, it's meaty, but it just has, [06:57] like, this intense, like, savory garlickiness that just, [06:59] like, makes you want to eat and eat and eat! [07:01] It's addictive. [07:02] I got nothing else to say. I love it. [07:03] Our next stop, I'll be honest. I was hesitant. [07:05] Dozens of tiny baby shrimp laid frozen in time in a crispy disk... [07:09] but Mark urged me to try it. And listen. [07:11] I've always said, can't knock it till you try it... [07:14] Oh, my God! [07:15] This is way better than I thought it was gonna be! [07:17] It has this condensed shrimp flavor because all the shells [07:19] and the heads are still on. [07:20] But also at the same time, it's also quite mellow. [07:22] Anyone who's had, like, a strong fermented shrimp dish, [07:24] it's not like that at all. [07:25] It's a very sweet, light, fresh shrimp taste. [07:28] I really love that vinegary-ness from that sweet chili sauce. [07:30] They call it nam jim gai. [07:31] It's actually like the classic chicken dipping sauce. [07:33] It's sweet. It's a little bit sour, not really spicy. [07:35] But there is some chili in it. [07:36] This is honestly one of the best crispy little bites I've ever had. [07:39] I could eat a hundred of these... [07:41] I probably wouldn't feel good after maybe 100, [07:43] but really, really, really incredible. [07:45] Out of all the things we've had so far, [07:46] I would come to Thailand just to seek this out. [07:47] Moving on. [07:48] I just spotted this while we were walking, and it just looks so good. [07:51] Chive rice cake. [07:52] You can smell the chives down the alley. [07:55] I love Thailand! I love you! [07:57] You can say "Aroy". [07:58] Aroy? Aroy. [07:59] Delicious. [08:00] Delicious. Ah, aroy! [08:01] The outside is so unbelievably crispy on the exterior, [08:04] but the inside is like a rice custard. [08:06] And you get little bites of the chive, which honestly isn't very strong. [08:09] It's actually very light. Phenomenal. [08:10] Moving on. [08:11] So at this point, we're pretty happy with what we've gotten. [08:13] But it got even crazier as we got deeper into the market. [08:16] We got fried chicken with a sweet and spicy sauce. [08:18] A crunchy, fragrant, balanced salad of pig skin noodles, [08:21] Thai crispy pancakes [08:22] one with egg yolk and one with river prawn. [08:24] I'm not gonna lie. [08:25] I was pretty shocked realizing how much you can get for [08:27] literally a dollar in this city. [08:29] My mind felt more deep-fried than those crispy shrimp fritters. [08:32] But now it's time for what I'd consider a legendary dessert. [08:35] We have coconut griddle cakes. [08:37] Yes. [08:38] So he pours in rice batter first, waits till that crispifies, [08:40] and then he adds on thick coconut cream on the top. [08:42] And then the toppings. The whole plate is one dollar! [08:44] Going down the hatch. [08:46] Oh, my God! What?! [08:47] This is ruining me. [08:49] This is so good. [08:50] This is one of my favorite Thai sweet snacks, [08:51] actually. [08:52] And I love how it's crispy and custardy at the same time. [08:54] Plus that blast of coconut. [08:55] I don't know what to compare this to, 'cause it's so unique. [08:57] There's not really much like this. [08:58] The outside shell is so wispy, crispy, thin, crunchy. [09:02] While the inside, like you said, has that rich, creamy coconut custard. [09:05] The sweetness... it's not really coming from sugar. [09:07] It's just coming from that natural, fragrant coconut. [09:09] Even if you don't like coconut, you're probably gonna like this. [09:12] I wish I had this near me. [09:13] I'm so pissed that I don't. Phenomenal. [09:15] Moving on. We've been blown away... [09:16] and we've only gone to India and Thailand, [09:18] but there's even crazier to come with many more countries, [09:21] plus one country I'm extremely excited to return to. [09:23] The adventure has just begun. Next up, Japan. [09:26] Tokyo and Osaka are not cheap cities, so this was hard. [09:29] But fortunately, we had a secret weapon. [09:31] Our friend Eyal, founder of Unnamed Traveler. [09:34] He led our world's best noodles video, and like he does for a living, [09:36] he found some hidden gems that saved our Japan trip. [09:39] Starting in Osaka. [09:40] This is kushikatsu. [09:41] This is the beef one. It's the OG. [09:43] When you eat it inside, [09:44] there's like a pot of sauce that you share. [09:45] We're just gonna pour the sauce over the skewer. [09:47] Fried beef skewer, $1. Cheers! [09:51] I like the addition of the sauce. [09:53] I think without the sauce, it's really, like, kind of plain. [09:55] But the crispiness—the breading is so nice. [09:57] Texturally crispy, it melts in your mouth. [09:59] It's not overly breaded. [10:00] The beef is very apparent. [10:01] It's got a good chew to it. [10:02] There's a lot of textural involvement here. [10:04] It's beefy in flavor, [10:05] but all the seasoning comes from the sauce. [10:07] The sweetness, that Worcestershire flavor, it's nice. [10:09] I like this. [10:10] This is like classic bar food, and because they're smaller here, [10:12] so people just order so many of them and you share them with friends. [10:16] I agree. [10:16] This is the type of thing where I would want to sit at a table with, [10:19] like, [10:20] 500 skewers and just hammer them one after another. [10:21] Moving on! [10:22] Next: we finally found it—wagyu katsu for exactly $1. [10:25] This price is unheard of in America, especially when you see the word wagyu. [10:29] But could this be the one that's too good to be true? [10:31] We have menchi katsu. This is sizable. [10:33] This is the size of my hand. [10:34] I have big hands, I'll let you know that. [10:36] I did not need this information. [10:38] You can see mine. They're big. [10:39] Yeah, fine. Yeah, great. [10:41] I should also mention that this is a wagyu. [10:43] This might be the one and only wagyu for a dollar that we're going to have. [10:47] Let's go in. Cheers! [10:48] Oh, it's like sweet! That was unexpected. [10:49] It's like an aftertaste of sweetness. [10:51] The crispiness is excellent. [10:52] Inside is, like, fatty. It's rich. [10:53] It melts in your mouth. [10:54] It's basically like mashed up wagyu beef. [10:56] My guess is they're taking trimmings of the fat and loose ends of [10:59] meat after they cut it up, [11:00] and they're putting it in this. [11:01] So they're making margin, but they're also charging less for it. [11:04] So you're kind of getting really good value here. [11:07] I do wish there was, like, a bit more seasoning going on with it. [11:10] It's so oily! [11:11] There's literally oil dripping down my finger. [11:12] Is this the best katsu you're gonna get? [11:14] No, this is probably very far from that. For a dollar, though... [11:16] pretty dang good! But I wouldn't go out of my way for it. [11:18] Okay, two spots for Osaka, we'll count that as a win. [11:21] But after roaming for many more hours, [11:22] it turns out we were starting to get priced above $2, [11:25] and thus we move on to Tokyo! [11:26] We did find some steals in Tokyo, like dango, rice crackers, [11:29] these cream-filled bears... pause. [11:30] But if I'm being honest, [11:31] there weren't very many standouts at that price point, [11:34] and we were running out of time here because we had to [11:36] make our flight to Seoul, South Korea. [11:37] Here I'm joined by my friend Kim for an insider tour of a market [11:40] that's mostly for locals. Kim, [11:41] can you tell us a little bit about this market in this neighborhood? [11:44] This market is Mangwon Market. [11:46] They're a really famous market in Seoul. [11:48] It's really authentic. [11:52] That was good! He said his English is bad. [11:54] Your English is very good! [11:55] My Korean is nonexistent. [11:57] Immediately—and when I say immediately, [11:59] like literally at the front entrance—we found an absurd deal! [12:02] These huge twisted donuts where we had two different kinds: an old-fashioned [12:06] one and a glutinous rice one. [12:07] It's got a stretch to it! Woo-woo! [12:10] Let's dig in. [12:11] This is the plain. [12:13] It's a wheat dough. Cheers! [12:15] It's very nice. [12:16] I like the sugar and crisp on the outside, too. [12:19] You're right. It's very much like a traditional donut. [12:21] Maybe even a little chewier. I mean, better! [12:24] Now we have the glutinous rice twist. [12:26] Whoa! Almost like a fried chicken crunch. [12:29] On the outside there's, like, these little knots and nodules of, like, [12:33] crispy rice flour. [12:34] And then the inside's so, so soft, so fluffy. [12:36] But it also has a chew. [12:38] Almost like if you were to take a donut and mochi and they had a baby. [12:42] They made love and they had a baby. [12:44] They fell in love! [12:45] I'm falling in love right now! [12:47] It's far, far, far above the average donut. [12:49] Get the rice one! That's my pick, 100%. [12:51] Moving on! [12:52] But then a stall across the way caught my eye. [12:54] I have never seen anything like this before, [12:56] so let's put it in our mouths! [12:58] This is omuk in Korea. [12:59] Or sometimes we call it odeng. [13:01] And I have really good memories. [13:03] When I was childhood, [13:04] I ate this a lot with my friends and my parents after school, [13:08] and after the hot tub, mogyoktang. [13:10] It looks like a hot tub. [13:11] The red hot tub. [13:13] Two skewers for $1, and you get a little cup of broth. [13:16] This is like a whole experience. Whoa! [13:18] It's so perfect! [13:19] The broth is a little bit sweet, a little spicy, salty, [13:21] peppery... Mm! [13:22] And the fish cake has a great texture, too. [13:24] It's like a texture of, like, tofu skin, but a little bit more tender. [13:27] This is like the filet mignon of tofu skin, [13:29] but obviously fish cake. [13:30] This is phenomenal! [13:31] One of my favorite bites so far! [13:33] And it's also very satisfying. [13:34] I'm feeling full already! [13:35] And for a dollar, you get two! [13:36] I'm eating 20 of these. [13:37] I'm gonna get in the whole hot tub now! [13:39] Now just before we were about to head off to our next spot, [13:41] Kim pointed out something that he felt was very important. [13:44] I want to introduce another snack. [13:46] I don't know if it's street food, [13:48] but we can get iced Americano for one dollar. [13:50] What? Where? [13:51] The Mega Coffee. [13:52] They have a window. That's street food! [13:54] We're doing it! We're doing the $1 Americano! [13:56] I think we can call it street food. [13:58] Yeah, I think this counts. Two thousand... [14:01] Is two thousand a dollar? [14:02] It's a little over... [14:03] Oh my god! Inflation! [14:06] I didn't expect that. [14:08] It was one dollar! [14:09] Inflation is occurring too quickly! [14:11] Slow down the inflation, please! Exactly. [14:14] All right, this doesn't count anymore, but at least it'll keep me going. [14:17] Cheers! [14:18] Cheers! [14:19] And we're back on track to our final bites in Korea: some [14:21] hefty stuffed croquettes, [14:22] both less than a dollar. [14:23] The kimchi one was fine, but could the red bean be a sleeper? [14:30] Sorry, what is your name? [14:32] Vicram. Or Vic. [14:33] Vic, I think you need to try this. [14:35] That is very good. [14:37] It's actually crazy! [14:38] The outside is soft and airy, the inside is smooth and almost creamy. [14:42] And the sweetness in the red bean is perfect. [14:44] We're getting up there. We're climbing! [14:45] We're climbing! And for a dollar, worth it. [14:47] An amazing 24 hours in Korea. [14:48] Kim, we're going to miss you! [14:50] But we have another special person waiting for us in Hanoi, [14:53] Vietnam. [14:53] And it is Sonny, from Best Ever Food Review Show. [14:56] The vendor he was waiting with was hustling. [14:58] Our first stop. We're at Xôi Mây, and this is xôi. [15:00] It's a sticky rice dish. [15:02] A little over a dollar if you get the fried egg. [15:04] So if you don't get the fried egg, it's basically $1 even. [15:07] With this dish, xôi is the base. [15:08] And then you could add a number of different toppings. [15:11] Pork floss, fried egg, pork patty, boiled peanuts, [15:14] mung bean paste. [15:15] They take the bean and they mash it. [15:17] They basically compress it. [15:18] And then for the xôi, they're shaving mung bean. [15:20] It's more like a mung brick. [15:21] Yeah, it's a brick of mung bean. [15:23] Cheers! Wow. [15:24] The rice is so perfectly cooked, it's crazy. [15:26] It's so perfectly chewy and al dente, and all the toppings go so well with it. [15:31] What's unique about this, I guess, from an American perspective, [15:33] is that this is breakfast here. [15:34] You're gonna find this before noon all over the streets of Hanoi. [15:37] It makes sense as a breakfast. You've got protein, [15:39] you got carbohydrates, got healthy fats. [15:41] You're gonna feel good after you eat this bowl of rice. [15:43] This is phenomenal! I really like this one a lot. [15:45] There have been certain places that we've gone to where a dollar is more of, [15:47] like, a little bit of a snack. Like in Japan, right? [15:49] For a dollar, you get, like, a stick of meat. [15:50] But this, I'm gonna be fueled until at least, like, [15:52] noon. [15:53] So the dollar stretches very far in Vietnam. [15:56] So far! [15:57] Moving on, we're seeing a common thread here. [15:58] Okay, we were on the way to our next spot, and what do we see? [15:59] Well, we saw a bunch of other cool things, like spotted fried bananas, [16:02] which were whole, ripe bananas, smashed, battered, [16:05] double fried, served hot. [16:06] I mean, these were fantastic! [16:07] 60 cents an order. [16:08] I mean, ridiculous. [16:09] But what about banh mi for under a dollar? [16:12] Could it actually be good at the low, low price of 80 cents? [16:16] In America, what, 15, maybe even $20? [16:18] It has beef jerky in it, it has fried potato, and it has nem. [16:21] Nem is fermented pork. [16:23] And in fact, it's never been cooked, but it kind of ferments and cures, [16:26] so you know, it won't kill you. [16:27] The end result is something that is very sweet and sour. [16:30] I'm curious what you notice as being very different from banh mi in the US, [16:34] because for me, when I look at the bread, they are very solid, thick, [16:37] doughy. But here, it's just pure crispiness. [16:40] It's perfect for holding all these ingredients, [16:42] and it kind of wraps around the ingredients perfectly. [16:44] Yeah, it's also very airy. [16:45] It's almost like it's just gonna float away. [16:47] Cheers! The Vietnamese really love sweet food. [16:50] What's really sweet is this right here. [16:52] This is the beef jerky. [16:53] If you try this alone, [16:54] you'll taste really where that sweetness is coming from. [16:57] Oh, wow! It's literally like candied beef jerky. [16:59] You don't even really taste the beef. [17:01] It is so almost blindingly sweet. [17:03] You could give this out on Halloween in Vietnam, [17:05] and kids would be very happy. [17:07] So that aside, though, love the texture of the nem. [17:09] They're still a little crispy in mine. [17:10] And they have this great, just, like, bouncy chew. [17:14] There are many banh mi in Vietnam that are a little over a dollar. [17:16] I had one yesterday, [17:17] and I actually do like this one just slightly more. [17:19] Even though the sweetness is a bit much for me, [17:21] the potato does help diffuse that sweetness. [17:23] Moving on. Banh mi feels too good to be true. [17:25] But off in the distance, I smelled something. [17:27] Something smoky. [17:28] Could something be on fire, or could it be delicious? [17:30] Charcoal grilled pork! [17:36] This is a pork skewer. [17:37] It's grilled over charcoal beautifully. [17:39] Nice little charred bits on it. [17:40] I love their setup. [17:41] I saw it yesterday, and I wanted to try it real bad. [17:44] We can edit around that, I believe. [17:48] 40 cents a skewer, so you can have two for 80. [17:50] It's kind of a deal. [17:51] You can also have this in a banh mi bread for about a dollar, [17:54] which is pretty badass. [17:58] Oh, that's good. [17:59] I love that. [17:59] Anytime you're in Hanoi, follow the smoke. [18:01] Something good is gonna be at that smoke. [18:02] People all over the streets here, they're using charcoal. [18:05] They're making meat. [18:06] And on top, you might notice inside the flavors, [18:08] there's whole spices, and there's sugar and fish sauce inside. [18:11] So it makes it super umami and a little bit sweet. [18:13] It's kind of a theme throughout the day, whether it's something for dessert or not. [18:16] They put a lot of sugar into a lot of the different meats here in Vietnam. [18:19] The sugar grants it a little extra char because the sugar generally [18:22] heats up much more quickly. [18:23] It caramelizes, and then it burns a little bit. [18:25] And a lot of people, they think, "Oh, well, [18:27] burnt food is not good." No, no, no! [18:28] That nice char, [18:29] that burnt sugar is helping carry over some of that smoke from [18:32] the charcoal into this meat. [18:33] A delicious pork skewer. [18:35] You can eat many of them, have them in a banh mi... [18:36] many options. Onto the next item. [18:38] Vietnam's dollar street food hit every box from breakfast to [18:41] on-the-go skewers to sandwiches. [18:43] But can they hit it with dessert? Apparently, [18:45] these little fried bean donuts are so popular and cheap. [18:48] Just 20 cents each. [18:49] Many vendors are copying the OG inventors, [18:51] even setting up in front of the original shop. [18:53] You know, [18:54] there's a certain level of disrespect I respect. [18:55] This is almost too much disrespect. [18:57] That said, we went to the OGs. [18:59] It was the perfect final bite in Vietnam. [19:01] That rounds it out. [19:02] Sonny, thank you so much. [19:03] Wouldn't have been able to do this without you. [19:05] We love you! Thank you, Vietnam. [19:06] We're moving on. [19:08] I wish I had more time in Vietnam, [19:10] but I'm even more excited to see what the final three countries have in store. [19:14] So we're moving on to Malaysia, [19:15] home to one of the most unique food cultures in the world. [19:19] It almost feels like multiple countries mixed into one. [19:22] So our guide, Jarvis from Best Food Malaysia, [19:24] started us off with a dish that looks so simple, [19:27] I was shocked to look up and see a Michelin Bib Gourmand sign. [19:30] The chefs pour a lightly sweetened batter made of rice flour, [19:33] egg, [19:34] coconut milk into a clay pot over charcoal. [19:35] They're essentially just moving these around at an absurd pace so that they [19:39] all cook evenly and come out on time. [19:41] It checks our price point, but does it pass the taste test? [19:44] Oh, my God! I mean, [19:45] it's like the most tender crepe pancake texture. [19:48] So fluffy, so tender. [19:49] It melts in your mouth, and the outside edges are like a lacy, [19:52] crispy crust. I mean, [19:53] it's like the filet mignon of a thin pancake in a way. [19:56] It's slightly sweet, super balanced. [19:57] Little bit of saltiness in there too. [19:59] What I love about it is this light, fragrant, just coconutty flavor. [20:02] This is great! [20:03] We also tried an egg version, also under a dollar. [20:05] This is like a perfect little breakfast taco. [20:06] oh. [20:07] It's dripping. [20:08] That's a good sign. Mm! [20:10] This is nice. It's more substantial. [20:13] How is that even possible? [20:15] We could be on a roof and there would be a moped flying by. [20:17] This one is nice if you want to have, like, a heartier breakfast, [20:20] but both are excellent. Absolutely incredible! [20:22] Moving on! [20:23] Flashback to shaved ice on the beach in India. [20:24] Can this icy Malaysian treat with coconut milk and noodles actually compete? [20:27] Shockingly, pretty good. [20:29] Although I know what locals might say. "Oh, [20:30] you gotta have the vermicelli." I was not a huge fan of the texture, [20:33] but everything else was delicious. [20:34] Not quite as good as the famous Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated Nyonya sweets. [20:38] The best was the glutinous rice dyed blue with pea flowers [20:41] topped with sweetened coconut. [20:42] I could eat about 50 of these, [20:44] but I really want to focus on the next dish. [20:46] I have never seen anything like it. [20:48] So this is putu mayong, where it's very local [20:50] food from our Indian community, where it's a rice flour, [20:53] comes with some coconut and then two kinds of brown sugar, [20:55] and then mix up everything for this one. [20:57] The rice flour is pandan-flavored. [20:59] That's why it's green. It's incredible! [21:00] I mean, they make this, like, [21:01] rice flour dough that they put into a press... [21:04] and they push it. [21:04] I even got a chance to try it, and it was a lot harder than it looked. [21:07] I thought, "Oh, I could do this easy!" [21:09] Well, I tried and I failed. [21:10] And then I failed again, and then I failed again. [21:12] And then I got one! [21:12] Yeah! Yeah! [21:13] I got one. [21:14] I was surprised. [21:15] And then they threw it away and started over, [21:17] but here it is. Cheers! [21:18] I love that. The aroma's insane. [21:20] I want a little more. Mm. [21:21] You guys love coconut. [21:22] Absolutely. [21:23] I get it. Me too. [21:24] Wow! Every bite is a little different. [21:25] It's like hitting every taste receptor. [21:27] You're getting a little bit of salty from the darker brown sugar, [21:30] sweetness from the light brown sugar, [21:32] and then just such a great fragrance from the coconut. [21:34] And you can kind of choose your own adventure. [21:36] How many calories is this? [21:38] Four, five. [21:40] It's like one of those things that tastes familiar, [21:43] but you're not going to get anything like this anywhere but here. [21:46] Before we left, we had to try these 50-cent noodles. [21:49] They were stir-fried in a massive wok. [21:51] Shockingly amazing flavor for the value. Next up, [21:53] a city that every time I visit feels like seeing a close friend [21:56] you haven't seen in a while. Mexico City! [21:58] Last time I was here, I ate over 40 tacos in 24 hours. [22:01] And let me tell you something, I didn't have a single bad bite. [22:04] Talk about not missing. [22:05] Yeah, Mexico City, they don't miss! Now, [22:07] while one $1 street food is a bit different, [22:09] I'm feeling Mexico City will impress, especially since we're back with Gaby, [22:13] the greatest food tour guide in the city, but also a close friend of mine. [22:16] And like magic, [22:17] the first bite literally came right directly to me, [22:19] which [22:20] let's do more of that! Oh God, I love Mexico City! [22:21] It's food everywhere. I can't stop eating. [22:23] They just keep bringing it to me. [22:24] Gaby's off grabbing something. [22:26] I should be clear: it's $1.20 for three churros. [22:29] She's just walking around in this random flower market just selling churros. [22:33] Delicious! [22:33] ¡Delicioso! Oh my God, dude. [22:35] This is actually [22:36] insane! They're so perfectly crisp. [22:38] The inside is so moist. It's not overcooked. [22:40] The inside is almost custardy, which is hallmark of a great churro. [22:43] But also, the seasoning on the dough is proper. [22:45] They've got sweetness. [22:46] They've got a little saltiness to amplify the flavor. [22:48] There's no acrid oil flavors. [22:49] It melts in your mouth. It's not too chewy. [22:51] It's sweet. [22:52] The only thing that would make this better is if they were hot. [22:54] And honestly, I'm not even missing it. This is crazy! [22:56] And it's on the go. That's an easy win. [22:58] Onto the next! [22:58] Later that night, we grabbed some very classic guisado. [23:01] More specifically, stewed meat tacos. Goddamn it! [23:03] He's literally throwing the food in the air and catching it with the tortilla. [23:06] He's like... [23:08] These tacos were only 65 cents each, and they're not skimpy, okay? [23:11] They're filled to the brim. Now, [23:12] the next one was a bit of an accidental find. [23:14] The biggest pastries I've ever seen in my life for only 92 cents each. [23:18] And listen, a lot of people don't know this, [23:20] but Mexico's bread and pastry game is on another level. [23:23] It's the size of my face! [23:26] They were all tasty, but they weren't my favorite of the trip. [23:28] But a nice little sweet treat. [23:29] But let's talk about the stars of the show [23:32] first, a Mexico City classic: al pastor tacos. [23:34] Only Gaby could find one worth eating that's this cheap. [23:38] Sixteen pesos per taco. [23:39] Very classic pastor, and enough meat! Like, [23:42] the amount of meat is amazing for 16 pesos. [23:45] That's the insane value. [23:46] Tortilla's this thick, meat mountain above that. [23:49] Should we just go in? God, it's an amazing taco! [23:54] You're really hitting it with the bangers today. [23:56] It's perfectly seasoned, beautifully fatty. [23:57] I hate when you get an al pastor and it's dry. [24:00] This is not. [24:00] It's unbelievably moist. It's flavorful throughout. [24:03] It's seasoned perfectly with salt. [24:04] Very, very flavorful. And then... [24:05] and that fresh pineapple is perfectly ripe, [24:07] perfectly sweet. Great texture. [24:09] I could easily eat 100 of these, no problem. [24:11] And guess what? It'd be 100 bucks. [24:12] I mean, that's a good deal. [24:14] This is a beautiful example of $1 street food. [24:17] Moving on. We are at La Rosa de Oro, The Golden Rose. [24:20] So this is a very classic taco place. [24:22] It was born in 1957, and it's very deep into the neighborhood, [24:25] which is a very old, working-class neighborhood. [24:28] We're here because of my friend Yorch. [24:29] He's a food storyteller of Mexico City. [24:32] We just wanted you to have very classic suadero with one of the [24:35] most spicy salsas in the city. [24:37] They look beautiful. [24:38] They're small, but yet they're full of meat, [24:39] which I love. [24:40] Everywhere we've gone, they're very generous about the meat. [24:42] Even if it's sub-$1. And it's spicy! [24:47] This is spicy... [24:48] I can see why it's been standing so long, since 1957. [24:51] I mean, it is absolutely [24:53] perfect. [24:54] It's got the perfect mix of different kinds of textures. [24:56] You have fatty, a little tender, a little chewy. [24:59] It's meaty, it's unctuous. [25:00] One of the most flavorful meaty tacos we've had today. [25:03] Absolutely no distracting flavors. [25:05] Just beautiful beefy flavor. [25:06] Tortillas are like soaked in beef fat. [25:08] Chewy and delicious. Phenomenal. [25:09] It's a no-notes taco. [25:11] You serve this in America and you're going to get like a Michelin Bib Gourmand. [25:14] We saved the best... for last... [25:16] Hundreds of hours of traveling and eating the greatest $1 street food in the world. [25:20] We're ending things in one of the largest countries in the world, [25:24] China. I have no idea what's in store, [25:27] but something in my heart is telling me this might be the best stop we have. [25:31] So we're starting in Shanghai. Rachel, [25:33] one of the most well-known and prolific food writers in Shanghai, [25:36] is taking us for jianbing, a massive egg and topping-filled crêpe [25:39] which usually has a crunchy wonton-type shell in there. [25:42] I've actually had this a few times and each time it's blown my mind. [25:45] But will it be even better in China? [25:47] This is the most basic version. [25:49] It totals out to about $1.10—$1.20, still in the dollar threshold. [25:53] Jianbing is typically from the north originally, [25:55] but you can find jianbing all over China. [25:58] So they put two kinds of sauces in this one. [26:00] One is like a tianmian jiang, which is made by fermented bean paste, [26:04] and a spicy sauce. [26:04] It's not too spicy at all. [26:06] It's actually a really nice sort of building warmth to it. [26:08] You had pointed out earlier, they're like, "Oh, well, [26:10] they have this more expensive one with all this [26:12] stuff and all these toppings," and I'm sure it's good. [26:13] But I think what I love about this is how good it is at being simple, [26:16] and it delivers on exactly what it should be in the sense of [26:19] it hits everything you want. [26:20] You got a multitude of textures. [26:22] You have incredible flavor. [26:23] It's kind of all you need to kick off your morning. [26:25] I love it. China's starting off strong. [26:27] Next up: scallion pancakes, made in a style I've never seen before. [26:30] Fried and then baked right in this little street cart. [26:33] It's crispy, flaky, fatty. [26:35] Easily the best scallion pancake I've ever had. [26:37] But now we leave Shanghai for Chengdu, home of what we call Sichuan-style food. [26:42] And our guide, Harry, a local food writer, [26:44] is starting us off with breakfast. But not just any breakfast. [26:47] A Sichuan-peppercorn-laced breakfast called guokui. [26:51] We have two different ones, right? [26:52] This one is the baked version—just baked. What's inside of it? [26:55] A simple brown sugar filling. [26:57] The second version, they stuff it with pork or beef. [27:00] They roll it up super, super tight. Roll it out, [27:02] and then they pan-fry it—shallow fry it till crispy and then [27:05] finish it in an oven underneath. [27:07] Yeah, correct. [27:09] Which one should we start with? Maybe the sweet one. [27:11] The pork one, because you're must savor the crunch. [27:14] That is unbelievable!! [27:15] I'm tasting fresh peppercorn. [27:16] That's the first flavor you get. [27:17] It's almost like citrusy, lemony, and then you taste that flavorful, [27:21] meaty pork. [27:22] That's the mark of the flavor. [27:23] If you cannot taste very fresh peppercorn, it means it's no good. [27:26] But what I love about the inside is, like, more tender than a croissant, [27:30] yet it has the layers of a croissant. [27:31] The outside is like super crispy, crunchy. [27:33] Almost like a really, really thin, thin cracker. [27:35] And then on the inside, it like melts in your mouth. [27:38] It's fragrant. [27:39] It is kind of better than the scallion pancake we had, [27:40] if I'm being flat-out honest. [27:42] Should we jump to the brown sugar? [27:44] Oh, my God!! Completely different. [27:45] This one's more like a bread. [27:46] The density of this is almost like the texture of, [27:48] like, a steamed bun. But the brown sugar itself, [27:50] it's not like any normal brown sugar that you might be used to. [27:53] The brown sugar isn't just crunchy granules. [27:55] It's been liquefied in the baking process. [27:57] So it's like literally flowing throughout this. [27:59] So as you take a bite, [28:00] you have a liquid-state essentially brown sugar—sugar syrup. [28:03] This is like very molassesy, very rich, very dark. [28:05] Super flavorful. [28:06] It almost has like a little bit of an umami from it. [28:09] Unbelievable!! [28:10] One of my favorite bites on the trip so far. [28:11] Onto the next. [28:12] So we're walking down the street to our next location. [28:14] We found this. Typically, with a buffet, [28:16] you pay one fee and then you eat as much as you can until you leave this buffet. [28:19] Your entry-level fee: $2. [28:21] I wish that that fit our $1 rule, [28:23] because we would beat out every other place anyway. [28:25] Pretty incredible. [28:26] That just goes to show how far the dollar stretches here in Chengdu, [28:30] China. Onto the next... [28:31] But hang on! [28:32] I did find out that if you are under the age of four, [28:35] like my son, or over the age of 85, this buffet is half-price. [28:38] So it does become all-you-can-eat for $1. [28:40] That really boggles my mind. [28:42] I can't think of anywhere on Earth that has this kind of value. [28:44] Certainly not back home for me. Now, [28:46] our final stop is unlike anything I've ever seen in my entire life. [28:50] I don't just mean the food. [28:51] I mean the situation, the environment, how we found the food. [28:55] This isn't a restaurant. [28:56] This isn't something you're gonna find on Yelp. [28:58] This is a random security guard outside of a normal old apartment complex [29:03] making some of the greatest noodle and dumpling dishes I've ever had. [29:07] And this is probably only one example of maybe hundreds or thousands [29:10] across the country of China. It blows my mind. [29:12] We started with dumplings. [29:14] Rich, crisp, seasoned perfectly. [29:16] Next up, chaoshou. [29:17] Similar to the dumplings, but much lighter, [29:20] floating in a super fragrant, spicy, Sichuan-peppercorn-scented broth. [29:23] And finally, the beef noodles. [29:26] Unbelievably tender, fatty beef. [29:28] Again, perfectly seasoned, a little spicy, [29:31] and just unbelievably fragrant. [29:33] I understand that this item is just slightly over a dollar, [29:37] but the story of this place blew my mind! [29:39] This place is a perfect example of what this video is all about. [29:43] Sometimes the greatest food in the world is in the most unexpected places. [29:47] So I want to give a little peer behind the curtain for who made this possible. [29:51] I want to say thank you to Eyal, travel expert, legend. [29:53] He was the one who guided us around the world to find these places in random, [29:57] remote parts of Asia. [29:58] This is not any easy task. [29:59] I appreciate it, man. [30:00] It was such a wonderful experience, [30:02] and I encourage you to do the same as much as you can. [30:04] Respect the people that host you when you travel, [30:06] and you're going to learn and experience amazing, [30:08] amazing things. [30:09] So he does this type of stuff privately for people, [30:10] and we were lucky enough to have him help us do this entire thing. [30:13] He also wants other people to experience this. [30:14] So, this is something you care about. [30:15] He's made guides that are similar to what we've done today [30:17] that you can go and follow, you can go and find. [30:19] If you want to find them, the links in the description for that. [30:21] But I have one last thing to say. [30:23] We flew around the entire circumference of the Earth to film this one video. [30:27] I'd be lying if I said this was easy. [30:29] Having to leave family at a time of need, [30:31] sleepless nights on the road for weeks on end, [30:33] rushing and barely making planes, trains, taxis. [30:35] And yet, [30:36] bringing this trip to a close was not easy. [30:38] Yes, the food was world-class, but this told a much greater story to me. [30:41] It wasn't the insane value of the food we ate that blew me away, [30:45] it was the hospitality we received. [30:47] I had my own nerves and concerns about seeing this many random people I've [30:51] never met in places I've never, never been. [30:52] And they accepted us with open arms. [30:55] Every single person, whether they were on camera or not, [30:58] sat down with us, ate with us. [30:59] And it reminded me that everyone across the world, [31:02] no matter how different the cultures happen to be, [31:04] are human beings that are just like us. They work hard, [31:07] they search to find something delicious to eat and maybe cook a little bit too. [31:10] We walked away with something I would call priceless.