There aren’t many things I miss about Thailand, but I still read the news every day to see what’s happening. The current political crisis is a worry, but there’s enough comment on that from people actually living in Bangkok. I feel as if I’ve almost washed Thailand out of my hair. I’m happy to have a fresh start and something new to sink my teeth into. However, what I would like to sink my teeth into in Dili is some decent food.

The restaurant scene in Dili is dire. I eat most of my meals at the local warungs. The food is simple and it usually tastes reasonable. The hardcore local joints charge about $1 or $1.50 for a plate of food. I get as much satisfaction eating at these places as I do eating at the more-expensive restaurants.

Moving up the scale there are restaurants serving Chinese and Indonesian food for about $3 to $4 a plate. These places are like buffets where you have a little bit of everything and they are probably my favorite restaurants in Dili. Starco is one that springs to mind and Terrace Café is also decent.

At the far end of the scale there are the expat restaurants. Sushi, burgers, pizza, kebabs, whatever you want: you can find it in Dili. Unfortunately the food at these eateries is average at best. I haven’t been impressed by any of Dili’s expat restaurants. It’s not that they’re expensive because the food is cheaper than at many of the restaurants I ate at in Phuket, but there’s nothing that really excites the palate.

I miss Thailand for its food, for all the hidden-away spots I used to eat at, for all the street vendors, for all the restaurants. I didn’t expect the food in Timor to be exceptional, but living in Thailand I became rather spoiled in terms of what I ate. Food was exciting, much like it was during my recent trip to Ainaro. Those people sure know how to eat.

Other than that everything is OK.