Highlights:

- A Korean blowfish specialist restaurant in Gwangju. The experienced and proud master cook with "the license to cut" took excellent care of myself and two local friends and dished out fantastic courses from blowfish sashimi to a tasty fish stew.

- Dinner with an artist friend and his lovely Pakistani wife at Balli, a Turkish quality grill house in Berlin. Interesting Meze and a shared mixed grill for us male carnivores and Falafel for the vegetarian lady. Great early December evening

- Family brunch at Peach Valley Cafe in Ormond Beach, FL. Everything we ordered was really tasty, Reuben with onion rings, fried chicken, burgers and some brekkie dishes...Catches the idea of an upscale American diner perfectly, as far as I can tell.

Disappointments:

- No really bad experiences this year, probably learned to be more cautious...Airport dining regardless of country remains rather uninspiring. Be it Asian noodles at PVG, abalone congee at GMP or a Philly steak sandwich at DTW, the outcome is more or less mediocre on a steady basis.