This has been a pretty busy week. No complaints at all, I sometimes just feel like I have been in this planet for a short time, other times I am just sugar high. I know, this may sound weird, but anyhow…let's go over some of the best and most interesting posts in the food blogosphere!

#1: From Australia and New Zealand

In My Kitchen tells the tales about how the first three month of living in Australia have been. How about the unusual "dragon fruit?" Have you ever heard of such a thing? A prickly pear maybe? Head over to her site to learn about the most adventurous adventures in the South Pacific.

#2: From Panama and Canada

Chef Elena writes about "Raza: un restaurante Latino en Montreal." A very interesting review of Raza, a restaurant in Montreal that bears an enviable Latin flair. It seems to me that they have lost somehow their compass rose. How could one of the best exponents of the Latin American cuisine, experimental and beautiful, be located in a non-Latin country? Puzzling.

#3: From Congo

Elia, a Spaniard living abroad, writes about the "mangosteen," a fruit that has captivated her attention. Originally from Indonesia and Malaysia, but apparently it is available all over the Congo.

#4: From China

Hungry for some Chinese empanadas? How about celebrating the Chinese New Year, with an entertaining crack-you-up contest to prepare dumplings? All of the contestants were foreigners, …just take a look of what happened. The photo sequence is so great, that actually there is no need to read the post!!! Well, almost :) Thank you Chengdu, Mi Pueblo for the report!

#5: From Austria

The Flying Apple writes an ode celebrating her childhood memoirs from Austria. This is just a tiny bit of it:

"…the large variety of sweet dishes which are an essential part of our culinary heritage, mostly with Bohemian roots. (Bohemia was one of the large countries belonging to the former Austrian Empire.) And we do not talk about coffee/tea time or any desserts this time, but a phenomenon which might sound very odd to many of you: there are many sweet warm dishes which were and up to a certain extent are still eaten as MAIN dishes."

Visit her blog to continue reading this truly heart-warming post and a step by step recipe to prepare "Topfenpalatschinken" – Pancakes filled with curd and served with Vanilla Sauce.

I am sure you too have many childhood memories involving delicious food, and they walk with you every day, right? How about blogging about them? We are eager to learn about them. Come on, do not be shy :)

#6: From Argentina

Katy, the pomelo lover from Pomelo Pleasures, sets the record straight and cooks up some Dulce de Leche from scratch. She is the living proof that not only people from Argentina can prepare this delicacy. Katy was raised in Vashon Island, Washington, and now she is living in Argentina with her Fiance. She is the author of the only food blog known based in the province of Corrientes, Argentina.

#7: From the World

TasteEverything.org presents the 2006 Independent Food Festival and Awards:

"Today's traditional food media is mostly geared to expose those experiences who have hired the best public relations firm. This is not to say that traditional media don't talk about great food. They do. But there is a new and independent voice when it comes to what makes for a wonderful food experience – the food writers and bloggers of the Internet. These people dedicate their free time to tirelessly telling the world about their personal food experiences. And today, they honor a small sampling of the best of what the food world has to offer."

There are so many awards this year they are being announced over five days, starting tomorrow Monday March 7. Stay tuned and visit the 2006 Independent Food Festival and Awards home page for more information.

#8: From Small Farms. Tana Butler says it all.

A few weeks ago, there was a big flap brouhaha causing some ripples in the international community of food bloggers. Two, actually. The first was when Food and Wine magazine columnist Pete Wells, wrote an article, "In the Belly of the Blog," ostensibly about food blogs.

I say "ostensibly" because three of the so-called blogs he cited are not actually blogs at all. Saute Wednesday, the Food Section, and Regina Schrambling's ramblings, aka Gastropoda, are more information clearinghouses. This is not a criticism, but merely reality. Wikipedia defines a blog thusly: "A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order." It also says: "Blogs use a conversational style of documentation. Often blogs focus on a particular ‘area of interest,’ such as Washington, D.C.'s political goings-on. Some blogs discuss personal experiences."

Continue reading this post about controversial food blogging dilemmas and others by visiting Tana's blog.

#9: From South Africa:

From Cape Town, Kitsch'n'Zinc presents an interesting class on South African Cuisine: "So, where exactly is this South African cuisine?" Hesitant a bit? Well, let's fix it then. Head over to Brian's blog to learn why.

Have a fantastic week! See you soon…