The southern Oregon town of Ashland has acquired an international reputation for its Shakespeare Festival. This charming college town (Southern Oregon College) has tree-lined streets shading beautifully restored Victorian and Tudor homes. Along with the Shakespearean theme, we were inspired to stop into the Black Sheep to sample the beers and the English Trifle, a bit of cake laced with raspberry and topped with sherry-soaked fruit and custard. I can see that I'm entering a new phase in this vacation -- the food era! After starting out in Death Valley, Sequoia, Yosemite, etc., I'm making up for camping food deprivation by seeking out tasty delights of local cuisine.

Of all of the great restaurants we have recently sampled, the Stinking Onion in San Francisco is truly memorable. However, I think the Thai Pepper restaurant in Ashland takes the top award for the absolutely BEST MEAL I've had on this trip. We lost track of time and fell into the Thai Pepper around 9pm one evening. Although there were few remaining customers out on the patio, the hostess graciously showed us to a table by a flowing stream. The menu is extensive and has a list of Thai dishes that exceeds anything I've seen in other Thai restaurants. In particular, the Beef Panang and fried noodle with shrimp sounded delicious. As we waited for our food, I saw a young couple spooning great quantities of food into their mouths -- no conversation, no eye contact -- total eating concentration. I was somewhat amused until I sampled the dishes brought to our table. The food was intensely flavored, spicy and tender with morsels of beef disintegrating in our mouths. Incredible!

John's Impressions
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