5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Whether you've feasted your way through the markets of Kuala Lumpur, slurped down a hot bowl of pho in Hanoi or merely been meaning to try the Thai place down the road, Dale Talde wants you and his favorite flavors from Southeast Asia to become better acquainted.

Talde is the executive chef of the soon-to-open TALDE, former chef at Buddakan and contestant on "Top Chef: Chicago" and "Top Chef All-Stars."

Five Southeast Asian Dishes You Have to Know: Dale Talde
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• It's Fry Day, Fry Day! Deep-fried salsa and bubblegum are among the newest additions to the Texas State Fair. - Pegasus News

• A very stormy binge. - Devil & Egg

• Don't read if you're eating lunch: A cannibal in Russia has confessed to killing a man and turning him into sausages and meatballs. - Daily Mail

• A mac 'n cheese patty melt? Oh yes, Denny's did. - Eater

• Are you ready for some pig skin?! - Washington Post

• Blogger confidential: Brown rice salad and the trouble with trolls. - Gluten-Free Girl

Molly Birnbaum is the author of "Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way". She was awarded the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship for Arts and Culture from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2008 and blogs at My Madeleine.

I had never really tried to walk with crutches before, let alone cook while resting on them. But one morning in late October 2005, two months after the car accident that left me with a broken pelvis, fractured skull, and a busted knee, I entered the kitchen one wood-clipped step at a time.

I decided to bake because baking seemed to rely on measurement rather than improvisation, and butter cookies seemed a simple enough choice. I decided to add chocolate, to see if I could taste it. And a pinch of cayenne because at least that I knew I’d be able to feel. Before the accident, I had been training to be a chef and was only months away from my starting date at the Culinary Institute of America, but the kitchen felt strange and unfamiliar in that first crutch-bound day. I didn’t know how to operate without my sense of smell.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

You can take this snack on the run, baby - August 31 is National Trail Mix Day.

Even if you're not setting off on a grand adventure today, trail mix is still a great snack to munch on wherever you go - but it gets even better if you're plunging into a hike.
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Consider the daily Coffee Klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic.
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