Vegetarians, on the other hand, should make for organic-heavy Healthy Spice, whose rice noodle bowls are a perennial hit, or Wishing Well, whose macrobiotic meals can frequently be accompanied by a tarot reading.

BBC: Saturday at Bangkok��s Chatuchak market

With a menu built mainly around the traditional soft, fluffy bao, a staple of real-deal Chinese cooking, BaoHaus does the most it can with what, at first glance, seem to be modest goals: sandwiches, but with a twist, rice and noodle bowls, and in-house made drinks.

FORBES: Bombastic BaoHaus: A Hypeman's Sandwich Shop Worth the Hype

The final stop, in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), includes chef-led cooking classes and a street-food tour -- and boundless opportunities for trying snacks such as banh mi (sandwiches), pho (spicy noodle soup), goi du du (green papaya salad) and banh xeo (rice pancakes with pork and shrimp).

CNN: Exotic culinary tours around the world