The book journals the social, climactic, geographical and even political reasons behind why, we eat what we do.

Travelling through, Vietnam, Pho, Cambodia, Laos, Yunnan and finally Tibet, Walker tastes some of the most intriguing cuisine in the world.
I grimaced as he described dining on a pulsating heart of a cobra and laughed as he asked, ‘Is it me, or did that thing just pulsate?’.

His description makes for stomach churning reading, however, one persons description can only go so far. Especially in a genre that crosses two topics, food and travel, which rely so heavily on sight.

There are absolutely no pictures in the book at all and although it seems strange to criticise such a trivial thing, in this genre it is essential. It’s the pictures that get you salivating when it comes to food and travel and without any Against the Flow leaves you feeling a little unsatisfied. At times, I felt like I was locked on the wrong side of a cake shop, starving and left to watch someone else devour a pile of pastries!

But Walker has taken an epic journey and although he makes light of it the danger he faced, for the sake of food, earns him some kudos.

His descriptive writing makes up for the lack of imagery and it’s easy to tell your dealing with someone who is deeply passionate about food.

Fascinating gems come at times like his explanation of ‘liquid gold’ - a prize fish sauce from Phu Quoc, costing 45,000 vwd per litre. And Walker’s personality certainly injects fresh energy into the travel journal.

His passion for cooking drips from the pages, yet, as so much of food is anticipation, I can’t help but feel the overall taste is a little dry.