Read previewAs I tucked into a bowl of wisp-thin Thai rice noodles studded with bok choy and sprinkled with fried garlic, all I could do was wax poetic about Buffalo wings. My favorite basket always came from a local dive bar in Western New York, 15 miles from Niagara Falls. I missed reliable transportation, manageable bugs, the change of seasons, my friends and family, and the Great Lakes comfort food I'd been pining for. I even realized that my definition of comfort food had changed. AdvertisementWhen I left for Thailand almost a decade ago, I imagined that I'd be going back to my "real life" after six months.

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Persons: —, bok choy, Chang, Garth Brooks, Reuben, Koh Samui, I'd, who's, Uber, Costa Rica Elizabeth Lavis, gallo pinto Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Western New York, Niagara Falls, Thailand, Buffalo, Gulf, Thai, Laos, Costa Rica, Coast, Linzano, Bangkok