Like most people, I have been through ups and downs in my life. I have had different challenges and difficult circumstances but I try to be grateful each day, thankful for the bounty that life offers. Eating well and laughing each day, whether at home or traveling, is a reflection of the gratitude I feel.
This includes the basics, and food is certainly one of those. And I truly love the food experience, whether sit-down dining or tasty treats on the run. As most of us associate the food of our childhood with warm thoughts of mother and home, so too is food intimately connected to travel and how we experience new places we visit.
When home, I cook hearty and healthy food for my children, family and friends. And when I’m traveling I like to have the same. Exploring a new place must include enjoying the food and dining options that place offers. Wherever my adventures take me, food is a major feature of the trip.
Because food so often involves all our senses, great dining experiences can plant powerful memories in our heads and hearts. Later on, after we have returned home, eating the food allows us to re-experience and remember our wonderful experiences in those places. It’s almost like we can take a return trip just by sitting down to a meal.
Just as the food we grew up with is part of who we are, the food that local people eat in other places reflects their way of life and community. To experience the food is to better know the people. All the better when we eat with them.
This makes for more memorable meals and sometimes lifelong friends. But it is often how we also find the best and most authentic food.
This makes for more memorable meals and sometimes lifelong friends. But it is often how we also find the best and most authentic food. And, since the locals are usually on an ‘everyday budget’, it’s a good way to discover best inexpensive yet delicious options. Which is also true for all the many other fun and exciting activities a new destination offers.
Some of the best memories I have came from unplanned and unexpected activities. Sometimes I stumbled across these by taking a wrong turn or wandering around during a bit of free time. Often these experiences happened because I took a few minutes to speak with a local or befriended another traveler who had been in the place longer than I had.
There is a lot of great information online (Mondo AJ is one great travel blog!) but the local people are usually a treasure trove of useful and unique information. So, smile and say “hi!”. And enjoy the other resources here.
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