Do you remember when you had your last exceptional
and unforgettable meal during foreign travels? I surely do.
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| Photo: Jann Segal |
Local food and beverages are among the things
we all look forward to enjoying when we travel to a foreign country. In Turkey
one year I was quite taken by the pomegranate salad oil, which for me became a
life changing experience I had to write about. Then there was the unexpectedly delightful
risotto and mushroom sauce I experienced in Milan. When I classify a meal as
life changing, that means I loved it so much, I had to go home and cook it! And
now, thanks to an olive oil farm I visited in Israel, I know how to shop for
higher quality olive oil to enhance my cooking. After my visit ot Vietnam one
year, my food walking tour was such an eye opener in terms of both food and
locale that I would normally never have experienced, I now always take a food
walking tour in foreign cities. Food in all its unique varieties is truly the heart
and soul of every culture. Other foods (in particular, spices) of which I have
fond memories, are spicy fresh paprika from Croatia, fresh pepper from Southern
India, which is along the Spice Route, and of course spices in Istanbul at the
Grand Bazaar.
Food can be so much more than a meal. When
traveling and experiencing new cultures, if can feed the human spirit, lift the
world-weary traveler’s soul just enough to make it to the next destination, enhance
new friendships forged through travel, and heighten a traveler’s awareness of
new possibilities that go beyond the travel experience. In under- developed countries,
the food purchased and served even in a restaurant, can elevate those whose livelihoods
depend on the income.
