October 14, 2018 – Eat

WHERE TO?                  THE SENSES.

 Eat!

One of the great pleasures in life is to eat and drink.

One of the great joys in traveling is eating the local cuisines. Some are similar to home while others seem to be from another world.

Eating is an essential part of the day. By trying the local food, we see into the daily life of the people. For instance, some places serve a big breakfast, while in others, lunch is the big meal of the day. Even the first cup of coffee varies from place to place.

Some diets are heavy on seafood. Others on meat and many rely on fruits and vegetables.

Even within the same country, foods can differ by region. Don’t believe me? Try a chicken fried steak in a local café in Michigan. Then try one in a mom and pop in Texas. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but I’m pretty sure they will have different tastes.

The same is true in most countries. The food in the North is different than the food in the South. The west? Different.

In France, a Bordelaise meal is different than one featuring a Nicoise entrée. Should you try one over the other? NO! Try both.

In Eat Pray Love, she spends most of her time in Rome. Not that the Romana food is terrible. It is delicious. But what about trying the Bolognaise, Milanese and Neapolitan cuisine?

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Stop and Taste.

So it is important to taste your destination. You can find American restaurants on just about every continent. Why would you travel around the world to sample something you can eat around the corner?

Part of immersion as a traveler is not only tasting the local cuisine but knowing what/where to find it.

Where do you get prosciutto ham? If you said Italy, you get one point. Where in Italy do you go to get the prosciutto? Ahh. If you do not know where to go, you will not arrive there.

You can find it many places but to go to the source, you need to visit Parma.

As if that’s not enough, you are also in the motherland of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, (Parmigiano). And you are at ground zero for real balsamic vinegar.

I could sit all night eating strips of prosciutto and shavings of Parmigiano with a sprinkling of balsamic. Craning my neck like a baby bird as the strips of heaven go into my mouth. (I caught my reflection in the mirror, not pretty.). And what better way to compliment the “snack,” than with local Lambrusco wine. I “love” to “eat” in Parma and “pray” to do it again soon.

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Stop and Shop.

A stop on any traveler’s list should be the city market. What better way to come face to face with everyday local life.

Watch the cooks inspect the produce like a rare diamond. Watch the sellers moving into position. A dance of sorts is getting ready to take place. The people watching is more than worth the price of admission (which is free.) Supersize your outing by tasting the local items while you are there. Many markets have small bars or cafes making dishes on the spot. Create a personal progressive meal purchasing a piece of that and trying one of those. Buy some fruit or cheese and see what fresh means.

And you must try the local wine, beer or spirits. Also on your to-do list is sample the local coffee or tea. Maybe the local drink is a hot chocolate that’s more like a pudding than a beverage. Please tell me you are not missing these experiences by racing to a bus or train. You’re missing a corner piece of the puzzle if you do.

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Stop and Smell. Then Eat.

So next time you travel, do a little homework before departing. If I want an authentic local taste of the destination, what do I need to sample?

Do I taste meat, seafood, or bread?  Should you seek out the best macaroon or pork tenderloin? Do they offer something I have never read about? Is it the only place in the world that carries this item?

Don’t you want to taste duck in Peking, cheese in Camembert, tomato sauce in Bologna, or meatballs in Sweden? Do you have any idea what real Greek yogurt and honey can do to your taste buds?

Or worse, you’re eating food from other countries rather than the country where you are dining. If you want to eat a taco, go to Mexico, not Italy. If you want Thai food, don’t look for it along Paris’s Champs-Élysées. Eat what the locals eat.

I confess, if I am away from home, after about two weeks, I crave a hamburger and get one. One time, not daily.

Don’t be like my guest who was complaining about having to eat Chinese food two days in a row. Where? In China.

Get off the bus. Smell the coffee, taste the sauce, sample the wine, really savor the destination.

Find out what you have been missing.

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“See Greece” Continued on Page T8                              “Italian Beer “ Continued on T14