There is no doubt I am happiest when I am eating. I love food. Food is life. It enriches the soul. I plan my next meal while I am eating the current one.
All my travels around the world are remembered through the food experiences I have. It is one of the many reason’s I am so jealous of Anthony Bourdain, I know from reading his essays that his life is not as glamorous as it appears, but I would like to opportunity to find out!
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I am lucky to have nearly every culture’s food at my fingertips. Not only that, but also so many organic options as well. During any given week I can eat truly authentic Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Turkish and Indian food as well as dim sum which I am especially thankful to have access to.
As I think back to some of the most memorable food experiences I have had, it is hard for me to pick a favorite. Some of the highlights are:
- My mother’s fried plantains that she learned to make while we were living in Panama. She would get them fresh, cut them into thick slices, and then soak them in ice water. Then she would fry them, transfer to a dish and salt them. Warm, just off the plate, they were salty, meaty, crunchy and chewy.
- One of the first meals my now-husband made for me when we first started dating. I was sick and he made me scrambled eggs that were mind-blowing. Juicy, succulent. Made with a lot of attention in a soup pot (instead of a frying pan) with butter. It requires constant stirring and supervision with the end result being pure heaven, especially when you are sick. Nothing beats it (except maybe KFC!)
- Ahi tuna salad with wasabi and black sesame seeds from the Big Sur River Inn restaurant in Big Sur, California. A delicate tasting salad that is tangy and spicy, you just have to be careful of the sesame seeds in the teeth!
- Yogurt sorbet with a drizzle of fresh strawberry sauce – a dessert culminating a fantastic meal at a restaurant in Barcelona. The sorbet was so light tasting, with a sour/cheesy undertone that was extremely good.
- My ex-mother-in-law’s Khai luk koei – “Son-in-Law’s Eggs”. This is a Thai dish with hard-boiled eggs that are fried with sugar, fish sauce and tamarind, yummy. And with a funny title too to remind son-in-laws to treat daughters right or their “eggs” may be served up next!
- My Grandparent’s soupish. This is Portuguese comfort food. Beef brisket cooked a very long time with pickling spices and tomato sauce then served over French bread with fresh mint. I love it, whenever I visited my grandparents they would make it for my family. And now that my Grandmother has passed away, I only have the memories.
- Moules frites in Paris or Brussels. This is mussels cooked in a dutch oven with butter, white wine, and garlic – there are other kinds, but this is the classic. With a dish of french fries served on the side.
- Spaghetti vongole in Rome. My husband and I had been walking aimlessly for hours when we ducked into a cafe off the beaten path and had a very simple lunch of spaghetti in clam sauce. The sauce was just lightly scented with clam, the pasta cooked perfectly with just a touch of parsley, simple. We tried this dish 3 other times in different restaurants in the hopes of re-capturing the flavor but were never able to.
- Cappuccinos in Venice. Venice is not well known for its food and I didn’t have any over-the-top memorable meals, but the cappuccino is awesome. The best coffee I ever had.
- My mom’s creamed-tuna-over-toast. Whenever my Dad would go on a business trip, my sister and I would beg for either waffles (which I love) or creamed-tuna-over-toast. This dish was just too much like mess-hall food for my dad – tuna in flour-thickened milk with black pepper over toast.
Best of all, I do not have to travel at all to partake in many of my other favorites which my wonderful and talented husband has made for me over the years: beef bourginon or beef stroganauf; rabbit stew with potatoes, carrots and thyme; shrimp and asparagus risotto, paella and crepes. How lucky can a girl get?
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The fried plantains are the best! In the Dominican Republic, they would fry both the green and ripened ones, but the green are by far the best. They would slice them up, fry them in oil, then mash them, then fry them again. Served hot with salt or even ketchup, with eggs on the side . . . it was heaven.
Andi – if you ever need a traveling partner (ha! we’re complete strangers!) it is my dream to become Tony Bourdain. I even used to smoke! But Food and Traveling are my dreams. I will get there someday. I just don’t know how I can justify to my family – “oh yeah, spring break (I’m a thirty-something returned to school) in Thailand?” by myself??? even I manage to talk sense into myself sometimes. I need to slooooow it down – good things are still yet to come in my life.
hzqr7j jduufmfoynyf, [url=http://lmpxmlhxedgk.com/]lmpxmlhxedgk[/url], [link=http://tjqwpqgsezmt.com/]tjqwpqgsezmt[/link], http://cqqanddzqpbk.com/