Food Around the World
Today is Thanksgiving in the US, but here in Germany it’s just Thursday. While it is a holiday to celebrate being thankful for all the good things in your life and a time to be with friends and family, the food is also a big deal. This year Andy and I are having a German friend over to make a mini Thanksgiving dinner. We probably wouldn’t have bothered, but when our friend asked me how to make stuffing because he wanted to try a Thanksgiving dinner himself, I decided we should just do something at our apartment. But it also got me thinking about all the great (and not so great) food I’ve eaten around the world while traveling, and how big a role food plays in our memories of holidays and travels.
Cuy (guinea pig) in Quito, Ecuador
Two years ago when I signed up for a Spanish class in Quito for a week, I knew I had to try cuy. Sure, it sounds weird to eat a guinea pig, and my best friend even had one as a pet when we were younger. But it’s something Ecuador is known for, and I couldn’t say no. The tiny bones made it difficult to get much meat off of it, and three of us split one. And you know what? It tasted like chicken.
Ambuyat in Brunei
Brunei is well known for having great food, and my friend Amanda and I certainly ate well during our short stay there. I had some amazing sweet and sour chicken, and even fish and chips. But the one dish they’re known for that didn’t appeal to us was ambuyat. It’s this thick, gooey, almost tasteless stuff served with all kinds of other sides. There’s no sugar coating this one, it was disgusting.
Brussels – so much good food!
We only spent three days in Brussels, but I felt like I ate enough for a week. And it was all so good! There’s a reason Belgium is so famous for its fries, waffles, beer and chocolate.
Bali cooking class
I love the idea of taking cooking classes when I travel, but I don’t always have the opportunity. While in Bali, we found a restaurant that had space available in their class, and signed up. Nearly everything we made was delicious, and we left feeling completely full from eating way too much.
Gili Islands – food by the ocean
Sometimes a meal doesn’t have to be spectacular to be delicious, and having a relaxing view of the ocean goes a long way towards making that meal wonderful. The food we ate in the Gili Islands was simple but really good, and you just can’t beat the atmosphere.
Pizza in Auckland
When I was in Auckland, I somehow managed to book a hostel across the street from the most amazing pizza outside of New York City. This was New York style pizza that truly lived up to its claim. It was so delicious I ended up eating there for almost every meal. I liked Auckland a lot, but that pizza is reason enough to return. If you visit Auckland, be sure to check out Sal’s Pizza on K Road, you won’t be disappointed.
Food isn’t the only reason to travel, and there’s a lot more to the Thanksgiving holiday than eating. But food certainly does make travel and the holidays a lot more enjoyable. And since food ties heavily to memories, it makes sense that we make a big deal about food.
Americans, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving today. For everyone else, happy Thursday!
November 22, 2012 @ 2:56 PM
Eeek the Ambuyat looks like eatin jelly fish or something and I’m already freaked out enough by jelly substances. But I bet the cooking class in Bali was incredible! Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22, 2012 @ 3:35 PM
You are correct on both, disgusting ambuyat and great cooking class. I am glad I tried the ambuyat though, even if it was nasty. Thanks Alex, Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
November 22, 2012 @ 4:23 PM
I’ll definetly stay away from Brunei. I like the French Fries from Belgium. I read somewhere that Fries were invented in Belgium, so not sure how come they call them French Fries.
November 23, 2012 @ 11:56 AM
Brunei actually had wonderful food, but ambuyat is something traditional so we tried it. I’m not sure about the “French” fries thing either, but don’t call them French in Belgium!
November 22, 2012 @ 9:05 PM
Happy Thanksgiving to you! I never was much of an adventurous eater. My dad totally was, but I would play of my mom who is probably the pickiest eater alive. I’ve since shaken that and love to try food around the world.
November 23, 2012 @ 11:57 AM
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, I hope yours was a good one in Italy. I can be picky about food too, but I’m usually more adventurous about it when I travel.
November 23, 2012 @ 2:34 AM
There’s some really good food in the pictures of this post Ali. Like Germany we in Australia don’t have a Thanksgiving Day either. Instead I try and give thanks on a daily basis for all things big and small. I give thanks to you for sharing so much of yourself through you blogs and for being such a delightful person to interactive with. I also give thanks for the wisdom that you’ve shared with us that you have gained through your travels and I give thanks for you being so real with us about how life being an expat isn’t always sweetness and light. In short, I just give thanks 🙂
November 23, 2012 @ 12:03 PM
You are so kind Matthew! You totally made my day with this comment! Thank you for reading both of my blogs and for leaving me so many wonderful, thoughtful comments. It’s so great to know people like you enjoy hearing what I have to say. No matter what it is I’m writing about, I like to think I’m helping someone. I’m really thankful to have such great readers following along with my stories. Thanks!
November 23, 2012 @ 8:11 AM
I must agree, that ambuyat looks really discusting:/ Like some kind of sticky glue.
“But food certainly does make travel and the holidays a lot more enjoyable.”
>>> I couldn’t agree more! It’s always a lifter when you have something good to eat and (to me, at least) always a downer when a meal isn’t what you’d expected it to be or if you just can’t find anything you feel like. Still being hungry after just having had a meal is a horrible thing…
(You got me thinking about pizza now. Mmmmmm, pizza :-))
Oh and happy thanksgiving!:-)
November 23, 2012 @ 12:09 PM
Thanks Sofie! Food can really be a great part about traveling, and it’s such a big part of the culture. I’m still thinking about that pizza too! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
November 24, 2012 @ 3:38 AM
Food is really one of the high points of any traveller. To sample the local food, the variety available around the world is just amazing. Have you had Indian food anytime?
November 24, 2012 @ 2:09 PM
I have had Indian food, but only a few times. It’s been years though, and I’d love to try it again. But here in Germany, there isn’t much spicy food even when it’s supposed to be spicy, so I don’t have high hopes for good Indian food here. There’s a place in a food court that has a sign in front of it that says “Don’t worry, not spicy!” Ugh.
November 24, 2012 @ 4:07 PM
You need to come to India to have a taste of the spices, I am sure you would love them 🙂
November 25, 2012 @ 2:09 PM
Hopefully someday!
November 25, 2012 @ 4:24 PM
Never read food posts when hungry. Never read food posts when hungry…
November 25, 2012 @ 10:23 PM
Ha! Definitely not a good idea!
November 28, 2012 @ 9:24 AM
I could definitely go for some Belgian frites and beer right now… although it is probably way too early in the morning!
November 28, 2012 @ 2:20 PM
Thanks Phillip! It’s 5:00 somewhere!
December 7, 2012 @ 1:07 AM
I love food travel. Some of the food items here look absolutely fascinating. After 18 years of vegetarianism, most of them are unsuitable for me however. Food travel as a vegetarian is quite a different experience at times!
December 8, 2012 @ 3:51 PM
Thanks Jamie! I’m sure it is different traveling as a vegetarian! Some parts of the world don’t understand the concept of not eating meat, while others find it quite normal. Either way, food is a fun and important part of the travel experience!
December 13, 2012 @ 2:55 PM
It definitely is. With vegetarianism you just have to be a bit more creative at times (or less so when it comes to being limited to a bowl of plain rice). Sometimes I regret that I can’t try more of the diverse and fascinating foods from around the world due to my self-imposed restrictions. If it was a matter of survival however, I would eat anything. I’ve never got that desperate yet (but here’s to hoping)!
December 14, 2012 @ 4:55 PM
I hope you don’t get into a survival situation either!