Eating around the world…

switz
2001: Locarno, Switzerland

O and I always talk about how lucky we are to have traveled the world.  We laugh because one of the first questions I asked him was if he had a passport.  I told him, he was going to need one immediately!  Sure enough a few months later we were in Locarno, Switzerland.

It’s been nonstop ever since.  For our 10th wedding anniversary I got us a push pin map so that we could track our travels.

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Red pins: Past adventures White pins: Soon to explore

It’s amazing to see how many places we’ve been, but more so how many we haven’t.  The world is so vast and I find it incredible how many places we have ‘yet to explore’ when I stop to think about it.

Our family started cruising when I was about 7 years old.  I like cruising, but not because of the buffets and the cheesy cruise ship entertainment, but because I am truly disconnected from work.  I ‘could’ connect to the internet, but at $5 a minute?  NO thanks!  I completely disconnect from my trusty iPhone and being at sea allows me to truly relax.  Relaxation is something I have a hard time doing ‘on land’.

For me, seeing different countries involves more than going to the iconic landmarks and tourist spots.  I always start my research by finding where the best places are to eat local food.  In doing this, I get to meet local people and truly immerse myself in the culture.  I love eating.  O really loves eating.  I usually organize my own food tour that is centered around trying the best food in the area.  I tend to get a little crazy with research (by now you know I like planning), so sometimes it takes me months to finally nail down the tour, but once I do, the reward is in our bellies.  So I wrote today’s post with the intent to share only a few of my favorite foods we have eaten along the way. (and perhaps make you hungry)  Happy eating everyone! Feel free to share some of your favorite foods and leave a comment below.

 

Note: Yes, that helium balloon was eatable at Alinea in Chicago.  That was by far one of the most amazing dining experiences I ever had. Maybe it deserves its very own food blog one day!