eating-jason-300x225-4132886When Jason and I first met 10 years ago he was working in the restaurant service industry (yes, that’s a fancy way of saying he was a waiter) and knew lots about food. I had always enjoyed going out for dinner and during our courtship we spent plenty of time in some of the best restaurants in Vancouver. We still go out regularly now but we have also honed our cooking skills to a point where we can stay in and eat just as well.

We love eating. We love going out to eat. We love cooking. We love fancy food. We love simple food. We like trying new food. We like old favorites. We like local food. We like exotic food. We love food.

And so one of the highlights of thinking about traveling around the world is thinking about all the different food that we will be enjoying. From local specialties to exotic new fare, we are game to try all different kinds of new food, although I’m hoping that nothing unappetizing crosses our plates that we will be forced to eat out of politeness!

Here’s a sampling of what we’re expecting:

  • Peru’s specialty is cuy. Yes, it’s guinea pig, but how bad could it be?
  • Chilean food is what I would expect: empanadas, beef and chicken stews and some barbeque. 
  • Argentina is steak country! And red wine country! And tango! What a trio!
  • Germany is where J’s mom is from so we are familiar with her schnitzel, rouladen and German cookies. We’re looking forward to all of this and, of course, the wurst!
  • Turkish fare seems similar to that we found in Greece when we visited in 2004. One of the highlights of that trip was the food so we are really looking forward to eating in Turkey!
  • We love Indian food!! J worked in a modern Indian restaurant in Vancouver and so has had some of the best. We can’t wait to try authentic Indian cuisine in it’s many forms.
  • Thai food just seems so universally pleasing.  I have not yet had any Thai food that I haven’t liked, nor have I met anyone who doesn’t like Thai food.
  • In Laos, the cuisine seems to be a mix of Thai, Vietnamese and French influences. It will be interesting to see the regional differences and similarities of the countries of Southeast Asia.
  • Vietnam is the land of pho. I’ve heard it can be difficult to think of eating pho for breakfast in the suffocating heat but today, when it’s -7C here in Victoria, it sounds lovely!
  • Nasi Goreng is very popular in Indonesia. I love this fried rice dish and can only imagine how much better it will be in it’s home country.
  • I love sushi! Japan is the home of sushi, but I wonder if we will be able to afford it or if we will be eating primarily from vending machines. I’ve heard, though, that yakatori bars in the back streets of Tokyo can be much fun.

To continue enjoying all this great food, we also hope to take various cooking classes as we travel so that we can bring some of the secrets home with us. Of course, it’s impossible to summarize the food of a country in one line – there are inumerable regional influences that will come into play. You can bet though, that much of what you’ll be reading here in the next year or so will be about the food we are eating and how much we are enjoying it!