Lately I have definitely been doing more wondering that wandering. Though my passport is gathering dust, my mind is always preparing for the next journey. I spin the globe in my mind and plan my someday adventures. Usually I’m influenced by something I read – be it an article, a recipe, or one of the many books stacked by my bedside.
No matter the destination, my first interest is always in the local food culture. What is my destination known for – exotic fruits, spices, bounties of the sea or land, home cuisine, or haute cuisine? What are the markets like? What are the national dishes? How can I learn more? Then, of course, when can I leave?
Here’s this week’s list of places I plan to explore and what triggered the recent wondering…
Columbia: from reading Márquez (see yesterday’s post), and the recent travels of a Latin Lover
Morocco: because of a discussion with my sister and an article I read in Saveur about Marrakech
Malaysia/Singapore: found an old email from a chef from Kuala Lumpur that I met over the summer; and was telling a friend about the fascinating history of Singapore’s food culture – made me crave real street food
Andalusia: from studying Sherry (see last week’s post)
Portugal: from studying Port
the Caribbean: This past Sunday’s NY Times Travel section
Italy (again and again): because I miss my father and my friends
Australia: inspired by wanting to do some (fun) business there, visit my alma mater, and because it’s about to be summer in the Southern Hemisphere
Southeast Asia: for more reasons than I can possibly list including my long-lost friend Ian and that I keep remembering that I keep forgetting to write back to Lindsay in Korea
the Philippines (again and again, too): because my friends are there, a friend from there is here, and because I’m craving bud bud after seeing “this” on Serious Eats today (have written about it enough that it has its very own category in this blog!)
And to think, this is only scratching the surface! I’m going to need a generous sponsor and a few lifetimes to cover even a fraction of the territory. In the meantime, I’ll attempt to satisfy my inner gypsy with trips to the library, the bookstore, and the local markets.
What are some of your fantasy wanderings?