Hungry for Travel? Take a Trip to Your Kitchen!

Some say travel is eye opening… I like to say it is mouth opening!

Travel has been my passion ever since my first trip out of the country during my sophomore year of college. It flipped my world upside down to see the world’s history in person, practice my language skills outside of the classroom, and try foods I had never encountered before. After those 10 days I knew my adventuring around the world had only just begun.

“Breaking bread” goes back to the earliest of days and is a way of welcoming and sharing cultures and tradition. It’s why I think it’s important that whenever you visit somewhere new, you try the local cuisine. You can learn a lot about the history of a town or its people through their traditional dishes. Perhaps tradition is rooted in ingredients that were only accessible when the dish was first created centuries ago, or specialties that evolved over time as the world became more connected, but a lot can be told about a country or city’s history through food.

Therefore, with travel at a standstill these past months, I have definitely felt like there is something missing from my life.  Not being able to experience other cultures firsthand left a bit of a void, and I was struggling trying to figure out how to fill it. So, like most others this year, I turned to food. And bite after bite, I realized that I was exploring the world from my kitchen! Through my plate, I’ve even been able to “visit” places I have never been to before!

So, my fellow kitchen travelers, where has your plate taken you this year?

Where do you want to go next? Before, you could be inspired by a specialty in a local market, now I invite you to be inspired by venturing into a new aisle in the grocery store! It doesn’t have to be a whole new recipe – you could try a chocolate from another country, a new type of cheese, or a spice you’ve never heard of before. Why not even try a different shape of pasta!?

I encourage you to try something new.

I hope you feel encouraged to explore the world within your kitchen! If you are interested in a new recipe, I’d suggest starting with Greek Spanakopita or Spanish Tapas!