Why is it that, without fail, when I go into the supermarket to pick up one item, I leave with more than the one thing I went in for? And without fail, when I do this, I neglect to pick up a basket when I arrive. And it’s usually oddly shaped items. It would be simple if it were boxes that would be easy to carry. Yes, I am the one who continues to shop while her arms are overflowing. I am the one juggling an arm load of things that may or may not fall to the ground and break into a million pieces. Glass jars and bottles, don’t you know it, I am talking to you.
Category Archives: food
Translation Trouble
This has the potential to take a lot of the fun out of traveling!
Isn’t a big part of the fun not knowing?!
What about the time in Brussels where I ordered fondue and out came mozzarella sticks?!
Isn’t part of traveling trying things you don’t know?
I spent the good part of an hour at a cheese counter in a supermarket in Switzerland just trying different cheeses I had never heard of before. The person behind the counter even got a kick out of it.
Would you ever try centolla? Or are you afraid of the name? Because it’s actually crab legs. And I had them in Argentina. And they were yummy.
Of course there are times when this back fires. There was a trip to Italy. We were in a town called Greve in Chianti. The restaurant was full of locals and if there were any other tourists, they blended in just fine. The boyfriend decided to try the daily special. The daily special was an array of meat, meat so fresh, the plate had an overwhelming smell of wet dog. But to the restaurant, they were so proud. And to not insult, my boyfriend ate the better part of the plate. Every bite was chased by a gulp of water and a sip of wine. But he ate.
I should say my gnocchi, the other house specialty, was delicious and required no such chasers.
WHY would you eat THERE?
There’s an A, B, C, D, F rating system for NYC restaurants. Thankfully, my regular lunch stops all received A’s. I’ve yet to see a D or an F.
And, even with that A rating, I’ve still had issues. But even that place still got an A from the Board of Health. The question is, why would someone knowingly eat at a C, or worse?!
Sushi Slumber
Are the boyfriend and I the only ones who suffer from sushi sleep, as we call it?
Sushi at dinnertime causes the weirdest dreams.
I wish I could write them down because they would make for great stories.
Anyone want to share theirs? I’ve been in a car that doesn’t stop, I’ve been shot at, I’ve been flying…like Superman, I’ve been snorkeling, I’ve been on endless goose chases, I’ve met famous people…I can’t remember them all, but seriously…this is the stuff sci-fi movies are made of. Maybe?
WHY? Inedible Eats
When you eat a meal, why is it always during the last few bites you find a hair? Or uncooked meat?
Or is it just me? Without fail, I’ll be eating a sandwich, and find a hair…that’s not mine. A trip to McDonald’s and I ordered a four piece nuggets…and the fourth nugget was raw. That was the last time I ate McD’s…and that was over two years ago. BANNED.
I should explain. I also famously ban places. I was at a local bar for dinner. four plates come out, three plates are fine. The fourth plate, has a screw in the sandwich. Sure, it probably fell from the heating lamp while waiting to be served but that’s careless. BANNED.
Brought to you by WHY? Wednesday.
Editors note: I was informed by a loyal reader that I did, in fact, have McDonald’s in a moment of shame, and starvation…in January 2011. All five of my readers, please accept my apologies. Don’t hate me.
Best Breakfast … another kind
So my post about best hotel breakfast got me thinking. I prefer staying in bed and breakfasts to get the local feel of a place, and to really interact with locals. There are so many memorable places I have stayed, and I think that a place can make a trip. Even if a place sucks, it’s going to give you a good story, of which I have plenty.
I have encountered such amazing hospitality at bed and breakfasts on my travels, and it’s really hard to say which breakfast beat others. Not for the taste, or the portions, but because you are getting a taste of cultures, and how can you really compare those experiences.
However, one experience that stands out was in Monteverde, Costa Rica. This couple had a farm and on this farm they had built a few cabins for guests to stay in. Because it was the rainy season, as noted by our experience with tropical storm Alma, we were the only ones staying there at the time.
At breakfast, we were invited into their home. Their beautiful kitchen was connected to the living room where their two children played. We were served such a local breakfast. The coffee was from the beans on their land, the eggs were from their neighbor’s chicken, the fruit was grown on their land and the milk was from their cow, who was due to give birth any day.
Our hosts: the husband spoke no English and the wife spoke very good English
Their children: the toddler spoke Spanish and the baby said ‘mama’
Us: my boyfriend speaks a few words of Spanish and mine is decent – my grammar backwards is – but I can get by with a pretty solid knowledge of vocabulary and hand motions where my vocab is weak.
We were all able to communicate over breakfast and the baby crawled right over to my boyfriend and held her hands up to be held.
These are the kinds of experiences I love. It’s so much more than about the food.
Guac, Margs & Sunny Skies
Here we are, the fifth of May, also known as Cinco de Mayo!
I’m already craving guacamole and margaritas…but in a twist of cultures, I am going out for Ethiopian food for dinner tonight.
Speaking of the fifth of MAY…yes, we are in May. What is with this weather? All week I have been rotating between my lighter winter coat and a jean jacket. Can we just agree to get the temps up to break out of this cold and dreary weather?
I have winter clothes and I have summer clothes. Creating outfits to fit this in between weather is driving me nuts. Please let’s break out the summer dresses and flops already!
Olé!
As an addendum I had lunch in an Irish pub…quesadillas. Today is turning into quite the ethnic food day!
Another addendum: post-dinner at the Ethiopian restaurant, beers at a German restaurant…I have been in quite a few places around the world today and avoided airport security lines all day long!
Best Breakfast?
This morning on Facebook, Independent Traveler asked their fans ‘What’s the best hotel breakfast you’ve ever had?’
Everyone has one, but of course there’s a story how I found one of the best hotel breakfasts ever.
Now, I normally don’t choose to stay in proper hotels when I travel, as I much prefer the authentic feel of a bed and breakfast and staying with a local family, which I planned for during a trip to Costa Rica in May/June 2008. For the most part we stayed local, but thanks to Tropical Storm Alma things got changed up a bit.
“This is the first time a tropical storm has hit the Pacific coast in this location in 120 years,” said José Joaquín Aguero, an IMN meteorologist. “The last time this happened was around 1887.”
OF COURSE 1887 was the last time this happened. Obviously our hearts went out to the people above all. It was incredible to see how they dealt with the devastation. I remember seeing women walking out of their homes while carrying children on their shoulders. Not to mention that they were wading in water that was easily up to their waists. We only saw this from the road, which was maybe 50 feet away, but I remember that we were both very emotional watching this from the sidelines.
We had been headed down the Pacific coast to Manuel Antonio from Monteverde. We had to stop for the night in Playa Hermosa (a beach town) because the rain was so hard and it was dark. In the morning we continued, but only got as far as Parrita. We were told we couldn’t go any further because the water on the road (yes, one way in, one way out, wouldn’t recede for four DAYS.) Alma was fierce and we saw the waves as we stood on the beach (probably not the smartest thing we have ever done) to prove it.
While out for drinks in Playa Hermosa, at a bar on the beach, I remember the lights going out and the bands equipment shorting out. We were basically in a bar on the beach (it was on the water but other than a roof there was no protection) so we could feel the rain since it was coming in sideways and easily see the lightening right over the ocean. Instead of sending us home, the staff put candles on the tables, the band decided to sing acoustically and we ordered another round.
The next morning we needed to make a change of plans, and quickly, as the water was getting out of control. We met an ex-pat American who rearranged our itinerary for our last few days. He directed us to another part of the country, closer to San Jose, but still far enough outside that we felt like we were still in the countryside. We also had to make a few calls because we were going to be dropping off our rental car in Manuel Antonio to fly back to San Jose for our connecting international flight. Getting a refund proved to be a bit of a challenge because it was a non-refundable airline ticket, but being that we couldn’t physically drive to Manuel Antonio due to the road closures, it would be impossible to get on the flight. Also needed to reroute our rental so that we could return it in San Jose.
Anyway, through the kindness of this ex-pat American who gave us ideas for where we could spend the next few days, we were able to visit the surrounding towns outside of San Jose which were lovely. In addition to the excellent hospitality we had already received, we had the opportunity to stay on a coffee plantation and we were able to enjoy Alajuela, a less touristy Costa Rica.
We decided to stay in San Jose on our last night, which without this storm, wasn’t on our itinerary. We decided to live it up our last night in a lovely boutique hotel, complete with cocktails and a dip in the roofdeck hot tubs. (If you know me, you know this is not the way I travel!)
Dinner our last night we cabbed to a local restaurant keeping with my passion to keep it local, but breakfast the following morning, in the hotel, our last in Costa Rica was probably the best HOTEL breakfast ever.
I point the hotel distinction out because I have enjoyed many amazing breakfasts when staying at bed and breakfasts and I wouldn’t be able to pick the best. The best part of those is being able to share with local families and really experience the local flavor, both literally and figuratively. More on that in another post.
Thanks to the season, we had juice and smoothies, made from Costa Rica’s finest fruits. Fruits I never heard of, or tasted before, and we had a field day trying them all! I don’t remember the rest of the breakfast but those juices were the best.
What was your favorite hotel breakfast?
Tasty Treats
I didn’t go crazy…but I had a few sips of Coke and Sprite, a half of a slice of Swiss and some chips yesterday.
The chips were presented with dip and Lent ended so I was all approved.
Oh potato chips, how I have missed you. But only in moderation.
I DID IT!!!
Yes, I did it! I may have increased my consumption of Better Cheddars and Cheez Its but I did it!
- No potato chips, not even Baked Lays. I did have Sun Chips, but those were not potato…
- No cheese as a stand alone item. This was the hardest habit to break.
- And with the exception of one hangover (ginger ale), and one soda drink at a wedding (vodka and Sprite), I did not have soda.
Am going to stick to this. Not so rigidly, but I think this is a better, and healthier, way to eat.
simply three cents 