Food Quiz
Okay, here’s a question for you. Which meal would you prefer?
- A) Spanish Paella of squid and rice
- B) Hungarian Chicken Paprika
- C) A Croatian Brodet, it’s a thick fish soup, with fresh bread
- D) A Greek souvlaki wrapped in pita bread and tzatziki sauce
Where and What You Eat
Impossible to decide, I know. Hi, I’m Donnie Jennings and when I am not traveling somewhere to eat something special I live in Canterbury, England, just near Dover and a short swim to France. Not likely! The reason I asked that question is because I have eaten all of the above while I have been traveling. But here’s the thing. Where you eat makes a difference in the taste. I can hear your “Bollocks!” exclamation about that statement, but it’s true.
Would your souvlaki taste better sitting on the island of Mykonos, overlooking the Aegean or in a Greek café in Brighton? Oh, so you thought about it and agree with me now. Good! And that’s the whole point of my last 18 months of traipsing around the world. I have this overwhelming urge to taste the traditional dishes of every country, if possible.
I believe that food and atmosphere go together. No, not the air we breathe type of atmosphere, but the ‘where’ of eating. The ambience, understand? If I asked you to remember the last time you ate a paella, it’s doubtful you would remember the occasion. If you ate a paella in Pamplona, sitting on a balcony watching foolish young men being chased by confused bulls, you would never forget that moment. The smell of a paella in a London restaurant will bring that running of the bulls memory back very quickly.
I ate my chicken paprika in a small restaurant overlooking the Danube. The river, the castle on the opposite bank, the Freedom Statue all in my view as I ate. Unforgettable, right? The Croatian fish soup was sitting in my bowl on a small table in a restaurant in Pula overlooking the Adriatic. These are travel and food memories burnt into the brain. I’m looking forward to my coming trip to SE Asia, starting with China for a couple of weeks, then Vietnam and Thailand. Hopefully, I can fit in trips to Cambodia and Laos as I understand the food there is distinctly different to the more popular tourist countries.
You’ll have to pardon the blog name using ‘fat’. I’m not actually fat, although this continued lifestyle might work its magic on me ultimately. There are times, though when I am backpacking and don’t really sit down to big meals, or even consistent meals, and I look positively waif-like. J My life consists of working out a travel itinerary then checking with the office, (I write for a travel magazine). I fly economy class to my next destination, camping in hostels or on the side of the road, or on a beach, and finding a WiFi connection that enables me to send my stories. I wouldn’t be dead for quids!