Exploring the World Through Your Taste Buds
Getting to know a culture with food.
I love food (maybe a little too much if 2022 is anything to go by). Food is a delicious snapshot into another world, celebrating not only the exceptional but the everyday.
Eating is a universal pleasure, a glue that binds people and communities, in a fragile and conflict-ridden world. The satisfaction from a delectable mouthful of food transcends the spoken language and is understood by all.
This is why I believe you should explore the world with your taste buds:
Breaking Boundaries
Indulging in another country’s cuisine is a deep experience. No matter how mundane it may seem on the surface.
You are vulnerable. Willing to go with the flow to engage with a country and its people on a meaningful level. Your status as a foreigner erodes with each bite, every morsel transforming you from an uncertain traveller to one of them. No longer a complete outsider.
This is what I find beautiful about food, it brings people together through a shared appreciation. The “breaking of bread” between friends and foes alike. A chance for a traveller to connect with people.
I felt this the most in Vietnam. The more local the eatery, the more friendly and welcoming the hosts. It was a lot of fun figuring out how to eat Ốc (the snails pictured above) with the help of the staff and customers.
All Walks of Life
Food highlights the diversity of a country’s social structure. Where a collection of ingredients can be composed to create art, regardless of your social standing.
A glorious meal is just as likely to be served from a humble hut in the middle of nowhere, as it is to be served from a Michelin-star restaurant. It is a celebration of humanity’s ability to innovate with what they have, and our tendency to make something truly great in the process.
During my travels, I have experienced dishes fit for royalty, as well as dishes created under extreme hardships; and I have enjoyed them all. Food to me isn’t just a tasty meal, but a way to tell your people’s story.
Food Tells a Story
Every dish has a story, one that exposes the very nature of a culture.
Take a look at any dish found throughout the world and pay close attention to the ingredients, the way it was prepared, who is eating it and how it is eaten. From this, you will gain a great insight into a culture just from their food.
You will get an idea of their landscape and what ingredients are at hand, an understanding of their social hierarchy and their past interactions with other cultures.
Cuisines shift and change with the people that created them. A journey that sees a culture’s cuisine evolve both internally and externally, or be buried under the weight of time.
The Vietnamese Banh Mi is a great example of this. It tells the story of the fusion between East and West. The bread, mayo and pate are distinctively French, with the filling being Vietnamese/Chinese. Just from this sandwich, you can understand this country’s recent history.
Food is Powerful
Food elevates you. A massage for all five senses. You hear and feel the cracking of bread, you smell the aromatic use of spices and herbs, and you admire the sight of the food presented in front of you. This is all before you even take your first bite.
Food is powerful. Able to transport you to memories, no matter how strained and distant those memories may be. Allowing you to relive those moments with vibrant clarity.
What is your favourite cuisine?
Enough of me babbling on about food. What is your favourite cuisine from around the world? I think mine is Indian.
Thanks for reading!
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