SEPTEMBER MONTHLY CHALLENGE
The Harvest and the Food — the Finale
The editors announce their favorite reads
I tell you one thing. You all made me hungry this month. Even though there were some unique food experiences shared in the monthly writing challenge, most of the articles written were about delicious meals brightened up with tasty images.
We were more than happy about the load of submissions we received this month. There were a few on the topic of harvest and most of the articles were written about food. To pick one favorite read wasn’t easy at all and not everyone managed to only mention one.
But read yourself, here are our winners:
Adrienne Beaumont
How am I going to pick my favourite stories out of all the wonderful submissions? I decided to try an unusual strategy — which stories did I remember without having to reread them? This one was the one that stands out in my mind. “ You make picture, I smoke” still makes me smile. Thanks, Jasmine Ann Smith.
Another one that stands out in my memory is Susan Nanfeldt’s oyster story. I love oysters!
The descriptions of Dr. Preeti Singh eating some fruit she bought at the Granville Island fruit mall made me go searching for fruit! I only found a banana!
If I ever get to Charlotte, North Carolina, I will be looking for Michael DeFranceschi’s Day and Night Cereal Bar! How weird!
JoAnn Ryan
I can’t believe how fast this month zipped by! I feel like we just started this challenge and it’s already over. 😔😭 Food stories are some of my favorite stories to read so I’m a little sad, but with the close of one fun challenge comes another… and October is going to be a booo…. I mean a hooooot!
Always difficult to pick just one. I loved reading about oyster tasting, baking in rural Africa, searching for Tim Ho Wan and sippin’ Port in Porto. And I always enjoy reading stories by Osan Fernando, Kim Baker, Araci Almeida, Janin Lyndovsky and Dr. Preeti Singh.
Two runner-up stories:
- This wonderfully written story by Vincent Van Patten: “A Golden Morning In Tel Aviv, In Search of the Perfect Bite”.
- This delightfully fun story by Michael DeFranceschi: “North Carolina — The Bar Which Will Bring Back Cheerful Childhood Memories”
However, my overall favorite was a heart-warming story by Nella DiCarlo about delicious sounding food, family gardens and a wine-making father. I seriously felt transported into another world, and I loved that! Thanks Nella!
And a big thank you to everyone for all the great food stories!
Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages
As a fairly new editor for Globetrotters, I’m still getting used to having to make such hard decisions when it comes to choosing my favourite stories. I really can’t say enough about what a joy it is to read so many fascinating stories. First, they are about traveling, and I can’t get enough of travel stories, but second, this month they are all about food. I really do LOVE food!
After reading so many great entries, and feeling like I already knew what my favorites were, a late entry surprise came in yesterday that really shifted my decision.
Marianne O writes I Love the Food Because it is Already a Part of Me. She talks of a trip with her dad to visit where he came from in China. During her travels the food she ate reminded her of the food that became a part of her as she was raised.
I love the food because it reminds me of my parents, my origin, and sweet moments with my family. The food and the taste have become my identity, and that is why I love them.
Maybe this story pulled at my heartstrings as I am currently traveling in Bulgaria, and my mom’s heritage is Romanian. Of course, there are numerous similar foods that the neighboring countries share, and quite often when we eat a certain dish here, I can’t help but be transported back to my grandmother's kitchen as a child. The way Marianne so eloquently translates how the food that she knows and loved as a child, has now become a part of who she is, really struck a chord with me.
Of course, because of my Romanian heritage, I also really loved Jasmine Ann Smith’s article about her time spent in Transylvania. In her article, Eating My Way Through Transylvania, she humorously takes us on an eating journey through traditional Romanian villages. Again, I felt like I was transported back to my grandmother's home so many years ago. Plus, the descriptions of her tour guide had me laughing out loud!
Finding it hard to decide between Tim Ward’s cocktail bars in Norway, Sam Millichap’s delightful gingerbread in Poland, and Michael DeFranceschi’s crazy cereal restaurant, I finally decided that Scott-Ryan Abt’s story of The Best Thing I Have Ever Eaten While Travelling takes third place for me.
First of all, I have been to Santorini. Second of all, I have eaten many ‘salads’ in Greece. They are all simply and utterly amazing! I love how he describes it:
Tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, red onions, red pepper, a liberal sprinkling of lemon juice and a pinch of ground oregano are all well and good. But it all amounts to very little without a slab of feta cheese the size of a roof tile hovering on top, such that you get a bite of it with every forkful. Let’s not kid ourselves here.
Thank you for transporting me back to Greece with this delightful tale, both through your culinary delights and the way you brought Santorini alive on paper (well, screen, but you know what I mean!).
Anne Bonfert
I love this month’s submissions a lot. There was a variety of foods being displayed and even some harvesting stories in between as well. We got to read about fish eyeballs, oysters, and traditional gingerbread houses in the making.
I got inspired to be more mindful when eating out and trying to let the flavors come out when devouring a delicious meal abroad. Also, I’d like to find the best cocktail bars in Norway.
Of course, it wasn’t easy but I had to pick a story.
It’s the language Vincent Van Patten got me with. His descriptions of finding the perfect bite in Tel Aviv were so compelling, I felt like I walked with him through the streets of the city and was smiling in the end.
“There it is, the open cafe, a beacon of hope for two hungry, sun-torched travelers. We ordered the jachnun, still unaware of what it really was — “and, uh, can you please give us the perfect bite?”
The conversations he had with locals and the way he got his “perfect bite” are my perfect representation of what traveling for food is about. He really dove into the culture and got his authentic, traditional meal.
Another story I’d like to highlight comes from a different background. I say that because the title got me excited already. Some of you may know, my roots are in the Romanian region of Transylvania and when I saw Jasmine Ann Smith's article, I had to click on it.
Her descriptions of the conversations with their tour guide, the food they got served, and the welcoming hosts they stayed with are quite entertaining I must admit.
“Joe asked him, through Kinga, how he brewed the palinka. He laughed and pointed at the giant soup pots, then mimed pipes that would attach and were now stashed away somewhere.”
For me, there were a lot of memories coming up with the foods she mentioned, since both my mom and my grandma make the same meals. Plus I do love to see other travelers visiting this other home of mine. I was smiling throughout the post.
And there is one last one I’d like to mention. It’s not just about food but about harvesting self-grown vegetables and fruits. Janin Lyndovsky talks about her upbringing and experiences with growing her own food.
“Our meals were always adjusted to the season. Instead of sending us to the supermarket to buy something, my mum sent us to the garden to collect the ingredients she needed for cooking.”
Her story reminded me a lot of my own upbringing and the way we ate the fruits and vegetables of the season. Something I am very thankful for.
Once again, we thank each and every writer who has contributed to this writing prompt. We loved reading ourselves through culinary experiences around the world. You made us hungry with your words and images.
If you missed the deadline and still want to share one or two foodie experiences, I recommend you check out our editor Jillian‘s publication “Sharing Food”. She’s happy to host your stories.
I also encourage you to stay tuned for our next writing prompt for the month of October. We will announce it here on Globetrotters on the 1st.
The team of editors also has contributed to the challenge with the following articles. These posts never join the contest.
Adrienne Beaumont with “Food, Glorious Food”
JoAnn Ryan with “A Celebration of Food on Globetrotters”
Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages with “Growing Food Is In My Blood”, “Every House Has a Grape Vine In Bulgaria” and “Bulgaria Played a Vital Role In Bringing Yogurt To The World”
Anne Bonfert with “Harvesting Your Own Food is Part of My Culture” and “A Culinary Experience in South Tyrol”
And now please give credits to all participating writers and do give a read to these awesome submissions if you haven’t checked them out yet:
Vincent Van Patten with “A Golden Morning In Tel Aviv, In Search of the Perfect Bite”
Osan Fernando with “Strawberry And Mulberry-Filled Stories” and “9 Awesome Bites Of Fukuoka Captured By My Lens”
Kim Baker with “The Pleasures and Terrors of International Dining”
Susan Nanfeldt with “Tripe, Tendons, and Organ Meat” and “The Oysters of Mali Ston”
Melissa Morris with “Cooking With No Electricity”
Valerie Delzer with “Fish Eyeballs in Taiwan”
Jit Yih with “Fishing for Food: The Delicious Food of Italy”
CatHERine with “Mooncake for Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration”
Shelley Rohm with “Sippin’ Port in Porto and the Douro Valley” and “Portuguese Cuisine”
Nishan Fuard with “Searching for Tim Ho Wan”
Jasmine Ann Smith with “Eating My Way through Transylvania”
Nella DiCarlo with “Grapevines & Olive Groves of an Italian Village”
Daniel Carlson | Meandering Naturist with “7 Life Lessons I Learned in a Restaurant in France”
Scott-Ryan Abt with “The Best Thing I Have Ever Eaten While Travelling”
KL Simmons with “An Unlikely Love Affair That Still Excites Me Wherever I Go”
Tim Ward with “Norway’s Best Cocktail Bars”
Araci Almeida with “Portuguese Pot Food — A Thing of the Poor or Rich With Strange Palates?”
Sam Millichap with “Sweet and Spicy Aromas of a Polish Gingerbread Workshop”
Dr. Preeti Singh with “When I Visited The Fruit Mall On Granville Island I Celebrated”
Michael DeFranceschi with “North Carolina — The Bar Which Will Bring Back Cheerful Childhood Memories”
Janin Lyndovsky with “Organic Was All I Knew”
Maja Savic with “The Best Truffles I Ever Tasted”
Marianne O with “I Love the Food Because it is Already a Part of Me”