UNLOCK YOUR FOODIE; TAG’s tips for travel no.46
We’ve all gotta eat. Why not eat well? While traveling means the occasional airport meal or roadside hot dog, it does not have to mean living off of non-perishables. However you like to eat, traveling is an excellent excuse to UNLOCK YOUR FOODIE.
My definition of a “foodie” would begin like this: a foodie is someone who is intentional about the holistic appreciation of sensual experiences that emphasize taste. In short, food to a foodie isn’t about one thing. It’s about flavor, yes, but it’s also about timing, texture, styling, presentation and atmosphere.
Food is also a great way to learn about a place’s history and culture. In “Make Time to Cook” (no.33) we remembered that making food on vacay can be a fabulous experience best served often. We don’t have to make food to enjoy it, though. Our inner foodie can enjoy food experiences without lifting a finger.
If money is an object for you, no worries! Unlocking your foodie doesn’t require going to the most expensive restaurants. In fact, until you know what type of foodie you are, I’d try eating a little more conservatively when it comes to cost.
If I had to label my foodie-ism, I would call myself a “seated” or “sensual” foodie. This is because I fall in with the host of folks who literally like to eat sitting down. I love the atmosphere surrounding food. I savor my bites and take my time. If I peruse a local shop for vittles I want to eat it sitting at a charming outdoor patio table, on a parkbench overlooking a gorgeous greenspace or in my cozy home-stay. Unless it’s an emergency, spending money on mobile food is just not my bread and butter. Because I know this I can save my money and plan my time for seated treats and meals.
I also have known people who prefer to eat often and whenever food is available (the “street foodie”), people who like their large plates full with value (the “more foodie”), people who seek food that is small, imaginative and fancy (the “critical foodie”), people who eat only the foods they know (the “choosy foodie”) and people who delight in trying strange foods and combinations (the “eclectic foodie”).
What kind of foodie are you? Most of us are not a single variety of foodie, but are instead a fusion of all types in varying degrees. Maybe your primary foodie flavor isn’t here! I’m sure there are foodie flavors I have missed. Whatever your flavor, we get to travel safe in the knowledge our foodie is welcome, even appreciated in travel and in life.
It’s easy to fall into food routines when one day simply follows the next in our weekly meal planning. In travel, we can choose to free our foodie and allow it to take us on a multilayer, memorable ride. What a satisfying ride it will be!
Big Love & Happy Travels,
Brett Jenae, The Anxious Girl