In This Small Kitchen: Will Travel for Food

Posted by Cara - September 20th 2013

By the time you read this, I’ll have been traveling in France for a week, eating my way through Paris and Provence. I’ll have photos soon; in the meantime, follow along on instagram and behold the above shot from a previous vacation-a sampler platter of Northern Thai food we devoured in Chiang Mai.

When I travel, I’m definitely motivated by meals. I’ll plot a day’s walk in order to hit a particular restaurant, bakery, or market. The Chiang Mai lunch, for example, took place at a restaurant we walked sort of out of our way for, plotting and re-plotting the mark on a map that didn’t quite reflect the actual layout of the city.

On our meandering way, we passed through markets, temples, side streets, university campuses, and residential areas. You could say we went for the food but got to observe plenty of life in the process.

So while food is a big part of any trip for me, I also use it as a tool for getting to know a city. Brisket is the reason I’ve been to East Austin,babka provided motivation for a bike ride to Midwood, Brooklyn, and the need for a taste ofpollo a la brasa inspired quite a trek around Lima, Peru.

Anyway, while you sit in suspense, awaiting my France trip eating rundown, I’m curious-what’s your take on food and travel?

P.S. What I ate in Morocco andPeru

Posted in: In This Small Kitchen

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  • Ginet

    I base my travel plans on food.. like, I’ll probably never go to London again b/c the food is rather blah to me. I’m headed to Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket) next month. Excited to eat eat eat!

    • http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/ BGSK

      You will have the most delicious time in Thailand! Are you thinking of taking a food tour in Bangkok? We didn’t but I sort of wish we had…

      • Ginet

        Some of my friends suggested a food tour and others suggested a cooking lesson. I might just do both!

  • http://www.myhealthyeatinghabits.com/ Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits

    France, I would love to be there too! Looking forward to your posts.

    • http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/ BGSK

      It was such a blast - can’t wait to share!

  • Liz Rueven

    LOVED seeing your pics and reading about France. We are on our way to Northern Italy for truffle hunting (dogs, thank goodness) and molto vino. Traveling in the Autumn is my favorite time to explore. Crowds are gone, kids are back in school, and the weather welcomes. I plan my entire trip around culinary walks, working with chefs, and eating the best of the best, preferably at out of the way spots, but sometimes in highly recommended places that have seen a lot of traffic. The mix is what makes it such an adventure.

    • http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/ BGSK

      Have an amazing time in Northern Italy! I was reading Peter Mayle’s account of truffle hunting in Provence while I was there and it sounds like a real adventure.

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