How to let food add adventure to your trip
Hunting Taco Trucks in LA, stopping at farm shops to find the best cheddar in Somerset, cooking classes in Sri Lanka, sampling every chocolate shop in Antwerp, dinner with a friend’s grandma in the Gambia…food is usually baked into the adventure.
Since having a family, it’s become an accessible way to culture-watch while traveling. Rather than just going to restaurants every meal, I like to let food be part of the adventure or on-going mission of a family trip.
My 6 year-old loves hunting down the best croissants in Paris.
Why?
When I’m traveling abroad with my family, we’re trying to understand the culture of the country we’re in. Habits, routines, clothing, design, mannerisms, preferences and food. Travel isn’t a race to count stamps in a passport, but a framework for understanding people who are different than us. Ultimately, a lens to be self-reflective - why do we take the approach we do at home? Is there a better way I didn’t know about?
Food is a entry point to conversations about culture with kids.
Food tells you more and costs less than an attraction
When planning a family trip the list of sights and attractions quickly grows - I would recommend building in culture-watching as a key part of the trip. It costs less than a ticket to the London Eye and it can bring new dimensions to the trip.
The best croissant in France
An easy example is a family mission to find the best croissants in France. Boulangeries are ubiquitous and everyone has an opinion. Flakey, buttery, shapes. Who likes what? I would look up some of the best reviewed croissants to see if they’re near locations we plan to visit. Have a good memory or keep a little log.
The mission can happen over the arc of the trip rather than a one and done experience. Supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants. What do the french put on their croissants? When do they eat them and why? How do the French approach food differently than we do? There are lots of angles. In Belgium it might be truffles or fries. We’re going to find the best mango in Senagal or sushi in Japan.
The best local…
Another way I like to add food to travel is attempting to buy whatever is local. We were recently in Somerset looking for apples and cheddar. (Somerset is where the village of Cheddar is located, where cheddar cheese was first invented.) We went to loads of farms shops on the way to walks and country pubs. Our mission was to buy the biggest bag of locally grown apples and biggest block of cheddar cheese to take home to London. We did end up buying a 6lb block of vintage cheddar and we’re challenging ourselves to eat it over the next 8 weeks. Mac and Cheese every week!
Bring olive oil back from Italy
Food is the best souvenir to bring home. Once home, often a local honey or jam gets more use than a t-shirt. In London, there’s an iconic store call Fortnum&Masons that has “royal approved” teas, biscuits, jams and candies. One of our Christmas traditions is a trip to F&Ms, to stock up on fancy mustard and marmalade and watch the clock outside chime for the next hour.
Eat like the locals
We try to understand local customs and food culture. For example, the tradations around Sunday roasts or afternoon teas in the UK is essential to understanding British culture.
For the best afternoon teas, pubs and resturants in London.