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If you’ve ever traveled hundreds of miles to get a taste of sautéed crab from Maryland, if your bucket list of places is organized by the foods you want to try, or if you simply enjoy food that is authentic to the region in which it is served, you probably merit the title of “foodie.” And you’re not alone; with the advent of food tourism services like Eatwith, Airbnb experiences, and Withlocals, trips to satiate the cuisine-curious are on the rise.  Food tourism goes beyond indulging in a few dishes prepared by expert chefs; people who travel for food do so with the intention of connecting more deeply to the region. The source of the ingredients matters. The way it’s prepared and who’s doing the preparation are also things to consider. Tasting some amazing pasta is nice, but going to Italy and having an Italian nonna teach you how to make homemade tagliatelle while she regales you with tales of her youth is even better.
The term “culinary tourism” can sometimes come off as elitist, but people engaged in this sort of tourism are just as likely to be found queueing up for some street food among hungry locals as they are in 3-star Michelin restaurants with the well heeled. The price of the food isn’t what makes the trip special; it’s about engaging with the locals and their authentic cuisine to become more fully immersed in the place. Eatwith, a service dedicated to connecting foodies to local providers, offers dining experiences, food tours, and cooking classes that allow those hungering for more than food alone to engage with the culture. Instead of taking a classic walking tour of Athens, why not sample phyllo pies on an evening food tour led by a local Greek? Rather than trying your luck on the first few macarons you see in Paris, how about taking a macaron-making class with a MasterChef and sipping champagne as your creations bake? Eatwith has over 25,000 hosts in 130 countries, all eager to share their generational knowledge with those interested. If the foodie in you is intrigued, contact me so we can start planning your culinary adventure!
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We often bring up wine at Life’s Journey Travel, but not every place you visit is a bustling wine region. However, most places do have a signature cocktail or two, and there’s often a good story that goes along with it. Today, we’re bringing you the backstories of 5 signature cocktails from around the world - plus links to recipes so you can try them out for yourself!  Negroni - Florence, Italy
This is one of the few cocktails whose origin has a documented history. The year is 1919 and Count Camillo Negroni enters a Florentine bar. The Count, a fellow who had traveled to the United States and spent time as a cowboy in the Wild West, orders his favorite cocktail: an Americano. But he asks the bartender to give it more teeth; the man obliges by swapping the Americano’s club soda with a healthy dose of gin. Thus, the Negroni was born. Caipirinha - Brazil The zesty Caipirinha has a muddled history. Some people think that it was intended as a remedy to the Spanish flu in the early 20th century--it originally contained cachaça, green lemons, honey, and garlic, instead of sugar. Others say it simply got started in the regions of Santos and São Vicente, because that’s where the first cachaça distilleries were. Manila Sunshine - Philippines Like the Singapore Sling, the Manila Sunshine is also a cocktail dreamt up by a hotels seeking to engage more visitors. In conjunction with the Philippines Department of Tourism, the Makati Shangri-La hotel added the Manila Sunshine to its repertoire in the hopes of attracting more foreign visitors. What makes it unique? Its base of lambanog, or coconut wine. Add to that some pineapple and mango juice with some triple sec and rum and you have yourself a taste of the Philippines! Pimm’s Cup - London, England Pimm’s Cups also began as a medicinal tonic. James Pimm, owner of a 19th-century oyster bar in London, marketed his new recipe as a drink to improve one’s health. It got so popular that he began selling the drink around the world. It’s still immensely popular, especially at the Wimbledon tournament. Sazerac - New Orleans, United States Some say that the Sazerac is America’s first cocktail. That may or may not be true, but what is known is that Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a native to Haiti who landed in Louisiana, created the drink. Peychaud ran a drug store in the Big Easy and offered his clients toddies mixed his own bitters and Sazerac cognac. The rest is history, but it’s now the signature cocktail of New Orleans. Thinking about making one of these? Let me know how it goes! When I’m on my own and when I’m traveling with a group, some of my favorite parts of the entire experience are getting to sample new foods and taste familiar ones assembled in new ways. And really, who doesn’t love indulging in the experience of food? I plan whole trips around that idea! In preparation for my trip to Ireland with Brendan Vacations, I’ve been doing a little research on the famed full Irish breakfast (AKA “Ulster fry” in Northern Ireland), and I’m here to share my insights.  It seems like all of us have picked up a new hobby or have gotten back into something we simply didn’t have time for before. Some people are focusing on fitness, getting into home workouts or back into their running groove. Others are dabbling in the fine arts, while still others are using this time to hone and flex their culinary skills. If you fall into the latter category, try your hand at the following five authentic Bahamian dishes.  It’s 8 pm on a Friday evening and you find yourself in an apartment building just a few blocks from the Martim Moniz metro stop. You glance around the dimly lit white hallway with its low-hanging lights and you consider reversing your steps, but the low clatter of dishes on the floor above gives you the confidence to press on. You creep up the staircase, pausing from time to time to determine if those really were dishes and the faint sounds of voices that you heard, until you reach the top and are face-to-face with a hand-painted Chinese character on the door in front of you. You’ve found one of Lisbon’s famed Chinês clandestinos.  |
Author: Debra HarrisAs founder of Life’s Journey Travel, I’m deeply passionate about creating custom travel experiences that allow my clients to truly savor the journey. 
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