And a lot of my travels have only expanded my food passions and appreciation at home. If it weren’t for my two-month trip to Scotland, I wouldn’t have been the Scotch fan that I am now. (Plus that was also my first experience with fine dining, working in a high-end kitchen with some of the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten. Dublin Bay prawns, roast grouse, various wonderful terrines, etc. It’s where I really began to learn about food, and that what makes it great most of the time is starting with the best ingredients you can find, not just spicing it to hell and back.) I learned to love Indian/Pakistani food from a couple months in Wolverhampton. The Balkans have brought slivovitz and other clear fruit brandies to my palate. My trips to Russia introduced to me to Georgian cuisine, which I had been previously completely unaware of, etc., etc. Truth be told, there isn’t a single place I’ve been that I’ve traveled found something I absolutely loved to eat. While I do tend to be a critical eater, I’m also a completely unfussy eater who will eat anything and everything put in front of him.
Another difficult to answer … I don’t enjoy traveling very much at all (I once started a thread about it and how weird it is to not like it when it’s considered a nearly universal standard for being a cultured, intelligent person) but when I have to travel, food is the absolute best part of it and I consider it the primary compensation for having to leave home. I love doing the research and trying new, exciting local specialties.
For me, traveling is all about learning about the local people, culture and history. I believe that food and drink is one of the major things that defines a people, and with that in mind, eating the local food is a major goal of mine.
Unlike many people, I tend not to eat in really high-end places when traveling, because those aren’t really reflective of what the local food really is.
I don’t travel for food though; it’s just a big part of the learning and enjoyment I have wherever I do travel to.
I spent a summer travelling throughout North America (even made it to Juarez) in quest of the best smoked meat sandwich.
The hands down winner was Schwartz’s of Montreal.