Yes...I am a Wannabe Traveling Foodie

On any given day when I am not working or on the go you can find me doing one of two things; making up something in the kitchen or watching the Food Network and the Travel channel. I am not a big TV person simply because I am never home, but when I do watch TV it is either to catch a movie on cable or to watch my favorite two channels.

One day I plan on being a jet-setter. I love traveling and the idea of going to new places, meeting new people, eating new foods and taking pictures. And to feed my traveling habit, I indulge in the Travel channel. On the Travel channel I get a heavy, but healthy balance of travel information and food destinations. I’ve learned about so many different, not talked about places that I cannot wait to see in person. I truly believe it when Andrew Zimmern, a Travel channel personality (host of Bizarre Foods) says “To fully learn about a culture, you have to eat their food…If it looks good, eat it.” You never know if you are going to like something unless you try it.

And when I’m feeling my inner Chef kick in, I watch the Food Network to grab ideas, though I would strongly advise not watching the Food Network when you are hungry. It is very teasing. I speak from experience.

My favorite shows on the Food Network are Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri, Good Eats with Alton Brown, Ace of Cakes, Down Home with the Neely’s and The Best Thing I Ever Ate. During my snow day off and all throughout the weekend I watched several marathons of all these shows. It was heaven to me as nerdy as it sounds.

I do not necessarily try to make everything I see on the Food Network, but I watch to see the skill, learn about new ingredients and cooking technique. Eventually I will get curious and I will try something out in the kitchen. To date, the only thing I have tried and completed successfully were some fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies.

Growing up, I was never kitchen-friendly. I would attempt to make stuff I saw Lady cooking or I would just play with food for the heck of it, just trying to cook but it was never too appetizing. My way of making sure things tasted well was giving it to my brother Joe. If Joe ate it, it had to be good. If he didn’t, try again. I have gotten better, now that I am on my own, older and a little bit wiser. Cooking is not as hard as some people think, but it does take patience and understanding.

If you are ever board at home and want to see something different, click over to the Food Network or the Travel channel. I am almost positive you will be intrigued by something or somewhere. You never know, you just may discover your inner traveling food critic.

Until next time…