what I’ll eat in 2019

When I used to travel, I’d get sad when it was time to go home. Having once-in-a-lifetime experiences on a daily basis, eating incredible food and getting surprised every day it’s hard to think about going back to your…desk. And I’d meet people on these trips who had been traveling for months or years. They’d given up their lives back home for the daily thrill of travel. That scared me, and I wanted it. 

It’s changed now. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen that the backpacker trails are filled with the same experiences in different packages – bars, tourist stops and cheap hostels with questionable bathroom situations.

And maybe it’s because I don’t have a life I want to give up back home. My routine, my days, my people. Sure, stress and bills are annoying but they make life interesting and challenging. Now my desire has shifted from backpacker travel to these shorter sprints in other countries.

I know this – I want to go everywhere and see everything. 

Also, eat everything. So I have this idea for 2019.

One thing I realized on this latest trip is that we are incredibly fortunate to live in the US where we have access to all kinds of food. When you’re having the conversation about what to eat for dinner – you’ve got Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Greek, Indian – endless cuisine options. Eating out or eating in, we have access to ingredients from all over the world.

Yet we wind up ordering/making the same food over and over again.

Obviously, food is (one of) my favorite parts of traveling and I want to start learning techniques and understanding the ingredients used in other parts of the world. Like, how do I make rice perfect every single time? What else can go in a dumpling? What kind of bread am I missing out on?  What else can I do with a tomato?

Food is how we share stories, experiences and understand cultures/people who are different than us. I love sharing midwest food with people – like why cheese curds have to squeak and showing that when you add cereal on top of a casserole just makes it taste a thousand times better.

We don’t always have the ability to pick up and fly to Thailand for the week, but we can learn how to make the best pad thai for ourselves at home. 

Every month this year I’m going to focus on cuisine from another country. This is going to challenge me because I love to eat seasonally. So I’m going to be extra thoughtful about the months I choose and when.

I mean I’m not going to NOT eat tomatoes every day in August.

This is also going to be hard because I’ve already got about 50 ideas for what I want to cook, but I want to make stuff that you also want to make.

SEND ME YOUR IDEAS.
What are your favorite foods?
Where did they originate?
What are your favorite ingredients?
What kind of food do you love to cook?
Where have you always wanted to travel but haven’t been able to yet?

I’ve got January planned out and I’ll be sharing my first recipe soon. It’s one of my favorite cuisines even though I haven’t visited the country (yet).

It will surprise you, so stay tuned!

Danielle