Traveling and Food

I have traveled quite a lot, and I’ve discovered what I enjoy from the places that I’ve traveled to. Now, I know what I am looking for when I travel. For example, I love places where you can see cultural touches and traditions. This makes me realize there is so much more out there and I have so many things to learn and explore. It is a great feeling to see and learn about new countries and cities just by walking through the streets.

For me food is very important. It is the way to get to know the people and life style. In the USA, you can see long lines in the restaurants for take-out. There are so many fast food restaurants. Even though not all, many people who live in the USA just want to have a quick meal and do not want to cook and clean. You can also see that cooking has a different meaning in the USA.  For many people, cooking means microwaving a frozen ready dish.

In contrast, Asian countries the food culture is totally different. I will talk about China since I lived there for almost 2 years. China is a country with traditions, unique language, lifestyle, and a long history. It is a country where food plays a huge role in life. Authentic Chinese food has a unique taste and variety of ingredients.  Also eating is a hobby there, at least for so many of them. It is not just having a meal, but it is a family get together, having a conversation with family and friends, and of course drinking happily. Sometimes these dinners may take up to 4-5 hours.

I remember the first lunch I was invited to in China. We went to a Hot Pot lunch. At that time, I did not know what hot pot means. It was a middle-class, small restaurant. They brought a big pan and inside it had spicy soup with a big fish. They placed the pan in the center of the table, where there was a hot surface so that we could experience the cooking. There was an area that you could pick the vegetables that you prefer to cook with the fish. I liked it and it took me 1 hour to enjoy the meal. I tried some vegetables that I knew and tried some new ones. I looked at my watch and I realized that we were there for almost 2 hours.  My friends were still eating and bringing more vegetables to the table. I was shocked to see that they could still eat because they look so fit and could eat twice as much. I could not leave the lunch until everyone was done, because we were sharing the bill and I did not mean to be rude. Also, I was so worried about the bill but later on I found out that this would be one of the cheapest meals I had in China.

It was one of the unique experiences I had. Who knew that this lunch would introduce me to one of my favorite meals! At that time, I was not aware, but it did not take me long to try another hot pot meal. This meal is one of the reasons why I always try to experience local cuisine when visiting new places.