“Your light gets brighter and the path gets clearer and easier, always.” – Oprah
I’d known for many years I wanted to start a food and travel blog. Partly to share travel recommendations with friends and partly to share recipes, stories and experiences with anyone willing to read. With limited time and energy while I was working countless hours a week, I struggled to find a food and travel topic that was genuine, one that reflected my values and that sparked joy. Every attempt at a concept or point of view had fallen flat.
In 2014, I even went as far as to quit my high profile entertainment-marketing job to have an “Eat Pray Dave” moment to find my true self. Instead of finding the inspiration and the clarity that I so badly desired, I found myself on a three-month long European vacation eating too many buttery French croissants and carb packed Krentenbollen (Dutch sweet buns with currants). I passed my time drinking generic house wine and listening to obscure Portuguese Fado music to draw out my inner creative. With little to no self-discovery happening in Europe, I headed back to my home to the states feeling relaxed, but discouraged and anxious thinking about “what’s next.”
Well, there were a lot of nexts. A next job. A next city. A next city after that. Through all the nexts, I always held onto the idea of doing something greater with my life. I never stopped longing to work on a project that tied together my love of travel, my knowledge of food and the undeniable joy of meeting people who are different than me.
The more I traveled in the years that followed, the more I realized that globalization is happening at an extraordinary pace. Want an American style drip coffee in Paris, France? No problem. Need a late night can of Pringles in the Middle East? Just pop into to the local convenient store in Amman, Jordan.
We see the effects of globalization at here at home in North America as well. We have “new” exotic products emerging in grocery stores across the country – canned jackfruit anyone? Or, walk into the likes of an Amazon Bookstore and be greeted by stacks of globally charged cookbooks. We’re constantly being introduced to new cuisine, new ingredients and new trends.
While there are pros and cons to globalization, I like to think of the access to international foods and culture as a major pro. In theory, globalization should also help foster an understanding of and an appreciation for culture. Unfortunately, I find that isn’t always the case. Intolerance seems to run rampant, at least with the current political climate in our country. It saddens me to scroll through social media or to flip on the evening news and see such harsh judgment against another ethnicity or culture with little actual knowledge of the people, language or culture.
While this thought is not profound – it is very true. The one absolute thing that unites everyone regardless of race, religion, or social status is the innate desire (and necessity) to eat. So yes, this is a food & travel blog. But, my hope is that it becomes more than that. This is a space to promote culture and truly celebrate our differences through the one thing that unites us all – FOOD!
Here’s to traveling, cooking and experiencing all the world has to offer: one story, one recipe, one bite at a time.