We were gone over Thanksgiving that year, and when we returned my daughter immediately said we needed to do a Turkey Dinner. Fortunately, in the airport on our way home, someone had left the very article I was waiting for but thought I would miss, the Sunday edition with a very detailed listing of an English Traditional Christmas Dinner! So it was a final parting gift from our trip, and we immediately went about translating all the measurements into their American equivalents. Then off to the store for supplies! What else should you do when you're jet lagged but serve up an intricate large family meal? Truly, this was perfect for Corinne and I, we both love to cook.
It was a good bird, having passed Thanksgiving we were forced to get a really expensive and organic turkey at our local Whole Foods, the only one that was thawed and not frozen. But the best part was the Sticky Toffee Pudding! So we were able to create an ambience and a taste experience for our traditional Thanksgiving holiday that reflected our time in England. Things like that are awesome.
From Paris, we got our so called "Parisian" sandwiches. French crusty bread, butter, good sliced cheese and soprasetta slices. We mix it up and put brie on it sometimes as well. It never fails to remind us of our stops in the train station at the bakery picking up a quick breakfast sandwich before heading into Paris from the suburbs.
In Lugano, we had amazing Beaujolais Nouveau, fresh tangerines and extraordinary cheeses and crackers in Switzerland near the Italian border. We immediately came home and stocked up that wine, and every sip reminded us of that magical time in Switzerland. Not to mention that I will never now eat a tangerine without triggering that serendipity moment with the owner of that cafe.
In Rome, it was Misto! All of it and everything that was served to us one wonderful night at a neighborhood restaurant that catered to the locals. Linguini with clam sauce and an appetizer of marinated vegetables and now I feel the urge to go find a really great recipe for both!
On a recent trip through New Orleans we got to try something called "Charbroiled Oysters". Oh my! Those were some of the best eating I've had in my life, and now I'll go find a way to recreate them as well. The restaurant we were sent to was an amazing gem, Deanie's, that was Zagat rated, and if I'm very, very sweet to them, perhaps they'll share their recipe with me!
Sometimes it's the other way around and the food will inspire me to places for travel that I wouldn't ordinarily have on my bucket list. For example, it turns out that I love Moroccan food. I wouldn't have said Morocco was on my list of places to see, but because I love the food, I will most definitely consider traveling there. I feel the same way about India and Thailand. I love the food, so now I would consider traveling there.
And now, I want to see if I can sneak in a quick trip down to Switzerland when we go to Dublin later this year, because, somehow, I missed eating Raclette!
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