So, as we have said before and as I you have probably gathered, food is pretty important to us when we travel. That sounds ridiculous, food is obviously important to most people when they do most things...but I'm sure you get what I mean! We are foodies, and when we travel we find that food is a wonderful way to get to know a bit more about a culture and they way it works. After all, an army marches on it's stomach and what feeds a country and how it is prepared often goes a long way to explaining their daily lives! To that end, when we find a cuisine in a country that we really like we often see if we can seek out a cooking course somewhere to learn first hand how to recreate the local delicacies. Over the course of our travels we've done a fair number of these and each has provided a different insight into a country or culture we have been in. This week I've chosen to tell you a little bit about three of our favourite cooking courses from around the world. Our first ever course was in Kanchanaburi in Thailand back in 2013 and it was certainly a great start. We did it at 'On's Thai Isaan Vegetarian Restaurant'. Geographically the Isaan region is situated in north east Thailand but the food and culture contains strong influences from both Cambodia and Laos as well as Thailand. The style of food lends itself very easily to being made exclusively vegetarian (and even in many cases vegan) so it suited Riv perfectly. The course is run out of On's restaurant and is conducted in her makeshift outdoor cooking station. At the start you are given a choice of a number of different traditional dishes to cook. We chose Pad See Ew, Tom Yum soup, Curried Brown Rice and Penang Curry. In order to prepare these dishes we were shown all of the ingredients and how to prepare them before following detailed instruction on the methods to combine and cook them all. On was a wonderful teacher and once each dish was prepared we delighted in being able to sit down and enjoy our handiwork. At the end of the meal On then prepared us a regional variation of a classic Thai dish for desert, mango with black sticky rice and coconut cream! This experience was certainly a brilliant introduction to the wonderful world cooking courses. The real beauty of it was the fact that we were introduced to such a wide range of cultural and culinary influences which at the time we knew very little about. This short class alone provided us with an understanding and appreciation for this culture that we would have found very hard to grasp without the opportunity to see it though the eyes of our stomachs! The next course we undertook that I believe definitely needs a mention was at 'Crescent City Cooks!' in New Orleans in the USA. We did this in 2016 about half way through the introductory stage of our epic two year long honeymoon. Now I'm not going to say that food was something we expected to be a particular highlight when travelling around the states given the countries reputation for size over...well everything! However, going through the south we discovered that traditional southern cooking, which blends Creole and Cajun culinary influences (amongst many others) can be something quite magical! We signed ourselves up for the one day hands on cooking class during which our instructor (Scott) taught us how to prepare three of the most quintessentially southern dishes in existence! Gumbo, Jambalaya and Pecan Pie! Whilst teaching us how to prepare the dishes (using all traditional methods but also with explanations of faster/easier techniques), Scott also taught us about the history of southern food in America and why and how it became what it is today! This class entirely represented why we love to learn about food when we travel and demonstrated how truly influential something as simple as an evening meal can be on a society. The final cooking class I want to talk about was done very recently when we were on our second to last stop in Colombia in Cartagena. This experience was again a real affirmation of our feelings about taking cooking courses when we travel but for a totally different reason. The class was conducted by a company called Duran Duran Tours which is a family owned and run business. It began with a tour around a local food market to pick up all of the ingredients we would be using to prepare our food. This was a great introduction as we were given the opportunity to see a local's food market rather than a tourist orientated one and we got to learn a little more about the local and regional ingredients used in cooking. After the market it was back to Duran's house where him and his family all got their hands on deck to join in on the class. We prepared an astonishing amount of food ranging from Colombian street food staples like papa rellena and empanadas to traditional beef based dishes using herb and spice combinations exclusive to that particular area of Colombia. What made this experience quite so special (apart from the amazing food) was how we were welcomed so warmly into Duran's house and invited to share in the cooking of foods which played such a significant role in both his culture as a whole and his family. This unquestioning welcomeness was something we had experienced throughout our time in Colombia, but having a chance to be invited into someone's home and to share with them such a personal experience as cooking with and for a family was certainly something we will never forget!
As I said at the start food and cooking provides incomparable insight into countries and cultures. With each of the experiences I have talked about we both feel we gained something a little bit different, whether it was knowledge of cooking methods, culinary traditions or historical influences. We have taken something away from every class we have attended and look forward to continuing to participate in foodie fun times around the world!
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Follow us on Instagram or send us a messageAbout Foodie FridaysWe love food, as most people do! And when we are on the road this doesn't change. We, like many people, believe that food is one of the best ways to really get to know a culture and it's people, as so much about the way people live their lives around the world is centred around food. This means that when we travel we actively seek out the local foods and delicacies. Sometimes that comes in the form of unusual and exotic produce from markets and sometimes from street food vendors serving an array of barbecued, fried, steamed or entirely indistinguishable goodies. Having tried and tested these goodies for some time now, on our adventures around Asia, Europe, North and South America we have discovered some pretty wonderful treats that we have decided should earn a bit of publicity. So, as the working week drifts away and the weekend winks at you like a naughty temptress we will share with you one of the delights that we have encountered from around the world! We hope you enjoy reading about these as much as we enjoyed eating them! Archives
October 2017
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