Food for Thought with The Wandering Gourmand
An excerpt from my interview with Turtles Travel:
Food connects us to our past, to those places we consider “home,” and to new destinations we discover through travel. Food can break down barriers we sometimes encounter while traveling, including language! Sharing a meal is a wonderful way to make new friends. Through our Food for Thought series, we continue to learn about other travelers’ journeys and the role food plays. This week’s interview is with Bryan from The Wandering Gourmand. We first came across Bryan’s blog through his post on reconnecting with family and getting back to his roots via travel. (Of course, food played a major role in this visit.) Bryan’s stories always feel genuine, reflecting his personal experience in a very authentic way. Read on as we chat with Bryan about everything from an unforgettable mean in Munich to his experience studying (and eating) abroad in Ecuador.
Sampling Suds at NoDa Brewing
Meet Bryan
Bryan Richards is The Wandering Gourmand. You’re probably picturing a super hero right now with a cool cape, bulging biceps, and underwear on the outside of his tights, but he’s really just your average Joe, hungry and thirsty to learn more about the world. Recently, Bryan left the corporate world to pursue his passion for writing fulltime. He both runs The Wandering Gourmand and is finishing up a fiction novel. Follow his blog to watch the adventure unfold!
The underlying idea of the “Food for Thought” series is that to truly experience a culture you must taste it. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
A million times yes I agree! Food is a part of who we are. Think back to your upbringing. What was that favorite meal your grandmother prepared for you? What was the dinner staple on your parents’ dining table? And don’t answer Domino’s Pizza! I know some of us may have grown up in the go-go-go lifestyle where food was crammed into our mouths between soccer practice, ballet, music lessons, speech therapy, Cub Scouts, and homework. Most of that food was McDonalds. Suppress those memories for a moment. What was that one meal the entire family would excite over? That’s your family’s culture. Or think about the regional dish where you grew up? Maybe a special festival food or street food. These meals help describe your culture.
Whenever I travel someplace, I want to experience their culture. I want to eat the local cuisine. Drink their beer (anything is better than a Bud Light). Walk their streets. Listen to their music. All of these elements teach us about a region’s culture. [Read more from the interview here…]
