Food Culture

Many times when I think back about the places we've traveled, I think of the food. I know, I know it’s the fat kid in me. But food really is an important part of every culture. Every country varies, or every region for that matter. In the states BBQ is a good example, one country but it’s super divided on what good BBQ is. Some people say pork, some say beef, some prefer mustard, some vinegar, and some tomato based. A lot of my life has been spent over indulging on food. While now I try to think of it as fuel, I think it’s still important to embrace it while traveling. You might have to work extra hard when you get home, or pay a few visits to your hotel’s gym but sometimes you should splurge. Don’t be afraid to try new things, the taste will dissipate if it’s not for you!

I think back about eating asparagus risotto and sipping limoncello in Venice, and yes, of course it was at an outside cafe in a courtyard.

We ate pasta overlooking the Grand Canal, cheap gigantic pizza slices and another day fresh fruit.

Gelato in San Marco Square and this decadent berry crème brulee. Venice was kind to us, to say the least.

We ate dolmades in Mykonos, they definitely weren't my favorite(or Josh’s)

but it was something new to me and I respected the experience all the same.

This was the fare in Istanbul. I found it quite good until dessert, something about the texture of it just wasn't for me.

 

Josh’s overstuffed pastry from Barcelona, our favorite treat to melt away the heat, and some yummy Mexican we found. Apparently we forgot to take pictures of tapas night, but know they were amazing!

 

Amazing subs on baguettes on the Champs Elysse in Paris. Also that bug infested place we ate at super close to the Eiffel Tower,

lucky for you, I don’t have a picture of that. ;)

This grilled cheese in Amsterdam, serious, it was that good!

Dutch pancakes in Amsterdam, and this sandwich I got to go on the day we left.

That sandwich shop was a little slice of heaven!

 

Belgian waffles in Belgium                                    

Mozart Balls in Salzburg and a pretzel larger than Josh’s head =)

 

The meals we had on the way back from the Eagle’s nest in a small (I believe) German town

If you've heard about Mine and Emily’s India trip you know the food was not our friend. Just know it looks similar to what’s on the left. In it’s defense this was a very good dish, but the thought of food in India still makes me queasy. The picture on the right is a strange yet comforting chicken noodle soup I got. Closest thing to comfort food, at some point in time we had to quit the potato chips =] 

Nepal was MUCH kinder and offered many options. Once again, chicken noodle soup and french fries the cure-all. The second is fried rice, the Nepal version of pot-stickers called momo, and Em’s pizza. The Third is yak-cheese pizza. Em and I swore by this place and ate there at least 3 times in the 2 days I believe we were in Pokhara. hah.

 

Our list from Okinawa is endless but a few interesting things have been sea grapes, the experience of the fish market on Kokusai and lobster head miso soup. In the market you pick your meal and then head upstairs and they cook it for you.

Hot pot(Tokyo)                                  

Cheeseburger sushi and the Okinawan specialty, taco rice

 

If you’ve made it this far, you’re either disgusted or super hungry. Once we return stateside I’m going to figure out the perfect asparagus risotto ;) But for now it’s pantry emptying time since we’re getting down to the wire. What’s your favorite food, be it from afar or right next door?

Valentine’s update

Today is Valentine’s day in Okinawa! Yes, they do celebrate it but there is a slight twist on it. On Valentine’s women are supposed to give the men in their lives a gift, something simple like chocolates. But don’t fret ladies, it comes back to us on White day(March 14) which is where the men return the favor ;)

All is well in Oki and today is a gorgeous day. There’s still a bit of chill in the air, but that won’t last long! We are working on getting out of here towards the end of April. I’m growing more and more excited about the idea of getting out of here, and seeing all of my family and friends! We have so many beautiful babies to love on when we get back, I can’t wait. We have web orders right now to New Orleans but we’re waiting on Josh’s actual orders so we have a date for everyone wondering when we’ll be back. Once the time comes, please please be patient with us! We have so many people to see, places to go, and things to eat(you know we’ll be eating EVERYTHING) that we will be quite busy! So for now, I suppose it’s time to start decluttering the house and selling or donating anything we don’t need.

Josh medaled at division matches and I couldn’t be prouder! He got silvers in both rifle and pistol. He’s been the platoon sergeant again for a while but is about to hand it over to someone else so that we can get out of here! We’ve both started working out more. Josh is trying to gain muscle and I’m trying to burn off this fat! I started an 8week boot camp about 5 weeks ago and I’m pretty sure it’s the best thing I’ve done for myself. I have barely seen the scale move, but luckily I’ve lost quite a few inches off my waist and hips! So I’m just replacing that fat with muscle, I’ll take it! We’ve been going to zumba together the past few times and it’s been really nice to have him there. We laugh, sweat, shake it a little, but it’s just nice to do something active with him. Other than that our lives have been pretty boring. I guess what they say is true, no news is good news…