Have you planned your getaway this summer? Over here at Good Food we’ve been daydreaming about traveling eating outside of Southern California. What’s interesting is that we all came up with locales in separate countries that span the globe. Check out our picks below and tell us – what would be your culinary getaway?
Evan Kleiman, Host of Good Food
I fell in love with Iceland last year while on a trip to Food and Fun a crazy week of, well, food and fun in Reykjavik. I met so many engaging and smart food people that I felt like I had barely scratched the surface. And it was winter! I would return in summer and have chef/food writer Jody Eddy help organize the itinerary. I would spend hours talking to Nanna Rognvaldardottir, cookbook writer and food historian of Iceland. I would visit Eyglo Bjork Olafsdottir and husband Eymundur Magnusson at their organic farm in East Iceland where he planted 1 million trees to extend the growing season. It would be 10 days exploring the seasonal food scene. Icelandic cuisine is much more than ammoniated fish and dung-smoked lamb.
Harriet Ells, Good Food Executive Producer
I love Mexican food, so, my dream culinary destination is Mexico City. And, I’d ask Lesley Tellez, the author of the “Mija Chronicles” blog, to be my guide. I mean, look at these tacos de canasta! And these chiles en nogada! I last traveled to Mexico City when I was 21. At the time, I was on an art pilgrimage of sorts: Frida, Diego, Manuel Alvarez Bravo. Of course I ate, but I have no recollection what. Now, 16 years later, after experiencing the L.A. of Bill Esparza, Jimmy Shaw of Loteria, and Jaime and Ramiro of La Casita Mexicana, I am ready to go back to D.F.
Gillian Ferguson, Good Food Supervising Producer
In short, I want to go everywhere. But shoot – that isn’t possible. So if I had to pick I’d choose Italy. I know, I know, it’s totally cliche and I’ve already been there, but ohhhh the food! If I were feeling adventurous I’d do what cookbook author Jessica Theroux did and just show up on the doorstep of someone else’s grandmother, hang out and learn to cook; but I don’t speak a lick of Italian so itineraries from the girls at Vamoos look like the next best thing. You get to roll out fresh pasta in local family’s dining rooms, cook up tortelloni in their kitchens, harvest peaches in their orchards, pick sage from their gardens, hunt truffles with their dogs, lunch in their back yards and see the balsamic vinegar aging in their attics. Unfortunately adopting them as your own family is not part of the package.
Laryl Garcia, Good Food Segment Producer
I’ve generally scheduled international travel either around art & architecture or ancient ruins, with good restaurants finding their way onto the itinerary but as an afterthought. The idea of booking a passport-required trip based solely on consumption seems depraved, debauched and the kind of R&R I desperately need. While trying to decide where to travel this summer, we keep coming back to Singapore, and the folks there take their food seriously. Influenced by neighboring China, Malaysia and India, Singaporean cuisine is rife with rice, noodles, curry and just the right amount of spice. And while there are plenty of high-end restaurants on which to splurge, eating like the food-obsessed locals means indulging in street food and visiting the sometimes intimidating and vast amount of hawker centers. And if it all seems too overwhelming, Singapore has its own version of Yelp.
Sarah Rogozen, Good Food Segment Producer
Last week, I began researching Amish food for a segment we’re planning with Sherry Gore later this year. A culture that had always felt foreign suddenly hit home. The wide variety of Amish communities around the US vary in their use of technology, but they are all motivated by a commitment to live with intention and modesty. This ethos is reflected in what they eat: simple, hearty meals shared by large families and caring neighbors. I might have to muster up some courage to try unfamiliar dishes like peanut butter sandwiches with pickles and bologna, but Molasses Oatmeal Pie intrigues me, and my desire to visit is less about the food itself than about the company around the table. I probably have an idealized image of Amish life, but as an urban Jewish girl I’ve always felt drawn to the part of American culture that involves farming and church hymns. And in a very deep way, the strong faith and crowded kitchens I’ve been reading about remind me of my own religious community. A week without modern conveniences would be kind of like one long, labor-intensive Shabbat. And an Amish stew with dumplings would be as delicious and artery-clogging as cholent and kreplach.