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Sunday, December 29, 2013

A Taste of the World

A certain number of people have only one question when we announce an upcoming far-distant destination:

 “But, what will you eat there?”

Following any trip, the question is usually, “But, was the food . . .good?”

Today, with 2013 only days from being history, I am serving up a helping of some of the mouth-watering foods that have given us a taste of the world in which we’ve traveled during its run.

Some of our happiest travel memories are those that involve food, like that time in:

Honolulu, Hawaii. . .

. . .where their traditional and inexpensive ‘plate lunch’ (total cost for the meal below about $20 US). This meal, served in a Styrofoam box is one of our favorite local eats.  Using our laps for a table we dined on Katsu chicken sitting on a bed of steamed rice and veggies (that's a bit of pork to the left), as we sat on our Waikiki Beach facing hotel room balcony last January.

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The View with our Hawaiian plate lunch:

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Chora Sfakia, southern coast of Crete, Greece:

Sfakian pie”  is one of the specialty menu items at Delfini’s Restaurant.  It is made at the time of ordering so that anticipation builds during that 20 minute wait for the fragrant pie stuffed with lamb and four Cretan cheeses to arrive at the table.  We ordered it with a side of “Horta” – those wild greens that grow on the rough and tumble hillsides surrounding the town and look much like spinach – but taste better! 

This may well be one of our favorite meals on earth! Confession: my mouth waters each time I look at these photos. (Cost: our three-course meal, including the pie,was about $22US total including wine.)

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The View of Chora Sfakia’s waterfront that we had while we ate Sfakian Pie:

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

Stamppot, a Dutch favorite (and one of ours as well)  is made of mashed potatoes, mixed with vegetable (carrots in the photo below) and served with rookworst, a smoked sausage and a 'pond' of gravy tops the potato mound. We could have eaten ourselves silly at every meal during our three-night stay en route from Greece to Seattle. (It’s a good thing we walked ourselves silly each day to counter those calories!)

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The setting:  While we didn’t have a 'view table' at this little pub across from our hotel, what made this meal memorable was that table full of people in this photo because it turned out they were a touring musical group and they broke into song and entertained us all!

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Russell township, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

The steaming hot Seafood Chowder with local fresh fish, bacon and shellfish came flowing over the sides of its compact cob loaf at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel – a place that began in 1827 as a grog shop – on the waterfront in picture-perfect Russell.

While we both exclaimed there was ‘too much to eat’ we barely managed to leave a polite tidbit of bread in our bowls. And, we used the occasion to taste two different Sauvignon Blanc wines, the white for which New Zealand is famous. (Cost: $56AUS, about $45US)

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The setting: was the amazing patio in front of this historic hotel that overlooked the harbor and fronted the small main street that catered to pedestrians and an occasional car or two. (Russell will soon be featured in a post on TravelnWrite.)

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A Sample of Southwestern United States: Las Vegas and Scottsdale
Gluttony – pure and simple!  I am almost ashamed to show you some of the food we ate while traveling in Nevada and Arizona this year. Let’s just say, I understand why my cholesterol count was off the chart a few weeks ago and why my doctor suggested 'continued attention to exercise and low fat foods'. . . (ahem, I hope she misses this post!)

Okay, so it was my July birthday. . .remember, 60, the Big One? I believed that a little self-indulgence was in order at Mon Ami Gaby Restaurant on Las Vegas Blvd. ~ and who can say 'no' to a birthday treat from the restaurant, right?

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The View: was equally as delightful. . .we sat on the patio under ‘the Eiffel Tower’.

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I’ll conclude this food fest retrospective with our November visit to Scottsdale, where we ate twice at the Four Season’s Proof American Canteen. We finally gave in on our last visit and each ordered – and ate – their  Best Burger - Vermont Cheddar, Smoked Ketchup Mayo, Bourbon Molasses Onions, Deep Fried Bacon.  Okay, it tasted as good and was as unhealthy as it looks BUT we didn’t order the optional fried egg on top and ate Cole slaw instead of French Fries. . .that must count for something. . .

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The Setting at the foot of Pinnacle Peak (pictured below) couldn’t be beat!

We found plenty of good eats in 2013scottsdalenov2013 014 and the meals flavored our travels with great memories.

Today we raise our glasses to each of you in a toast of “Thanks!” as our travels in 2013 come to an end:

Thanks for the time you’ve spent sharing our close-to-home and far-distant adventures.  Hopefully our tips were useful and tales entertaining. The Scout and The Scribe recognize that time is a valuable commodity these days and we can't thank you enough for sharing a bit of yours with us.

We look forward to having you join us again in 2014 because there’s a lot of world out there to savor and we hope to have a big helping of it. . .maybe even seconds and some desert as well!


Our thanks and best wishes for a Happy New Year and Happy Travels  ~  Jackie and Joel

We are linking up at:
Noel Morata’s Monday Travel Photo Discovery
Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday

19 comments:

  1. Oh, Jackie, that Katsu chicken over rice and veggies has to be my favourite! I'm sure it was aromatically divine! Sfakia has delicious delicacies; I love their cheesy pancakes, called Sfakianopites. Lucky you to have tasted all these treats in their original environments!

    Wishing you a happy and healthy new year!

    xo
    Poppy

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    1. Poppy, I dont think we've tried Sfakianopites! How can that be??!! We will certainly be tasting those next spring!!! Thanks so much for your visits this last year - all are most appreciated!
      Happy New Year hugs to you, Jackie

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  2. If I have drooled onto your post I completely apologize, Jackie! Being a foodie this sent me over the edge. The burger and the rookworst were a tease enough. But, a lamb and four cheese pie??! That's just wrong...in that you didn't send me a whole crate of them! OMG! Off to raid the refrigerator to devour the first thing I can find now :)

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    1. I have to admit I made a couple trips to the kitchen as well as I was writing this one Mike. We foodies do think alike don't we?! Thanks much for your visit and all your visits this year; they are most appreciated!! Happy New Year. Jackie

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  3. Yes, those questions are very important, as sampling the food is one of the pleasures of travelling. My favourite photo here is the Greek waterfront one, which has a lovely mood to it. We crossed the Bay of Islands from the mainland to Russell in New Zealand when we were there a few years ago, and what a beautiful place it is. We didn't eat there, though, but had dinner at 35 Degrees South Restaurant, on the bay at Paihia. This is on stilts over the water. And by the way, the food was excellent in all the restaurants and cafes we went to on two trips to NZ, one to the North Island, and the other to the South Island.

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    1. Oh Andrew, you've got my mouth-watering and I will be adding that Bay at Paihia to our destinations list. We so enjoyed what little we saw of New Zealand and really would like to return for 'second helpings' one day in the near future. Happy New Year to you. . .thanks for the time you spend with us; it is appreciated!

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  4. Ah, nothing like traveling around the world and trying some of the amazing cuisine local and fine dining to accent the travel experience. Have a fantastic travel New Years for 2014, will be watching your new adventures!

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  5. And the same back at you, Noel: Happy New Year and continued Happy Travels in 2014! It has been great meeting you in this virtual world, hope our paths cross in the real world one day as well!

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  6. Hi Jackie, funny we are asked exact same questions when going to and coming from a trip. I agree food is a big part of a cultural experience and always add flavor to our travel experiences. Your taste of the world all look delicious made more inviting by wine pairing and, of course, the beautiful view and people around.
    Happy New Year, Jackie and Joel! I'm so excited for the travel you will share with us in 2014.

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    1. It would be fun one day Marisol to have our travel paths converge and we could sip and sample together! Happy Travels in 2014 -- look forward to tagging along with you!

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  7. I just hiked Pinnacle Peak yesterday and saw the Four Seasons. Pity I didn't know they had a burger to die for - especially as we were hungry.

    What a wonderful set of memories from 2013. Hope 2014 treats you equally well.

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    1. Thanks for coming along this last year, Leigh! Look forward to reading of your continuing adventures in 2014!

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  8. exotic locations, wonderful food, and glorious views, what more could one ask for in the world of travel! and you have certainly covered a lot of ground this year. I have enjoyed viewing your travels. Happy travels and all the best for 2014. and thank you so much for your support and comments over on my blog this past year.

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    1. And the same good wishes and thanks go back to you Jill for having come along with TravelnWrite. Look forward to our travels - with you in the blogosphere anyway, in 2014!

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  9. Food is certainly one of the most exciting things about travel. Your twin wine glass photo is lovely. :)

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  10. Thanks for visiting, Jan. Look forward to 'traveling together' in 2014 thanks to the blogosphere!

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  11. I totally understand the importance of food and settings in my travels. It's a big deal and create some of my fondest memories, too. I see that you've had quite a nice foodie year of travel. My mouth watered the first time I saw some of these dishes in your posts and it's watering again. And there's nothing like a good burger. That looks fanastic!

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  12. I''ve had the same mouth-watering response to many of your posts, Cathy. I look forward to a foodie year ahead for both of us. Happy New Year!

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  13. I should not have read this before breakfast! I want one of each. Where's our subway sandwich??..:) Happy New Year, and may the eating continue in 2014!

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