With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about memorable meals of years past. Tucker and I have been extremely fortunate with all the incredible food we’ve been able to enjoy around the world, but what exactly is it that makes a meal memorable? The quality of the food? The location, the company, something else? I was curious, so I decided to delve a bit deeper by asking Tucker to reminisce with me about the meals we’ve shared over the years. In particular, the ones that, even years later, still stand out among the rest and why that might be the case. Here’s what we came up with:
Thanksgiving Feast: Crater Edition (Ecuador)
Likely because this was a recent experience, and it has a connection to the upcoming holiday, the first meal to pop into our heads was the Thanksgiving dinner we had after hiking the Quilotoa Crater in Ecuador. There are so many reasons this meal stands out in our minds. First, we had just hiked several miles into and out of an incredible caldera at elevation in the rain, so to say we were hungry would be a massive understatement. Then there’s the fact that all the hikers ate together in pretty much the only little restaurant open there, which made for a very festive meal. And finally, the food itself was incredible. I had a perfectly grilled steak with chimichurri and ají, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob – just an impeccable holiday meal; Tucker had a whole seasoned and grilled fish with homestyle fries and a plethora of interesting sauces, and, of course, we shared several ice-cold, local brews. It was absolutely perfect and extremely well-earned.
Weird Valentine’s Day Tradition (HK)
The next thing we thought of has actually become a sort of strange tradition over the years. Since we first moved abroad in 2015, we’ve spent the vast majority of holidays away from family, friends, and all that was once so familiar. Usually this means we get to learn new ways of celebrating the holidays, but sometimes we just miss all that familiarity and ease. Cue the international (yet super American) restaurant chain: Outback Steakhouse. One year, we were in Hong Kong over Valentine’s Day, and we happened to see an Outback in a mall there. We joked at how lame it would be to go to an Outback while in one of the best food cities in the world…alas, the molten chocolate lava cake called to us. We’ve now celebrated Valentine’s Day at an Outback in four different countries.
Odd Finds at Anatewka (Poland)
Sometimes what makes a meal memorable are the surprises that take place there. For this, Anatewka, an amazing Jewish restaurant in Łódź, immediately comes to mind. Anatewka packed in the surprises for us starting with our bowl of czernina, which we later found out was duck blood soup. The surprises kept coming when we got complimentary shots at the end of the meal (for digestion, of course). And as if that wasn’t enough to keep us guessing (and definitely ensuring our return), we were each gifted a tiny clay figure holding a grosz or the equivalent of a Polish penny. We were absolutely not expecting any of the little treats we got that night, and even though I won’t be ordering czernina again anytime soon, our dining experience at Anatewka was without a doubt both surprising and, indeed, memorable.
Simple yet Spectacular: St. Hubert’s (Quebec)
Surprises can definitely make us remember a meal, but the next meal that we kept thinking (and talking) about really had no discernible reason other than the fact that the food we had was incredibly simple and delicious. On our month-long initial expedition to Ottawa (and the surrounding area) in 2019, we happened to eat at a place called Rôtisserie St-Hubert’s. It’s a fairly nondescript restaurant, clearly a chain, with nothing particularly showy or remarkable on the menu, but what it lacks in flair, it seriously makes up for in homey goodness. Roasted chicken is what St-Hubert’s does, and they do it better than anywhere. It really brought to mind the qualities often associated with French cooking: fresh, buttery, light, and uncomplicated. Simply put, it was the kind of meal that just hit the spot. Of course, this was also the meal where, much to my chagrin, I first learned what clamato juice is, but even the surprise of finding seafood in my drink couldn’t detract from the rustic deliciousness that was this particular meal.
Once in a Lifetime Experience: Dining in the Dark (Malaysia)
Another meal that will obviously live in infamy (according to us anyway) is our experience at Dining in the Dark. If you’ve done one of these events, then it will likely be on your list as well because not only is the food extremely delicious and exciting, but the challenge and subsequent glimpse into a different way of living is eye-opening (see what I did there). For those who don’t know, Dining in the Dark allows you to experience a meal in complete and startling darkness. The servers are all visually-impaired and help you navigate what is a surprisingly scary and difficult set of tasks: everything from finding your chair and sitting down to re-finding your glass or fork somewhere on the table. For me, having my attention drawn to all these little things I took for granted was the most memorable part, but there are other aspects that made this meal stand out. Namely, our complete failure at guessing what we were eating. At one point we had a dish of steamed egg, mushroom, and tofu, and we guessed it to be “savory bread pudding”. What?!
Our First Foray into Fancy Food (Disney’s Remy)
Fun fact: Tucker absolutely loves tasting menus and fine dining because it allows him to try a greater number of usually quite unique dishes, which is all he ever wants in life. And for that reason, another meal on our list has to be Remy, a fine-dining restaurant on the Disney Fantasy cruise ship. Remy offers an eight-course menu of super fancy dishes, which at the time we had never had before. This experience was like stepping into another life. The dress code, the cheese cart, the flowers given to me at the end of the meal – it was all very different to anything we’d ever done. And then there was the experimental quality to the food. We had “tomato essence,” which was a completely clear liquid served in a champagne flute that tasted exactly like you just bit into a vine-ripened, heirloom tomato. There was also the “tomato soup cube”, which is pretty much as described, and countless other curiosities that have definitely kept us talking over the years. Honestly memorable in so many ways!
Making It Our Own: Cooking Class (Thailand)
Another meal that stands out is one we happened to make ourselves. Because we went to Thailand as part of a large group, there were lots of things that stand out about our time there, and one thing in particular was our first (and quite possibly only) cooking class. I personally loathe cooking, so I’m not sure I was really looking forward to this one or that I was very comfortable throughout the experience…but in the end, like everyone else, I was extremely proud of the dish that I made (and the certificate we all received lol). My pad thai was honestly delicious and Tucker’s khao soi was even better! Plus, the process of doing everything ourselves (from shopping in the market to grinding down the various chilis we needed) really gave me even more appreciation for all the chefs of the world. Thankfully this one turned out to be memorable for all the right reasons and not because I ended up burning myself or someone else!
Being Set on Fire (China)
Speaking of burning…the next meal that without doubt must be on our list was the time we almost died. Of spiciness. Tucker and I actually love spicy food, and usually we handle any level of spiciness pretty well. However, Chongqing and Chengdu take spiciness almost beyond human capacity. One of the most renowned dishes of Chongqing is the infamous nine square hot pot, which, of course, we had to try. Unlike the hot pots we were used to, with the nine square, there is only one flavor: spicy. We weren’t really concerned though because when we ordered and chose our spice level, we played it safe with the 1 chili pepper rating (they went up to 5). Turns out, there was no “safe”. Everything was extremely spicy, the meat, the noodles, the hot pot, the sauces…and it was all compounding! I’m not sure we’ve ever sweated that much in a restaurant or drank that many beers that quickly. The craziest thing was, despite our watering eyes, it tasted so good! I would definitely do it all again.
Just What We Needed at the Time (Sweden)
As it turns out, even the timing of a meal can be what ends up making it memorable. On one of our worst travel mistakes to date, we failed to set an important alarm, waking up after only a couple of hours of sleep with only 16 minutes to make it to the bus that would take us to the airport in time for our very early flight. Needless to say, we had a very panicky, rushed morning with no shower or breakfast, and when we arrived in Stockholm, all our thoughts were on a nice shower, a snack, and a bed. Unfortunately, our hostel said we’d have to wait until after 3 to check in. So we, dirty, tired, hungover, and by this point, very hangry travelers, set off to wander aimlessly around the city for the next 7 hours. Obviously, our first stop would have to be food, but finding a place to eat at this time of day was actually a little tricky. Luckily, we finally stumbled upon a restaurant that served their whole menu of Swedish favorites all day, and we happily chowed down. Now Swedish meatballs and plankstek will forever be remembered as our most rejuvenating meal.
A Whole Lot of Whimsy (Mexico)
And last but not least, a happy dose of serendipity mixed with whimsy in the form of dinosaur quesadillas. As you can imagine, a lot of the ads I get have to do with Mexico, travel, and food (hmm, I wonder why). Well, one night last year I saw a little video ad about a restaurant in Mexico that served dinoquesadillas, and I thought to myself, “aww, that’s cute, but I bet it’s nowhere near us.” And I was right. The restaurant was in Saltillo about 440 miles (705km) from Guadalajara. Oh well, no dinoquesadillas are worth that long of a drive! However, it turned out that a few months later we randomly had to make a return trip to the border through none other than Saltillo. Through a crazy coincidence, we ended up in the really cool city of Saltillo, and, of course, we went to the kitschy little restaurant for some dinoquesadillas. A great example of what I call travel fate.
So, it seems there are actually a great many reasons a meal might stand the test of time in our minds. Could be great food, surprising circumstances, or even when exactly you get said meal. I think for me, the common thread is really when something is just a little bit outside the norm, when there’s something that stands out as “different”. Maybe we should all run with that idea and get a little weird this Thursday – I’m definitely willing to give it a try! Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! ¡Buen provecho! 😉
This was an obvious choice for this particular list because we only spent about 23 hours in the country. It was our first foray into long-layover travel, and we definitely fumbled our way through it. It wasn’t too difficult to get from the airport to the city center (and back again), but as we set off with absolutely no plan, it was mostly just a long walk around the beautiful canals. Amsterdam is a great walking city though, so even with our random ambling, we were able to take in the numerous and iconic bridges, bicycles, and fry-stands. We also explored the infamous Red Light District and (from a distance) the I AMsterdam sign, which is sadly no longer there.
Next on our “must return to” list is Finland, which might not have been an obvious choice seeing as we spent almost three weeks there, but at the time we 1) had very little money to spend, 2) were exhausted from finishing up our undergrad degrees, and 3) had just gotten married, which as anyone who has planned a wedding can attest, left us feeling a bit burnt out. Typically when we travel now, we avoid suitcases and we move around a lot, but as this was our first trip sans car, we failed miserably at both packing lightly and at utilizing public transportation. We also weren’t able to afford train passes or much of anything at that time; in fact, our flights and accommodations were wrangled together with the help of some of our wedding gifts and useful family connections. Regardless of what now seems like a trip very far removed from our usual preferences, at the time is was magical.
Technically we’ve been to the Bahamas a few times now, but does it really count if it’s on a cruise? I mean, don’t get me wrong, cruises are fun and economical, but they definitely keep you in a bit of a bubble. For this reason, I would love to go back to the Bahamas, without the big boat. I think it would be amazing to fly into Nassau and explore New Providence Island a little more slowly and a lot more thoroughly. There are several forts I want to see on the island, not to mention the art galleries, lighthouses, and, of course, the beaches (especially the ones on the far side of the island). At some point Tucker and I want to get our diving certification so we can explore the depths too, or if we don’t have time for that, then I want to do one of those bubble helmet dives instead!
Germany unfortunately represents another set of rookie moves on our part. We spent a year living just a few hours over the border in central Poland, yet we failed to A) make it to Oktoberfest and B) visit Bavaria, the most quintessential of all the German regions. While I do sorely regret not making time for southern Germany, we did really enjoy our time in Berlin and Potsdam looking at the incredible architecture, sampling the infamous brews, and picnicking in the numerous parks. It was an absolutely lovely time, but of course, I’d love to go back for a festival or two. It’s really not our fault we missed Oktoberfest; we had wrongly assumed it took place in October, but really it’s more of a September event that actually ends in early October. Ah well, it’s on the list for our inevitable return trip. As are other famous places like: Neuschwanstein Castle, the Rhine, Cologne, and, of course, Bavaria.
Perhaps unlike any other place we had been, Mongolia intrigued us in so many ways. It’s really a breathtakingly beautiful country that exceeded every expectation we had for it. We visited for about a week in 2017, but unfortunately a lot of that time was taken up by work (conferences, presentations, etc.) In our free time though, we were able to pretty thoroughly explore Ulaanbaatar, including temples, yurt neighborhoods, live-music bars, and amazingly trendy restaurants. We also took a short road trip out to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, which was honestly a bit frightening for me (mostly because we opted to dismiss the rental insurance), but ultimately it gave us the best glimpse of what life is like outside UB.
Last on this list (for now) is a place we actually visited just last year. On our way back to China from a work event in the Philippines, we took a bit of a roundabout path that allowed us to spend almost a week in Malaysia, well, in and around Kuala Lumpur anyway. Malaysia is a tricky country to fully explore in a short amount of time because it’s made up of part of a peninsula (West Malaysia) and part of the island of Borneo (East Malaysia), the two regions being about 400 miles apart. For this reason, although we feel pretty good about our exploration of the amazing capital city, typically called KL for short, we still really want to explore some of the other regions of this incredibly diverse country.
We never made it to a beach while we were in Malaysia, so maybe we’ll start there on a subsequent trip. There are many islands off the coasts of both West and East Malaysia that look amazingly beautiful and relaxing. There are also several world-renowned national parks, which are home to a collection of unique indigenous species that Tucker really wants to check out. Of course, as we found in KL, Malaysia seems to enjoy extremes sports as well, so maybe we’ll try the popular zip-lining, white water rafting, or jungle trekking activities while we’re at it!
Of course, there are three countries, not previously mentioned, that are and will indefinitely be on our return radar: the United States, Poland, and China. These are the places we have the greatest connection to, and thus will need many re-visits and reunions to sustain us. Luckily, our friends and family in Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, 
Next up, my dad wanted to try a famous seafood place (Dixie Crossroads) out on the Atlantic coast, which I quickly paired up with a drive to Cocoa Beach and Port Canaveral. Although it was a quick visit, we walked along the beach and the pier, looked for the cruise ships and the Space Center, and learned that Florida has a nickname for every single section of coastline.
The second New Year (also known as the Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year) has come and gone, and with it, possibly our last long winter break off together. Just like last year, the Chinese university semester break coincides with the holiday giving us several weeks off, which, of course, we put to good use! My program had its mid-year meeting and conference in the Philippines this year, and somehow, Tucker and I managed to squeeze in three (and a half) other destinations on our island hopping itinerary. You might have seen the hundreds of photos on Facebook, but I’d also like to share a few words about our time traveling in South Asia. To be honest, it’s a little surreal to be writing this as I watch the snow fall outside, but here we go!
Our first stop was Macau, a “special administrative region” of China. It gets this rather long name due to it being somewhere between a province and another country entirely. It’s a part of China, but it’s also not China, which is actually one of the reasons we wanted to visit. We wanted to see if there were any noticeable differences. We also wanted to visit because we were eager for another taste of Portugal. Macau used to be a Portuguese colony and has retained quite a bit of the Portuguese flair in architecture, food, and language. It was an incredible mix of the two cultures: tons of Chinese New Year decorations along the beautiful mosaic walkways, pork dumplings could be ordered with a side of garlic bread and red wine, and all the signs were in both Chinese and Portuguese, which was very exciting for this language nerd. The weather was beautiful while we were there, so we were able to walk almost the entire city by foot. Macau is made up of a small peninsula and island on the southern coast of China. The peninsula is where the Old Town is with its ruins, churches, and forts, and the casino-filled island gives Macau the nickname “The Vegas of the East”. We had an amazing time exploring both: taking selfies, eating all the street food, and even trying our hand at gambling again (much to my chagrin).
After a few days of strolling around Macau’s narrow alleyways, we took a massive speed boat (TurboJet) to our next destination just across the water: Hong Kong. This was actually our second trip to Hong Kong, but last time we didn’t quite get to everything on our list – this short stopover on the way to Midyear was our second chance. We had less than 24 hours in the city, but we managed to make it out to Lantou Island to see the incredible Buddha and cableway there, we took the bus to the top of Victoria Peak to watch the sunset over the city, and we went to Tim Ho Wan for the world’s cheapest Michelin Star eats. While I definitely preferred Macau’s laid back, European vibes, it’s hard to not like Hong Kong as well. Macau and Hong Kong are a couple of tiny islands (and respective peninsulas) that I highly recommend everyone to visit! No visas needed for US citizens! 🙂
All too soon it was time to fly to the Philippines and get to work. When we first landed in the Philippines it was chaos! Passengers getting up and grabbing their bags before the plane had stopped moving; people sitting on seemingly every inch of the floor in the airport; signs for flight changes being moved by hand from gate to gate; loud cover songs of 2000’s hits playing in every corner of the terminal, etc. All I could think was “Well, we’re definitely not in China anymore.” As we sat waiting for our flight though, the newness wore off, and it was easy to see that the Philippines are just plain fun! In fact, their national slogan is “It’s more fun in the Philippines”, and I totally got it. Smiles were everywhere! The flight attendants wore bright yellow polos and hummed songs as we boarded. Fellow passengers sang along with the music they heard on the plane. The joy was contagious!
The first week we were in the Philippines I had to “work”. I attended meetings with the other Fellows, we planned and executed various group activities, and generally bonded and reconnected after our last five months apart in our various host cities/countries. For this part of Midyear, we were put up in a resort on Mactan Island, which was incredibly fancy and not the sort of place Tucker and I usually go for (I’ve never heard so many “yes ma’ams” and “hello sirs” in my life). It was beyond beautiful though, and luckily Tucker was able to take full advantage of the beach, the snorkeling, the infinity pool, etc. However, after a few days completely devoid of local culture, I was definitely ready to get to our next location: Cebu City. It was here that we attended and presented at a local teacher training conference held at the University San Jose Recoletos. Easily my favorite part of Midyear, I was able to meet and interact with many local Filipina/o teachers and get a much better feel for what life in the Philippines is really like.
Once the conference and Midyear were officially over, Tucker and I hadn’t quite had our fill of the Philippines, so we headed to Manila for some good old-fashioned touristing. Manila is an incredible city with some of the best food I’ve had in a long while. Their specialty seemed to be fusion restaurants. We had super interesting and delicious food at Loco Manuk (Filipino, Peruvian, and Chinese) and El Chupacabra (Filipino and Mexican), and saw a Japanese-French Cafe that looked amazing as well! In addition to the incredible food, we also had a great time walking around Manila Bay, grabbing a drink in Intramuros (the Old Town), and watching the Super Bowl at a local expat bar. The Philippines boasts an amazing mix of languages and cultures, and it was so fun for us to be able to use English (commonly spoken there) to ask about a million questions of our taxi drivers, servers, and any other local we could find. We learned about the strong influence of Catholicism in the Philippines, the new-ish movement towards environmental clean up, and most of all we learned how welcoming and friendly the people are.
At this point we were over the halfway mark of our trip, and my body had had enough. I left Manila with a fever and several other ailments (not so fun to describe), but I was still super excited to see Singapore! We watched Crazy Rich Asians on another leg of this trip in preparation, but the movie doesn’t do the city justice. It is by far the cleanest city I’ve ever seen, and has represented its multicultural population incredibly well! Singapore is made up of large groups of ethnic Chinese, Malays, and Indians, and each has a dedicated area of the city where you can find their respective religious buildings, restaurants, and specialized grocery stores. Even with the diverse neighborhoods in place, the city as a whole really seems to cater to each group in so many ways. Colorful, artistic, and clearly very well-off, there are so many lovely parks and public spaces in this city, where we saw families wearing everything from tank tops and sundresses to saris and hijabs. I often talk about places where there is a mix of cultures, but its usually a watered down mix, where clearly one culture has dominated, but in Singapore they were all there loud and proud. It was amazing!
It turns out KL was full of surprises for us. The majority of people living in Malaysia are Muslim, so it was much more conservative than I was expecting. Most everyone wore long sleeves and pants despite the high temperatures, and the presence of beautiful and delicious “mocktails” was at an all time high for me. KL is actually not on an island, and to us, it seemed like we lost that friendly, carefree island-vibe as soon as we arrived. Interactions were a bit more abrupt and businesslike – like they usually are, I suppose. Another surprise was the color we saw all around us – both the Philippines and Singapore were incredibly colorful cities, but I think any city would be hard pressed to match the vibrancy of KL. Brightly colored murals everywhere, some of the lushest, greenest trees I’ve ever seen against the bluest of skies, and the insanely colorful Batu Caves just outside the city made for some incredible scenes (and photos).
Dani Francuz Rose 