Food, Glorious Food…A Few of Sheila’s World Favorites

On the way to Au, Austria, Walter (our taxi driver) asked me a question, “Do we like food?” Do bears *#@! in the woods? I adore food and every vacation not only gives us a chance to eat old favorites but also introduces us to new tasty morsels. I’m not referring expensive, Michelin*** restaurants but simple, everyday dishes. Some of my fondest (short list) food memories are:

- The huge dessert table loaded with tartes, cakes, mousses, puddings and other goodies served every night at our hotel in Chamonix, France;

- Raclette in France and Switzerland. A huge hunk of Raclette cheese is slowly melted either in front of a fire or at your table on a special machine. You then scrape off this gooey, melted cheese over boiled potatoes and snarf away. Raclette is usually served with a green salad, cold meats, pickles and lots and lots of red wine. Try Raclette the next chance you get;

- Gelato. What can I say about Gelato that hasn’t been said before. Rich, creamy, bursting with fresh flavors. Happiness is a trip to Italy or Buenos Aires (huge Italian presence in Argentina);

- The unending variety of different breads and rolls in Europe. Freshly baked with grains – oat, wheat, pistachios, caraway and sesame seeds, nuts, fruits – dark breads – light breads – crusty baguettes – soft and hard rolls – load up the sandwich meats, spread with tons of real butter and if that’s not a feast, I don’t know what is;

- Bircher Muesli is a simple combination of grated apples (add a little lemon juice to keep apples from browning), yogurt, rolled oats, little sugar to taste and an assortment of fresh fruits and nuts.  Whop it all together, make enough for a week, refrigerate, spoon in a cereal bowl and have a wonderful, healthy breakfast;

- Grilled Calamari served in all the restaurants along the Adriatic Sea waterfront in Slovenia. Fried calamari is commonly served around the world but “grilled” is a little more difficult to find on a daily basis. Inexpensive there and so good;

- The best tuna fish sandwichs we’ve ever eaten in tiny Douz, Tunisia at a little stand on the square filled with locals at lunch time. Dubious, we watched swarms of people coming and going and decided to give it a try. The counterman picked up a fresh French baguette and hacked it in two. We pointed and he spread chunks of tuna, hard-boiled eggs, onions, tomatoes, olives, oil over the entire baguette and Harissa. Harissa, is a spicy chili-garlic condiment made from oil, garlic cloves, chili paste, cumin, chili powder, and other ingredients. The two of us sat on the sidewalk and devoured this delicious sandwich. Subway? Forget it. Nothing has ever compared to the taste of this ultimate tuna sandwich and even when I try to recreate it, it just doesn’t taste the same;

- Tiny cut up sections of pork spareribs in Yunnan province in more little local eateries along the road. No sauce, just rubbed in spices, deep fried and the best ever. Why, oh why, didn’t I think to have the guide write down the name of this dish in Chinese? How sad…;

- Fresh sweet potato chips (crisps) and the world’s best spicy, stir fried noodles at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Tolai, Sulawesi, Indonesia; and

- A taco/burrito type dish in another local restaurant, Dengfeng, China, called Lo Mah. (Watch video below for all the Lo Mah details.)

The list is endless but have to stop since my mouth is watering. Feel free to visit my website Travels With Sheila and we’ll exchange international favorite food ideas.