Eating Around the World with Traveling Spoon
“Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.”
Traveling the way I like to travel could almost be synonymous with eating. In an exploration of place and taste, I find myself less interested in typical tourist routes, and not at all interested in sticking with the ‘same old, same old,’ with regards to what’s on my plate. To travel is to discover a culture - to uncover the root of it all. It is to understand all of the love and all of the adversity that have come with the evolution of a place. And at the root of any culture, in any city, in any part of the world, what you’ll always find is food.
Traditional cuisines, and the way they’re enjoyed, encapsulate the heritage and traditions of a place and the people that built it. By mindfully choosing our meals, how we enjoy them, and the company we enjoy them with, we’re inviting connection between ourselves, our food, and each other. This connection is what travel (and life) is all about. In pursuit of bringing these connections to the forefront of the traveler’s mind, Traveling Spoon makes the introduction between the traveler and the local, and coordinates a home-cooked meal for them to create and enjoy together.
With destinations all over the world, Traveling Spoon creates opportunities for travelers to authentically share and celebrate cuisine through market visits, in-home cooking classes, and in-home meals.
On our honeymoon, my husband and I met Melissa and her husband at their home in Jaco, Costa Rica for lunch. Melissa walked us through her recipes for typical Tico dishes with modern twists. She spoke to us about her family, the food she grew up with, her new cookbook, which was created in an effort to make Tico food synonymous with healthy living. Her food was phenomenal, and the conversation was even better. Gathering around the table to share stories and teach each other about our cultures was truly one of the most invaluable experiences I’ve had while traveling.
Traveling Spoon is almost always my number one recommendation for creating a more authentic experience while traveling. It takes any awkward leg work out of meeting locals, initiates an unforgettable experience, and hopefully a lasting friendship. Start the connection here.
As they grow, they’re actively recruiting for their ambassador program. This is a great opportunity for travelers to basically do a test run for prospective hosts and vet their credentials. Learn more about becoming an ambassador here.
