I would do anything for some good takoyaki. Anything.
While feasting on one of the many delicious homecooked meals I ate while in Virginia recently, the topic of “food vacations” came up. Whenever I travel–particularly abroad–eating at a lot of interesting, local dishes is really important to me. My family visited me in Kyoto for a week back in 2001, and I planned every day around food. To me it’s a big part of experiencing the culture.
So while in Virginia, we posited the question: Where would you go for a week just for the food? Imagine an entire trip planned around food–basically, the “eat” portion of “Eat, Pray, Love.” You start with breakfast or brunch, move on to lunch, take a break in the afternoon for a light snack or tea, then a nice dinner and dessert at night. Local drinks could be included at the appropriate times as well.
With that in mind, where would you go and why?
I would be hard pressed not to choose Japan. I really love Japanese food, and they offer quite a wide variety of dishes. The only thing holding me back is breakfast–I’m not a fan of Japanese breakfasts. However, there are a number of French bakeries in Kyoto, so I would gladly go there for breakfast. Or just have rice. Warm rice is a great way to start the day.
Second in contention for me is Italy. So much good food there, including lots of gelato. I would really love to eat my way through Naples and the rest of Italy someday. Is there such thing as a food tour? If so, I want to go to there.
What about you?