TVO's The Food Chain, Girl Eat World and My Own Travel Musings
The first thing I do when I arrive in a new place is to visit a grocery store. Sure, eventually I will visit some lovely museums, take a hop on and off bus tour (I LOVE THOSE THINGS) and see the sights but, for me, to know a place and it's people is to know what they are eating. I want to know HOW they eat, where they eat and who they eat with. I chose Portugal for my 50th birthday trip basically so I could visit Pasteis de Belem, the birthplace of these pastries I learned more about the heart and soul of the Jordanian people by their constant invitations to come into their shop for a cup of tea or coffee, than I did from visiting their mind blowing historical sites. I will admit that, as a woman, I was a bit wary about visiting a Middle Eastern country that just happens to sit in the eye of a political/social firestorm. Would I be expected to cover my head? Would my son and I be safe to travel around on our own? Would we feel welcomed? From the minute we stepped o...