LLWorldTour

“If slaughter houses all had glass walls, we’d all be vegetarians.”
~Linda McCartney

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. I am not a vegetarian. I have never been. It’s a specific label that I don’t need to define myself with.  I also don’t think it has to be an all-or-nothing mentality.  I think that is what scares off many people who think if they can’t quit cold turkey, literally, then they can’t do anything.  This is simply not true.  There is a whole spectrum in between.   I myself am eating less and less meat (meaning cow, chicken, and pig—notice how even this sounds strange since we have renamed most of these into ‘edible’ names. We don’t eat pig, we eat pork) as time goes on…especially when I am cooking and shopping for myself.

I love food. There’s no question about it. The more I get out and the more I discover, the more foods I enjoy. And I don’t just mean stuffing my face.    I enjoy the story of food and mostly the culture of food and it’s importance to basically every society around the globe.   Through my television producing career (producing a ‘lifestyles’ show ‘weighted’ heavily in the restaurant scene in Chicago) and just my proximity to so many dining options and authentic ethnic eateries, I’ve become quite fascinated with the restaurant and food industry. And throughout my travels I try nearly everything on offer and at the same time have witnessed the closer relationship people in many developing nations have with what they consume. There seems to be a much shorter distance from field to plate and it made me realize how far removed most of us in the Western World (myself wholly included) are from the reality of the food chain. And how industrialized the food supply in the U.S. is, that to answer the above question: ‘where does our food come from,’ most would answer, ‘the supermarket.’  Drumsticks, NY Strip Steaks, and Pork Tenderloin wrapped in plastic or frozen chicken tenders and beanie weenies in a can barely resemble the animals they once were, let alone even share the same name.

I recently saw the documentary,  Food Inc., and read a book that opened my eyes and taught me a lot about the food I eat every day. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, journalist Michael Pollan meticulously and intriguingly breaks down our food industry kernel by kernel and tells us just how ‘industrialized’ it has all become.  From factory farming techniques that reveal the unscrupulously inhumane treatment of animals,  to the use of chemicals, pesticides, and antibiotics to ward off the very diseases that these overcrowded ‘factories’ create by their own design,  Pollan says the chronic diseases that kill most of us can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food over the last several decades.

His fascinating book takes us through the changes our nation has endured over the 20^th century in the processing (and over processing) of what we eat, especially the surplus of government-subsidized corn and how it has found its way into practically everything we ingest (corn fed beef as opposed to natural grass consuming cows, the replacement of natural sugar with addictive high fructose corn syrup in sodas, candy, and even ketchup, mustard, and bread).

High Fructose Corn Syrup is cheaper than sugar and consumers don’t seem to notice the difference, but the true difference has been seen in our belt size – in our nation’s health and overall weight. American’s rising obesity rates have been traced to the 1970s when America’s average daily caloric intake jumped up more than 10%. In simple terms, by human nature, when food is cheap and abundant people will eat more and get fat (relating to our hunter/gatherer roots—stocking up to store fat in case of a famine…which nowadays never comes). And in recent years, mega-companies like McDonald’s began ‘supersizing’ their portions thanks to cheaper ingredients from more subsidized and industrialized practices in turn making us even fatter.  Humans have inherited a sweet tooth and an inclination towards energy-dense foods like sugar and fats, yet in nature we don’t encounter the over-concentrated amounts of these substances like we do now in processed foods—case-in-point—a soda contains way more fructose that any fruit that exists in nature.

Many people in this country get upset when they hear about dogs being killed for food in other countries like I saw firsthand in Vietnam. But we don’t seem at all bothered about what is happening to the animals right here in our own backyard. People know dogs and cats…they are part of the family. But perhaps if they got to know cows and pigs and chickens, they’d be just as upset about the way they are inhumanely treated and then slaughtered. It has been shown that cows have personalities and respond well to human interaction just like any animal does. And according to studies done at Penn State University, pigs can be just as smart and loving as dogs.

With the help of hormones and other treatments, the farming industry has managed to create fast growing cows and chickens that now live for just about 30 days before slaughter. Many of these animals grow so unnaturally fast that their little, young legs can not support the weight of their abnormally large bodies and they can’t even stand up.  Not only do they suffer, many of these animals become sick or diseased and have to be killed and never even used as food anyway.

There are some new organic farms out there trying to do the right thing for the animals and in turn us.   Polyface Farms in Virginia has what they call complete ‘transparent’ practices. They don’t hide their slaughter process; they do it out in the open. In fact, if you buy a chicken from Polyface, you are more than welcome to come to the farm early to pick it up and witness its sad yet humane demise.  Either way, you have to pick it up – they do not ship food anywhere, thus helping to not contribute more environmental problems, pollution, and fuel usage that long-haul shipping causes.  Maybe what I’m writing sounds so ‘in your face’, but I now really can’t believe how in the dark we are (or try to keep ourselves) from what we put in our bodies and where it truly comes from. Many informed consumers in the US are trying to buy locally from farmers’ markets and stores that supply local farmers’ foods. You may have heard this phrase before: Think globally, act locally. By going to the supermarket or better yet a local farmers’ market, and buying your tomatoes from local farmers in your own state and not, say, Costa Rica, you are helping cut back on fuel costs and emissions caused by such long-distance hauling.

Most people also don’t realize that farm animals are the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. The livestock industry produces more gases than the transportation industry. It’s also one of the top contributors to other problems like land degradation, water degradation and pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

Next time you are driving through the American “heartland” past all the green farms and rows and rows of corn, it may not seem quite the idyllic ‘mom and pop’ farm picture that it once did…or that the food marketers still try to make it out to be.

The market is really driven by consumers.
So what can we do?

• Be informed. Read and learn more.
• Shop mostly the perimeter of grocery stores where the ‘real’ food is.
• Shop farmers’ markets (find local, sustainable farmers and markets by entering your zipcode here).
• Buy foods that are in season.
• Become a locavore – buy and eat locally produced food.
• Buy free range and organically raised and fed plants, dairy products, and meats.
• Plant your own garden…even a small one.
• Know where your food comes from.

What else can we do? What do you do? Leave your comments here.

Adil’s Curries from Pakistan via Stockholm

I met Adil in Stockholm where he had moved for university and remained to work. This friendly and sweet Pakistani welcomed me into his home, shared his love for Sweden, and cooked me some tasty, comforting food from his home. We have come to know ‘curry’ as any saucy and spicy dish served over rice made of a mixture of vegetables and tangy spices popular in Southern Asia.

Adil’s Curries

• Peas
• Sliced Carrots
• Potatoes
• Onion
• Garlic
• Masala Mix (Ingredients: Chilli, coriander, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cumin, black cumin, black pepper, onion, clove, cardamom, salt)
• Creamed Spinach
• Jasmine or Basmati Rice

Vegetable curry:

Boil peas and small pieces of chopped carrot until they are soft (They could be bought canned from a supermarket as well). For 750 g, 40-60 % ratio by WEIGHT of peas to carrots respectively would suffice

Buy or prepare vegetable masala mix

Chop and fry 1 onion in oil on medium heat, and when the onion slices are light golden brown, add 150-200g tomato paste (or 2-3 chopped tomatoes). Then add 4-5 tablespoons of vegetable masala mix. Simmer the mixture for around two minutes, stirring frequently.

Then add aforementioned peas and carrots into this masala. Stir. Keep the dish on low to medium heat until the vegetables are cooked. You’d need to stir frequently in order to avoid vegetables sticking to the base of cooking pot.

Palak (Spinach) curry:

Cook creamed spinach along with some vegetable masala mix.

Rice:

Cook Jasmine or Basmati rice in water and add some salt, cinnamon, clove, black cumin and cardamom in it while it is being cooked.

Serve curries over rice and enjoy!

**An important note from Adil:

If your readers face difficulty in replicating my masterworks, they could simply order it from our very own Malmöite [another city in Sweden], Dr. Bombay.

May the grace of gobi fall upon you and those around you!

It’s time to dip into the recipe file for another scrum-sha-delicious treat from the road. This tasty pick was lovingly prepared for me by my good friend Audrey in Paris. Audrey and I met though Couchsurfing when she hosted me in the fall of 2008 at the start of my second leg of travel. During the first visit we’d snacked on some of my favorite food: local charcuterie (smoked/cured meats), fromage (cheese, glorious cheese), and a fresh, crusty baguette from her neighborhood  boulangerie (bakery) just across the street.   She and her cat Eros were great hosts so I returned in the spring before my return flight to New Jersey at the end of the grand world tour.  She whipped up this little dish – from one of her mom’s (who lives in Brittany) recipes. Merci Audrey!

Jacqueline’s Coquilles St. Jacques a la crème avec riz (Creamed Scallops with Rice)

• Shallots
• Garlic
• Butter
• Scallops
• Parsley
• Whisky or white wine
• Curry (optional)

Sauté shallots and garlic in butter. Add scallops. Simmer 3-5 minutes. Add Whiskey or wine.
Simmer again and allow liquid to evaporate.
Add a bit of cream. Season to taste.
Plate over white rice.

Bon Appétit!

Who hasn’t sidled up to a grease truck on a late Saturday night or bought a tasty falafel-filled pita from a New York City food cart?  But there is a new phenomenon under foot.

Taco trucks are actually nothing new to Los Angeles, but lately they seem to be everywhere.  And their customers are no longer just construction workers or other blue collar Joes. Now, thanks to the social media craze, a truck called Kogi BBQ is causing quite a feeding frenzy. Lines of LA hipsters stretch around the block. People show up from all over just to try one of their Korean-slash-Mexican fusion creations. But what caused it to go from a bit of a buzz to an all out taco tizzy? Twitter, of course. Launched in November, Kogi tweets (under @kogibbq) their trucks’ whereabouts throughout the day and their loyal followers come running. If you Tweet it, they will come.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the operation has become a “social networking juggernaut,” drawing between 300 and 800 people at each stop, with waits of up to two hours. Traditional trucks always parked in the same spot. These new trucks give the air of exclusivity because you have to be in the know to find out where to find them any give day.

My friend Mark and I decided to run down the Kogi truck one afternoon. I found their weekly posting of whereabouts on their site. Then I cross-referenced it with updated Tweets they were making every few hours on Twitter.  There was going to be a truck just around the corner at lunch time. Sweet! We were golden.

We walked over and found no less than 5 imitator trucks dishing out slop to the LA citizenry. But where was our Kogi?  Nowhere to be found. And since we are not so connected and didn’t have a Blackberry or iPhone – we were in a social media black-out.  We asked some other Kogi cravers the obvious question and no one knew where the heck it was.  So, we ate some imitation tacos which were good at $2 a pop, but still not the fusion flavor I had heard so much about.

Okay, cut to two days later. This was it. We were going to track down a truck and shove some tacos down our gullets if it was the last thing we did. We drove to a Best Buy parking lot and…there it was. Actually there they were – two gleaming white Kogi trucks churning out the coveted chow and pumping out some reggaeton (kind of a Latino hip-hop/reggae mash-up) to a small lunch mob that had gathered. I asked for the special – the Blackjack Quesadilla. Mmm, crafty Kogi goodness. It was a crunchy well done tortilla filled with some damn yummy caramelized onions, spicy pork, gooey cheese, and topped with a sesame sauce with just enough kick to make my lips tingle.  It was good, but I think it was the whole manufactured ‘coolness’ of the scene that I enjoyed the most.

Or, as my friend Mark put it, “It was good food and everything, but ya know, it was just eatin’ food from a truck.”

For three nights, I stayed with animation guru and filmmaker, Francesco, and his brother in a great, old stone house on the outskirts of the beautiful and vibrant University town of Bologna.  Francesco was the perfect host. He had me at Buongiorno. Not only was he gracious, friendly, and easy going, most importantly, he cooked me some tasty meals and literally did not let me lift a finger or clear a dish. I was spoiled. This dish was simple, rustic, and just plain delicious!

Francesco’s Sicilian Pasta

• Pasta
• Sardines
• Raisins
• Onions
• Pinenuts
• Olive Oil

Sauté onions in hot olive oil to a light brown.
Then add sardines (and/or mackerel), pine nuts, raisins, salt & pepper.
You can also add a little bit of white wine and herbs.
Sauté everything for a few minutes, adding a little bit of water if the sauce gets too dry.
In the meantime, cook pasta and drain.
You can use indeed any kind of pasta, but Francesco suggests Garganelli or Tagliatelle.
Toss sauce with pasta and mangia!

While I traveled around the world you may have noticed my slight obsession with food. Not only did I delight in sampling local specialties and fresh locally grown produce, I was fortunate enough to have home cooked meals prepared with love and pride by my many hospitable hosts from coast to coast…to coast. So now for your own cooking and consuming pleasure I will begin a series of posts from time to time sharing these fun, simple and definitely delicious recipes from around the world.

Bon appétit! Buon appetito! Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub!

Robert’s Israeli Tahini Sauce/Dip

• Ground Sesame seeds/Concentrated Tahina
• 1 Lemon
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• Chopped Parsley
• Water
• Olive Oil
• S&P

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Eat with pita or crudite.  Super easy, fresh, and yummy! Enjoy!

Perhaps, one of my favorite things about Sweden is the Fika. A Fika basically translates into ‘going for a coffee.’ But it is so much more than that.   It is a cultural institution and is a way to take a break in the middle of the day to meet and chat with friends and get that all important jolt of, not necessarily caffeine but, social interaction. Here it is incorporated into everyday life and it seems like with everyone ‘going for a fika’ no work is getting done. People meet at one of Stockholm’s hundreds of coffee bars and hang out to have coffee and some of Sweden’s delectable pastries. In fact, it is Sweden, not France or Italy, that is said to be one of the world’s highest coffee consuming nations.

There is something about this ritual that is so very nice – especially in winter. I mean, yes, many of us already ‘go for coffee’ in the middle of our workday, but it’s often more of a ‘grab and go’ takeaway Starbucks affair. Here in Sweden, your boss expects and wants you to go take a break, sit for awhile, and catch up with your friends and co-workers and oftentimes will be the one shooing you out the door.

During my time in Stockholm I even took a commuter train up to the charming university town of Uppsala (about 40 minutes north) just for a Fika. Uppsala University is the oldest in Sweden and one of the highest rated universities in Europe. I was invited to a Couchsurfing gathering there and I couldn’t pass up to opportunity to see the countryside of Sweden, meet some nice people, and enjoy some yummy food and coffee. My new friend met me at the train station and gave me a great walking tour of his charming old town. Then we tucked into Hugo’s Café for a four hour fika filled with games, a lunch sampler of cous cous, pasta salad, and garlic bread and some tasty warm drinks. It was a great day and proved my new catchphrase (soon to be taking the globe by storm):  It’s never too far for a fika. So shutdown your computer now and go take one.

Every country I visit has its share of amazing local food; fantastic fromage and charcuterie in France, fresh vegetables and layered spices in Vietnam, super fresh, still nearly breathing sushi in Tokyo, overflowing plates of tasty mezze in Greece and Turkey. And then there’s the comforting food of Italy. Perhaps it’s because, as Americans, it is one of the foreign foods that we barely consider foreign. Who didn’t grow up in the United States eating pizza, lasagna, baked ziti, spaghetti Bolognese (pasta with meat sauce) or veal parmigiana?  It seems no matter what your background was, mom always made some kind of Italian meal at least once a week. And if you grew up in or near New York like me, local, first and second generation Italian pizzerias and pasta joints were more common than McDonald’s.  My spot of choice was Frank’s Pizza just a few doors down from my high school job at the local, family-owned (and second generation Italian) video rental store, Image Photo & Video. I could always pop in for lunch for a slice of yummy mushroom or prosciutto pizza. Or maybe some Eggplant parmigiana?

So, as I journeyed my way down the bountiful boot of Italy, I devoured the foods I’ve always eaten, but here with a bit more robust flavors, often times fresher ingredients, and of course, the backdrop of a centuries old piazzas (squares) all adding to the experience.

Torino (Turin)
Italy’s fourth largest city had a major facelift recently thanks to the Winter Olympic Games that were hosted here in 2006.  This capital of the Piedmont Region has had many food innovations, not to mention it’s the home of the ‘little Italian car that could’ – the Fiat (lovingly said to stand for “Fix it Again, Tony”).
Turin is the home of Lavazza Coffee and one of my favorite things on the planet – Nutella. This jar of chocolaty goodness is available at just about every supermarket around the world – and why wouldn’t it be? Who can deny the rich flavors of chocolate and hazelnuts spread on a slice of bread, cracker, or just simply licked off a finger. If you haven’t ever tried it yet then run, don’t walk, to your nearest grocer and buy several jars, because I promise, one won’t be enough.

Turin is also the home of a big culinary movement that is growing fast – Slow Food. In the US, for decades we have wanted nearly everything done fast – our commutes, our meetings, and our meals. Often times, we scarf down some kind of mystery meat on a bun at our desk at lunch…all the while keeping our eyes on the computer screen and one hand placed upon on not so hygienic mouse. Gradually, it seems we are more enjoying the art of dining out with friends and making it last. When was the last time you savored a meal – slowly masticating each tender morsel and taking the time to enjoy the flavors and think about what you are eating? Maybe that’s part of our problem we don’t even think what we shove down our gullets and five minutes later the meal is over and we go about our business.

In 1987, McDonalds began its inevitable expansion into Italy. A few Italian foodies got together to make sure this was not the end as they knew it to the fabulous Italian sit down meal. Carlo Petrinim and some of his foodie friends (neoforchettoni or ‘big forks’) wrote a manifesto which was published in the Italian foodie Culinary Magazine, Gambero Rosso.  LINK They declared that a meal should not be measured by its speed, but by its pure pleasure. From this they founded the soon-to-be world famous Slow Food organization.  Its mission was to reconnect artisanal producers with interested and consumers. And it’s working. Slow food has grown fast. Their membership is close to 100,000 in 50 countries worldwide. And their message of biodiversity, sustainability, and shared food resources is traveling around the world at lightening speed.  Just as they had hoped, the Slow Food movement is growing faster than McDonald’s expansion – at least in the Piedmont Region. There are now about 30 of Ronald’s burger joints, but at least twice as many acclaimed Slow Food restaurants plus the fabulously chic and well-stocked new slow food superstore, Eately. Catchy name, eh? I visited this Whole Foods crossed with an Italian food-lover’s paradise and drooled over the enormous selection of cheeses, meats, breads, pastas, fish, chocolate, and olive oils. Stark white shelves heave with perfectly aligned jars of oily, salty anchovies, a plethora of pestos, tasty tapenades, freshly made pastas, and so much more. But luckily there are cafes sprinkled throughout the store where you can sit down and chow on some of the delights right before your eyes.  And for dessert, of course, there is a gelato stand where part of the proceeds goes to charity.

Parma
This lovely provincial town may be one of the most expensive and richest in all of Italy. Why? Two words: prosciutto and parmigiano. High in the hills of Parma in the Emilia-Romagna Province of Italy amidst the evergreens and snowy mountaintops, live a few hundred producers of what is possibly the world’s most famous ham: prosciutto di Parma. I got a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of one of the local producers, San Nicola, one of the first in Parma to go from a small artisanal family practice to a more industrialized shop trotting out 100,000 legs of prosciutto each year. But don’t let the word “industrialized” fool you, San Nicola is still a family-owned operation employing just 13 folks.   It is among all the other hundreds of shops in the area who together ultimately produce 10 million legs of prosciutto each year – 450,000 of which are exported to the USA.  That’s a lot of ham.

What is prosciutto exactly? Isn’t it simply some cured ham? Well kind of yes…and kind of no. If you ask Luca Baratta, the Manager of Production at San Nicola, he will tell you it is much, much more than that. It is a centuries old tradition that is now regulated by the government in which nearly every aspect of this ham production is regulated and approved.  His factory for the most part feels like a library…a library of meat. Rows and rows of metal shelves with quiet hanging pink legs just waiting, relaxing, and aging in peace. It is super clean and quiet with a handful of workers only seen at the beginning of the assembly line where the fresh legs come in from the local pig farmer. Here they are checked for quality, sorted and stamped with metal seals of approval. From here they are salted, then rinsed and eventually hung to age for anywhere from 16 to 30 months.

For ham to actually be given the regal moniker of Prosciotto di parma it must follow strict guidelines established by the government in 1970 under what is called the D.O.P. – the Denominazione di Origine Protetta (or Parma Ham Consortium). In a country that takes its food very seriously, this is kind of like the food police and you don’t want to mess with them.  The guidelines pertain to many criteria including where the pig came from, how they are raised, what they eat, how they are slaughtered, and of course the actual salting and curing processes.  Every step of the way is checked, monitored, and given a stamp of approval. In fact, in today’s over-marketed world where nearly everything is “new and improved,” “genuine,” and “premium” it is nice to know that the prosciutto governing body forbids these qualifications and others like it. The only words allowed to be used are “boneless” and “sliced,” if that is in fact the case.

Some of the not-so-secret secrets of good prosciutto are the length of time it’s aged and having a thicker layer of fat encasing the meat. Some may seem this as unhealthy, but in the aging process it’s this fat that locks in the moisture and flavor making ham magic happen and ultimately creating some of the best prosciutto I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasking – tender, melt in your mouth deliciousness. Luca says through the process, this food product is actually better and healthier than when it first started.  Perhaps he’s right because it tastes like heaven.

Bologna
No my friends this is not the home of that odd and bland American invention, Baloney. Nor is it home to the U.S. version of spaghetti bolognese. But it is the home of 

alla bolognese …the real deal meat-based sauce with actually very little tomato and never served over spaghetti (a Naples invention), but with the local egg pastas tagliatelle or lasagne. The recipe, issued in 1982 by the Bolognese delegation of Accademia Italiana della Cucina, confines the ingredients to beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, broth, red wine, and (optionally) milk or cream.
Perugia
The original chocolate kiss, the Baci is from here. These hazelnut, chocolate morsels are made by internationally imported chocolatier – Perugina, one of the most successful confectioners in Italy. The company was introduced to the U.S.A at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, and have since become known for fine chocolate around the world.  And, of course, in this time of mergers and big business, Perugina is now a division of the Swiss Nestlé corporation.

I could go on and on about the specialties from each region: the rich more robust sauces of Calabria and Sicily, the Napolitano Pizza, the secretly sniffed-out truffles of Umbria and so on. But perhaps like me, you are now hungry…so get down to your local farmer’s market for some fresh produce, hit your local Italian market for some fresh pasta (or better yet, learn to make your own), grab some extra virgin olive oil and mangia!

Whatever you call it: café, coffee, espresso, café latte, or just a ‘cup of joe,’ coffee has been drunk for centuries and varies depending on the species of coffee plant the bean comes from – a misnomer for seed (arabica, robusta, etc.) – and the type of roast (Italian, French, American, etc.). It was discovered originally in Ethiopia, spread through Arabia into Turkey and eventually to the thriving trade port in Venice. Today coffee drinks are big business and, for better or worse, a cup of coffee has become part of the uniform of the American worker (and an eco-disaster). Noted as one of the world’s largest, most valuable, legally traded commodities after oil, coffee has become a vital cash crop for many Third World countries. Brazil is the world leader in production of green coffee, followed by Vietnam and Colombia. Of course with all this demand comes big ecological impacts as well. A major issue concerning coffee is its use of water. According to New Scientist, it takes about 140 liters of water to grow the coffee beans needed to produce one cup of coffee and coffee is often grown in countries where there is a water shortage.

The concept of fair trade labeling, which guarantees coffee growers a negotiated pre-harvest price, began in Europe in the ’60s.  Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall below the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

The production and consumption of “Fair Trade Coffee” has grown in recent years as some local and national coffee chains have started to offer fair trade alternatives. Starbucks, one of the largest buyers of Fair Trade Certified coffee, will double its purchases to 40 million pounds in 2009, making the company the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the world.   A number of studies have shown that fair trade coffee has a positive impact on the communities that grow it by strengthening producer organizations, improving returns to small producers, and positively affecting their quality of life. The families of fair trade producers were also more stable than those who were not involved in fair trade, and their children had better access to education.

I used to never drink the stuff; all through high school, university, and through my twenties – not a drop. After the Starbucks craze (and, in case you don’t live in the US, there are also many independent cafes and coffee bars in the US) I was sucked in just a little and would maybe treat myself to a few coffees each month. And since I wasn’t a true coffee drinker, these were, of course, the frou frou coffee ‘concoctions’ of Starbucks – like a mocha (espresso with a shot of chocolate syrup…for me minus the whipped cream). Now as I’ve traveled around the world and through Europe, my coffee and thus caffeine intake has dramatically increased – for a few reasons. First, when you are walking around towns and cities for months…you simply need something to do when you ‘take a break.’ And, of course, there are all these inviting cafes lining the streets beckoning you in with happy patrons laughing while they sip a cappuccino. So it was nice for me to join in. Plus if I sat down and ate something every time I wanted to take a break, I’d be as big as a house. Next, I did actually start to appreciate the taste and differences of coffees around the world. From the surprising, yet good, café culture in Melbourne, Australia (where I worked as a barista) and the chains of Asia to the less-than-stellar instant coffee commonly served up in Eastern Europe and the pleasing café au lait of France and rich espressos in Italy. In fact, the more coffee I drink, the less milk I add. I’ve gone from a crazy Starbucks caramel macchiato (not the real macchiato—an espresso ‘stained’ with a drop of milk) to a simple, yet robust, real Italian espresso (in 3 sips you’re done). I used to never order an espresso thinking it was too strong and dark for me, but I have to tell you, these are delicious.

The one coffee I just could not force myself to like is Turkish. For me, it’s just too strong. The grounds are left in the cup which makes for a bit of a sludgy beverage. But the after show is nice…having someone read your fortune in the bottom of your cup. Maybe mine would say, ‘you are drinking too much coffee.’ Well, probably not since the fortuneteller probably gets kick backs from the establishment.

I am on a shiny, fast train heading toward shiny, efficient Geneva.  As we ride the rails, we go through woods ablaze with fall colors-bright yellows, flaming reds, and pumpkin oranges. The undulating green French countryside has given way to granite rocky hills signaling we are entering Alp country. There is something about the Alpine country that I love – the crispness in the air, the clean oxygen in my lungs, and the cute flower-box adorned homes clinging to the green hillsides.

But what was I doing in Geneva? I hadn’t planned on a visit to Switzerland – one of the most expensive countries on the planet where a Starbucks cappuccino literally costs $7.  I was actually just here for a few hours to be picked up by new friends working at the UN Headquarters here. You may be sick of me talking about new friends, but I can not stress enough how this is the most amazing and wonderful part about travel. I met Leyla through my website when she emailed a comment about my post of the reverse culture shock some travelers feel when they return home after a long journey. She, too, has her own travel website, called Women on the Road and we kept in touch over the months through emails and she even interviewed me for her site.  She lives in France not too far from the Swiss border and told me if I ever was in France I should stop by. Well, you know me…so that’s just what I did.

Leyla and her partner, Anne, live in an amazing, renovated (work in progress) farmhouse near Seyssel, a small town about an hour southwest of Geneva. I was excited to meet them. And I had no idea how old they were or what they looked like. I kind of like that. It’s great developing relationships just through words/thoughts (in emails) and not having any preconceived notions or judgments because of how a person looks – their age, sex, race…whatever.

I spent a lovely week at their home. We drove around the beautiful surrounding areas all under surrounded by the amazing back drop of the Alps and Mont Blanc.

They took me to Chamonix where I ascended the incredible, Aiguille du Midi at 12,600 feet, The views were fantastic. Jagged snow-capped peaks pierce the cobalt sky and in wintertime the place is mobbed with skiers schussing down the mountain side.  After my short time at the frozen summit, my altitude-challenged lungs were ready for sea level and my stomach was ready for lunch.   Luckily back down in town Anne and Leyla were waiting to take me for the local specialty-raclette (from French: to scrape). You are basically served a mini charcoal grill sitting on its side like a birdcage of briquettes with a tasty hunk of cheese positioned in front of it. As it melts, you scrape the gooey goodness onto to the accompanying bread or potatoes. And enjoy with the plate of charcuterie of salamis and similar. Yummy.

We also took in Annecy, an absolutely charming medieval town (and one of the most appealing I’d been to in France)…with the quintessential cobblestone pedestrian lanes filled chock-a-block with shops, cafes, and strolling inhabitants.

Some other local musts I partook in: chowing down on garlic and butter soaked frogs legs and enjoying Seyssel’s annual town fair – with bric-a-brac to buy, foods to sample…and the odd cow or chicken for sale. Moo.

And to top it all off, Leyla took me to the local Sunday Bingo game. It doesn’t get less touristy than this. You can picture it – the local community center with a high pitched ceiling supported by sturdy wood beams, long tables at which random locals sat averaging the age of 75, and a table against a wall with locally baked goodies to buy – the proceeds going to some local charity.   After several hours, Leyla and her lucky cards brought her good fortune in the name of a frying pan, a gift basket filled with edible goodies, and even a vacuum cleaner. Like Charlie Brown, all I got was rocks.  I got nothing. Actually, I did benefit from the three-hour lesson of French numbers. Now I can count to 100 in French. Well, more accurately, 99-Bingo cards only have one or two digits.