This weekend I've been making my dad's recipe for baked beans and thinking back to all the trips I've taken where food was a big part of those journey's. Some were destination trips and some were happy accidents, tasty journey for the tongue. Each one has left me with a bigger desire to cook and to create an equally tasty dish; a dish that, when the flavors rest on my tongue, I'm transported back to that spot and can smell, see, taste, and hear where I was when I ate that meal.
For me it was the clam chowder and sourdough bread on Pier 39 in San Francisco or on Wharf 1 in Monterey that takes me back to the Pacific Ocean, cool breezes, salty air, brightly colored tourist shops, and overwhelming amounts of people. I can hear the call of the seagulls as they search for a dropped crumb. I can remember cringing at their hovering overhead as I pray they don't poop on me.
Pea Soup Andersen's and Firestone Vineyard near Solvang, CA were destinations for me. The pea green walls, green carpet, green booths, and green decor of Pea Soup Andersen's should have been overwhelming but somehow, it worked. The soup was fantastic, rich and flavorful, a destination to be sure. Firestone Vineyards had yummy wines but I'll always remember the sight of the vineyards, row upon row of grapevines, deep green in color. The view of a cork tree was something to log. Both lovely places with lovely tastes.
Texas brings back the taste sensation of a fantastic steak. One like I've never had before in even the nicer steakhouses. The Saltgrass Steakhouse appeared to be an upscale restaurant and had I tasted the food before going, I'd have assumed it would be a fancy place to visit. I remember though, the patrons had a variety of dress. Some fancy, on a date, others more relaxed. A Friday night out with the pals or the family.
Ireland, though, that trip left me with the desire to recreate many of the dishes I had while there. I've purchased Irish tea from Ireland because what we have here is a pale comparison to the richness of the flavor of their tea. The soups were blended fantasies, a myriad of flavors all hitting the tongue at once leaving one struggling to determine what exactly was in the soup. There were two things that stood out to me in this journey. The soda, ahhh the soda bread. So simple and yet so delicious. I eat a piece of freshly baked soda bread and am transported back to the breakfast table of a bed and breakfast. The smells of Ireland, the views of the cliffs, the lilt of the voices all come rushing back. Then there was the dish. The one that inspired me to recreate some of the things I ate in Ireland. Mushroom Risotto. The evening was cool and rainy. We'd had an adventure filled day filled with the sights of Giant's Causeway and Carick-A-Rede Rope Bridge and it was drawing to a close in Carrickfergus. Our innkeeper recommended a restaurant a short drive from the b&b so we headed over. The woods were rich, the banter lively, the evening relaxing though it still held an element of something exciting to come. I ordered the mushroom risotto and it was one of the best dishes I've ever had. Still today, nearly three years later, I find myself stopping at the store on rainy days to pick up mushrooms, shallots, broth, and wine to make the fantastic dish. I find myself transported back to that evening where all was perfect, one of the best times of my life.
Food has a tremendous affect on the memory and for me, it's the ties to the trips I've taken that drives me. Those journeys where I've seen amazing sights, met fantastic people, and spawned a larger desire to see more, learn more, and try new things.
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