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Adventuring In Food While Traveling

July 30, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Traveling is all about experiencing new cultures, learning about parts of the world far removed from your own and connecting with people of different nationalities and religions. If you happen to love eating, then it’s also about the food.

Food has long been a great way for a traveler to integrate with locals, whether it be fish and chips in the United Kingdom or something a little more exotic from a Vietnamese street market. Nobody, after all, wants to be the other side of the world and eating in a fast food chain that exists in their hometown.

Here are four ways in which you can experience the best local cuisine while you are traveling.

Connect to the local restaurant scene

The best way to experience local cuisine is obviously to go where locals go – and that can often mean heading off the beaten track. Take New York, for example. How many locals ever eat in and around Times Square unless they are going to a show on Broadway? Not many is your answer.

To experience a real taste of New York (or anywhere else for that matter), you need to look to the suburbs of a city or town, to where the real people live. In a world where TripAdvisor exists, that is now a lot easier. Find the number one rated pizza joint away from the hustle and bustle of downtown New York, and you’ll be enjoying a far more authentic taste of the city with authentic New Yorkers.

Don’t be afraid of going down the cliché route

Having said that, you shouldn’t be afraid of going down the cliche route when it comes to eating out. If you’re in Paris, it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sample genuine French snails, frog’s legs, or any of those other weird things that the French eat.

This is true of anywhere in the world. Don’t be afraid to gulp down a huge steak or burger in between sticking it all on red in casino restaurants. Why not go for a barbecue in Australia or have a burrito in Mexico – sometimes, cliche food can give us experiences we can’t get anywhere else.

Visit a local food market

Over the last decade, food markets have become popular tourist destinations for travelers. Food market bucket lists are now a thing, and National Geographic has even produced the Best Food Market in the World list – with Toronto’s St Lawrence Market coming top if you’re looking for destination inspiration.

It isn’t hard to see why, as these markets are a great way to understand and experience local cuisine. It’s quite easy to lose yourself for hours at a time in a food market, wandering around and taking in the sights and smells. You can sample and purchase authentic local ingredients in a way that really takes you to the heart of the city or country you are visiting.

Eat with a local in their home

Airbnb brought travelers into people’s homes as an alternative to hotels, and now that is extending into locals inviting strangers in for a dinner party. Websites such as EatWith allow travelers to seek out locals who are looking to throw a dinner party for guests they don’t know. This can provide the unique opportunity of actually being able to go and eat a local meal with a local family in their home. You won’t find many experiences more authentic than that.

Finding Southern BBQ Flavor in Hendersonville, North Carolina

June 26, 2018 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

While we were visiting Henderson County, we spent some time in Hendersonville and while there we wanted to take some time to have some great southern BBQ. In asking around we were told about Moe’s Original Bar B Que, a staple restaurant in downtown Hendersonville.

As you walk into this casual dining establishment, you will find that they have a little bit of everything for someone that loves meat or BBQ. They even have tempeh, a vegetarian alternative for someone wanting BBQ (without the meat).

You can choose to have a sandwich or a platter and they even have larger meals for a larger family. With both sandwiches and platters you get to select from two of the sides that are traditional to the menu or two of the special sides that they have on a chalkboard next to the main menu. The only other difference that the employees mentioned was that you get more meat on a platter. You also get a drink thrown in for your meal. They do have a full bar as well with local and national beers. I did not have an alcoholic beverage but there were a number of local ones that looked good!

The employees are super friendly and very helpful. They are more than willing to offer you advice to what to eat or even their favorites of sides.

The food did not take long to arrive and when it did it looked great. The whole family dug in and the BBQ had great flavor. Moe’s has their own signature sauce that has a sweet tang and a tinge of heat too. If you want your food to be hotter, there are sauces available for you to enjoy sitting on the edge of the bar just waiting for you.

In the end, if you want some great southern BBQ in Hendersonville, look no further than Moe’s Original BBQ!

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From Fat to Fit – A Guide To Healthy Lifestyle Options

April 22, 2015 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Being overweight is often a result of vicious circles of behaviors. Stress at work or home leads to unhealthy comfort eating of sweet, salty and fatty foods, which leads to extra weight, which leads to loss of self esteem, motivation and energy, which leads to stress and so on. Breaking such cycles is hard, but essentially it’s all down to two healthy things – exercise and diet.

Let’s start with diet. The important issue here is not just losing weight, but maintaining long term healthy eating habits. It is important to get good professional advice on the specific diet you are considering, but generally speaking eating healthily should involve:

Lots of fruit and vegetables (the standard recommendation is 5 a day).
Not much sugar or saturated fat, so cut down on cakes, biscuits, sausages, cream, fizzy drinks and pies. Eat more oily fish, reduced fat spreads and, if you must snack, choose fruit or raw carrot.
Pasta, cereals, bread and rice! Surprisingly, these carbohydrates are perfectly acceptable in a balanced diet, as long as you watch portion sizes. Preferably, switch to whole grain varieties for the fiber.

So now you’re getting healthy by eating well, what about exercise? In the beginning, take it in small steps. Try getting healthy by getting off the bus a stop early, parking in the furthest corner of the car park or simply choose to take the stairs. These simple measures will all burn extra calories and bring back motivation.

Once you have eased yourself in, there are several other healthy options. Many people find gym membership helpful while others are concerned about the atmosphere being competitive or judgemental. If this is the case for you, why not invest in your own fitness equipment, whether it’s a treadmill, exercise bike or free weights? Equipment does vary in its cost, what it is designed to achieve and even how easy it is to set up and use.

If you don’t fancy the hi-tech healthy option then there is always swimming. This exercise is low impact, so ideal for anyone overweight. It uses all your main muscle groups, is great for toning the whole body, and is capable of burning up to 700 calories per hour. You don’t even need to be a proficient swimmer as all strokes will provide the benefits.

Make a start on healthy eating and a manageable exercise regime today – you have nothing to lose but the pounds.

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