I Breathe…Therefore I Eat
One of our secretaries at work, before going on her first cruise, told me she was going to be careful of what she ate because, she was on a diet. I told her the last thing you worry about when you’re on a cruise is watching your diet. “You’re on vacation, for heaven’s sake! Vacation is synonymous with indulgence and ‘diet’ is derived from the verb “to die.” She replied by saying her diet goal was to weigh what her driver’s license says. I told her I couldn’t relate to that type of mentality, when it comes to food, my philosophy is, “I breathe…therefore I eat!
Eating is one of the great pleasures of life only topped by eating the entre in the country of its origin.
Save up for a tour to China. The food there is delicious, fascinating and exotic. My favorite Chinese dish is an item called Lop Cheong fried rice. Lop Cheong is a Chinese sausage usually made from pork with a high content of fat.
It’s normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned, and is used as an ingredient in quite a number of dishes in southern Chinese provinces but especially in Hong Kong. Yes, it is very fattening, but remember, if you drink a diet soda with anything fattening they cancel one another out.
I can’t get enough refried beans and tortillas when touring Book of Mormon candidate sites in Mexico. The beans and tortillas are excellent because lard is added to enhance the flavor. Add some Carne Asada (strips of barbequed sirloin) fresh guacamole (avocado) and tomato, onion and cilantro salsa. It’s the finest lunch that Mexico has to offer. Of course it has a lot of calories, but I liked the attitude of one of our ladies on our tour. At the hotel’s Mexican buffet she was eating her fourth Carne Asada taco with those great tortillas and beans. When a friend she was eating with brought it to her attention she replied that she didn’t care, and then added “my body is a temple, with ample parking in the rear.”
Italy is one of my most favorite places to travel to. The food, beauty and history are overwhelming. The most inspirational places to me are the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica.The Sistine Chapel is awe inspiring, Michelangelo’s masterpiece that many consider to be the greatest work of art ever created.
In Florence the piece of artwork that can’t be missed is Michelangelo’s David. First unveiled in 1504, the Statue is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture and stands with the Pieta as one of his most enduring works.
In Pisa it’s the leaning tower! The height of the tower is 183 ft.. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 12 ft 10 in from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical.
Seeing these magnificent sites can create quit an appetite and the solution is Italian Pasta! No one makes a pasta dish like a native Italian.
My favorite is a dish called Fettuccine Alfredo with peas. It’s made with creamy parmesan cheese sauce, tossed with fettuccine and steamed sugar snap peas. Add to it some garlic bread, topping the meal off with a couple of scoops of authentic Italian raspberry gelato.
For ambience, picture yourself seated at a restaurant table overlooking the canals of Venice, and you’ve got an unforgettable travel memory.
Travel and food is a great combination, so indulge yourself. Don’t forget to enjoy all the desserts guilt free. If you get stressed over the calories, remember “stressed” is just “desserts” spelled backwards. If that philosophy doesn’t work then exercise every day, but do it early in the morning before your brain figures out what you are doing!
Happy travels and bon appétit!
