I’m a traipser. I'm an ambler. I'm a wanderer. I traipse-amble-wander across the globe. I wander down random streets with absolutely no real purpose, which drives the Mister (when he’s LUCKY enough to travel with me) to levels of annoyance that I find hysterical. But, there’s a method to my madness that his poor, practical Engineer’s brain just can’t seem to comprehend. What better way to actually know a place than to wander aimlessly? Some of the most interesting things I’ve seen have come about that way. But more importantly, some of the most delicious things I’ve EATEN have been found that way.
Let me introduce myself, alright? My name is Carolyn and I have three expensive problems in life. One - I'm addicted to travel. Two - I'm addicted to photography. And Three, I'm addicted to cooking.
By no means am I an expert at any of them, but when all three conspire together - the results are usually very interesting. The Mister claims that I tend to dirty every single dish in the house when I get a glass of water, let alone when I am trying out a new recipe that I picked up in Istanbul, Bruges, Yangshou, or Morocco, among other completely random places. If you look into my pantry and spice cabinet, I'll immediately be outed as an Ingredient Bandit; I mean who doesn't keep Lizano sauce, Colman's mustard, dried hibiscus flowers from an Egyptian street market, hot paprika from Budapest, and Madagascar vanilla beans as staples in their cupboard? As the Mister frequently tells me, I live by a nonconventional definition of the term "staple".
I've been to 36 countries so far, and cannot seem to stop. (Unless you count The Vatican, and Hong Kong as seperate "countries", which I technically don't, but if you do, then my number is 38. Anyways.)
Alongside the typical thousand or so (and I am so not joking) photo's I return from each adventure with, one thing I collect that doesn't take up as much space on my harddrive (or in my cupboards) is recipes. Sometimes a certain song is a gateway back to a particular time and place (and yes, I will never be able to hear the BeeGee's without thinking of karaoke in China), and I think a taste brings you back to a particular time to an even greater degree. I can chart my memories through my taste buds and will be using this to catalogue them. As tasty as chicken fingers are, I hope you'll find something a little more exciting to try here so you can take a vacation - with your mouth (And I mean that in the least dirty way).
