Becoming a Culinary Explorer

As a lover of sweet pastries, savory meats, and spicy entrees, I would like to express my thanks to every immigrant that has ever picked up there lives and moved to another country. It is because of these people that I get to enjoy such a delicious variety of cuisine almost on a daily basis. Throughout history, people have taken their cultures and brought them with them wherever they have dwelt. When these people arrived in their new destination, they cooked the only thing they new how, which lucky for us, were their cultural culinary staples. Over time people began to integrate these recipes into our every day culture and now days we can become culinary explorers.

A few years back, I was living in Arizona trying to survive the heat. Arizona is home to a vast Hispanic population and it is reflected in their cuisine and urban areas. Throughout the Phoenix valley, the landscape seems to be dotted with Mexican restaurants, taco stands, and bicycle vendors. During my first week living there I was invited by a wonderful Mexican family to celebrate a birthday of one of the family members. When it came time to eat, the tables were piled high with all the Mexican staples, beef tongue (lengua), beef cheek (cabeza), all kinds of pork, tamales, carne asada, and mountains of rice and beans. Being my first week there and having never tried these things, i strapped on my culinary exploring napkin and went to work. Low and behold, lengua and cabeza were amazing. I couldn't get enough of it. After living in AZ for a few years, i became so accustomed to spicy Mexican food, that it was hard to eat anything else. Thanks to people like this wonderful family, gringos like myself can enjoy this type of food just about wherever i go.

If one looks around our country and the world, you can truly see how the food is reflected in the culture. Centuries ago, people did the best with what they had and the food keeps evolving to become more and more delicious. By traveling around, one can best learn of a county's culture by trying the food. One of the main reasons for traveling, especially outside the country, is to learn and experience another culture. While traveling do me a favor, be brave and try the food. Trust me you will be surprised how awesome the food and culture really are. Please don't go to a McDonald's unless it is the last option. Being a culinary explorer will help to enhance your view of the world and help you to fall in love with a culture and its food.