^Travel Through Food and Other Things To Do at Home : Street Food
Have you been on a plane lately? We’re glad if you did, and it’s also ok if you haven’t. Staying home has been going too long for some, and going out of the country seem like a privilege. We do need a break from it all, so it’s ok if you can fly out and spend a good time in your favorite city. It’s also ok if you stay home and chill, have your home office setup and wait it out until it’s safe.
To make it less boring, and to productive, you can do things you love that are still travel-related while in the comforts of your home. Here are some.
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Travel Through Food
When in Rome, do as the Romans do – have the best pasta everyday! You drink coffee in their “bars” and chat with friends there. When you visit a different country, it’s but a must to try the food they are famous for. You get to know a country by trying its food – from buying, preparation, cooking, plating, sharing, and tasting. Traditions, habits, and many other things get revealed in local food and delicacies.
When you crave for a particular food, it used to be easy to visit one in your area offering it, but restrictions made eating out a little difficult. Thank goodness there are still food delivery services!
Cook Food From Your Favorite City
While at home, you can try to recreate your favorite food. It may not be the same 100% but there’s always room to learn. Have Gỏi cuốn to reminisce your time in Hanoi and the freshness you’ve always felt lunching by the river. Have Okonomoyaki, Tonkatsu, Ramen, Chirashizushi to remind you of the wonderful days you had in Tokyo.
You could walk down Madrid and Barcelona’s streets again if you gulp down a cup of chocolate and pair it with churros. Or recall the conversation you had with a local while finishing your yummy Paella. If you will, you can also travel back to these cities through their drinks, have cà phê sữa đá, matcha, sake, sangria, and cerveza. These might evoke feelings of nostalgia, fernweh, and even embarrassment.
Play Food and Drink-Related Games
If cooking is not your forte, you can always have what you crave for delivered. While you wait, you can play some games: have your own coffee stand, and manage your inventory for the day. This game is addicting as one tries to raise money while not spoiling supplies, the basis of business.
Kids can enjoy some time off playing games that aren’t only enjoyable, ones that will also hone their mathematical skills, analytical thinking, or simply just coloring activities.
Take Online Courses
Have you always wanted to know how to cook your favorite dish but never got the chance to go to a course? Or do you find a culinary course too much? While courses to be a pâtissier is much better when done face to face, there are courses you can do online to enhance your cooking skills and knowledge.
Learn a New Language
Another online learning endeavor you can undertake is a new language. If you plan to visit Peru next year, best is to learn Spanish and Quechua, and probably some Aymara. Being able to speak and understand the language of the country you are visiting doesn’t only make communication easier, it fosters camaraderie – although the word means having spent a lot of time together, it will still bring such fruition for a short time.
When locals know you have learned their language, even without a perfect diction, they see that you respect their culture, and you gain that respect back.
Learning a new language is also good for you and your brain. It improves your memory, and gives your brain a good exercise. Being able to speak another language also gives you confidence.
A New Skill
Have you been wanting to paint after seeing the many beautiful displays at the Louvre, or at the Albertina? There are a handful of online courses you can enroll in regarding painting, abstract art, cartoon drawing, and even basic sketches. If you had been wanting to design your own dress, you can register for a fashion design online school, or online sewing classes. It’s never too late to learn something that makes you tick!
Virtual Tours
If you were able to join food tours in Bali, Bangkok, or Hanoi on your visits from previous years, you can do them again virtually. Even museum tours are possible virtually, and can already give you an idea in case you wanted to visit a particular one.
Watch Movies and TV Series Set in Other Countries
It’s not just Emily in Paris, there’s whole lot list of movies and other TV series that are set in wonderful cities and towns, new and old. Under the Tuscan Sun, Sleepless in Seattle, Lost In Translation, Before Sunrise, Midnight In Paris, La La Land, Notting Hill, and the many Mission Impossible movies would take you to a tour (sometimes on a wild ride) around Tuscany, Seattle, Vienna, Paris, and LA. The MI movies along would bring you to Prague, and London, to Berlin, and Sydney, Budapest, Dubai, Utah, Shanghai and many more.
Another good way to learn a language and learn about a city visually is to watch TV series of a locality. Korean dramas along with Kpop is of course very popular, but Japanese series, Thai, and Chinese, or if you would want to learn a European language, go ahead…watch their dramas and turn on the subtitles to catch on. You can also Travel Through Food watching shows like Midnight Diner, Delicious Rendezvous, Chef’s Table (in different countries), Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and Ugly Delicious.
Read Through The Next City You Will Visit
Prepare early for your next city visit by learning about its history, as mentioned above, the language, and other interesting stuff from blogs, vlogs or the city’s tourism website.
You can also take note of the laws, stereotypes, and other such things about a country or in particular, the city you want to visit. Hopefully, restriction would be lifted by the time of your travel. If not, make sure that you would be following safety protocols.
Travelling has really been on a halt for many, but we hope these tips – to travel through food and these other things can feed your wanderlust as you wait for the time when it’s a lot safer.
