The Beginning - originally posted 2/11/15

The Traveling Gourmand…sounds fancy but when you break it down, it’s not and I’m not.  The image below should clearly prove that, along with why I'm not starting a fashion blog.

That's me with the frosted mullet

So let's break down where it comes from.

Traveling

I’ve always loved to travel.  It might come from my mother’s parents, who both journeyed to the US from Eastern Europe as children.  Maybe it comes from my dad, who was born in India and travels the world for work.  Even now that he’s retired, he’s been to Kenya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and San Diego since the beginning of the year. 

Wherever this love comes from, it has always been there.  I even loved it back when my parents would pile me and my three sisters into our minivan, with a huge food cooler jammed in the space next to the sliding door into the back seats.  I knew I had hours ahead of me as we left our home in Chicago, heading to Missouri or North Carolina or even Florida, and usually all in one day.  But even as I was drawing the imaginary dividing line that represented the border onto my side of the seat, even as I was eating yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich after passing a hundred McDonald’s, even as I was being yelled at by my dad to turn the volume down on my radio despite being barely able to hear it, I was so excited to be traveling.  I knew that at the end of this long, boring day, we would end up in a new place that was very different from home.  The scenery, the animals, the activities, the people and the food would all be different from what I was used to.  We didn’t go anywhere fancy, but we always went somewhere.

My Mom, sister Anita and me (on the right) enjoying the view of the Smoky Mountains

Gourmand

Definition: a person who enjoys good eating, often to excess.  This is a word that sounds fancy, to me at least, but really isn’t.  The history of this word is associated with glutton, definitely not gourmet.  I’ve always loved eating good food and tend to get obsessed with certain things.  When I came back from London, I spent many hours trying to recreate the amazing scones I had there and searched the web until I found a place to order clotted cream.  I then had scones with clotted cream and jam for weeks afterwards!  That might be a little excessive…

I love a high-end dinner as much as the next person.  The bone-in filet and butter cake at Maestro's in Chicago is amazing but I don't know if I prefer that over a Gene and Jude's hot dog or a deep dish from Pizzeria Due.  That may be the Chicago girl in me talking but I think it's more that I love any and all delicious food.  I look forward to sharing my plates with you.

Deliciousness from Out of the Blue in Dingle, Ireland

Everything Else

I also really enjoy planning my adventures.  I spend hours researching my destinations, the best locations to stay, the most interesting things for me to do, the best places to eat.  It’s fun for me!  Friends and family are always asking for suggestions and how I find things.  I also travel a lot for work.  That is mainly between New York and Chicago but I’ve learned some tips along the way.  I’m hoping that by writing about my journeys, it will be helpful to others in their travels.

Grandpa, Dad, my sisters and I in the Ozarks

I have a full-time job so I won’t be going somewhere exotic every month.  This is about fitting a few great trips, and a lot of great meals, into a real life.  This year, I’m planning a girls’ trip to Jackson Hole in May and Rhode Island for the Fourth of July.  There will also be a trip in the fall – possibly Peru – along with some quick weekend trips.  And I just found out that my boyfriend won a trip to Kauai, so I'll be taking my very first trip to Hawaii in April!  But first I'll tell you all about the trip to Ireland that my daughter and I took this past October.

I hope you enjoy what I have to share and I look forward to your feedback.  Cheers!

My daughter, Sabrina, and I in Dublin