Moules frites. Adana kebab. Patatas bravas. Luckily for me, the child of travel happy parents with an appetite for always visiting new places and trying new food, these are the dishes that I was introduced to on our family vacations. Spend enough summers eating outside of the usual American fare and you might have developed the curious palate and gypsy tendencies that I’ve picked up. So imagine my bliss when I came across the gorgeous book Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe during the holiday season a few weeks ago. I’m barely halfway through and I’m already lusting after trips to Syria, Australia, and Argentina. That’s why this year I’m shunning the New Year’s resolution of the masses to eat less and asking you to follow suit. I’m proposing we skip the misery and go for something a lot more fun and delicious in kicking off a fresh decade. I say let’s eat differently, let’s eat better, and let’s eat with a sense of adventure. Instead of saying no to food, let’s say yes to new cultures and new dishes.

If it were up to me, we could get our passports stamped as often as we wished. I’d be getting mine stamped all year long and we’d be eating in Damascus this weekend. But for now, I have the next best idea thanks to living near the equivalent of a modern day Shop Around The Corner – the Traveler’s Bookcase. Owned by the chic and insanely well-traveled couple Natalie and Greg (they’ve been to over 100 countries) and located on West Third Street (diagonal to the perpetually popular Joan’s On Third) is what I consider one of the most charming and inspiring stores in LA. It’s where after seeing their drool worthy cookbook collection, I decided that this is the year to eat my way around the globe by cooking up the dishes and cultures I’m intrigued by. So come on, my fellow food lovers, just say yes and join me in this culinary resolution. I have a feeling that this is one resolution you might actually want to keep.

My 2010 New Year, New Food Cookbook list includes:

Turquoise: A Chef's Travels in Turkey by Greg and Lucy Malouf – This cookbook is outright beautiful. If you were ever going to judge a book by it’s cover, this would be it. This as close to visiting Turkey and tasting Turkish delights as you can get without boarding a flight over there. Join the authors as they visit spice markets, small soup kitchens, and visit sandwich shops along the Bosporus. And when you make the Red Pepper Soup with chickpeas, bulgur, mint, and chill, feel free to call yourself a culinary genius.

French Feasts: 299 Traditional Recipes for Family Meals and Gatherings by Stephane Raynaud – The French certainly know how to spend their Sundays. Welcome to a country that loves to have long leisurely lunches once a week. Crack open this cookbook and you’ll be wondering why we didn’t think of this first. I’m no Julia Child or even Julie Powell and I’ve already got my eye on a dozen of these recipes.

L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook: Meet Me at 3rd and Fairfax by Joann Cuciulli – I put up with my friends teasing me about my frequent trips to the Farmer’s Market because the food is just that good. Whether it’s Korean, Mexican, or Lebanese, it’s fantastic. If you don’t live in LA or want to whip these dishes up on your own, this cookbook is the ultimate go to. I’m determined to make falafel sandwiches as good as Moishe’s.

My New Orleans: The Cookbook by John Besh – 200 Creole recipes that make you wonder who was the lucky woman who got to marry chef and nice guy John Besh. Hello, delicious.

For more cookbooks and a New Year filled with great food and hopefully travel, go to www.travelbooks.com or visit the Traveler’s Bookcase at 8375 West Third Street Los Angeles, CA 90048. They’ve got everything from fiction, guidebooks, accessories, food/book events, and fantastic food and travel advice.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

1 Comments