Oh my. 2014 was a good year for food and This Life in Trips. Cooking classes were taken, dishes were made, delicious delicacies were eaten. My expanding waistline reminds me of this daily. For those who (fortunately) can not see my love handles, here is a look back on the 2014 gastronomic adventure through This Life in Trips.
Super Eats
My 2014 Foodie Review starts out with a deep-fried bang from our annual Super Bowl party. This event has become an excuse to get creative with junk food and wrap everything in bacon. See my Super Bowl Eats post for some more dirty dishes.
Icelandic Eats
I love Iceland. This is well known and well documented on this site. What this 2014 Foodie Review reminds me is I love Icelandic eats as well. From the interesting tapas of puffin and whale to the best hotdogs in the world, Iceland is a hidden foodie gem. For more examples see my 3 Days in Reykjavik itinerary.
What I put in my face hole in #Iceland. Note smoked lamb tastes like a lamb that has been smoking 10 packs a day. #AshTraySandwhich #Baconwrapped #hotdog #FTW #foodporn #WorldlyEats #Reykjavik # A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Getting Hungry in Amsterdam
Our brief stopover in Amsterdam provided a great chance to explorer the city’s surprisingly diverse food scene. Thanks to Hungry Birds Street Food tours we strolled the canal lined roads in search of tasty dishes of bitterballen and smoked hearing. A highlight of my 2014 Foodie Review for sure. For all that we sampled see my “A Couple Dam Hungry Birds – An Amsterdam Foodie Tour” review.
Tasting Russia
Heading to Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics obviously wasn’t for the food – and it was a good thing. For the most part, Russian eats were bland, grey, and overall not that tasty. 2014 Foodie Review highlight it was not. It wasn’t until our last night did we stumble upon this amazing Georgian Restaurant that proved to be one of the best places I ate at all year. See here for “My Sochi Fan Experience” review.
Turkey Bites
Turkey. You stole my heart and my stomach and because of this you top my 2014 Foodie Review list. With so many great meals had it is hard to pick a favourite. Cooking with Turkish Flavours in Istanbul gave us a great understanding and appreciation for the food and culture of this diverse city. Selin and company also provide tours of the Spice Market which are not to be missed. Staying at the Kale Konak Cave hotel in Cappadocia was another foodie highlight as we were served fresh and delicious breakfast everyday and discovered Testi Kebap, a tasty dish cooked and served in a clay pot.
Amazing #baklava & #Turkish Tea in #Istanbul.
A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Thinking about #Turkish tea today as I battle yet another cold. #Travel #turkey A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Happy Easter all! New post on my site today including breakfast with this guy! #Cappadocia #Turkey
A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Pistachio dusted apricots stuffed with clotted cream! Check out my blog to find out how you can make this #turkish treat –> link in profile! A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
New post on cooking with @turkishflavours in #Istanbul –> Link in profile!
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Turkish tomato pate. I could eat it straight out of the tub. Wait, that’s exactly what I did. So. Good. A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Who likes #Turkishdelight? This guy. A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Getting Pricey in Dubai
Dubai was a bit of a let down when it came to food. This of course was based on the fact that we had just left Turkey where everything was fresh and amazing and that the high end restaurants were out of our price range. Still, we had some amazing Indian food and discovered the popular chain Papparoti which is now available in Vancouver. See here or my full Dubai Eats review.
New post today on why #Dubai isn’t a #foodie destination –> Link in profile!
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Tasty Thailand
On to the main course. I have wanted to visit Thailand for some time based on my love for Thai food alone. This country did not disappoint and is another 2014 Foodie Review favorite. From crazy good street food to delicious curries, Thailand is a food lovers paradise. We took an awesome cooking class in Chiang Mai (Zabb E Lee Thai Cooking School Chiang Mai Review) and ate our weight in Pad Thai and Penang Curry along the way.
#Bangkok #Streetfood. Just another reason why #Thailand is great. More on the blog today –> link in profile. A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Possibly the most elaborate and awesome plating of pad Thai ever. Find out where to have this dish on my blog. A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
On the blog today, an almost authentic Pad Thai recipe. Super easy and oh so good.
A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
New on the blog today, my favoriteist Chiang Mai cooking class – link in profile! A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
So much curry. #chiangmai #cookingclass #eatallthecurry A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Mastered #koahsoi in #ChiangMai. Bought my weight in the curry paste bc of this.
A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
#kohtao #pancake #yum A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
This little guy took on a cob of corn the size of his head & won. #kohsamui #thailand
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Throwback to that time I thought sugar and butter on bread made for a good drunken pre-train snack. More on the blog today! –> link in profile! A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
California Cuisine
In June I was selected to take part in Coast Hotels “Great Coast Road Trip” which provided a great opportunity to sample some of California’s best dishes and wine. By far the best meal I had on the trip was at the Lark in beautiful Santa Barbara – the best dish being an asparagus and arugula salad that I have been craving ever since. Read (drool) here for “My Favorite California Eats” post and all the 2014 Foodie Review dishes sampled along the way.
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Enjoying the urban winery trail in #santabarbara. A lot. #travel #daydrunk #greatcoastroadtrip A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
New on the blog, my favorite #California Eats including this amazing salad. –> Link in profile!
A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Street tacos and Pacifico #ftw. #santabarbara #california A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Back in BC
Speaking of wine, this year I had the opportunity to head to Naramata BC and sample some of my home provinces finest. It was a wonderful trip (especially after back surgery) and was of course paired with some wonderful local cheeses.
Treating my back at Therapy Vineyard – Naramata, BC A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Life (Food) is Beautiful
In September I attended the Life is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas as a hungry member of the press. This great music and food festival was a year end highlight for me as it combines some of my favorite things – literally. Musicians cooked side by side with world famous chefs before performing at night. Amazing. The Life is Beautiful Festival is the best music festival you have never heard of and will be on my radar for years to come
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What sets the #Lifeisbeautiful festival apart? The combination of food and music like this – Eric and Bruce Bromberg of Blue Ribbon restaurants cooking with Alt-j keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton. #MyKindOfFestival A photo posted by This Life In Trips (@lifeintrips) on
Worldly Eats at Home
This 2014 Foodie Review list isn’t complete without some of my favorite dishes I brought home with me. I posted many recipes this past year and will continue to add to it as I travel and sample the globe. Check out these great and simple dishes to try for yourself:
- Quick and simple Butter Chicken
- Almost Authentic Pad Thai
- How to Make Almost Authentic Vietnamese Salad Rolls
- How to Prepare Vietnamese coffee
- Quick and Easy Beef Basil Panang Curry
Of course, it wasn’t all recipes that I found along the way this past year. There was the discovery that 7-Eleven is my favorite restaurant in Asia as well as the collection of odd/awesome chips of Asia. On the brew side of things there was My Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, discovering the craft brew scene in Everett Washington, and making this manly pumpkin keg.
Bring on 2015
A belly-filling year like this will be tough to top but as always, I am up for the challenge. This 2014 Foodie Review was a good one but 2015 is going to be a HUGE year for This Life in Trips and can not wait to taste what is next! If you run a restaurant or cooking school and would like to be featured lets do lunch! Check out my “See you Soon” page for where I will be heading next. Get in touch with me if I am coming your way!
Eating different foods from around the world really is the best part of travel. It always shocks me that Americans go to western chains in places like Europe and Asia. So many better options to be had!
Couldn’t agree more Alison!
Oh wow! So many great dishes! You must have really packed it on!
Ha! Indeed Anna. I would like to say these habits will stop soon but with my upcoming trip my waste is only going to grow!
Everything looks delicious!! Food is my favorite part of traveling!
Mine too Rika! Thanks for the comment.
Love the picture from Naramata!
Thanks Brenda! It was some amazing wine paired with some even more amazing cheese!
Yum!
: )
What an awesome year of food! Eating is one of my favorite parts of travel. Being able to sample different dishes from around the world is amazing.
Thanks! Mine too!