It’s been a while since I’ve contributed anything to my Blog. Not for lack of travel but rather because it’s been a challenging year and I have been spending much of my time trying to make sense of it. You could say that I have been on a spiritual journey for the past year. My own Eat, Pray, Love if you will but I never seem to get past the Eat part. My version includes Earning and Burning miles instead of Praying and Loving.
This year’s destinations included some old favorites and one new place. It all started with an invitation to share an apartment in South Beach with a friend during the music festival. Most people I know would kill for an opportunity to mingle with the world’s top DJs but I was too busy eating Stone Crabs to care about Hex Hector’s private party.
I somehow managed to talk several family members and friends to meet me in Tokyo for my birthday this year. The planning took place before my life went pear shaped but I managed to make the trip and as a result learned a great life lesson. I realized that all the meals I was served in Japan were Omikase which translates to “It’s up to you”, meaning I leave it up to the chef to serve what’s best for me. The lesson for me was that I should treat my life the same way, I have learned to allow the universe to serve what is best for me.
The new place we visited was Kyoto. I did not fall in love with Japan’s original capital. I so love Tokyo’s energy that Kyoto felt like a nice stroll in the park with some Geishas thrown in for good measure. We had a traditional Kaiseki meal at Kikunoi where our own retired Geisha served us in our own private room. The dishes were beautifully presented but the flavors where perhaps too delicate for my foreign palette. Broccoli rabe, a vegetable I don’t associate with Japanese food, somehow managed to make its way into many of the dishes. Of course, no trip to Asia would be complete without a pilgrimage to Long Beach Seafood in Singapore for Black Pepper Crab.
Next came a quick 4-day trip to Mykonos, the shortest amount of time we’ve ever spent on the enchanted island. But we made the most of it and stuffed ourselves full of grilled seafood. Shortly after Greece, I embarked on a trip that I’ve always wanted to take. I spent 2 weeks with good friends on the Eastern Seaboard, 1 week in Provincetown and the other on Fire Island. I think they ran out of lobster the week I was in P-town.
In the Fall, I revisited Montreal where I devoured wonderful French food including “Duck in a Can” at Pied de Cochon. A visit to my new favorite food town, Honolulu, to sample local food including Alan Wong’s delicious inventions followed Montreal. Finally, a quick jaunt to The River Café in London followed L’Entrecote in Paris.
I still haven’t found myself but I certainly have been doing a good job of feeding my soul. Maybe next year will bring me some enlightenment. In the meantime, Bon Appetit!
