We really haven't had a bad meal while in Europe. Almost every single bite of food has been tasty. However, some meals stand out more than others. And to help me write this post I had to speak with my foodie consultant: Super Nel.
We've compiled a list with some of the things we've eaten while on this vacation.
Super Nel says the best indian food (especially the curry) came from London. I think he still has dreams about eating that yummy curry.
In Amsterdam the yummiest thing we ate was a stchroopa (so?) waffle. These are sold in grocery stores everywhere however, they are best when you get one made hot and fresh. We had a hard time tracking one down but finally succeeded at the little town with the windmills. I still have dreams about that yummy waffle. Amsterdam is also known for its Indonesian food. We had a traditional Indonesian dinner which included 17 little dishes. This meal was delicious but the owner wouldn't let us leave or have dessert until we finished every dish. In Amsterdam it's rare to find a restaurant that will package up your food/left overs. Maybe it was a language barrier but when I'd say "ok we're all done now" or "can we have the check?" the waiter responded by looking in the little bowls, seeing food and saying "not done yet. You can stay and eat. Take your time."
Nothing too remarkable in Berlin or Poland. Berlin has yummy currywurst as does all of Germany. But we were so bummed that we couldn't find any currywurst chips anywhere-we'd had our heart set on those since our last visit.
Super Nel enjoys a pretzel at at Biergarten
You really can't go wrong with food in Italy. One dish that stands out was from a little restaurant in the town of Manarola (part of the CT). It was right by the water and they had some tasty seafood dishes (I had the spicy octopus pasta). They also served us the best calamari we've ever had. Even though this dish was fried the breading was really light and fluffy.
In our town of Rioggiomore, there was a place that sold paper cones filled with fried anchovies. At first glance you don't think it will be tasty, but I couldn't stop popping those little suckers in my mouth-they were delicious.
Paris had tasty (but pricy!) food. One of our favorite dishes was from a pub-the French onion soup. When the waitress brought it out, the top layer of crunchy cheese made the perfect sound as you crack it. This place was also a dream come true when it came to cocktails. Until that point of the trip I'd had nothing but beer or wine but the cocktails had these fun names like "God, save the Queen" and "Navy Tea." I'll just say that we saved the Queen more than once and I was ready to join the Navy after drinking all the tea.
Provence had some amazing food too. We enjoyed some of the best bread and cheese in this region of France. Super Nel ordered a "salad" at a small restaurant and he got pate and duck on a bed of lettuce with some mushrooms. He ate every bite. One night at our bed and breakfast, we made good use of the kitchen to make our own food. We boiled potatoes and added some curry sauce with chunks of Prochutto. Bellisimo!! That night we met a couple from the UK who cooked some casserole made of local sausages and vegetables. They were kind enough to share and we were glad they did. We spent the rest of the night playing card games, drinking wine in this gorgeous kichen while watching the sunset.
I have two words for Barcelona's food: Sangria and Paella. We found a restaurant (by mistake) that has the absolute best of both. We loved it so much we went there 3 times in a 24 hour period. The lobster paella was so full of flavor and so fresh it was like it had come straight from the sea.
One day we ate at Tapas 24and Super Nel fell in love with the McFoie Gras burger. It was Barcelona's take on our McDonald's burger only much better quality. It was a yummy patty of beef served with foie gras on the side. Very rich, but super tasty. They also had a bikini sandwhich that was made of bread, truffle oil, ham and cheese. Super Nel has spent the rest of our trip trying to find something similar to that McFoie Graz burger-sadly nothing's come close.
Another thing I'd like to discuss, is the overall relationship Europeans have with food. As you can imagine, it's very different than what we have in America.
Most Europeans treat food as a social gathering. This could be said about Americans, but in Europe it's a distinctly different relationship. In Europe, they see food as a thing to be enjoyed and savored. There is never any rush whatsoever to eat and leave. Most meals involve sitting down and engaging with people. They don't shovel food in their faces while on their cell phones or driving or sitting at a desk. Meals usually involve more than one course and each dish is prepared after one has been eaten. Once the meal is complete the waiters don't rush over with a bill and encourage you to leave. The only time the bill is brought to your table is when you ask for it. If you walk into a restaurant and they are full they will turn you away-even if they have people who have finished their meal and are just sitting and talking. The same is true if you are the one sitting and talking in a restaurant and there is a long line of people waiting-the people wait. Enjoying the conversation and post meal tea, drink or coffee is more important.
I'm not going to deny that fast food exists in Europe-it absolutely does (remember you can find a McDonald's in almost any country). But the food at these places tends to taste different than our super greasy bad for you food.
Most Europeans don't have a big fridge. That means there is only so much room to store food. People usually only buy food for a few days at a time. This helps ensure that the majority of the food you eat at home will be fresh. Stores like Wal Mart and Costco don't exist over here. You don't buy things in bulk and overstock at home. It's just not done.
Also, since most stores out here are small they won't necessarily sell all the ingrediants to a meal. Usually you have to buy your bread from the baker, protein from a butcher's shop and produce from the grocery store. It's an interesting way to live and I can see why it produces healthier individuals in comparison to our country. Without all the excess food in the homes (or food with so many unnatural ingrediants), incidences of obesity aren't as common in Europe.
Read next about other interesting observations we've made while touring Europe. We are currently exploring Iceland while on the last leg of our honeygroupmoon-however there are so many posts to share. I promise to write about our time in Provence, Barcelona, Madrid (where we reunited with Darius and Freddy for a day) and Iceland. As always, thanks for reading and remember that Adventure is out There!
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