Location: The Caribbean Population: 10.8 million Capital: Port-au-Prince Geography: A tropical, mountainous country located on the west side of the island of Hispaniola. Language: French and Haitian Creole Signature flavours: Hot pepper, thyme, shallot, pumpkin, plantain, rice, beans. The Menu Eric went ambitious, with a four-item menu that included an array of Haitian flavours. He…
Tag: food
Assignment 9: Guatemala
Location: Central America on the southern border of Mexico Population: 16.5 million Capital: Guatemala City Geography: Mountainous, with small areas of desert, and having coastlines on both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans Language: Spanish Signature flavours: Tomato, corn, chilli pepper, cocoa The Menu Guatemalan cuisine is highly influenced by the country’s neighbour to the north,…
The Hungry Traveller
Eric and I are big travellers. We don’t own a house or a car or nice furniture or the newest in technological gadgets, but we travel at least two or three times a year. This year, we’ve been to Italy, Bermuda, the US, Norway, and Iceland, and a big part of our travels is tasting…
Assignment 8: Serbia
Location: South eastern Europe in the Balkans Population: 7 million Capital: Belgrade Geography: A landlocked country with mountains in the south and east Language: Serbian Signature flavours: Bread, cheese, cured meats, bell peppers, relishes, flaky pastry The Menu Serbia, Eric learned, has a culinary tradition that intersects European and Mediterranean tastes. Eric loves bread (he…
Assignment 7: Burkina Faso
Location: West Africa Population: 18.5 million Capital: Ouagadougou Geography: A landlocked nation of alternating plains and small mountains. Language: French and Mòoré Signature flavours: Beans, tomato, peanut The Menu Over this culinary journey, I am learning that there is something people are saying the world over: If in doubt, make a stew. Whether it’s goulash…
A Wooden Spoon Evening
Eric and I are developing traditions around our Wooden Spoon Wanderer project. We are building our cooking repertoire for the rest of our lives, and experiencing new flavours together. Sharing a meal is an intimate experience. When you sit down to eat a meal with another person, you are sharing an activity that gives you…
Assignment 6: Argentina
Location: Southern end of South America on the Atlantic Ocean Population: 43.8 million Capital: Buenos Aires Geography: Hugely varied, comprising mountainous regions, tropics, and plains Language: Spanish Signature flavours: Beef, corn, pumpkin, cheese, dulce de leche The Menu Eric wrapped up our South American double-header (I got Chile last week) with Argentinian cuisine, and opted…
Assignment 5: Chile
Location: South America on the Pacific Ocean Population: 18 million Capital: Santiago Geography: A long, narrow country encompassing mountain, desert, plain, and tropics Language: Spanish Signature flavours: Seafood, corn, potato, tomato, avocado The Meal Was it ever hard to plan my menu for Chile! I’m a huge seafood lover, and Chile abounds with fishy dishes….
The Low-Waste Kitchen
This year, I’ve committed myself to reducing waste both inside and outside of my home. I’m by no means at zero waste, but I can confidently say that I’m producing less waste than ever before, and that’s something. It felt daunting when I first started researching the zero-waste movement, and I was coming across articles…
The List
When Eric and I gave ourselves our first assignments — using an online random country/territory generator — I received British Antarctic Territory. At that point, we realized we needed to tweak our system. We didn’t want to use a straight list of official countries. First of all, there is some discrepancy as to what constitutes…
Wooden Spoon Wanderer 