What to Eat, Where

Over the last three years, I've had the privilege and joy of traveling to a number of different places and trying food combinations that were beyond my imagination. I've learned that just because you've had a certain food or tried a certain activity in one place doesn't mean you will dislike it another. In fact, food, for me, has been a way of breaking out of the mold and learning to try things that I otherwise might pass up. Luckily, my husband is a foodie and has very little that he won't try … which inevitably spurs me on.

Below, I have listed for you the foods and food combinations I have learned about through my travels. Maybe some foods you were already aware of? Maybe there are some new ones for you? Perhaps, you are currently planning to travel to one of these locations?

Whatever the case may be, let me take you away to food paradise … one city (and in some cases, country) at a time…

1. In Hawai'i…

Get fresh fruit. Maui pineapples, passion fruit, guava, coconut, mango, apple bananas. (Yes, apple bananas are a thing.) The fruit I had in Hawai'i was some of the best I've ever had. :)

Kona coffee. Every island has a different flavor, and, according to my husband, it's all delicious.

The Mauimosa is a fun take on the more traditional mimosa. It's made with pineapple wine.

Macadamia nuts grow on multiple islands in Hawai'i. You can get them without all of the additional preservatives, so that's nice. I'm kind of in love with the Hawaiian Host chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Add a bit of caramel and … mmm mm good! :)

Banana bread. Aunty Sandy's banana bread on the Road to Hana in Maui is pretty amazing especially right out of the oven.

The "plated lunch" in Hawai'i is pretty unique. You get a meat of your choosing + macaroni salad + rice. It sounds weird and makes you wonder where the vegetables are, but it's actually really good.

And for dessert be sure to grab some shaved ice. To do it right, you need it layered with vanilla ice cream on the bottom, sweetened condensed milk on top, and a handful of mochi. With the right syrup flavors covering the ice, on a hot, sunny day at the beach, this treat is delicious!

2. In NYC, New York…

Grab an egg cream soda. It comes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors, though not all flavors are always available at the same place. And no, you won't get sick and die from drinking raw egg, because there isn't any in the drink!

Pizza is next. Just any street vendor will do.

And some people claim the bagels are the best. Something about the New York City water?

Photo credit: edwardkimuk via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

3. In Boston, Massachusetts…

A Boston cream pie/cake is a MUST. My preference? Mike's Pastry in Little Italy. Trust me: this treat served anywhere else in the world will never be the same.

Photo credit: greg.turner via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

4. In Charleston, South Carolina…

Shrimp and grits are a staple. I don't eat fish, but that's what they say, anyway.

5. In Atlanta, Georgia…

Try the fried chicken. Ideally with a lot of sides. Think mac and cheese, cornbread or drop biscuits, fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, coleslaw, fried okra, baked beans, and collard greens. A new thing I've only recently been introduced to is red pepper jelly which goes great on a biscuit! The jelly is sweet and tastes nothing like you (or at least I) would expect.

For dessert, be sure to get a peach cobbler (also can be made with a variety of other fruits including blueberries, apples, and strawberries) or fried peach pie. Peaches are the Georgia state fruit.

A popular drink, one that would be served with your fried chicken at grandma's house is sweet tea. If you've never had sweet tea before, take it slow. Southerners tend to like their iced sweet tea made with ALL of the sugar. Another option is lemonade, which is almost completely different from the European style. In the US, we use still water, sugar, and (yellow) lemons. Obviously, you can substitute with (green) limes, if you want, for a completely different flavor.

6. In southern Germany…

Käsespätzle is my thing. Minus the onions.

Currywurst is also a thing; it's one I didn't come to like until my husband made it at home… It's almost sweet tasting and doesn't remind me at all of the curry flavor found in Indian food.

Maß beer is also a standout. I don't drink it, but how can you not associate those large glasses of beer (especially during Oktoberfest) with Germany?

7. In France…

You have crêpes and galettes. As much as I have tried to like savory galettes, I just don't. I prefer sweet crêpes instead.

The French omelet (not served as breakfast) is absolutely amazing and unlike any American omelette that I've ever had. It's more light and airy. And they serve it with fries!

My husband is a fan of the mussels served in a cream broth and served with fries like you find in the Brittany region of France. I dislike seafood, so … there's that. :)

Hot chocolate is a must, though. I cannot leave without having a cup of Angelina's, even in the heat of summer!

Another delicious sweet is the salted caramel found in the Brittany region of France which is also pretty amazing. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it, but if you happen to be there anyway, why not?

8. In northern Italy…

My favorite meal would be salami, a delicious baguette (I know – French!), cheese (even Parmigian Reggiano is acceptable!), and a glass of wine looking out over the ocean with friends as the sun goes down. #win! I'm also a huge fan of their balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Nothing I can buy in the states tastes anything like it!

Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed in most other foods I tried while there – gelato, pizza, spaghetti. Could it be my American taste buds interfering? … Or did we just choose all of the wrong restaurants?

9. In the Québec region of Canada…

How can you not have poutine?

I'm also a HUGE fan of Michel Jodin's iced cider in the Québec region.

Then there is the Canadian syrup which is found in almost everything … from hot drinks to candy to breakfast "sauces". While the syrup itself is very good, I have to say you haven't really tried "Canadian syrup" until you are eating it served in a mug or spread out on snow as a sticky candy to be wrapped around a stick.

Photo credit: akimapilot via VisualHunt / CC BY-ND

10. In Prague, Czech Republic…

Trdelník, a delicious street food pastry made with cinnamon and filled with Nutella. I hear in the summer you can add ice cream to it too! How fun would that be?!

11. In Key West, Florida…

To be determined.

In a few weeks, my husband and I will be making the drive to learn more about what foods are served there. They will be hosting a key lime festival (wherein they drop key lime pies from lighthouses and the person who keeps it most intact wins?), and you can bet I will be drinking a tropical drink and soaking up the sun. Am I crazy? Well, that too is to be determined. It's possible.

What are some foods and drinks you associate with different locations? Have you ever tried a food in one place only to discover that it tastes completely different elsewhere? Are there specific foods you have to get every time you visit a specific location or place?

Share! And link-up with Top Ten Thursday!

All The Broken Hearts in the World Still Beat

Photo credit: lakelandlocal via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

It is no surprise that the election from Tuesday November 8th caught a lot of people off guard, myself included. While today's post isn't technically a response to the election results, it kind of is.

I had Tuesday November 8th off; the people I babysit for decided to use their oldest son as a babysitter rather than me.

Ok. Whatever.

So, instead I started prepping some December blog posts. Then, as the election polls were being reviewed, I worked on completing my Hawaii hotel bookings. I wasn't worried. I mean I had full confidence that the American people would vote against prejudice and hate.

I have never been more wrong in my entire life. Clearly I live in a bubble.

While I'm not sure as of yet what to expect from Trump as president or even how I will handle (or help friends and family handle) whatever misfortunes he throws at us (hopefully none, but it's not looking good), as a way of coping, Justin and I, at the kindness of my boss, who offered us free tickets, decided to take a date night and attend the Ingrid Michaelson concert in Atlanta at the Tabernacle Theatre.

First, we stopped in at Leon's in downtown Decatur and had a fantastic meal.

Address 131 E Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030

Hours: Mon: 5 pm – 1 am 

             Tues – Thurs: 11:30 am – 1 am

             Fri – Sat: 11:30 am – 2 am

             Sun: 11:30 am – 1 am

             (Kitchen closes one hour prior)

Phone: (404) 687-0500

For our entree we ordered the grilled springer mountain chicken, toasted barley, miso, roasted local squash, pearl onion, kale, and cherry-mustard jus. Honestly, when I read that list on the menu, I had no idea what to expect, but yum! :) It was so, so delicious!

And because the restaurant offered it (and I had been wanting to try it), we also ordered beef poutine made up of brasstown beef (whatever that is), peppercorn gravy, cheese curds, frites, and a sunny side up farm egg. I had never tried real poutine before (and still haven't since we haven't been to Canada); however, this version was amazing! Far better than our experiment from July!

And because I can't resist delicious ice cream, our next stop was Butter and Cream.

Address: 416 Church St, Decatur, GA 30030

Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

             Friday and Saturday: 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Phone: (404) 378-7272

My favorite flavor of ice cream there is butterscotch (plain), but they didn't have it. Instead we got the butterscotch brownie which was equally as good! We got it in a waffle cone, taking it on the go, so that we wouldn't miss our MARTA train.

No judgement! We had to eat a bit before I took the picture! ;)

When we arrived to the Tabernacle half an hour early, a line was already forming. It was mostly millenial females and their significant others. Like I told Justin though, the concert would be free for us, so who cared what the demographic was? ;) We had two different types of tickets to choose from: general standing admission (the pit) and top level seated admission on the balcony. I like to pretend I'm rich, so we went with the balcony seating.

Address: 152 Luckie St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

A few things to know about the Tabernacle and what is allowed:
• No outside food or drinks.
• No weapons of any kind.
• No cameras, GoPros, OR selfie sticks.
• No bags.
• Taking pictures with your phone is OK unless they tell you otherwise (probably based on celebrity and event).

For security, they split us into two lines – men and women. Then used a metal detector wand to determine if we were bringing anything forbidden into the theater. Seurity checked our IDs and gave us a wristband before we entered the theatre (just for those interested in drinking) as well as offereing an upgrade for VIP seating at a cost of $25 more (on top of whatever you paid for your tickets. Preferably you would have bought the cheap seats for this.) VIP seating had access to a full bar, side seating for the theatre, and "rooftop access" (whatever that is).

Overall, Justin and I found that this concert arena that would have cost us $35 for seats or $29 for general admission was a great place to spend our evening. Ingrid Michaelson provided a safe space for us to get past the election results in a somewhat neutral location. (Though it can be argued how neutral the location actually was since Michaelson definitely shared her position on the election results.)

Our seats were second row balcony!

Now … to the concert!

The opener was a band called AJR, a group of brothers who named their band after the first letter of their first names. Quirky, cute, unimaginative. Needless to say, I was unimpressed with the band. They were loud and seemed to be more interested in entertaining than actually singing. Whatever.

Finally, Ingrid Michaelson came on stage, nearly half an hour after AJR had retreated. She sang a bit, talked about the election, interacted with her audience, then entertained a bit more all while throwing a few songs into the mix and really making the whole concert experience fun. If you ever have the chance and know at least one song sung by her, I'd recommend going. She definitely makes her concerts more about experiences and entertainment than purely music.

Just as the concert was coming to an end, Michaelson informed the audience to give her a minute and she would be back for the encore. And just like that, a few minutes letter, she came back bigger and better than ever (and perhaps louder?) with her closer "Girls Chase Boys Chase Girls". It was fantastic and the audience was enthralled! Everyone (well, except me!) was singing along and a few were up out of their seats dancing.

At 10:30 pm, the concert had officially concluded and we were let out onto the fire exit steps where we got a beautiful view of the Skyview Atlanta Ferris Wheel. I don't think our night could have ended on a more pleasant note (aside from the one hour drive we had to make to return home).



Do I dare ask your feelings on the election? Were you as shocked and surprised as me … or was this something you were expecting? (Do I want to know?)

How do you get through difficult times? Would a night out on the town have distracted you and helped you disassociate yourself from your feelings? Or would it have led to more stress and anxiety?

Have you ever received free tickets to a concert performance, theatre production, or something else? What would a date night for you look like?

** Linking up to City Trippers Mummytravels.com and Wandermum.co.uk

Best Places to Get Ice Cream in the South

Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC

As a child, I distinctly remember my favorite ice cream being Bluebell. When I was about 8 years old a distribution plant opened up near my home and my fate was sealed. Clearly we would only be buying the most expensive ice cream in the grocery store from that point forward. Unfortunately (or fortunately for their wallets) my parents disagreed. Instead we bought the gigantic tubs of ice cream mass produced by whatever grocery store we were at: Wal Mart, Kroger, or Publix. The truth is my family loves ice cream. I like to blame the Georgia summer heat. When the temperatures reach 90º+ outside, the go-tos tend to be cold treats and water – not just to drink but also to experience.

Then I met Justin – a man who could cook.

At this point, eating became more about the experience than about filling a void. Quickly I learned that there was good food and then there was great food. Once you experience great food, it is really hard to go back to anything less. So my taste in ice cream has altered over time to reflect my growing sensibilities.

Last year around this time, we ventured to Scottsboro, AL and the Unclaimed Baggage Store as a late Father's Day "gift" for my dad. Then, just like the time before, we made a pit stop in Chattanooga, TN on the way home. While my childhood memories suggest that this is a tourist town, as an adult, the more time I spend there, the more I find to do. We explored local thrift shops and took a walk across the two bridges that connect downtown Chattanooga and the north shore, seeing as much of Chattanooga as we had time for.

While we were there, rather than returning to my go-to favorite ice cream shop The Ice Cream Show, we decided to try Clumpies instead, a place that had been rated as one of the best ice cream shops in America by the Huffington Post. Boy was I surprised at the amazing, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness of Clumpies! It would seem I had, once again, misjudged this shop with it's sad name! A hole-in-the-wall family-owned ice cream parlor located amongst touristy eats on the North Shore near Coolidge Park in Chattanooga, Clumpies offered a large variety of melt-in-your mouth staples (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) as well as just as many seasonal treats. Justin and I tried the strawberry-balsamic, peach, pralines 'n cream, and vanilla, all of which we found pleasantly delicious.

After finishing our dessert there, Justin and I started to consider our past ice cream experiences. For example, which was better The Ice Cream Show or Clumpies? I think what it comes down to is what you are looking for in an ice cream. If you want the handmade deliciousness and the ability to try new and exotic (does peach or pralines count as exotic?) flavors, Clumpies is the way to go. If you are looking for Dairy Queen blizzard-like ice cream where you mix and match toppings to get your perfect flavor made specifically for you. The ice cream they use as the base is Mayfield and you are limited in choices – chocolate or vanilla, frozen yogurt or ice cream. Despite it's plain-ness, even in my description, the ice cream really is good there and definitely fun for a unique experience nothing like what you would typically find at Bruster's or Ben & Jerry's, typical tourist ice cream spots.

Other ice cream worth mentioning that is not necessarily in Chattanooga, but worth trying if you are in the Southeast include:
• High Road ice cream specifically found in the desserts at Sweet Auburn Barbecue in Atlanta. YUM!
• Jeni's which has locations all over the US. – Or buy the book and make your own at home. Sooo good! :)
• Butter and Cream in Decatur, GA is a current favorite! I'm a big fan of the butterscotch brownie! :)
• Paolo's Italian Gelato located in Charleston and Atlanta. – An Italian in search of delicious gelato found he had to open his own store! Try the floral flavors for an interesting twist!
• French Broad Chocolates in Asheville, NC – We didn't love the chocolate too much, but the ice cream was amazing! Go early, because the line can get really long!
• Or if you feel like having a lazy night at home, check out Talenti. We've tried the caramel, raspberry sorbet, and caramel with cookie crunch all of which have been amazing! This brand was once hard to find, but now we are seeing it pop up in stores all over including Sam's Club and Sprouts!

What are your favorite local ice creameries? Are you a fan of the gourmet ice creams that are all the rage right now or do you prefer brand staples like Mayfield, Bluebell, … or the Kroger Partypail? Share! I'd love to hear! :)

***Linking up with Lauren on Location,Marcella from What a Wonderful World, and The Sunny Side of This

* I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's post was reshared  in response to National Ice Cream Day (on July 17)! What is your favorite place to get ice cream?
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

Georgia Gems

(source)

Even though I'm not quite finished with April A-Z, I decided to write a special post (my second for today!) on Georgia gems for #TravelTuesday. Really, it's just a mash-up of posts I've previously shared on the blog, but I thought it might be helpful for those planning a trip to my home state some time in the future.

First, my Georgia A-Z from last year. I came up with a list of places and experiences to have featuring every letter of the alphabet covered in 8 posts.

A-D • E-G • H-K • L-O • P-S • T • U-W • X-Z

While I covered a lot of territory in that series, here are some other Geogia posts I've put together over the years:

• Savannah Georgia Bucket List
• Stone Mountain Georgia and discussion on the potential loss of a monument
• Another list of Georgia cities and attractions
• the small town I once called home: Dacula
• Awesome ice cream in the Southeast
• Captive, the true story of a man who broke out of jail and held a Georgia woman captive, against her will, and how the experience changed her life for the better
• Atlanta Botanical Gardens Christmas lights 2015
• Final Cut, an Anthropologie/Urban Outfitters/Free People discount store in Augusta, GA
• And a few Savannah, GA hotel reviews: Doubletree Historic District Holiday Inn Express & Suites Midtown; & Hampton Inn: Historic District

Finally, some fun links to help you learn more about Georgia and its main city Atlanta. These are the links we pass around on facebook, so you know that all these facts are true!

• 35 signs you grew up in Atlanta
• 10 Atlantan Stereotypes That Are Completely Accurate
• 25 Things You Might Not Know About Atlanta

I'm still in the process of learning more about my state and the states surrounding it. Sometimes it feels like every day I learn of a new place to visit or sight to see. Right now Justin and I working our way through visiting all of the Georgia parks and down this list of the best Georgia breakfast restaurants.

Are you making an effort to get to know the place you live any better? Have you ever visited Georgia or seen any of the small towns or attractions I've mentioned in this post?

Atlanta Botanical Gardens Christmas Lights Exhibit

Over the weekend we surprised my mom for her birthday by taking her to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Christmas Lights Show. She loves Christmas everything, and she had been desperately searching for an event to attend in Atlanta. Unfortunately for her, everything was selling out quickly. Justin and I called my dad, proposed this idea, and right after taking her to another disappointing Christmas display, surprised her by taking her to this. A 47º night, we carried around hot drinks and took in the beauty that the Botanical Gardens had created. The night could not have been more perfect. :)

Have you had the chance to visit any beautiful Christmas displays yet this year?

** I'm participating in Susannah Conway's December Reflections. Are you? Today's post was a response to #7 on the list "Branches". :)