For The Love of Gorgeous Food

Finding good food on vacation reminds me of what food SHOULD be

Welcome to Roots! A newsletter about plant-based: eating, nutrition, lifestyle, I cover it all. Join me, Lori Osterberg, as I explore good food, great health, and Gorgeous Wellth! New here? Get started.

“Buenos dias!”

My husband and I are walkers. Throughout our married life, we’ve found solace in walking together each morning, talking about our day ahead.

It’s no different when we’re on vacation. No matter where we are in the world, we find a path we can take to get our morning started.

And our recent trip to Mexico was no different. We rose the first morning, and weaved our way around our complex, wondering which way to go. Our “home” sat on a hill overlooking the city. It was only natural to go down, where the people are.

There was a bike and walking lane right alongside the main road. People everywhere starting their days, on their way to breakfast, or work, or school. We passed people and smiled. Almost all are friendly, smiling as they greet each other. “Hello. Buenos dias!”

We love participating.

I believe that’s the beauty of traveling. To step out of your life, and into someplace new, if only for a bit. Technology has made this a very small world. My husband and I often talk about how our lives today would differ if we tried this same thing three, four, five decades ago.

No Google Translate to get yourself out of sticky situations. No Google Search to find the best restaurants to eat at.

Yet even that has changed considerably. Even just ten, fifteen years ago, we loved to dive into the culture as we traveled, eat as the locals. The food was simple, clean, wholesome.

A basic salad in Italy took my breath away. Tomatoes vine-ripened on a bed of greens. Homemade mozzarella scattered. An olive oil-based dressing that was packed with flavor. Flavors I’d never experienced back home.

What’s the main problem with our food system? Ask a dozen people, and you’ll get a dozen answers. We all know there’s a problem. Yet what will it take to find a solution and make it better? Or is it a loss cause?

I wonder that. I ponder that. And no place brings up these ideas more than when I travel. Maybe it’s stepping aside from my own routines and letting the newness of my surroundings take over.

I remember watching my grandma in the kitchen as a little girl. Could she cook! Her mother died when she was eight, and being the oldest daughter, she took over in the kitchen. By the time I was old enough to watch her, she’d had decades of experience. She didn’t need tablespoons or cups for measuring; it was a little of this and a little of that.

And a whole lot of love. You could see it in the way she mixed things together. Rolling out cookie dough. Adding spices. Mixing it with her hands. Folding in love.

What’s lost in today’s food environment is love. Food is love. Food is sensual. And no place do you see that more than when you travel to other countries where they don’t push you to eat as fast as humanly possible - places to go, things to do, after all.

We stepped into a restaurant that immediately had us smiling. Only six tables, four of them filled with groups enjoying their meals. The photography on the walls was gorgeous. (Yes, I might notice that more than some as a photographer with several decades of experience. But it was truly breathtaking.)

We sat. The waiter immediately welcomed us, and told us to settle in. What could he do for us? What could he bring us? We went back and forth in Spanish and English, each practicing our non-native tongue. Somehow it worked.

Then the food started coming. An iced tea for me - they had iced tea! I love it back home, but it’s so hard to find in other countries. (Ice is such a foreign concept in other parts of the world, the one thing I miss when I travel.) A beer for my husband - made from agave. I’m not a beer person, but it was good. 🍻

And conversation …

We chatted with the waiter. We shared stories with the other patrons. My husband and I dove into all kinds of topics, from politics back home to retirement dreams, and everything in between.

We started with guacamole. Because. Guacamole. Even that was different here, presented in a way that wasn’t just a bowl with a few chips thrown in for good measure. You have to eat guacamole in Mexico, right? I personally believe there is NO bad time for guacamole. 🥑

The food came. We ordered more drinks. We ate slowly. We talked. We listened, serenaded by gorgeous instrumental music.

And at the end, no bill came. It wasn’t expected we’d leave immediately after our plates were cleaned. Even with only a half dozen tables in the restaurant. We were there. We were customers. We were family. Take your time. Rest. Stay for a while, and enjoy.

Pay when you’re ready.

Again, a foreign concept back home. A couple of months ago, I went out to lunch with two friends. Our waiter asked us to hurry and pay as soon as he picked up our plates and presented the bill. Others were waiting! We paid, and left. Only one other party stood in line, with several tables opening up. We didn’t go back …

Food is love. Food is sensual. Food is nourishment. Food is energy, literally what gives us life.

We’ve forgotten that. But we don’t have to. Not everyone has.

As luck would have it, we watched Toscana on Netflix a few nights later.

It’s about a Danish chef who travels to Tuscany to sell his father’s vineyard after his death, to get the money he needed to open a restaurant. Of course, things don’t go according to plans. He meets someone, romance pursues, and he rethinks life.

He’s a chef who’s forgotten why he became a chef. He’s perfected the plate so much, he’s forgotten about the sensuality of food. Until he’s reminded.

It showcases love and food. Getting to the heart of what matters. Finding the best ingredients because they really do create love on a plate. And what it means to eat in the first place - to bring people together.

Have you had good food? I’m talking REALLY good food. The kind that makes you go all Meg Ryan? 😉

I dare you to stop and taste your food. I’m not talking drive-thru - find a decent place to have a meal, where the chef truly cares about the food. Go there for the experience.

Farm-to-table restaurants offer incredible presentations.

They serve course after course, often watching them make the plate in front of you. Presenting it as an art form. Pairing it with drinks for pure pleasure in your mouth. Mouthfeel is a real thing, the way food and drink liven up your mouth, wake up your palette, and make your senses come alive. (Want some suggestions for places to go? Add these to your bucket list.)

(And yes, I travel for food. I love searching out truly incredible food, then adding that to my list of places to travel to. I go there for a fabulous restaurant, then explore what the area has to offer. Of course, when you pay attention, you can find gorgeous food anywhere! That’s fun too.)

So. Your turn. It’s time to pay attention to your next meal. See the gorgeous colors. Notice the texture. Breathe in the aroma. Then taste it. Mmm … Savor the moment, don’t rush.

Because this is where love comes from. Wouldn’t the world be amazing with more love?

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