One of my favorite things to do is travel. And a primary reason is experiencing different cultures through food. When the pandemic narrowed our boundaries, we decided to visit a different country every Saturday through take out dinners.
As a family who rarely orders take out, it was a treat for everyone. And living in the Boston area, there is an amazing array of choices.
In the past four months, we have visited China, France, Georgia, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Trinidad and Venezuela.
Sophia and Jason most enjoyed taking the containers out of the bags like the wrapped presents that they were, and the desserts. Some of what they tasted inspired the desire to take trips ("Can we go here for real when the germs go away?")
We ordered mostly from the appetizer section to gain the greatest variety in manageable portions and played music from the country while we dined. Afterwards, we watched videos about the place we were visiting (especially enjoyed: "National Geographic Kids: Are we There Yet?" series).
I want to spark an interest in learning about people and places. I want our children to experience the delight of different. We all ate flavors we had never tasted before, and some were too spicy for all of us, but because we tried we enjoyed things we now know we love. Eating this way felt like an event, when much else is currently cancelled.
Yet to come are two of my favorite cuisines, Afghani and Ethiopian. And we are hopeful that by the end of the year we will be able to visit Jason's Mom's favorite Massachusetts Ecuadorian restaurant with her.
