By Laura Stec
E-mail Laura Stec
About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and en...
(More)About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and environment pioneer, macrobiotic, Master Cleanser, ayurvedic, and officially-designated health-nut or party-girl (depending on the year). Professionally, I've worn many industry hats including: line cook, corporate chef, Food Coach, caterer, product developer, restaurant reviewer, culinary school teacher, corporate wellness educator, food co-op clerk, author, and even Cirque-du-Soleil lead popcorn concessioner! For years I managed an outdoor kitchen, deep in the bear-infested woods of Tahoe, and also for hospitals (the most unhealthy kitchen I ever worked in?), Singapore high-rises, mule-pack trips, Canadian catholic rectories, and more events than I could ever recall. Yet I still keep discovering. Actually, I adapt everyday by new lessons learned from teachers, customers and students. However there is one food truth I now hold sacrosanct: Eaters are motivated by pleasure. So no matter what we discuss here - recipes or restaurants, food politics or pairings, local events, food as art, or even as God, I will always come from a high-vibe, party perspective. Oh I do still long to change the world with great tasting food, but know in my heart, "If it ain't fun, it don't get done!" So - wanna come to the Food Party? By the way - it's a potluck.
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Spanish men seem different than men from Italy (the last country I visited). More like Juan Antonio on horse with a cervesa, rather than Casanova in a Ferrari with his mom. I met all types of men (and women)
Solo in Spain, and got to fall in love a few times, with both.
My mom often asks, "Do you ever get lonely traveling by yourself?" An honest question - an interesting response. No actually, traveling solo seems to open oneself up to so much more. It's like we carry a protective coating of our lives back home, and a force-field extension when operating in pairs and groups, which can keep us from truly connecting because, well, there’s really no need to. When solo though, we depend more on the people who live there and forced to engage more deeply. With this reality we are not just visiting the county, we are immersed into the world we’ve come to explore.
Traveling by oneself can certainly be uneasy at times. Is this the correct street, or line, or train? What do I do with my luggage in the bathroom? The uncertainty can be overwhelming. Unless, of course, we expect and except it. You have to have guts to travel alone, but preparation (and naps) make it easier to navigate the variability and flow. Prepare to get lost and roll with the changes. After all,
life is a daring adventure or nothing, reminds Helen Keller. It makes travel (and living for that matter) a continued journey of growth, excitement and fulfillment.
Since
Eat, Surf, Love starts with food…
this is where our story begins.
To be continued…..
Sent from my iPad and Madrid.
