Traveling on eMpTy: NOM NOM

Finish everything on your plate or no dessert. Eat your veggies. Just a few more bites. Eat it, it's good for you. There are kids starving in the world so eat those brussel sprouts. Your sister finished hers (this usually was in reference to peas as my sister Jennie would always eat hers but I detested them).

These were common phrases heard around the dinner table growing up. With four children sitting down to eat, my Mom did her best. Most days we would eat what was put in front of us. The rare time we refused, we felt the burn. My brother had the nerve to say he didn't like custard which resulted in my Dad throwing the bowl at him, just missing his head. My brother quickly grabbed his spoon saying he loved custard now! I wouldn't eat my meatloaf one night and my Mom told me I couldn't leave the table. I sat there until 9:00 when she told me I could go to bed. Where my parents mean? Not at all. They simply knew the cost of feeding a family of six wasn't easy and didn't want food to go to waste. There was one cookbook in the house. Remember it?

Nowadays, there are numerous cooking shows and a designated T.V. channel just for food. Recipes can be found online and downloaded. There's a plethora of restaurants to visit in any city, satisfying whatever suits your mood. Without traveling abroad, you can have Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese or Brazilian food by jumping in your car and driving for 10 minutes. If you wanted sushi when I was growing up....well, you just didn't. We didn't even know what it was.

Traveling has opened my eyes to different cultures and also to different foods. Japan has some of the best seafood I've ever tried. It was where I first tried eel, octopus, and fugu. You may wonder why I would risk eating a pufferfish that can be lethally poisonous. I was advised that the chefs are extremely well trained and knew how to remove the toxins. Trying it one time was enough! Here are some favourite foods I've experienced while traveling.

1) JAPAN: One of my favourite dishes was okonomiyaki which translates to a Japanese pancake. The dish is made with batter and cabbage, and filled with seafood, meats, sometimes noodles, and topped with sauce, mayonnaise, dried seaweed and fish flakes. It's crispy on the outside and soft inside. A must try in Japan.

2) ITALY: I think that the country speaks for itself. The food is delizioso!

After eating pasta and pizza here, it's hard to enjoy it back at home! My only complaint was peas in the pasta. Like a child, I picked them out and left them on my plate.

3) IRELAND: Fish and chips in Dingle, County Kerry. I have never had better fish and chips.

4) CANADA: We are known for our maple syrup, butter tarts, peameal bacon and Montreal smoked meat. I had poutine in Montreal, Quebec and couldn't believe how tasty it was.

5) THAILAND: I could do a whole book on Thai food. I visited the country a number of times and took a couple of cooking classes. The food is phenomenal. Bangkok is well known for street food and if you are a little adventurous, you can sample some fried bugs.

Local market in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.