While travelling and exploring new places, we are never fussy about food, as long as it is vegetarian and palatable. It is easier said than done though. It is especially an issue when we don’t understand the local languages of the land. I usually resort to Google Translate on such occasions.
Our travel is not restricted to the tourist spots alone, but it extends to exploring the culture and food in that region. Also, we don’t stick to ‘Three meals a day’ schedule. We grab the local culinary delights which of course fall into the Vegetarian bracket as and when we find one on our way.
When I look back, I have great memories of various vacations and trips and what I cherish the most out of each trip are the local cuisines. Be it the famous ‘Agra ka Petha’ or the ‘Masala Dose of Udupi’ or ‘Dal Bhati Churma of Rajasthan’ or the ‘ Kanpur ki Lassi’ or ‘Banana chips and Pottu of Kerala’ or ‘Vada Pav of Pune’, ‘Bretzels and spatzels of Germany’ or ‘Home-made chocolates of Kodaikanal’ and the list grows with my flowing memories.
In my opinion, travel memories are incomplete without a mention of the food which by far would be the local cuisine.
From my childhood days, before every trip, my dad would hand me and my sister a small notebook and a pen. Like journalists, we would note down everything that we see, eat and feel in that little notebook, which after the trip would go hiding somewhere. However, we discovered recently that our dad has preserved all those diaries, which we had long considered lost. Whenever he finds time to read a book from his library, he picks one of these small books which bring tears in his eyes and smile on his face – our shaky handwriting, the innocence in the language used and the unbiased perception. Recently, I happened to read one of those travel note books and I felt privileged to get such an exposure from such a tender age.
It is then that I decided that I should continue the practice of maintaining a travel diary which not just speaks about the destination but also about my perspective about life, culture and food there. In a way, it helps me with my motive behind VeggiePotNPan – Vegetarianism, and my humble effort in encouraging people to try out different vegetarian food and recipes around the world !
Travel, explore and Indulge in Veg !!!
