The area known as "culinary travel" is growing in popularity. Combining travel with lessons in cooking local dishes is a great way to gain a better understanding of the culture. I think food is just as important to a culture as rituals, customs, and religion - and in some ways more so, since it is often woven into all three. When traveling with students on an educational tour overseas, one of the primary objectives is (or should be) gaining a better understanding of the culture. When I lived in Japan, a large part of my "initiation" into the Japanese community was eating all the things Japanese people think westerners don't eat. Raw cod testes, raw angler fish liver, fermented soy beans, raw horse, raw sea urchin... the nightmares, the nightmares...
I love food. I even love Japanese food now (the more straight forward sushi, seafood, and noodle dishes though) but I'm not going to lie to you - I am more of a fan of eating than cooking. I suppose I just have not discovered the joy of cooking - the kind you see on the cooking TV shows and in the magazine ads from the 50s with smiling housewives holding out a steaming pan of meatloaf.
Personally I blame my kitchen (its small and far from ideal from a functional standpoint), but maybe I just have not been taught how to cook food I love. I love Polish food. I'm from a Ukranian background and although Poles and Ukes have not seen eye-to-eye on things in the past, their cuisine is quite similar. Perogies, borsht, keilbossa, cabbage rolls...yum!
There is a whole word of culinary travel, but you might want to consider starting your research here with Poland Culinary Vacations. How was that for a segway? Sarna Rose, company president, writes:
"Our vacations offer culturally rich, casually elegant, and truly unique Polish experience. We offer hands-on and demonstration-style cooking lessons. Itineraries include trips to local markets, farms, festivals, and visits with Polish bakers, farmers, and shop owners. In between, view art, architecture, and even sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List with a local, English-speaking guide. Our trips are different in that that we combine sightseeing adventures with hands-on, demonstration-style cooking classes taught by local village women in their private homes. We spend the majority of the vacation in the beautiful Polish countryside for an in-depth regional experience."
Poland Culinary Vacations Inc.
Location: Bozeman MT, USA
Tel: (406) 579-6435
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