Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Travelling on my stomach

One of the perks of living abroad is being able to travel to some really amazing places. Ireland isn't on the Continent making it require a flight to get most places, but with airlines like Aer Lingus and RyanAir, if we plan ahead we can get round trip tickets for $30 to various European cities.

I have a little confession to make though - when I was a novice traveller, one of the first places I liked to identify upon landing in a new city was the McDonald's. It sounds shameful now, but there was something comforting about finding something that was the same when I was surrounded by so much that was different. I also must confess that in the early days I ate at a lot of restaurants that had pictures for menus. I am not proud, just honest!

As I became more comfortable being in places that were totally new, I also became braver. Part of that braveness came with having my sister and my friend Aaron as travelling companions. They took a lot of the scariness out of finding new restaurants and ordering new things. I also learned that I will never starve while on holiday and if I make a bad order, I can always order something else.


The thing about travelling with Aaron is that he makes everything an adventure. He has a personality that is a force and it doesn't matter where we go, Aaron always draws people to him. And when he does, he pumps them for information. He has an amazing way of interacting with people and making them excited to talk to strangers and tell us all about their country. Travelling with Aaron involves being willing to go with the flow, but if you take that small leap of faith, you are always rewarded. Because of Aaron, I have experienced amazing culinary experiences all over the world. His enthusiasm for finding what is off the beaten track or where the natives would eat has pushed me to be more adventurous when I am travelling without him. Now one of the first things I do when I arrive in a new city is find a local to tell me where my next meal should be.

In honor of Aaron the recipe I am posting today is super simple and super delicious. It was served to us by some amazing Moroccans when we if in Chefchauon and is something I like to bring out on summer evenings when I want to be transported to another place. It's only two ingredients, but they just work together.

Ingredients:
Oranges
cinnamon

Slice the oranges in disk disk like slivers and arrange flat on a serving plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon and devour!





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