Some experiences are better when unplanned. That ‘throw the backpack on your shoulder and go to an unknown destination’ kind of experience! And that’s where the fun begins!
While it may be assumed that the purpose behind the reason for travelling may be mountains, coastlines and other places, it’s a lot deeper. This goes well along the lines of roaming in sunset lit village where the enticing aroma of grill can be found.
The great parts of back packing have nothing to do with foriegn countries and everything to do with foods you never meant to find. If you’re like me, you don’t recollect the offer yourself a plate meals calling without asking for something in return convenience. Instead, we remember the meals we stumbled into– at a random food stall just outside the market and the people who graciously handed them out!
That’s not possible with a reservation. But it does become possible when feeling hungry or lost. That’s where a simple smile or hand gesture to a plate can change everything and that’s where travel becomes so much more meaningful than just visiting a place.
The Moment You Stop Looking and Start Tasting
I can still recall the first time I permitted food to “find” me. I had just crossed a border I’d never crossed before. My maps were crumpled, and I had not eaten anything since morning. I passed through a strange town where I did not recognize a single word of its cuisine. But there was a line of people pointing at a stall, and I followed right into the cool evening air.
There were no menus anywhere to be seen, but I did notice several bowls, hands, and a well built fire. When the gentleman behind the cart stared at me, I raised an ecstatic eyebrow. No words. Just trust. It was just him and a bowl which sent wafts of garlic and magic, and that is what he served me. I have no clue what that meal was called, but to me, it was the most honest meal I’ve had in weeks.
And that’s what backpacking is about isn’t? When you shy away from the need to comprehensively understand something, the best food encounters tend to reveal themselves. In order to truly be places these meals are found, all you need to do is exist; open and ready to try new things. When you possess the right mentality, however, the world meets you with fervor when you truly expect it.
Shared Tables and Quiet Conversations
During one of my trips to South America about a year ago, I explored this new place using Google Maps. After a long and adventurous hiking stretch, I found myself in a dusty town. With dirt all over my body and the Comida’s kitchen sign gleaming like a beacon loacated in the outskirts of the town, who’s only resteruant open was not even a resterant at all, instead, merely someone’s stove.
Surprisingly as soon as I walked in a young caring boy walked me to seat and I took out a copy of Tom Swayer to pass the time,thinking no dinner would be immediately served. However, within ten minutes a plate arrived without an explanation, choice a dish and merrily with no words being spoken as devoid of oxygen in Dear Boat shipping down on a sea of snow.
When Food Says Welcome Better Than Words
You don’t need to communicate in any language. What you require is to show up at the venue eager and thankful. While traveling Southeast Asia, I stumbled across a local festival in a fishing village. I was awestruck by the floating lanterns in the sky. There was a lady who passed by carrying a tray of grilled fish wrapped in banana leaves. To my surprise, she offered me one without me even asking. When I reached out for my wallet, expecting to pay, she shook her head. That meal changed my perception of the world. I was able to gain more insights about this unique region while at the same time learning about regional traditions, culture and most importantly, their “translation-less” kindness.
Without a doubt, food plays a crucial role in our existence. Especially in the farthest regions people visit for exploration. Where silence is the loudest sound people can hear, hospitality is a rare service that aims to be priceless. Instead of catering these services through words, people’s expressions tell a completely different story. They also add one simple ingredient to their every dish, kindness. Food serves as the ultimate form of gentleness allowing for everyone’s heart to stay intact no matter how critical the situation becomes.
A Lesson in Mistakes and Discovery
The last time I pointed to a dish without knowing what it was, the man behind the counter grinned. He, unlike me, knew what I was doing. Took a bite, and gasp. It was hotter than anything I’d tasted and, boy, did it sting. Burning so hot I could have sworn it felt like my eyes would water, my nose running not far behind. Laughter erupted from his lips as he poured me some water. In a silent gesture, he handed me a softer side dish and struck a pose to show how I could mix the two. I gave it another attempt and this time, the fire turned to warmth. This time, we exchanged smiles.
My more recent travels have taught me something. Food – good food actually – has this beautiful ability of balancing making a mess. This type of balance makes it easier to properly bucket messy activities, such as consuming spicy food, to odd dish choices. Every now and then colliding a tongue with a scathing sauce laden shirt.
Cooking Together, Laughing Together
While staying in a hostel in Eastern Europe, I encountered a traveler who had just returned from a rural visit. He had just learned about preparing a dish that incorporated wild mushrooms and fermented cream. That evening, he volunteered to demonstrate how to prepare it for a few of us. Cook as a group in a small shared kitchen, we huddled around a single frying pan together. He narrated stories of the old lady who had taught him. As we stirred, we shared our own stories. Although the food did not taste great, the night definitely was.
I find cooking in the company of strangers cognizant to be quite personal. You observe the various ways hands chop the different vegetables. You listen to the way they describe various tastes. You discover their various manners along with their cultures and desires. And in that small, warm space, one is able to discover something greater than a recipe. You find something that outlasts your presence at that particular place: a memory that comforts you on other days.
Eating Through Challenge
Some meals are necessarily challenging, and some may even be more difficult than others. When you are offered something you do not recognize, it can trigger a strong response. A strong odor and a peculiar appearance can make any person hesitant, so what should be done in that situation? Undoubtedly, taking a leap of faith and moving outside your comfort zone allows for endless opportunities.
Everyone can share meals where they have experienced boiled organs, chewy roots, and fermented fish. Personally, I loved some but loathed others, yet this opened my eyes to myriad facts. It taught me everything regarding courage and resolution, especially respecting someone’s tradition regardless of them being uncomfortable.
Even more so, the truth is that whenever food is offered, trust is presented in an wonderful manner. You may wish to consider accepting in what may seem like an awkward form, to respond and honor their way of life. Trust me, when involved with cultures lacking your direct influence, everything becomes lightly put challenging.
The Kindness That Fills You
These days, I am looking to multitask while simultaneously complete challenging landmarks. My very first strong cup of coffee came when taking an alone trip into the lap of northern India in a more remote than rural area, all tired and broke. Having sat at the curb easily counting coins, the vendor present nearby came into focus. As luck would have it, I was starving considering not having consumed anything else during the day, which worked out magically in my favor.
I did. Every bite was a sensitive process. Care was the only seasoning, not pity, and certainly not charity. Care. When I was done, I glanced up to say thank you, and with a slight gesture, he looked back to his cart and continued serving the other people. That plate didn’t just nourish me. It brought me back to who I wanted to be. A person that offers kindness, even without anyone watching.
Memories That Linger Longer Than Photos
You will click photos of the temples and mountains. You will update your social media feed with hostels, where you stayed, and buses that you took. Years down the road, if someone were to ask, “what do you remember the most?” I can guarantee that it won’t be the monuments. It will the the meals; surprising, unimaginable ones. Meals that left you completely speechless at a moment so encompassing, you could forget that you were a traveler.
Food binds you to a certain time in history, a specific location, one or multiple people, and best… to yourself. To the version that sought answers, trusted blindly, and chose to feel the world with their heart and tongue. Experiences like these are the ones to color your journey. And unlike everything you have seen up to this point, the experiences shared over meals become incapsulated in your heart forever.
My Opinion
Once the trip comes to an end, the first thing you do is pack for yourself. Not just souvenirs and memorabilia, but rather recipes you stubbornly try to recreate, spices you don’t have a name for, the patience to stir slowly, humility to tentatively sip and the silhouettes of meals enjoyed beneath twinkling stars with folks whose names would forever remain unknown. With time, I slowly started changing how I fed my friends. I learned to serve them generously, savor my meals slowly, and ultimately, enjoy the journey.
Food can be taught as a lesson and be a gift at the same time while you go backpacking across places. Once you start with the unmatched experiences and sharing a meal with someone unfamiliar, sharing a giggle over a mistake, then you realize that you cannot look at food the same way again.
