Food Tours as Delicious Introductions to Culture in Barcelona and Saigon

04/26/21 • 48 min

They say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, and over years of travel writing, Eric and Kathryn have discovered that adage is true for falling in love with a city, too. As we’ve eaten our way through countless global destinations, in many cases we’ve simultaneously consumed local knowledge, history and context. It turns out food is a delicious gateway to new cultures, especially when you have a local host guiding the experience.

To explore this concept we looked to a few individuals who have created some of our most positive and illuminating foodie outings. First up is Marwa Preston, a vivacious Egyptian expat living in Barcelona who founded a company called Wanderbeak that curates experiences around the city.

Kathryn gained far more knowledge than she anticipated during a pho-focused walking tour of Ho Chi Minh City with Saigon Street Eats, founded by a husband-and-wife team comprising Australian Barbara Adam and Vietnamese Vu Vo.

For some delectable food pics, follow @wanderbeak and @therealsaigonstreeteats.

For some delectable food pics, follow @wanderbeak and @therealsaigonstreeteats.

Previous Episode

How Tourism-Based Charities In Kenya Are Adapting to COVID

Eric traveled to Kenya with Micato Safaris in partnership and the Elewana Collection of lodges in December, reassured by both organizations’ stringent COVID health protocols.

While staying at Elewana Kifaru House in the biodiverse Lewa Wildilfe Conservancy, Eric spoke to the CEO of Lewa, Mike Watson, about how the conservancy is persevering through tough financial times with projects like rhino anti-poaching activities to protect the area’s animals, and micro-lending programs that help local women support their families.

Back in Nairobi, Eric visited Micato Safaris’ philanthropic arm, AmericaShare, which runs a community center in one of the city’s largest slums and underwrites the education of hundreds of students each year. He spoke to AmericaShare’s country director, Albanous Gituru, about all the efforts the organization has been making throughout COVID to ensure that its students remain connected to educational resources during these challenging times.

Next Episode

The Future of Sustainability in Aviation

Being grounded for much of the pandemic has had hosts Kathryn Romeyn and Eric Rosen taking a harder look at how our passion for travel is contributing to climate change, and asking if there are ways we can address our environmental impact without simply giving up flying altogether. In today’s episode, Eric interviews three experts on the ways that airlines, airports, and yes, even travelers, can chart a greener course for the future.

First up is Karel Bockstael, the vice president of sustainability at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which has recently undertaken research into futuristic aircraft and sustainable aviation fuels, among other measures.

Next is Samantha Bricker, the chief sustainability and revenue management officer for Los Angeles World Airports. During a massive expansion, LAX is fast-tracking green building projects that will cut down on traffic, emissions, energy and water use, and waste.

Finally, we turn to Tim Johnson, the director of the U.K.-based Aviation Environment Federation to examine aviation's climate and community impacts. He also tells us how travelers can make more responsible choices when flying.

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