I spend a month or two in Puerto Rico, where my mother’s family is from. Often I go in winter, with the other snowbirds, finding solace among palm trees. But I’m not a tourist, not really. I track the developers that privatize the shoreline; I follow the environmental reports that give our beaches a failing grade. I’m disenchanted with the Island of Enchantment, suspicious of an image that obscures the unglamorous conditions of daily life: frequent blackouts, meager public services, a rental market ravaged by Airbnb. Maybe that’s why I turned away from the sunshine and started to explore caves with my friends Ramón and Javier, seeking out wonders not yet packaged for the visitor economy. I’ve been learning to love stalactites and squeaking bats, black snakes and cloistered waterfalls — even, slowly, the darkness itself.
10 of the world’s best foodie destinations (and what to eat when you get there)
01.03.2024 - 19:49 / lonelyplanet.com
Have you ever eaten something so delicious while traveling that it becomes the defining memory of your trip? We have, too.
So, to ensure that will happen again, plan your next trip to an incredible foodie destination. We know just where you should go — and what you should eat when you get there.
Here are 10 of the destinations and dishes, selected from our book Ultimate Eats, that we think are worthy of planning a trip around.
Travelers heading to San Sebastián in Spain will find an incredible city bursting with Basque culture, and surrounded by golden beaches and verdant hills. But there’s one compelling reason to visit that rises above all the others: pintxos. The tiny bites (known as tapas outside of Basque Spain) are best consumed with an accompanying drink, seeing as you’ll be taking this particular culinary journey as a bar-hopping escapade through the streets of San Sebastián.
Originally small open-faced sandwiches, pintxos can today be experienced in many incarnations, from the traditional, piled-high toppings on bread, to molecular-gastronomy renditions with flavors that belie what you see on your plate. Needless to say, almost every local ingredient is represented. It’s hard to list favorites, but the simple examples are often the ones that blow your mind: battered white asparagus, a tuna-and-anchovy tart or maybe mushrooms braised with garlic.
To get the full pintxos and San Sebastián experience, have a lazy day in the city and surrounds, take an afternoon nap and then head out around 9pm. You’ll never be more than a few minutes from your next bar, a whole new menu of tasty treats and a whole new group of people eating and drinking.
One of the most compelling parts of visiting Kuala Lumpur is wandering through the streets, finding fantastic little hawker centers tucked into the shadows of towering skyscrapers. At this feast for the senses, you’ll truly complete the experience when you sample a rich and creamy curry laksa.
On Madras Lane, just off Petaling St, you’ll come across competing curry laksa stalls vying for your attention. Pick the one with the longest queue. When you have the bowl in your hands, choose a plastic chair (make sure it’s connected to the stall where you bought your laksa or you’ll be in trouble) and begin the swoon-worthy, sweat-inducing process of eating. Come again the next day to try the neighboring stall’s version.
A heady mix of spices and flavors (such as fresh turmeric, galangal, chili, candlenut and shrimp paste) go into the curry mix, which, when combined with coconut milk, creates the signature fiery-orange hue of the noodle soup. Two types of noodles (thin rice and thick egg) – along with shredded chicken, shrimp, cockles, tofu puffs, bean sprouts, a sprinkling of
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