I had it all wrong. U.S. Government warnings have repeatedly alerted us to watch our backs in Mexico. Yet La Paz (“The Peace”) experiences only a fraction of the robbery, rape, assault and murder found in most US cities, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In fact, it’s so safe that Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman made La Paz his hideout. The real question: what is Mexico doing letting us reckless Americans into their county? With ten universities, statistics also indicate that La Paz is the most educated and affluent city per capita in all of Mexico.

Once a sleepy fishing village nestled along the protected waters of Southeast Baja Sur, La Paz was put on the radar when immortalized by John Steinbeck in his novella, “The Pearl” in 1947. Sportspeople journeyed from around the globe for the deep sea bounty of marlin, Dorado, roosterfish and yellowtail. This component of tourism is still very much alive today, and so are snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, and eco-tours. For lovers of sea life, it is the dream of all dreams.

My first day was spent snorkeling with sea lions and whales, just off Isla Espiritu Santo, followed by a catered picnic lunch of local seafood at Espiritu Santo Beach. After an afternoon of kayaking and more swimming, the Fun Baja boat tour cruised over to a native bird estuaries. The days after it was tours of historical attractions, which allowed a deep understanding of La Paz itself. The Los Pacenos were just as excited to see our pack of U.S and Canadian journalist as we were to see them. Like Mexico itself, the local citizens have graciousness and hospitality in their DNA.

Despite the fact that La Paz is the capital city of Baja California Sur with a population of 220,000 it still maintains the charm of ‘Old Mexico,’ with quaint shops, museums, galleries, markets and restaurants serving indigenous food. But if you want action, there’s a dazzling nightlife with cafes, clubs and bars. Plus if you desire to take it to a higher party level, Los Cabos on the southern-most tip of Baja Sur, is just a scenic two-hour drive away.

What to Eat

The Baja is the birthplace of the fish taco, served with the above mentioned fresh seafood caught that very day by local boats. The chocolate clam gets its name from the shell’s brown color, and is eaten alive with a twist of lime. If the clam doesn’t flinch after a lime twist, it’s best to move on to the next one on your plate. Another treat is the hotdogueros, a La Paz hot dog, wrapped in bacon and topped with grilled onions, jalapeno ketchup and peppers. This should be all washed down with a Baja-style cerveza – beer on ice with lime juice and a salt rimmed glass. The beer of choice? Baja California’s own Tecate, of course.

Where I Stayed

CostaBaja Resort & Spa redefines luxury. The centerpiece of the 550-acre CostaBaja development, it is the first 5-star resort in La Paz. The resort is just ten minutes from downtown, set on the Sea of Cortez overlooking a 250-slip double-basin marina and a white sand beach. What was I doing there? The 115-room hotel offers a selection of ocean, mountain, marina and golf course views.

Mexico’s only Gary Player-designed 18 hole golf course meanders from hilltops to sea level with stunning water views just steps from the resort. Built into the landscape, as opposed to the opposite, this very ‘green’ course only utilizes desalinated water. The resort is also home to Steinbeck´s restaurant, and the first spa in La Paz, which features locally-inspired treatments. A dip in one of the three luxurious pools is not a bad way to end a day of activities.

Retirees and Real Estate

By 2021 as many as two million foreign retirees have made Mexico their home, according to the Mexican Federal Tourism Ministry. CNN Money Magazine and the New York Times recently named La Paz one of the top ten places in the world to retire. Mainland Mexicans, Canadian and US tourist are visiting La Paz in droves, then buying second homes or becoming full-time residents. For American retirees, a Yankee pension goes a long way in Mexico. Come to think of it, maybe I should consider retiring there, too

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“Restaurant” is a derivative of the Latin word “restore.” Inns were places where travelers could have a simple meal, then hit the road for a continuation of their journey. Today, with the arrival of modern-day tourism, travelers often visit destinations for history, cultural and gastronomic components. Yes, food is the spice of life, and we asked our members to list their favorite state destinations for pleasures of the palate. It’s fun for our readers to see another side of our writers, who have been delivering original content not found anywhere else on the globe.

Richard Carroll – T-Boy Writer:

Louisiana Cooking.

Every trip through Louisiana our taste buds are jumping with delight. Louisiana, highlighted by New Orleans, the most European city in the United States, also have the most distinctively original regional cuisine in the country. The creative cuisine is influenced by Creole and Cajun cooking, and dining for us in New Orleans is an American treasure. Dishes invented in the city include Po’ Boy, Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Bienville, Banana Foster and more. The Cajun Gumbo, Jambalaya, and various crayfish creations are the heart of the city’s cuisine.

New Orleans chefs explain that when the Cajuns migrated from Nova Scotia, the lobster decided to follow and by the time they arrived they had lost so much weight they were renamed crayfish. A resident added, “We have some 2,800 restaurants in New Orleans and if they’re not good they don’t last for three months, crayfish or not”  We have dined from open-air street stalls, where college kids with their foamy Go Cups are roaming the streets, to Armauds, steps off Bourbon Street in the heart of the French Quarter. The famed restaurant in a restored turn of the century building, family owned since 1918, and one of the grande dames of New Orleans, serves award-winning French-New Orleans inspired cuisine. A dress code is enforced, collars for men, and so we found that diners were tastefully dressed in this elegant room enjoying Creole cuisine while listening to live Dixieland jazz.

We feel that Louisiana and New Orleans for aficionados of creative cooking will not disappoint.

Ringo Boitano – T-Boy Writer:

A taste of California history.

It almost seems unfair to list California as my favorite food state destination. With a landscape of approximately 163,696 square miles, it is the most populous and the third-largest U.S. state by area.

The state’s geography is immense with the Sierra Nevada’s Mt. Whitney at 14,505 feet, the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states, to the Mojave Desert’s Death Valley, its lowest. Throw in the long Pacific coastline and Salinas Valley, coined the Salad Bowl of the World, plus the urbane euphoria of Cioppino, Ranch Dressing, Avocado Toast, Cobb Salad, French Dip Sandwich, Uramaki (California roll), and even the Fortune Cookie, which all proudly claim California as their birthplace – and you’ll find California’s gastronomic history to be both innnovative and monumental. Native-Americans were the first to arrive with a diet based on fruits, corn, pumpkin, shellfish and beans, followed by the Spanish, who brought the exotic flavors of garlic, peppers and olives, and then the migration of fortune seekers during the 1849 California Gold Rush, creating a fushion of culinary traditions, influenced by dishes from the U.S. East Coast, Latin-America, China and Italy.

And this leads us to Chez Panisse, the Berkeley-based restaurant originated by Alice Waters and film producer Paul Aratow, who ushered in the farm-to-table movement in 1971. The restaurant’s style of cooking emphasized ingredients rather than technique, using food that was fresh and seasonal, grown locally and organically. And because the ingredients were obtained nearby, the food took on a very Californian character, hence creating what is known today as California Cuisine.

Fyllis Hockman – T-Boy Writer

There is no other food!

And just to make a short story shorter. I live in Maryland. By definition that means hard shell crabs with Old Bay. There is no other food!

James Boitano – T-Boy Writer:

Favorite state for a food experience: Louisiana. 

Though I’ve only been there once, Louisiana seems to have quite the edge over other states. Sure, you can find any cuisine in the world in New York, but Louisiana has the trio of local good eating. First off, you get the best of Southern ‘comfort food’. Mac n Cheese, grits, fried chicken, red beans and rice: what’s not to love? And on top of that, Louisiana has the double Creole and Cajun experience. Both down-home and sophisticated. Crawfish, andouille smoked sausage, alligator, gumbo. Something for every mood… if you are hungry.

Phil Marley – Poet:

They have to be from Montréal to be REAL bagels.

Okay, I’m aware that Québéc is a Canadian province, not a U.S. state, but Montréal is the place of my birth and here are some of my favorite gastronomic memories.

Little Italy: Montréal’s Piccola Italia is the second largest Little Italy (after Toronto) in Canada. The community is filled with Italian cafés, restaurants and bars, specialty food shops, cultural landmarks, and Jean-Talon Market, Montréal’s most vibrant open-air food area.

Montréal Bagels: I once took a homeless man, a Montréal expat living in Vancouver, for coffee and asked if he would like a bagel, too. He declined, replying, Those aren’t real bagels, they have to be from Montréal to be REAL bagels. In Montréal you will you hear it pronounced bah-gal and yes, they are different. In contrast to the New York-style bagel, which also contains sourdough, the Montréal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser, with a larger hole, and always baked in a wood-fired oven. It contains malt, egg, and no salt, and is boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked.

Montréal Smoked Meat: Most Yanks know all about pastrami and corned beef, but what is smoked meat? Well, it’s basically beef brisket that has been dry-cured, but then soaked (unlike pastrami) to desalinate it before seasoning and smoking. The seasoning is apparently a secret, for no one will divulge anything else other than it makes the most delicious sandwich on the planet. Schwartz’s (circa 1928) is the oldest deli in Canada and is considered an institution, though others will make a case for the newcomer, Reuben’s Deli and Steakhouse, at only a mere 50 years of existence.

Québécois Poutine: This Québécois specialty consists of fresh-cut fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec, in the late 1950s in the rural Centre-du-Québec region. My father believed the name poutine originated from the English word pudding (French, pouding), used to describe a mixture, a particularly messy one, of the three food items. It made sense to me for in Québec, the term poutine  is slang for mess. And, yes, it is a mess, a mess of delightful flavors and textures. Some deem its high caloric character to be essential in dealing with the particularly cold Québec and Ontario winter weather. Its popularity has spread to upscale restaurants and fast-food chains alike, including Canada’s Burger King and McDonalds. Today, poutine has become a symbol of Québécois and Canadian cuisine and culture. For that, I am proud – and ten pounds heavier.

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Ed Boitano – T-Boy Editor

Apples are also good for eating.

I am embarrassed to the point of shame when discussing my favorite food items from my home state of Washington. As an unruly adolescent, I considered the bounty of food available throughout the state to be something that was on the entire world’s table. Crab apples, cherries and blueberries were designated as throwing objects in war games between other neighbors, even at the risk of facing my mother’s disdain for stains on my play clothes; with blueberries on worst. What’s the big deal, I thought, isn’t there an unlimited supply? After all we had apple, pear, apricot and fig trees in our own backyard; that is if the birds didn’t get them first.

But that was yesterday and when I return to my ancestral home in Seattle today, I recognize the immense bounty of delicious Washington state produce, produce which I had took for granted, despite having family connections to its terrain. My great, great cousin was an apple orchardist in the Yakima Valley in 1910, and today Washington produces nearly 60% of all apples consumed in the entire U.S. There’s a chance he actually thought he was responsible for that. Raspberries and blueberries also top the U.S. list in production. My in-laws own and operate Roskamp Vineyards, known for their well-sought-after grapes in central Washington’s Lower Yakima Valley. And just further east, there’s Walla Walla Sweets (onions), where less sulfur means less sharpness and tears. Cherries are delicious, but they’re no match for Rainier Cherries, a hybrid created at Washington State University, named after Mount Rainier, where huckleberries and wildflowers blanket its slopes in late July through early September.

And when the Alaskan fishing boats arrive in Seattle, we have all five species of Pacific salmon on our tables: Chinook (King), Sockeye (Red), Coho (Silver), Humpies (Pink) and Chum (Dog, usually canned for foreign markets, but now locally rebranded as the more palatable Keta).

For preparation, it’s every person for themselves; butterflied and smoked over Alderwood, or Cedar planked (steamed on soaked Cedar) and many home recipes.

Then there’s oysters and clams with the geoduck the largest, generally reaching 1.5 pounds, once sold at the Pike Place Public Market for a penny a pound.

And we have the most flavorful of all crabs, the sweet and delicate Dungeness, named after the Port of Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula. With apologies to those who yearn for lobster, your crustacean is actually a common everyday food for Nova Scotians and New Englanders, but takes its lofty status due to shrewd marketing on luxury railroad trains to and from Chicago as the most expensive item on the menu.

But an important note should be made to chain restaurants; Dick’s, home to Dick’s Famous Deluxe, and Ivar Haglund’s Ivar’s Salmon House and Ivar’s Aces of Clams, with his famous motto, Keep Clam. Haglund (1905-1985), a city father and Seattle icon, once purchased the Smith Tower – then the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi – under the condition that no later buyer could demolish it. From the tower’s observation deck, I could watch the blaze of 4th of July fireworks over Elliot Bay, paid for out of Ivar’s own pocket.,

Deb Roskamp – T-Boy writer & photographer:

A taste of the Land of Enchantment.

Red, green or Christmas? It took me a minute to realize that the waitperson was asking what my preference was for chili salsa. I was asked that question countless times during my four-day culinary tour of Northern New Mexico, and was excited to succumb to the gastronomic pleasures of this indigenous cuisine that can be found nowhere else in the world. Like the food of Tuscany, New Mexican cuisine – not Mexican, Mexican-American, or Tex-Mex – is virtually devoid of any outside influences. Carne adovada, blue corn tortillas, sopapillas and biscochitos – cookies made with crushed anise seeds, a hint of orange and covered with sugar cinnamon, now New Mexico’s Official State Cookie – are among its many offerings.

Floridians stand warned: Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the continental U.S. In its over 400 years of existence, a number of flags have flow over the city: Spanish, Mexican, the U.S. and The Southern Confederacy – not to mention the short-lived Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Today, no cars are required in Santa Fe’s enchanting plaza. Simply take a stroll, and bask in the galleries, boutiques and historic structures, and take refuge in many of city’s outstanding restaurants. As the third largest art market in the world, recommended is a self-guild tour of Canyon Road which boasts over 100 art galleries, and, a little further down the road, two centuries of adobe homes and casitas.

Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen requires a short car drive from the Santa Fe Plaza. It’s a true local hangout, with mobs of hungry and thirsty patrons waiting for a table. And when I was last there, Maria’s offered as many as 200 margaritas containing different combinations of tequilas and mezcals, but the pandemic brought the list down to forty.

My time in Taos was limited, but it was essential that I save my last meal for my favorite restaurant in New Mexico, Doc Martin’s at the Historic Taos Inn. Perhaps it was because years ago, my first experience with traditional New Mexican food was at this historic establishment. Or maybe it’s just because the cuisine is so remarkable, it’s my first choice to dine in Taos. Their award-winning chili stew is a Northern New Mexico speciality with potatoes, pork and plenty of Hatch green chili. And what may be labeled as hot might be medium or it might be fiery. As they say in New Mexico, the chili is the chili. Doc Martin’s Restaurant was well worth the drive up north from Santa Fe and proved to be a tantalizing bookend to my culinary tour of the Land of Enchantment.

The post Favorite State for a Food Experience appeared first on Traveling Archive.

My charming tablemate, Shelley Kekuna, Executive Director of the Kāʻanapali Beach Resort Association, explained that Kahekili II actually jumped from around the corner of where the evening dive is performed today as it was  Pu’u Keka’a‘s highest point. Indicative of Hawai’i embracing its past and still emulating the Islands’ culture of the present, the contemporary Kāʻanapali Beach Resort diver stands at the top of the cliff each evening at sunset, recites a Hawaiian chant, offers a torch and lei to the ocean, then leaps into the sea. Kahekili’s feat of legend has spread throughout the globe for lele kawa is now a world-wide sport. This was only the beginning of what would prove to be an enchanting evening at Huihui, the Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel’s new beachfront open-air restaurant.

As I sipped Huihui’s Navigator cocktail, local Maui musicians gently serenaded us in the background. The waitstaff carefully pointed out its signature dishes and ingredients on the menu, but never too busy to throw in a bit of history. I was impressed how the restaurant embraced traditional Hawaiian food items of the past to a fusion of healthy recipes of the present.

The menu was orchestrated by Chef Tom Muromoto, Huihui’s award-winning executive chef at Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel. Born and raised in Hawai’i, Chef Muromoto developed a lifelong understanding of the islands’ ethnic diversity, ultimately combining Hawaiian culture and Native Hawaiian diet, creating a style of Hawai’i Regional Cuisine that is uniquely his own. When designing his new dishes, he looked back to when traditional Hawaiian foods were simple, natural, and never overdoing it. His mission is lofty, where Huihui’s signature items reflect the practice of Polynesian navigation and migration, using ingredients of the sea, ingredients used to sustain themselves on their brave voyages from the Marquesas Islands, approximately 300 to 600 AD, with a second wave 400-years later, by way of Tahiti.

The ingenious Polynesian explorers were ultra-sophisticated sailors, with a highly complex navigational system based on the observation of the stars, ocean swells and flight patterns of birds. Their primary vessel was a 50 to 60 feet long canoe, consisting of two hulls, connected by lashed crossbeams.

A precursor to the modern catamaran, the sails were made of matting drove. Long steering paddles enabled the mariners to keep it sailing on course. The canoes could accommodate roughly two dozen people, food supplies, livestock of pigs and poi dogs, and planting materials, essential for the long expeditions and the eventual founding of new island colonies. Like athletes, they would go into vigorous training prior to voyages, even conditioning their bodies to deal with less food and water.

Moanaku’inamoku Voyaging Academy

Huihui also functions as a sailing academy dedicated to the ancient Hawaiian art of voyaging. The new Moanaku’inamoku Voyaging Academy expresses the theme that the ocean that connects islands together, which provides an authentic experience of Hawaiian wayfinding for guests and community members.

WHAT WAS ON THE TABLE

Navigator Cocktail: Fid Street Gin (Hāli‘imaile Distillery), Blue Curacao, Ali’i Kula Lavender reduction spray, Maui Bees Honey, fresh squeezed lemon juice, topped with sparkling tonic water.

Today, many associate tropical drinks with Hawai’i. But the Piña Colada from Puerto Rico and the Mai Tai, invented in 1944 at Oakland, CA’s Trader Vic’s, are both made from Caribbean rum. The Mai Tai (Maita’i means good in Tahitian) was such a success in mainland North America that Trader Vic’s introduced it to the Hawaiian Islands. Orange and pineapple juice was added to the cocktail constituting the birth of the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai. The Ka’anapali Beach Hotel boasts the Hawaiian version, but also Huihui’s refreshing Navigator, made with Maui produced gin and additional Maui products.

Molokai Venison Poke: Smoked and wok seared venison fresh from Molokai, pickled ogo (seaweed) & onions, scallions, tomato, nīoi (Hawaiian chili pepper) lemon soy dressing.

Poke (poh-kay) is a dish generally made with chopped sashimi, commonly fresh cubes of ahi/tuna, marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil, and mixed with Kula Onions. But, you’ll find many variations around Hawai’i, which include venison from Axis deer, brought to Moloka´i in 1868 from India as a gift to King Kamehameha V. In 1959, the deer was introduced to Maui, where it has caused a problem due to overpopulation — so don’t feel bad upon devouring a few bites.

Kula Onions: Fried thinly sliced onions, seasoned flour, nīoi (Hawaiian chili pepper) aioli, furikake.

Also known as the Maui Onion, this sweet onion is named for the growing region of Kula, (sometimes referred to as Upcountry). Nestled on the green upper slopes of Haleakala’s dormant volcano, Kula Onions are one of the first spring onions to appear and are considered one of the sweetest varieties in the world. Kula is also endowed with colorful flower farms, botanical gardens, expansive farmland and ranches with grazing cattle. And all this with views of Pacific in the distance.

Lāwalu: Traditional lāwalu (wrapped in ti leaf and grilled) is a cooking method of grilled banana leaf wrapped daily i’a (fish), creamy abalone sauce, cilantro, pohole (fiddle fern) & ogo (seaweed) relish.

Traditional Hawaiian llāwalu are ingredients bound in ti leaves for cooking. The ti plant, an emblem of high rank and divine power, is referred to as a canoe crop, brought to the Islands by the early Polynesians. Considered sacred to the Hawaiian god, Lono, and to the goddess of the hula, Laka; the plants are often planted around homes to ward off evil and bring good fortune.

Koala Lamb Chops: Marinated lamb, inspired by the traditional kō‘ala (barbeque) cooking method, seasonal papaya or mango mint relish.

Sheep, goats, and cattle were introduced to Hawai’i in the late-1700s by European explorers. Pryor to that there were no grazing or browsing mammals anywhere in the islands.

The Big Island of Hawai’i is world-renowned for its Kona coffee, but today Kāʻanapali Coffee, grown in the West Maui Mountains, is the largest commercial coffee production in the United States. The variety of Arabica coffee beans seduce your scenes and demand a second cup. West Maui has more than 50 coffee estates just a short drive away from the Kāʻanapali Beach Resort.

The following hot, but pleasant afternoon, I strolled through the Ka’anapali Beach Resort, and noticed a small structure serving shave ice. Yes, shave, not shaved. The line was long, but well worth the wait for shave ice has long been my favorite refreshing snack throughout Hawai’i. Connected to Hawai’i’s agricultural past with the advent of plantations, workers used to have only Sundays off from a week of labor, and would carry blocks of ice, sweetened with pineapples and sugar canes syrups from which they had planted.

More on Hawaiian History, Food and Culture

“In Hawai’i our diversity defines us, rather than divides us.“

— Former Governor Neil Abercrombie

When British Captain James Cook and crew first arrived in what is today’s Hawaiian Islands (circa 1778) he found a civilization of strong, healthy, and statuesque people; a population believed to have typical life spans as high as 70 or 80-years-old, with the British only making it to 40 or 50. Cook noted that he came in contact with the oldest people he had ever seen, some thought to be around 100-years-old. According to archaeological research by Dr. George Kanahele: The traditional Hawaiian diet was one of the best in the world. It was a simple, high starch, high fiber, low saturated fat, low sodium and low cholesterol diet which focused on taro, poi, yams, breadfruit, greens, seaweed, fruit, and small amounts of fish.

In a past culinary press trip to Hawai’i, I recall a representative from Kaua’i informing me that there was virtually no indication of obesity prior to the British and Euro-American invasions. But obesity would soon arrive by way of food items from grizzled New England whalers, strict protestant missionaries and unscrupulous plantation owners. They also brought European diseases in which native Hawaiians had no immunity, killing 90% of the population. In the Marquesas Islands alone, it is believed that 98% of its people perished due to various pandemics. It is a tragic story that existed throughout the New World’s Columbian Exchange, a tragedy which history often prefers not to mention.

As foreign plantation owners began building their own empires with factories for sugar cane and pineapples — both imported today — the population had been decimated to such an extreme that the money-mad owners scoured the globe for much needed workers. And the new workers migrated by the thousands, primarily from Japan, China, the Philippines and Korea. Portuguese paniolos (cowboys) arrived in the islands after Captain George Vancouver — one of Cooks’ first mates on his final voyage, along with William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame — gifted six cows and a bull to King Kamehameha I in 1798. Kamehameha created a 400-acre pasture and issued a kapu (forbidden) on killing cattle so that they could grow in numbers, leading to approximately 25,000 wild cattle. The experienced Portuguese paniolos taught Hawaiians how to run a ranch, and also introduced the Malasada donut to the islanders.

A new class of the Hawaiian impoverished was created, as in the North American mainland, who consumed easy to find, often inexpensive, fattening canned foods, with spam the most popular. (Curiously, 90% of all spam produced in the U.S. today is eaten in Hawai’i). Fast food restaurants would soon follow, where the Golden Arches offered their own twist on the Hawai’i menu with saimin noodles (inspired by Japanese ramen, Chinese mian, and Filipino pancit) and McTeri Delux (a teriyaki burger made with a Japanese marinade). Yet, today, with supreme gratitude to Huihui’s Chef Muromoto, forward-thinking Hawaiians and many of the Kāʻanapali Beach Resorts’ restaurants, Hawai’i is the second least obese state in the U.S., after Colorado and before Massachusetts.

Kāʻanapali Beach Resort Association

Kāʻanapali’s three-mile stretch of white sand beach has long been touted as one of the best beaches in the world. Nestled at the foot of the West Maui Mountains on Maui’s southwest coast, Kāʻanapali Beach Resort was established in 1963 as Hawai’i’s first master-planned destination resort. After it was developed, it became the benchmark for all other self-contained resort destinations. The Kāʻanapali Resort is dotted by six oceanfront luxury hotels and five condos and vacation club resorts resting on expansive tropical lawns thanks to the Maui sun and freshwater springs flowing from the mountains. Education is paramount at the resort with many properties offering cultural classes to learn more about Hawaiian history, spirituality and intense devotion to the land and sea.

Kāʻanapali’s diverse destination can appeal to any kind of active traveler. The beach lends itself to snorkeling, paddling canoe or stand-up paddle, surfing (Hawai’i its birthplace), parasailing and jet skiing, Humpback Whales watching, and dinner and twilight cruising, all easily accessed from the shoreline.

And the mountains behind the resort are also rich in activities with zip lining, quad riding and hiking, including the historical Trail in Kāʻanapali; an easy 4.40 mile out-and-back trail, paved with history and oceanviews, best to experience during sunset or early morning to avoid the strength of the Maui sun. Yes, there is so much more to put on my Kāʻanapali checklist upon my return, including a revisit to the innovative Huihui restaurant at the Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel.

• Ka’anapali Beach Resort Association
• Ka’anapali Beach Hotel – Oceanfront Hotel in Lahaina, Maui, HI
• Home | Huihui
• Virtual Tour Huihui

The post Kāʻanapali’s Huihui Restaurant: A Cultural Immersion of the Mind, Soul and Palate  appeared first on Traveling Archive.

As we dream of carefree, alluring days on the ocean’s shore, my thoughts naturally turn to fun things to nibble while at the beach.  I thought it would be fun to see what our T-Boy writers and readers’ selections might be from their ancestral homelands for the perfect and most traditional things to eat on the beach. Some I knew, and look forward to revisiting, while others I was absolutely clueless about, but will give them a try, sans digging a fire pit in my kitchen.

From Tom in Puglia, southeastern Italy:

Down in the Salento sub-region of Puglia in southeastern Italy, a real crowd pleaser is a signature dish of Cavatelli pasta with chickpeas and mussels along with a glass or two of chilled rosato wine. Mmm!

From Richard in Los Cabos, Mexico:

Los Cabos and pretty much throughout Mexico, most of the beaches are near or fronting resorts and even the more remote beaches you will find little mom and pop stands offering delight food. The food varies throughout Mexico but overall, on the beach a popular choice are the famed Mexican tacos, generally served open face, not the tight taco version you see in fast food restaurants.  You will notice with the surf singing, people will be enjoying a plate of tacos which can be as varied as wild flowers — chicken, beef and camaron (shrimp) tacos with fresh slices of avocado, sometimes mango, chopped jalapeno pepper, ginger-lime dressing, chips, salsa and a slice of lime on the side. Baja is also noted for the soft Mahi Mahi tacos tucked in a large flour tortilla.

From Alex in Peru:

Perhaps the most beloved dish throughout the coastal regions of Peru is ceviche. You’ll find it in restaurants and on the street in any coastal city, especially along the beach. The refreshing dish is made with a considerable amount of lime juice whose acidity helps cook the raw fish. The liquified juice from the ceviche, often sold separately with only a few pieces of fish, is traditionally referred to in Spanish as leche de tigre, tiger’s milk, because of its white color. While vendors may offer you either dish while you lounge on the beach, I’d recommend finding a reputable restaurant, especially if your stomach has not fully adjusted to the food in Peru.

From Annie in Ecuador:

Batidos (fruit smoothies), maracuyá was the best 🙂 We had coconut shrimp and patacones for lunch normally served with rice and ceviche (cold soup) served with plantain chips and popcorn. Also Corviche, a palm-sized, heavy bun made of fried or baked un-ripe plantain, flavored with pulvarized peanuts and often stuffed with albacore. They have a hushpuppy-like texture: crunchy on the outside and steamy inside.

From Sarah in Jamaica:

In Jamaica, the Patty is a popular snack. The Jamaican Patty is a baked or fried orangish flaky pocket filled with either curry chicken or traditional beef. On the beach, conch fritters, and if you’re lucky there’s a fish fry shack within walking distance. This was a good video about an authentic Jamaican beach Sunday.

From Harry in Nevis, St. Kitts & Nevis:

On Nevis, anything goes. Most beaches on the small island have luxury resorts that provide service. Lunch could be grilled fresh-caught lobster with a delicious organic salad, and of course, fries. And each resort and restaurant have their own special rum punch to accompany the lunch or snack. 🙂 You know, I did their 25th Anniversary commemorative cookbook when I was at Four Seasons Nevis. I’ve attached their recipe for Nevisian Spiny Lobster. The Chef’s has since moved to another resort.

From Weave in British Columbia, Canada:

Fish & chips are really popular here as take-out with tartar sauce and malt vinegar. Their fragrance ever so slightly steals some of the sea air. Moby Dick’s Restaurant is the most popular of all the fish and chip places in White Rock, British Columbia. Something interesting about Moby’s — they ALWAYS give you an extra piece of fish, it’s their thing. So, if you want two pieces just order a 1 pc. The beach is directly across the street.

From Robin in New England:

The clambake, also known as the New England clambake, is a traditional method of cooking seafood, such as lobster, mussels, crabs, soft-shell clams, and quahogs. The food is traditionally cooked by steaming the ingredients over layers of seaweed. The shellfish can be supplemented with vegetables, such as onions, carrots, and corn on the cob. Clambakes are usually held on festive occasions along the coast of New England.

A typical clambake begins with gathering seaweed at the shoreline; seaweed is an important adjunct to cooking the food. To keep the seaweed fresh, it is necessary to have a container large enough to hold both the seaweed and a fair amount of sea water.

Also important are several round medium-sized stones, or sometimes cannonballs, which are heated in the fire and used to re-radiate heat during the cooking process.

Like most other methods of steaming, a cover is necessary to allow the trapped heat and steam to thoroughly cook the food. Canvas tarps or potato sacks soaked in sea water are often used for this purpose.

Once the stones and seaweed have been collected, a fire pit is prepared. Some prefer to simply start a fire within the pit, while others line the edges with flat stones to provide support for a metal grill on which the stones may be placed.

The stones used for cooking are then placed in the center of the pit and a wood fire is started, although the exact method of heating the stones varies. The fire must burn until the stones are glowing hot. Care must be taken to ensure that the fire will burn out shortly after this optimal cooking temperature is achieved. The ashes are then swept off the stones and raked between them to form an insulating “bed.” A layer of wet seaweed is placed over the stones, followed by traditional regional foods such as steamers, mussels, quahogs, and lobsters. Side dishes usually include corn on the cob, potatoes, carrots, and onions. Alternating layers of seaweed and food are piled on top and the entire mound is covered with canvas that has been drenched in water to seal in the heat and prevent the canvas from burning. The food should steam for several hours.

From Raudi in Honduras:

A common beach snack is coconut bread. For lunch, sopa de caracol or fried fish and plantains.

From Emily in Hawaii:

• Spam musubi — We do not mess around when it comes to Spam — in fact Hawaiians consume 90% of it in the US. One slice of Spam laid onto a bed of rice and then carefully wrapped in a thin sheet of nori (seaweed) makes for a salty and hearty snack to pack in your bag.
• Poké — This is a Hawaiian staple and something Haoles (once defined as ‘newcomers,’ but now any person in Hawaii who is not of Polynesian heritage, generally a white person) shouldn’t even consider leaving the islands without trying at least once. It’s a famously popular go-to snack for going beach.
• Plate lunch — Inspired by Japan’s bento-style meal, a plate lunch usually comes with white rice, macaroni salad, and some type of main protein, making it a fantastic meal to fill you up during a day at the beach.
• Hurricane popcorn — Though you can easily pick up some store-bought hurricane popcorn on the way to the beach, it’s also very simple to make your own version at home. It’s a mix of buttered popcorn, some salty kakimochi arare, makes the perfect combination of flavors that will keep you going on a hot day.
• Malasadas — There are donuts and then there are mouthwatering, heavenly, custard-filled, life-changing malasadas, brought to us by Portuguese ranchers.

From Celia in Brazil:

The Açaí berry grows on palm trees in the Brazilian rainforests. The lifeblood of  Brazilian surfers, Açaí bowls are extremely popular in our beach towns, and have spread across the world to even metropolitan hubs because of our surfers. They’re delicious and to top it all off, they are extremely healthy.

Instructions:

1. Place the apple juice, banana, frozen berries, yogurt, honey and acai puree in the blender.
2. Blend until thoroughly combined and smooth.
3. Pour the smoothie into 2 deep bowls.
4. Arrange the desired toppings over your smoothie bowls and serve.

From Raoul in the Philippines:

Hmmm… grilled anything — fish, octopus, pork, shrimp and of course steamed white rice. Spicy Vinaigrette with chili and lots of garlic. Coconut juice, soda and beer. Tomatoes, mango (ripe and green) with bagoong (shrimp paste).

From Deb in Cinque Terre, Italy:

Eating reigned supreme in our five days at the Cinque Terre, and we decided to hike to each of the five hillside towns and have lunch. As of no surprise, our favorite Ligurian specialties were always found on the menu: Pesto all Genovese, focaccia (Genoa’s flat bread that predates pizza), fresh seafood, which included my first taste of real anchovies, and local chilled white wines. While strolling, food was still always on our mind, and we discovered many stands serving delectable street food in a cone. My husband and I never hesitated to choose a mix of fried seafood which included anchovies, fish, calamari, chips, and petite rectangles of baked bread, definitely to be eaten by the seaside.

The post Audrey’s Global Picks for Eats on the Beach appeared first on Traveling Archive.

What is Filipino food really? This was a question posed by a Filipino-American who grew up in New York as he traveled to his native Philippines with the late Anthony Bourdain in the latter’s food and travel show No Reservations. Growing up in America, this guy knew for sure what Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Korean cuisine is. But Filipino? As we somehow expected their travel to the Philippines did not yield any satisfactory answers. But in this case some questions are better left unanswered.

The Philippines’ 7,000 islands and multiple ethnicities have made its cuisine very diverse. Add the influence of the Malays, Spanish, Chinese, Indian, American and contemporary fusion trends and you will be as confused as that guy on No Reservations was. But such kind of influence has made many Filipino tourists and overseas workers adapt to foreign dishes with ease.

Perhaps, this is a major reason why Filipino cuisine is not so well-known internationally even if millions of Filipinos live and work outside their home country. Individuals of the Filipino diaspora tend to assimilate into the surrounding culture and try not to stand out; consequently Filipino food never went beyond their house kitchens and dining rooms. (That, however, is beginning to change as second and third generation Pinoys – an informal term for Filipinos – on a search for their ethnic identity are beginning to promote Pinoy cuisine where they are.)

Like any other cultural component, food is influenced by the geography of a place. Because the Philippines is a tropical archipelago lying in the apex of the Coral Triangle, seafood is a staple of local cuisine. Most of the seafood we have enjoyed at our beach and island-hopping forays are simply fried, grilled, broiled or steamed without much fancy but often very fresh (taken straight from or very close to the source). At other times they might be included in a soup dish (tinola or sinigang) or cooked in creamy coconut milk.

As with most cuisines of the world Filipino food is constantly evolving, having been shaped by history and by many unique and affluent cultures. Influences from China, India and Arabia are evident in Filipino food and culture due to economic trade over time. Influences from Spain (actually more from Mexico from which Spain ruled the Philippines) and America may be observed throughout the country’s colonial history.

Each region is known for specialty dishes and in many cases these are also the result of their geography and consequently their farm produce (or lack thereof).

Pampanga, home of great Filipino chefs, is known as the food capital of the country. There is a dizzying array of Kapampangan food available but the ones that have been adopted by the rest of the country include sisig, tocino, kare-kare, morcon and bringhe (kind of similar to biryani from South Asia).

There are exotic Kapampangan dishes too such as betute tugak (stuffed frog), camaru (deep fried, adobo-style mole crickets) and balo-balo or buro (mudfish fermented in rice) most of which may look intimidating to the fainthearted but which we did try and enjoyed.

Humba is a popular dish from the Visayas group of island provinces that has been adopted elsewhere in the country. The Visayas are known for fish dishes, no doubt because of the abundance of water in the region. But they have also developed their own specialties besides: the La Paz batchoy (a noodle soup made with pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles), chicken inasal (grilled chicken marinated in a mixture of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar and annatto), and pansit molo (a pork dumpling soup using wonton wrappers) of the Ilonggos, a people group of the western Visayas.

Although you’ll find lechon or roasted pork all over the Philippines in different versions, Cebu province in the central Visayas is famous for their version of this dish. Lechon is a Spanish word that originally refers to a roasted suckling pig, hence the obvious Spanish influence. Often the preferred lechon – the lechon de leche – is a suckling pig whose meat is tender and whose skin is super crispy. How good is the Filipino lechon? Anthony Bourdain once said it’s the best pork he’s ever had. The “Lechon Diva,” Dedet de Leon, and her Truffle Rice Stuffed de Leche was awarded in London as the Tastiest Dish in Asia for 2015.

(See food vlogger Mark Wiens’ video of the Lechon Diva’s specialty lechon and other Pinoy dishes here, get an idea of what Filipino boodle food fight is and hear the crispy crack of the lechon skin as it is cut and devoured.)

From the Ilocos region in Luzon comes the mixed vegetable dish pinakbet, yet another crispy pork dish called bagnet and empanada. Some towns like Batac and Vigan have their own specialty empanada, a deep fried rice wrapper filled with various meat, egg and vegetable ingredients. (We should also mention the dried espada or beltfish from La Union that is so crispy good when fried that a Malaysian-American friend and mentor calls it the “Philippine bacon.”)

We’ve also come to enjoy the fresh vegetables and coffee beans from the mountain provinces of Northern Luzon and still try to get a supply whenever we can even if we no longer live there. Farther down south in Luzon, the abundance of coconuts in Bicol and the Bicolanos’ love of chili peppers have resulted in spicy dishes cooked in coconut milk such as laing. The Bicol Express, originally from the Malate district of Manila, is inspired by Bicolano cuisine. This stew is made from chili peppers, coconut milk, shrimp paste, pork, ginger, garlic and onions.

Mindanao, because it is closest to Indonesia and Malaysia, shares a lot in common with the culture and cuisine of these countries. The rich, pungent-smelling, fleshy durian from Davao and nearby provinces is a favorite of ours. And then of course, the inihaw na panga ng tuna (grilled yellowfin tuna jaw) is something that we always try to get every time we visit Davao, that is until we became plant-based eaters. In the past Visayan settlers have migrated here bringing with them their cuisine which has evolved over time to fuse with local fare. The food of our Muslim countrymen in western Mindanao though is something we still have to try.

Finally no one talks about Pinoy food without mentioning the internationally famous (or infamous) balut, originally from Leo’s hometown of Pateros. A not-so-well known fact is that this fertilized developing duck egg embryo (boiled before consuming) has its beginnings from China. Leo’s Chinese ancestors were said to have brought it with them to the country sometime in the 18^th century. After some more research we later discovered that while balut originated from Pateros, its creation was accidental. A Chinese immigrant named Lao Chuy who had married a Filipina settled in Pateros in the 18^th century. While trying to hatch duck eggs by heating them over charcoal, he ended up cooking them instead. When he tried them he found the cooked embryo delicious and started to produce and sell them. The original balut soon became a hit among locals. Surprisingly most Chinese-Filipinos never became fond of the balut. It is not unique to the country, however. There are similar eggs in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia which we encountered during our visits to these countries.

Our travels are not just about enjoying the beauty of the places we visit. Even when just traveling to other places in the Philippines we have always appreciated and relished the diversity of the people, their culture and their cuisine – all of which contribute to the richness of our travel experiences.

The post Musings About Pinoy (Filipino) Food appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Since US travelers have ample domestic beaches to bake upon in summer, Mallorca has other charms to explore in the off-seasons. Spring and fall are glorious, with mild, sunny days (although some rain may fall). Consider a few of the reasons to sample Mallorca after the sunburnt hordes disperse:

Outstanding Island Hotels

You may not intend to spend a lot of time in your room, yet across the island, Mallorca boasts several hotels that are worthy destinations themselves.

• If you start or end your vacation in Palma, consider Summum Prime Boutique Hotel, a new property that is walking distance to the capital city’s attractions and contains an exceptional lobby restaurant. Bonus: In-room amenity is a jaunty Panama hat to shield you from the sun.
• Feast on the treasures of the sea at Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa. Perched on a cliff above impossibly blue waters, this ultra-luxury hotel holds an annual olive oil tasting and picks the best one to be served in its restaurants until the new crop reveals itself. Feast al fresco on grilled octopus, traditional red prawns with garlic, fried calamari plucked from the sea, and leave room for a dessert sampler.
• Opened spring 2019, Hotel Finca Serena embodies modern luxury. Occupying a privileged spot in the highlands, it overlooks hundreds of acres of green that you can view with a cool drink on the terrace or nearby in a hot-air balloon. The service and quality of the restaurant yield a dining experience on par with a Relais & Chateaux inn.
• Another haute hideaway for privacy seekers, Belmond La Residencia Hotel has a tiered layout topped by a colorful penthouse suite designed by British fashion designer Matthew Williamson.

• Still need to commune with a sandy shore? At Iberostar Grand Portals Nous, the beach is small but adjacent to a sheltered cove for easy swimming. Lounge chairs and palapas are provided.
• Som Dona is a new, reasonably priced hotel on the Manacor coast, and it is limited exclusively to female guests.

On the Water

Although it may be too cold to swim off-season, there are still ample opportunities to sail. Port Calanova not only has a sailing school, rental boats and sports equipment, it also features a restaurant and 21 guest rooms that overlook the water.

From there, one popular destination is upscale Port Adriano, which has restaurants and a small shopping mall beside the marina designed by Phillippe Starck.

Scrumptious Seafood

Although Spain is paradise for pork lovers, Mallorca also delights those who love freshly caught seafood. Red prawns are a specialty as are squid and octopus. Tapas tempt taste buds with creative combinations of ingredients and flavors.

Many restaurants specialize in the dish most associated with Spain, paella. One place to dine on it with a view is Ca’n Josep overlooking the port of Pollença. The owner also makes his own vermouth and limoncello, so ask for a sample.

Get even closer to the earth’s bounty by visiting producers such as Aubocassa, where olive oil is extruded rather than pressed, and the Son Sureda Ric vineyard, which holds wine tours and tastings on Sundays.

Island Treasures

Pollença’s Teixits Vicens is a family-run textile factory that weaves and dyes 70% cotton and 30% linen into ikat cloth and then fashions it into distinctive garments, accessories, and home goods for sale in its airy, light-filled store.

For many shoppers, the name Mallorca is synonymous with pearls. Man-made yet lustrous and desirable, Majorica pearls have been crafted on the island for more than a century. They’re created by coating a glass ball with layers of lacquer and are available in a variety of sizes, settings, and colors, from bright white to fashionable gray to dramatic black.

Art & Artists

Mallorca’s mountains, sea, and sunsets offer inspiration to the painter and photographer. Three major ones settled here: Original hippie nomads Yannick Vu and Ben Jakober (pictured) established their eponymous Foundation in Sa Bassa Blanca Museum at the end of a long and winding lane in Alcudia surrounded by well cultivated nature. Having lived and worked together for decades, they co-sign the works created.

May, when the Rose Garden is in bloom, is an ideal time to visit. The couple’s oversized animal representations punctuate the Sculpture Park. Other works are displayed in the Moorish-style structure the couple built in the 1970s. And their intriguing collection of paintings of royal children by Old World Masters is exhibited in an underground gallery.

Joan Miró’s architect-designed workshop in Palma, the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation, reveals an environment custom-tailored to the artist’s creative needs and aesthetic. The Surrealist’s tools, inspirations, works in progress, and completed paintings are on display.

Sporting Life

Rafael Nadal, at age 33, is one of the tennis world’s winningest champions. The Spanish player still has many years ahead to add to his copious collection of silver trophies housed at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor.

Visitors enter his Museum Experience through a tunnel that flashes a light-and-sound show. Arriving in the basement space, they’re welcomed by a Nadal talking hologram that invites them to participate in the room’s competitive digital games. There’s also an array of sports gear, loving cups, and tributes to other outstanding athletes. We admired the display of ungently used tennis racquets by other greats; strings on one of Ivan Lendl’s look as if they had been clawed by a wild animal, revealing that player’s force and fury.

The adjacent sports complex, where kids and adults come to play and improve their game, contains 26 tennis courts with different surfaces, a fitness center, spa, café, and overnight accommodations.

Across the island, cycle tourism is popular, and we spotted groups of spandexed men and women of all ages channeling their inner Tour de France competitor.

Those who prefer a leisurely sport can choose from 22 golf courses on the island. Alcanada, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., is the most picturesque one, overlooking the Mediterranean. Non-players can take in the view from its restaurant terrace and relax with a drink and a snack. Do choose your table carefully though; cigar smokers are out in force.

Inland or by the sea, Mallorca exposes visitors to a sunny side of Spain. So once you’ve marveled at the treasures of world-class Barcelona and Madrid, treat yourself to time on this charmed island.

The post Mallorca Beyond the Beach appeared first on Traveling Archive.

While visiting the coastal town of Bermeo, one of the oldest towns in the Basque Country of Spain, I received a most unusual invitation to dine with friends of friends. It was unusual not just because it began in a seafood market or ended in a mountaintop bodega. No, this was a rare invitation to dine at one of the Basque male gastronomy societies, those exclusive, men-only bastions of Y chromosomes called Txokos, in what is essentially a matriarchal society. Most tourists never see the inside of one, so naturally I said yes.

It began when Tours By Basques took our small group to a house-cured anchovy tasting at the Mari Tere seafood shop. There we met Basque Chef Mikel Garikoitz Isasi Perez when he came in to pick up his order. Over the delicious anchovies we began to talk food, the quality of the olive oil the anchovies were in (Urzante), and the benefits of fresh-cured anchovies over canned. As is so common in Spain, foreigners showing an interest in their culture and gastronomy are indulged and encouraged by the locals. My guide made introductions all around, plates of pintxos appeared (olives and fresh anchovies on toothpicks) and one shopper opened a bottle of the local Txakoli he was carrying. Before long Chef Mikel invited us all to join him for lunch.

Not My First Visit to a Txokos

Years before I was walking along the Bermeo harbor with chef friends when we happened upon an open door with fantastic cooking aromas wafting out. The most out-going among us called someone to the door. The chefs were recognized and we were invited in. Not to eat, but it was a great experience seeing the kitchen and what they were cooking. So imagine my surprise when, with 4000 txokos in the Basque Country to choose from, Chef Mikel led us back to the very same one! It was fate. This time I was invited to eat.

Txakoli from Bodega Berroja

The man with the bottle of txakoli, Jose Angel Carrero Arketa, owns Bodega Berroja, a local winery on a mountaintop overlooking Bermeo. He was prepared with an unusual flight of his wines. Txakoli is a slightly effervescent Basque white wine of high acidity and low alcohol, meant to be consumed fresh, but Jose had a few bottles from each of several years, so we would also be tasting how “green” wine aged (very well) as we enjoyed course after course of seafood.

This was a simple meal, not restaurant stuffy, but more like a family sitting around the table, and the aromas of the sea, onions, and garlic hung over the plain settings. There was nothing to distract us from the food and the wine – except the view. Because there were women with us, we dined outside on a wide porch, perched above the busy harbor where the fishing boats had recently unloaded the ingredients for our meal. This is Basque Country. Everything was the freshest and finest quality, so little had to be done to enhance the flavors.

In the center of the table was a plate of finely cut Iberian Jamon (ham), served as an appetizer and as a palate cleanser between wines and courses. That and bread were the only non-seafood items.

Basque Sustainable Seafood With White Wine

Widely known for the quality of their seafood, Basques should also be known for their sustainable fishing. Chef Mikel explained that tuna has a season, with strict catch limits, and all must be line caught. He said that the excitement of the first tuna of the season creates an incredible competition as local chefs bid against buyers from as far away as Japan to procure some.

Then he served us tuna tartar. The raw, red flesh, dotted with raw egg yolks which he stirred in, was topped with truffle oil and sesame. It was a rich burst of flavor, redolent of the sea, which made me wonder why anyone would ever cook it. There was also some hotness to it, which was fine by me. Chef Mikel admitted that he put red or spicy green peppers in every dish because he liked the heat. That’s my style as well. The more I got to know him, the more I liked the guy! The youngest txakoli, clearly designed for sea food, was crisp and light, the perfect accompaniment.

Many chefs have learned the hard way that squid is not the easiest seafood to cook. Chef Mikel cooked them perfectly, not once but twice! The squid two ways course had squid lightly sautéed in oil and white wine, with onions and garlic, juxtaposed with squid simmered in its own ink to a black richness. It was as visually opposite as it tasted, the viscous sea taste of the ink countered by the lightness of the wine sauce, with both squids tender and delicious in their own way. I complimented him on the very clever plating. The year old txakoli was still light and fresh, but a depth was creeping into it that the younger wine didn’t hint at. This meal was getting interesting.

The Origins of Txokos

The ham lent still more depth to the wine as we cleansed our palates before a lighter dish of clams steamed in parsley and wine.  Throughout the meal the conversation never stopped. After I asked about the origins of txokos, if they were political, cultural or what, the three Basque men at the table explained the matriarchal nature of their society and how their clubs grew as a refuge from the home, not to a bar or a mistress, but to a place to enjoy the company of men and talk of sports, politics and food – all guy stuff.

Then, the third bottle of wine came out as Mikel excused himself to check on the sea bass. He’s just one guy in the kitchen who cooked the entire meal, served it, sat and ate with us, entertained us, and made it look effortless! I called him a chef, but he’s really a software designer who loves to cook, and the txoko allows him to indulge his pleasure, which he in turn gives to others.  That makes him a chef in the true sense of the word.

The sea bass was served whole, skin down, butterflied and boned, then drizzled with rich, garlic-infused oil. The fresh-off-the-boat, flakey, almost sweet flesh smelled as grand as it tasted.  The unheard of three year old txakoli had a murky depth and color that lent an unexpected complexity to the pairing. This was no longer a fresh young wine, but a white wine of substance which, had I closed my eyes, could easily be confused for a red wine.  We continued to enjoy it through the lively conversations following the meal, or as the Spanish say, the sobremesa.

And that is, in essence, what a txoko is. It’s a place where men get out from underfoot but not into trouble. They talk, work together and support one another as the women in their lives do with their girlfriends. It’s simply guys, camaraderie, and good food, and it is an institution that has worked for 400 years. Today, traditions have loosened; with special days when women are invited and the men still do all the work. There are even a few txokos with women presidents, but it is largely a culture of, by and for Basque males.

Visiting Bodega Berroja

When it was time to leave, Jose Angel Carrero Arketa of Bodega Berroja, our new friend with interesting wines, invited us to see his winery. His is a mountaintop eyrie, perched high on a bluff overlooking the valley behind Bermeo. It is overrun with cats, who keep the birds from eating the grapes, and sports sinuous lines of grape vines girdling the surrounding slopes. He has a breathtaking view fit for weddings and perhaps a future hotel, and offered us delicious wines to taste through the rest of the afternoon. You should look him up when you go to the Basque Country and definitely taste his wines!

Tours by Basques provided a knowledgeable and genial guide

Berroja Wines for some great Txakoli

Hotel Miro in Bilbao within sight of the Guggenheim Museum

For more information about traveling in Spain or in the Basque Region

The post A Rare Dining Experience – Lunch at a Men-Only Txokos appeared first on Traveling Archive.