Normally as the year comes to an end, I’m putting together my list of all the best dishes I ate around the city the previous year. But as you probably know, I didn’t eat out nearly as much as I usually do,
2020 was shockingly horrendous. We all know that.
On a personal level, I’ve had to mostly turn my passion for eating out to my own kitchen (with some special take-out adventures and safe city excursions) and I’ve really fallen in love with all the cooking possibilities.
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked so much in my life. I’ve always enjoyed cooking but have considered myself an appreciator of food more than a creator of it. Thanksgiving used to be my big cooking project every year and we all know that is amateur night.
Most of the reason for my lack of cooking experiences was my lack of time. Well, in 2020, that all changed. Mostly unemployed and stuck at home, I found myself diving into recipes and ingredients.
At the same time, I found myself sorely missing my excursions around New York searching for the most interesting and iconic foods. And surprisingly, I didn’t find myself missing pizza or bagels nearly as much as the international cuisines I’d find in the most authentic spots around New York’s five boroughs.
I missed Filipino adobo and Trinidadian doubles and Szechuan mapo tofu and Turkish kababs, just to name a few.
So my latest project is an exciting one and I hope you’ll join me for it.
There will be no recap list this year, but there is a new project on the horizon for me and one I think you will all enjoy following.
Since I can’t easily and safely explore all the international restaurants and neighborhoods in New York and around the world right now, I’ll be taking those journeys in my own kitchen.
I’m going to be cooking a meal from every country in the world and my adorable but picky son Sam will be joining me for most of them.
Read along and be sure to check out the weekly video series that will accompany each blog post. And hopefully this will inspire you to do some cooking and exploring in your own kitchen.
And one day very soon, I hope we can all meet in a little Chinese dumpling shop in Queens or a taqueria in Mexico City. But until then, I’ll continue to explore the food and culture of others without leaving the confines of my own kitchen.
