Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup - Share a Taste of Home with Friends

When traveling, few things unite people like a great meal prepared and shared together. Food is such a natural and direct way to learn about a culture, which is why I love to cook with friends, a tradition that started many years ago abroad. To me, the kitchen is a creative space. A place full of experimentation, chaos and laughter and our friend's kitchen over at Wilson Creek Pottery is no exception. Recently, we traded in the hustle of the city for a scenic weekend visiting them in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

• • •

In their lovely kitchen, we were surrounded by the warmth of their hospitality and their pottery.
It was the perfect spot for trading secret ingredients and resources. 

Our friends love to travel out in the world and from their own kitchen. They can't help but bring back inspiration from their travel. Their last big trip in India, solidified their love for Indian cooking and Ayurveda. When we last visited, they treated us to Indian fare. From handmade chapatis to showing us how to make our own ghee! 

• • •

This time their adventurous mood was set on asian noodles and a perfect chance for me to return the generosity. They knew of my love for noodles and asked if I could show them how to prepare a dish. There was no question. I had to share with them one of my favorite noodle dishes: Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. (Pictured above) What is delightful about this dish is the complexity of the broth. It's an iconic staple and something I grew up on. To understand my love for noodles is to know me and I was more than happy to share a piece of my home with them. I can have it morning, day or night and my husband couldn't really comprehend this until he saw for himself...the land, people and food of my first home. After a few days into our trip to Taiwan, my husband looked at me knowingly and said, "I get it now."  

• • •

And so today we would all join in culinary adventure to experience the flavors of Taiwan from a cozy house in farm country, Wisconsin. Our plan was ambitious but we made sure to give ourselves ample time. The plan was to prep the broth, the most effort and time intensive part of the dish and we'd prepare it to a point, so that the flavors could be melding while we took a hike nearby.   

And when we tired ourselves of the snowy hills and neighboring animal friends...we would come back home to a simmering broth that would be ready for us. 

• • •
I'm happy to report that our bellies and hearts were full...Now it's your turn! Try it in your own global kitchen!
--> Head over to The Dining Traveler where I shared with her the recipe.

What taste of home would you share? 
• • •
Get everyday adventure ideas @LiveLikeYoureTraveling  

Make Delicious Sweets with Your Instagram Photos

I've heard people say that they'll start being impressed with Instagram when they'll be able to eat the pictures. Well... you kinda can! These three companies are making it possible for you to print your Instagram photos on delicious, sweet morsels.

• • •

1. Boomf.com let's you print on marshmallows, now that is very exciting because fancy marshmallows are pretty in vogue right now. 

• • •

 2. Bakingforgood.com makes it possible to put your Instagram pictures on sugar cookies! I'm a fan of sugar cookies... wait, who isn't!? The photo quality will probably be a bit more sharper then on a marshmallow and these do provide a slightly larger canvas. Now what you'll do with that information is totally up to your own creative interpretation. I'm just saying. 

• • •

3. Cocoagraph.com puts your photos on chocolate bars. Oh my..! This is getting very dangerous very quickly. Then again you don't need to worry because you can Instagram a selfie, print it on a chocolate bar and then eat into your figure to make yourself look skinny! So yeah, no need to be alarmed about the calories. 

And guess what! Now that we have Insta marshmallows, Insta cookies and Insta chocolate do you know what we can make!? INSTA S'MOORS! I kid, I kid, you will probably have a hard time eating these up because you'll just want to stare at them, they'll be so pretty. What you can do to extend the visual enjoyment is to hang these on your Christmas Tree as ornaments. Every day you and your family can sit by the tree, remove one delicious Insta cookie and eat it while sipping some tea, or popping that Insta mallow into your hot coco. I don't know...I feel a new Christmas Tradition in the making! 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

You can make make sweet memories, 
and eat them too!

{ Keep in touch via Bloglovin, Feedly or Facebook }

IDEA123: Eat with a Local : Share a Home-cooked Meal with New Friends

Have you ever been on vacation and exclaimed: "Oh how nice would it be if we knew someone here so they could invite us to their house for an authentic home cooked dinner!"? Some of the richest experiences I've had while traveling is from sharing a meal with friends in their homes; friend's friends throwing us a bbq-pool party in Brazil, star-lit dinner on a terrace in Portugal, new years dinner in a 100+ yr old lake front family home in Switzerland. It's really not just about the food. A whole new dimension opens up when visiting someone's home. You can see how they've decorated, what kinds of things they have around their house, and of course get to hear first hand what life is like in their corner of the world! It's a real bonding experience that makes you believe, even if for just that evening that we can transcend our differences, cultural barriers and just all be... one big happy village. Isn't it why we travel after all? To connect and to find a little bit of ourselves in far flung places? 

This is why Alla and I are so thrilled to see *eat with a local* companies like these rising. We now have a direct dinner invitation in the homes of our global neighbors!  

• • • 

So where to first?

1 - www.cookening.com World (Mostly Europe)
Founded in France by three friends passionate about food and travel. Check out this veranda dining in the beautiful Vico Equense on the Amalfi Coast with a host who makes his own limoncello from lemons growing in his orchard. Oh...Ciao! 

• • • 

2 - www.plateculture.com (Asia)
Founded in Malaysia by two Lithuanian friends and entrepreneurs. How about a dumpling making lesson with an expat couple living in Singapore?  

• • • 

3 - www.eatwith.com  World (Mostly Europe and Americas)
Founded in Israel, the hotspot for tech start-ups, this company seems to be expanding daily adding new countries and new hosts! How about a real Argentine wood smoked BBQ feast in San Isidrio?    

• • • 

4 - www.bookalocal.com World (Currently mostly Belgium)
Founded in Belgium by an ex-New Yorker. How about a real Belgian experience of Beer Pairing Dinner with Evelyne & Brian. Or for international flavors you can make sushi with a Japanese host Haruko!

This is not only great for when you're traveling, but also right where you live.  Why not try this in your very own city? I can't wait to try a vegan dinner near me and on Alla's list is a Lebanese dinner in Amsterdam! Where will you go? 
 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

Eat culture, not food and you'll leave
the table more satisfied.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin on Pinterest! ~ For More ways to Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

IDEA101: Spoil your Island Lover with These 8 Things

8 Ways To Spoil An Island Lover

We have a thing for adventure. And nothing speaks adventure like islands! Islands are seductive. Once you fall under their spell and become an Island Lover, you can’t help wanting to add more and more islands to your collection. While thinking about what I want for my birthday, which is not that far away (ahem!), I thought it would be fun to take you into the deepest folds of my (bottomless) mind and let you know what fantasies possess an Island Lover. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll forever capture the heart and soul of your special Island Lover.

• • •

1 – Go where no one has ever gone before.
One thing you must understand about an Island Lover is that we’re adventurers, explorers if you will. Did you know that there is an island that has been trod upon by less people than the moon!? “Atlas of Remote Islands, 50 Islands You Have Never Set Foot on and Never Will” by Judith Schalansky will be taken as personal challenge by your Island Lover. Be careful! You’ll most likely be required to come along! (Pictured is the re-illustration by Christina Hart, concept.)

2 – Get lost in the sea mist. 
Let them revel in the exciting seafaring vibe with Handmade Enamel Bangles in seafoam colors by Bullfinch & Barbury. I would not be surprised if your Island Lover will want to lick them convinced they can taste the salty sea. Very possibly they’ll want to lick you next to check for salt levels, and that could lead to explorations of different kind…

3 – Vanilla on the horizon
There is nothing like a specific aroma to transport you to a faraway land. Exotic flowers and sweet vanilla warmed up by the african sun. Are we in Madagascar? It’s “Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar” by La Maison de la VANILLE.

4 – Havana nights.
Rustic, mint colored dinnerware from Anthropologie is perfect to recreate those lingering past sunset dinners of homemade food, recently caught fish and of course plenty of laughter.

5 – Get ready to cast off!
What equipment do you need for a voyage of island discovery? Why, a yacht, some chilled champagne and accessories depicting life at sea of course! Gold plated anchors and sailboats on these enamel bangles from KEP Designs speak exactly to such sensibility. Anchors aweigh!

6 – Leave your heart in Capri.
In the midst of glamour, dramatic views, mysterious grottos and gem colored Mediterranean… In return take away the essence of the island, “Aria di Capri” by Carthusia. This solid perfume is made on Capri using centuries old techniques.

7 – I’m not a fussy eater, I just have discriminating taste!
Appease those refined taste buds with simple, fresh and aromatic island recipes. Let “Love, Laughter and Lunch: The Evocative Memories of a Cypriot Family’s Journey” by Helen Tsanos Sheinman take you on a discovery of Cyprus with gorgeous photography and family stories.

8 – An Island to call my own.
Just like the obsessed Gollum trying to possess One Ring; “My precious, my precious!” is the chant that involuntary rises up in the hearts and throats of true Island Lovers as we glimpse an Island. We want it. We want it all to ourselves! You can make this fantasy come true for your Island Lover… Get them the ultimate gift: an island of their own! PrivateIslandsOnline.com also kindly shows us available private islands for rent if buying one may be just a tad steep in price. Surprisingly in some instances renting a whole island to yourself can cost on par with a regular hotel stay.

WHAT!? Sorry, I gotta run…and reserve me an island!!!

• • •    LESSONS LEARNED   • • •

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is by posting a comment, like below or pin it on Pinterest! ~ For More ways Live Like You're Traveling follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

Blog

IDEA135 : Infuse Your Days with Costa Rican Colors!

about 11 years ago

Blog

IDEA136: Look Up & Get Lost in a Skyscape (Riviera Maya)

about 11 years ago