Article written by Delicia Warren
Do you class yourself as a bit of a foodie? Love to explore new flavours, aromas and textures from all corners of the globe? If so, you’ve come to the perfect place. Check out the most unusual ways to spend free time for foodies, so you can spend all day enjoying the foods you love and, more importantly, trying new things.
Fridge Swap
Sick of eating the same foods that you and your family have gotten used to over the years? Why don’t you try swapping your fridge with another family who’re sick of their eating routines as well? You could both learn a lot of new flavours and cooking techniques that might stick with you in the future. It’s also a great way to have a laugh with your family, as the other family’s eating habits will be totally different from yours – particularly if they’re a vegan, though they might struggle with your fridge if they are. Your children will learn a lot about how others live their lives.
Culinary Tours
Does the amalgamation of ingredients continue to excite you? We recommend heading off on a culinary tour to visit the direct source of the products. For example, you could take a tour of Granada’s olive groves and ancient oil mills. You could even take a trip on a boat cruise to find out how seafood is caught, before trying the fresh ingredients for yourself. Also, visit a Basque cheese factory to taste and smell different cheeses, while finding out all about how they’re made.
Travel Cooking Classes
Many foodies often fall in love with different cuisines on their travels. Instead of longing for traditional French cooking or the rich taste of Mexican mole sauce, you could always attempt to recreate the tasty dishes yourself. Take the cooking class while you’re abroad and create the dishes at home. It will bring back memories and your taste buds will love it, too. We, therefore, recommend putting your taste buds and culinary skills to the test by attending a travel cooking class. A professional chef can provide the knowledge and tools you need to learn how to make a delicious dish. You can then share your new-found knowledge with your loved ones by creating an exotic feast in the comfort of your kitchen.
Online Foodie Games
Being a foodie is a full-time hobby, as it will more than likely take up much of your spare time. When you’ve spent the day cooking up a storm in the kitchen, visiting new restaurants and trying new cuisines, you might not be able to eat another thing. However, you can play a number of food-inspired games either online or on console. Sara’s Cooking Class is a hugely popular online cooking game which you can play for free, while Cooking Mama is a Nintendo DS game that’s becoming hugely for those who love to cook more than they could possibly eat, but you can also rustle up something tasty with Refrigerator Slot, the latest release from Gamesys. This is a great way to relax if you’ve always got eating on your mind.
A Food Walking Tour
Find a food walking tour in your desired destination, which will take you on a journey across a city to find out what makes their cuisines so fantastic. Unlike with a culinary tour, you’ll visit more than one destination, as you can eat your way through a neighbourhood or market, trying different dishes, soaking in the different sights and smelling the city or town’s beautiful aromas. It’s the perfect way to fall in love with a cuisine and culture a little bit more, while providing an opportunity to learn a neighbourhood’s culinary secrets from a knowledgeable tour guide. You could even organise your own tour for some friends – even if they’re vegetarian, many towns have a range of great entirely vegetarian restaurants.
Famously Odd Restaurants
There is a huge variety of really strange restaurants in the world, so you should get going if you love travelling to find the most unusual flavours. For instance, you can try a five-course taster menu in a restaurant which has been constructed from a London Underground train. This is called The Basement Gallery. Also in London, you can visit Ms Marmite Lover, with all sorts of great dishes on the menu there. Why not take the Strawberry Train in Spain, which is a train-restaurant where staff dressed in different historical costumes and serve strawberries throughout the journey of this working train. If that isn’t wacky enough, you can also enjoy a dining experience like no other on the actual stage of an opera house in Hungary, at the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace.
A Wine Tasting Experience
Different wines will perfectly complement different ingredients. For example, prosecco and parmesan are a match made in foodie heaven. We, therefore, recommend that all food lovers enjoy a wine tasting tour to learn how to pair a wine with an ingredient. Not only that, but they can educate you on how to swirl a glass appropriately, and you can gain an insight into a winemaking region’s traditions.
Of course, for a more unusual wine tasting experience, keep an eye out for the usual, such as the Malibu Wine Safari – where you can see giraffe, llamas, zebra and American bison, while being driven in a jeep.
BBQ Competition
Are you sick of the age-old debate: who is the best at BBQs out of you or your partner? If this is something your family have to suffer, then it’s time to put an end to the discussion once and for all. Hold the ultimate BBQ competition in the garden, and invite the neighbours as judges. The children can go on either teams, sneaking off with either parent to buy their team’s ingredients in absolute secrecy. This is a great way to spend the whole day having fun with food.
Have you experienced any of the unusual foodie experiences listed above? Share your culinary tips and stories by writing a comment below.
About the author:
Delicia Warren is a freelance writer, passionate about the environment, organic farming and food production. An advocate for a holistic approach to the world’s problems, she has a particular interest in the small changes individuals can make to their lifestyle to minimize their environmental footprint.