I’m not a very picky eater. I would say it was due to the food I was exposed to when I was young. My father cooked all sorts of dishes from his home country, Laos. My favorite of them all was a dish called Pho, a noodle soup with a thick beef broth, mixed with beef, chicken or seafood. There are a lot of dishes from my father’s country that are very exotic and insane. One very rare dish from Laos is a dish called Laap (Larb). The dish is a type of meat salad containing a large assortment of meats seasoned with fish sauce, lime and may or may not use the blood of the animal as a soup base. It is often eaten with sticky rice, a dish that originated from Laos. My father once told me the dish Laap is considered the national dish of Laos and is said to be a feast that brings good luck and good health. The dish can be eaten raw, but I highly recommend eating it cooked. The dish can be bought at Lao or Thai restaurants in the U.S. Although the item itself may not be on the menu, asking the waiter about the dish wouldn’t hurt as some restaurants still serve it. This is a dish that is special in my culture, almost always made in every Lao social gathering. Because of the food I had when I was young, I was the kind of person that wanted to explore into other cultures and try food I never had before.
Traveling is a great way for me to experience other cultures and try great food in the local area. Traveling around the world and trying food from all kinds of cultures is something I dream of doing. One show I often watch on the food network is called ‘“Bizarre Foods’ with Andrew Zimmern. Andrew Zimmern is renowned as most influential chef all around the world. He travels around the world and eat all kinds of exotic dishes not known to the rest of the world. He make it seem so delicious when the dish seems very unappealing, but not being picky is key to trying something anyone wouldn’t normally eat. I also want to travel around the world, but first I would like to travel around the United States and try food from other states.
Last year I visited my friend Steven who lives in Dallas, Texas. He was a few years older than me and he used to live in Rhode Island. We planned a Airbnb in Austin, Texas for a few days. It was a group of at least 20 people all around the age group of 23-27 years old. I had BBQ in New England, but I never had BBQ down South. So one of the places we went to was a restaurant called Salt Lick BBQ located in Austin, Texas. It was a very large one-story stone building with a large wooden gable roof. It was built on a hill with a stone staircase leading up to the patio and front entrance. The patio was very nice, gray stone floor matching the staircase. Faded red colored wood log fence supported by tall stone columns all around the perimeter. The patio was about 40 feet in length with about 15 red painted picnic tables. The center of the patio had a small stone structure with an outdoor bar and restroom on the side. The restaurant was playing country music inside. I could see horses and cows far in the distant fields. I didn’t see much inside since we ate outside and the restroom was outside too. The menu was very standard and had basic BBQ dishes such as pulled pork and smoked ribs. I made the assumption that it was like any other BBQ place I been to. I was mistaken.
We arrived at the restaurant at noon on a Sunday. It was busy and the place was packed. The people there generally kept to themselves and their group. The attire was very casual with almost every single person in the restaurant wearing jeans and a T-shirt with a few wearing cowboy hats. Everyone was laughing and talking cheerfully to one another. The waiter’s uniform was casual like everyone else. Luckily, the patio had enough tables for everyone in our group. After everyone made their order, it was about a 30 to 40 minute wait, due to the size of our group. I ordered smoked BBQ ribs with a side of fries and a lemonade. It was hot, about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I could feel the the cold sweat going down my back. I could hear the stomachs from my friends roar as we waited and talked about the upcoming events. When the food got to the table, everyone stopped talking. It was a moment of silence as everyone got their meal. When I received my food, I was surprised by the size of each rib were about the size of my hand with a total of 5 ribs on my plate. The meat was tender and pulled right off the bone, still hot to the touch. I took my first bite and the meat just melted in my mouth. Sweet, juicy and a blast of flavor. It was a taste I can only find in Texas. Everyone enjoyed their food and all could agree, it was the best BBQ we ever had. I couldn’t even compare to the BBQ back in New England. The experience motivated me to travel even more and continue to explore more places and eat more food.
Anyone can be inspired by others to follow their dreams and do the things they want to do. I’m inspired to travel and explore the world because of my childhood, my culture, the food network and most importantly, food. It’s such a simple thing but that’s all I need to motivate me. I wish I had the money to travel all the time. But as long as I’m patient and save money, I can go almost anywhere.