Katherine A. Faley
Food and travel are pretty much my two biggest passions in life. I've been to 35 states and 9 countries, and the list will only continue to expand. I grew up on road trips; being in Kent, OH, states away from my grandparents, my parents would take us to visit them at least 4 times a year. I got used to spending 8+ hours in a car. I spent two summers when I was 2 and 3 years old living in Florida when my dad was doing research. I got to spend the days at the beach, and got to see 2 space shuttle launches. At age 5, our family drove across the country, visiting a majority of the states. My mother taught me a love of forests and mountains as we visited a ton of national parks. I always said that one day, I would live in one of the giant redwoods trees from the Redwood National Forest. To me, the west coast is most beautiful part of this country (though, I have yet to visit Hawaii). From San Diego to Seattle, I plan to go to somewhere along the coast on a yearly basis. In 2011, I finally made it to the Carribean (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) and Europe (Spain, Italy, Greece, Belgium, and The Netherlands) all within the same month. The beauty of Cinque Terre, among others, made me vow to travel back again and again.
When I was in Europe I took pictures of literally almost everything I ate. To me, food s not only amazingly delicious, it is beautiful. I have a memory for food. I could look back at pictures of food from ages ago and tell you what it was. I love cooking, baking, and eating out. And I can eat a lot, often out eating my male friends! My parents got me hooked on sushi at a very young age, and now my brother calls me the Kobayashi of raw salmon. I have an insane obsession with anything and everything pear related, as well as with octopus. And then there's pesto. My mom is a pesto genius, growing a forest of basil each summer, making pesto, and then freezing it so that the family can have a year long stash, never worrying that we might run out. Last summer, I started making my own, continuing my mother's tradition. Just beware, pesto is highly addictive!
I wish I could get paid to eat and travel; luckily, I have a job that grants me the freedom to take frequent long-weekend trips with the occasional multiple week vacation. Who woulda thought that studying engineering and being a patent examiner at the USPTO could actually get me a job where I could have the flexibility to travel often and far!?! I love it! And it doesn't hurt that the Washington DC area has a plethora of tasty restaurants as well.
When I was in Europe I took pictures of literally almost everything I ate. To me, food s not only amazingly delicious, it is beautiful. I have a memory for food. I could look back at pictures of food from ages ago and tell you what it was. I love cooking, baking, and eating out. And I can eat a lot, often out eating my male friends! My parents got me hooked on sushi at a very young age, and now my brother calls me the Kobayashi of raw salmon. I have an insane obsession with anything and everything pear related, as well as with octopus. And then there's pesto. My mom is a pesto genius, growing a forest of basil each summer, making pesto, and then freezing it so that the family can have a year long stash, never worrying that we might run out. Last summer, I started making my own, continuing my mother's tradition. Just beware, pesto is highly addictive!
I wish I could get paid to eat and travel; luckily, I have a job that grants me the freedom to take frequent long-weekend trips with the occasional multiple week vacation. Who woulda thought that studying engineering and being a patent examiner at the USPTO could actually get me a job where I could have the flexibility to travel often and far!?! I love it! And it doesn't hurt that the Washington DC area has a plethora of tasty restaurants as well.
Bradley A. Teets
I've always enjoyed food very much and have always eaten a lot of it, on more than one occasion I've been referred to as a "tank" because of the amount of food I eat. Not only do I consume a large quantity of food, but I like to try anything and everything new. A trip to a new country is not complete if I haven't gotten the chance to try new and exciting food that I haven't had before.
I would say that the biggest challenge that I have when it comes to food is not ordering the entire menu! When I sit down at a restaurant I have to put the menu down and close it after I find something I want to try otherwise I will want everything (but I have to choose an appetizer and an entree, who eats just an entree?). The mentality of wanting to try everything has gotten me addicted to tasting menus. If the chef has created a tasting menu, I love to let him/her take me on a culinary journey in the way they envision it, in the way they would enjoy it. I believe that tasting menus are such a great way to experience food - I'm the farthest from a picky eater but tasting menus have pushed me even more to try new things I wouldn't normally order and so far I haven't been disappointed!
Having such a passion for food has naturally driven me to travel, my goal is to experience the world through food. Travelling is, however, relatively new to me. I had only ever flown on a plane once when I was 10 years old and then didn't fly again until I was 21. My first flight was to my Uncle's wedding in Vancouver, Washington (which was amazing and beautiful) but I don't consider my traveling career to have begun until my brother, who is in the Army, was stationed in Germany.
In the late spring of 2011 I started my international travel with a trip with my father and sister to go visit my brother in Germany. We traveled all over Bavaria and also spent a few days in southern Italy. Ever since that incredible trip I have not been able to stop traveling. I haven't accrued as many stamps in my passport as I would like but now I'm gaining them rapidly. From December 2012 - April 2013 I spent at least one day each month in a country other than the United States (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Mexico, Germany and Spain).
As long as I have two legs to carry me I'm not going to stop exploring the world.
I would say that the biggest challenge that I have when it comes to food is not ordering the entire menu! When I sit down at a restaurant I have to put the menu down and close it after I find something I want to try otherwise I will want everything (but I have to choose an appetizer and an entree, who eats just an entree?). The mentality of wanting to try everything has gotten me addicted to tasting menus. If the chef has created a tasting menu, I love to let him/her take me on a culinary journey in the way they envision it, in the way they would enjoy it. I believe that tasting menus are such a great way to experience food - I'm the farthest from a picky eater but tasting menus have pushed me even more to try new things I wouldn't normally order and so far I haven't been disappointed!
Having such a passion for food has naturally driven me to travel, my goal is to experience the world through food. Travelling is, however, relatively new to me. I had only ever flown on a plane once when I was 10 years old and then didn't fly again until I was 21. My first flight was to my Uncle's wedding in Vancouver, Washington (which was amazing and beautiful) but I don't consider my traveling career to have begun until my brother, who is in the Army, was stationed in Germany.
In the late spring of 2011 I started my international travel with a trip with my father and sister to go visit my brother in Germany. We traveled all over Bavaria and also spent a few days in southern Italy. Ever since that incredible trip I have not been able to stop traveling. I haven't accrued as many stamps in my passport as I would like but now I'm gaining them rapidly. From December 2012 - April 2013 I spent at least one day each month in a country other than the United States (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Mexico, Germany and Spain).
As long as I have two legs to carry me I'm not going to stop exploring the world.
