Food Travelling For you

This is a post for my friend Eilen who gave me a camera for my birthday. The camera arrived moments before I left on my trip, and hence, I have actual photos of food to show you. Luckily, my work that took me on this trip resulted in me finding myself at many exciting tables, and so here it is: something of a tour of these tables....



We shall start, appropriately, with dessert first. My travels got off to what can only be described as a rocky start, and it was necessary to finds some sweets quickly. This Pavlova, along with the flan above, really did the trick. I'm not sure that I've ever actually had a Pavlova before this, but I see now why it takes the name of one of the most fluid and graceful dancers of all time. I had these two deserts in a hotel restaurant in Thessaloniki, and although the photojournalist across from me had devoted quite a bit of time to talk to me about his failed screenplay about Sappho and rock lyrics, this dessert allowed me to change the subject. And all we could say was, "the air, the air." And I know that it's a cliche, but this thing was like eating a cloud. And the cloud was topped with strawberries from Crete.

The next day, I found this baklava:
pretty nice, wouldn't you say? I think I need to get up the courage to start baking with puff pastry.

On our final day in Greece, our host took us to a restaurant to sample the best of what Thessaloniki had to offer. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....

Or maybe I'll speak for them a little bit too. I saw a lot of fava beans in Thessaloniki, and they were complex and worth all the work that I know goes into them. That grilled fresh cheese in the center there was earthy and pretty mindboggling, and the salad with grilled vegetables wasn't so shabby either. On it's own at the top though were lamb meatballs in a perfect batter, and you can just go ahead and think about that- they were just as good as they sound.

I had a few minutes to actually walk around the city in the rain, and when I came upon these windows I thought I would record them too. An old grumpy woman chased me away though, saying "what are you doing? (imagine a nice thick greek accent) These things are for eating!"


Definitely for eating...

My final night in Greece, just hours before my plane to Morrocco, I had a meal that I will never forget. Tuna that brought me closer to God, Chocolate Mousse with sea salt, and more things of which the specifics have been lost in a haze of ecstasy. And because I was sitting at a table with a very famous and slightly intimidating director who shall remain nameless, I only had the courage to whip out my camera once to photograph these razor clams.
And yes, although I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by my dinner company (the list does not end with the nameless director), these clams made me weep at the table. The olive oil in Greece is, well let's just say, special, and the simplicity of these clams with parsley and olive oil was almost too much for me.

When I continued on to Morocco, my food experiences changed. This change can most be exemplified by this orange tree.
The food is right there, and so beautiful, but I just can't quite get to it. Because although I was at many tables in Marrakesh scattered with rose petals and filled with perfect bites, some power in the city contrived against me eating those bites. Complex, I know, but maybe I'll go into more at a later date. I did have one very nice lunch however, of which I ate every morsel.
I hope you've enjoyed your tour of my little trip as much as I enjoyed eating it. Nice to travel without having to worry about drinking the water, eh?