Customer Reviews

Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is sooo cool! I have been to many of the places they write about, and find the book to be amazingly well researched. I plan to use it as a travel planner supplement for future trips because you can't get this kind of information out of a regular travel book. Plus, it a great daydreaming tool. One can flip the pages and imagine wonderful places to visit and eat. I especially appreciate the way they cover all types of dining experiences -- it's not just about expensive, 5-star restaurants. Each page contains loads of information that connects the food to the context of the place. These pieces were clearly written by insiders, people who know the area and can guide you to authentic, memorable experiences.

Who doesn't want to eat their way around the world? I love this book, it takes care of my holiday shopping list and is hugely entertaining. Food Journeys captures the essence of why I/most people travel -- they want to eat great food in gorgeous locales with interesting people. The photos are beautiful and the info is rich and very helpful. Hadn't thought of food festivals as a good travel destination. Also looking forward to hunting down the best baguette. Lots of fun ideas here. Am glad someone finally made a book like this.

This book represents my secret -- I don't eat when I am out travelinig, but I travel to eat.... And imagining what I am going to eat when I go to places is really almost as good as being there (not really, but it does help to build the anticipation.) I found myself lingering over the Lists of 10 things in many of the categories. It's the kind of compare and contrast thing that really gets you thinking. The cheese tours of France and the Literary Watering holes of the world particularly, particularly are begging to be implemented.

I suggest that you keep a copy of this evocative book by your desk. On those endless afternoons when you've had just about enough of spreadsheets and office coffee, pick it up and turn through the pages at random. Yes, there is a world outside your four walls and the luscious photos and descriptions in this book will conjure up the tastes, scents, and sights of places you've never even heard of...you'll be roused from your boring day funk, your appetite whet for food adventures. Just when you feel that you may never experience life outside a cubicle again, this book will remind you that's it's a mysterious and diverse world out there--seek it out!

I bought two copies of Food Journeys of a Lifetime: one for myself, the other for a foodie friend. The photography is beautiful; the descriptions are comprehensive (when to go, planning, recommended websites, and more); and the layout makes it easy to take it all in. (Thank you, National Geographic editors, for including an index!) Food plays a big part in my travel, and I will use this book to dream, to plan, to reminisce. Five stars!

Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe © National Geographic Society 2009
By Nan C.
That travel bug you were sure airport hassle, terrorists, or a current stay on Poverty Row had killed, comes right back to haunt you as soon as you open this book. Supersized 12"L x 9.5"W and 1" Deep (not counting sturdy hard cover), this five-pounder is no takalong guide. But what a beautiful way to browse and dream! Be sure to take notes - in case.
National Geographic never shys away from sending contributors to wild parts of the world. Foodie destinations in most corners of the globe are covered, as though grim State Department Travel Warnings do not exist. Wonderful index of 313 non-gushy pages, beautiful photos (of course), suggestions for international hotel chains, bed & breakfasts, campgrounds to stay near the goal - from gourmet cooking schools to street food vendor-specialists in world capitals and villages, including the USA, plus the occasional sidelined recipe. Those Preserved Lemons somehow inspired me to get to Morocco ASAP! ###

When I have the privilege to travel to exotic places abroad, I've generally made it a point to find an opportunity to take a cooking lesson in the local cuisine. I figured out a while back that the most intimate way to get to know a culture is through the food they grow, create, cook and eat. Now comes a book from the editors of one of my favorite magazines, National Geographic Traveler, that focuses on the culinary adventures to be had around the globe. As expected, it's a handsome coffee-table book that takes full advantage of the vast catalog of images and articles long featured in the magazine. It's divided into nine beguiling chapters:

-- "Specialties & Ingredients" focuses on foods which are unique to specific locales, ranging from Vermont maple syrup to the fresh sushi found at dawn in Tokyo's Tsukiji Market to the vanilla bean that originated on the island of Réunion.
-- "Outstanding Markets" spotlights the world's great bazaars such as Thailand's floating markets, Venice's Rialto Fish Market, and in my own backyard, San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace.
-- "Seasonal Delights" runs the gamut from French truffles to Finnish crayfish to Maryland's soft-shell crabs.
-- "In the Kitchen" brings to the fore the intimate secrets of the world's cuisines through classic technique and unique ingredients. Recipes are plentiful in this section's sidebars.
-- "Favorite Street Foods" is the section with which I have the most affinity since it highlights exactly the type of food that I would eat as a traveler, the local eats found on mobile food carts, at street kiosks, and in expansive night markets.
-- "Great Food Towns" travels far and wide to identify the culinary capitals from Bologna to Goa to Hong Kong to the inevitable destination, Paris.
-- "Ultimate Luxuries" identifies the rare treats to be discovered by those with deep pockets, for example, kaiseki feasting in Kyoto and luxuriant dining at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice.
-- "The Best Wine, Beer, & More" focuses on some unusual beverages such as Peruvian pisco and Greenland's glacier beer, as well as more predictable choices like Oregon's microbreweries and Sonoma wines.
-- "Just Desserts" looks at the world's confectionary delights such as Belgian chocolates and Florida's key lime pie.

For each entry, the editors provide critical information on when to go, how to plan a particular culinary adventure, and what relevant websites can help with the planning. There are entertaining top ten lists throughout the book in categories as diverse as Extreme Restaurants and Monastic Tipples. My only complaints about the book are that certain areas (Western Europe, Japan) seem to be favored at the expense of more exotic locales and that there aren't as many "a-ha" moments as I would have hoped from a list as comprehensive as this one. Still, the photography is mostly spectacular, and the editors recognize the most important discovery for the reader - that what and where we eat becomes as much a part of our travel as what we see - and the book successfully delivers an exercise in cultural immersion through our individual palates.

I was looking forward to this book as I am dedicated foodie and generally love this sort of thing. Sadly, though, I was not at all impressed. Aside from some nice pictures there is little of any real substance in its 300 odd pages. The whole thing is slapdash, haphazardly focused and misses out on much while giving short shrift to just about all topics it does attempt. A typical entry will name a city as being a great place to eat. It will name a few restaurants or locations, identify a small handful of local specialties and that is about it. There are a few recipes here and there and a couple of lists that were interesting (10 places where you can you can study local cooking, for example), but precious little else. The book is alright just to flip through but I expected more. The concept is great but the execution leaves way too much to be desired.

On the basis of a favorable newspaper review, I bought this book for my son, who has been a chef and kitchen manager in several restaurants, as a birthday gift. I didn't really do more than scan it myself, but I could tell from his reaction that he liked it and appreciated my choice of gift. He, the famous curmudgeon, even gave me a hug!

A richly produced National Geographic book. . . . I received this as a Christmas present and enjoy its quirkiness immensely. The subtitle suggests why: "500 Extraordinary Places to Eat around the Globe." And I have actually been to some of the places, such as Ben & Jerry's in Vermont, Philly cheese steak venues in Philadelphia, the Beaver Club in Montreal, steak in Buenos Aires, beer halls of Munich, and Les Deux Magots in Paris. Some nice memories came back to me! Sitting at Les Deux Magots in Paris, having a Croque Monsieur for lunch. . . .

The book is divided into a series of sections, such as Specialties & ingredients, Outstanding markets, Seasonal delights, In the kitchen, Favorite street foods, Great food towns, Ultimate luxuries, the best wine (beer and more), and Just desserts. After each title page, a series of examples is provided. For instance, after "Specialties & ingredients," we see a segment on lobsters (from the Atlantic coast) to maple syrup (Vermont). Also, there are "Top 10 listings," such as Top 10 Unusual Food and Drink Festivals, such as the Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater, Texas, or the Cabbage Festival in Hungary, or the Fete de fromage (Cheese Festival) in France. . . .

In short, a lot of fun if you are a foodie. Not much in the way of recipes. Not much detail on any of the 500 places to eat. But a richly illustrated, enjoyable work to peruse.