So when I said I was going to blog all about my foodie fun
when traveling Europe, I didn’t realize that I had so many pictures. I thought
I could fit everything in one entry… silly me. Not every meal was something
worth remembering or photographing (one night I just had strawberries for
dinner… yay to poor college student living!), but many were. I mean, c’mon
you’re in a foreign country and there’s new goodies to be had. So I’m covering
half here and then half later, so deal with it ‘cause I have to (you have no
idea how much I want to just blog everything at once so I’m all caught up).
Edinburgh, Scotland:
I have a lovely friend, Hannah, who’s studying abroad in
Edinburgh and so Samantha and I decided to visit her. Two big things I wanted
to check off my list when I was there were: 1. Eat Haggis and 2. Drink Whisky.
And yes… both got done! Before I go into that, I want to highlight two places
Hannah took us to. First off is The Elephant House. This great café was “the
birthplace of Harry Potter” (as they so coyly advertise on their windows,
shirts, and business cards). Nevertheless, it was a great café. The food was
tasty (got me a brie and bacon jacket potato) and the chai tea was awesome. I
may have gone back two more times later. Despite being pretty crowded, it is
pretty chill and a great place if you want to write (wink wink) or study—though
they don’t have free Wifi. Bummer. The girl’s bathroom has Harry Potter
references (one of my favorites was that a toilet had “This way to the
Ministry” written on it) and thank you notes to J.K. Rowling scribbled all over
it. Pretty awesome. I can’t say the same for the boy’s bathroom ‘cause I didn’t
dare to peek inside, but I’m sure it’s just as awesome.
Later that night Hannah took us to Ciao Roma. It’s a cute
Italian restaurant on South Bridge and it has pretty spectacular desserts. We
all individually got a sundae (mine was new on the menu—popcorn sundae) and Sam
and I didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. It was MASSIVE. The
“gelato” tasted more icy and not as creamy, but I can’t complain. You get this
massive decadent tower after all! That was our dinner for that day.
And finally for the haggis and whisky… so I had haggis and
tatties (that’s what they call mashed potatoes with boiled potato bits on top)
at a local pie shop in Grassmarket Square. The place was cheap and it had
haggis, so why not! I have to say, haggis ain’t too bad. It’s like peppery
ground meat. Maybe I got lucky. As for the whisky, I stopped by a café that
served whisky right before my train back to London. After talking to the server
(she kind of laughed when I told her it was my first time drinking whisky), I
got 25 mL or Jura whisky. Oh my goodness. The alcohol hits you like a wall… a
wall of fire. I can’t say I enjoyed it. It was so overwhelming. I’m glad I
tried it though (I had to eat carrot cake in-between sips to make the whole
process better… barely better). I can say I had whisky in Scotland! Aw yeah.
But never again… (enjoy the sequence of pictures of my reaction).
Wales:
So I got to a wee bit of Welsh food (I took a bite out of my
friend’s faggot—that is the name of a minced meat dish), but not much so I
don’t have any fun pictures to show other than some from DeGrey’s Café, which
was a little afternoon tea spot we stopped by during our drive to northern
Wales. I had a strawberry-mango tea with Shropshire Apple Cake, which was just
a simple apple and cinnamon flavored cake. The café was cute and all the
waitresses were dressed in old-fashioned outfits. The décor was quaint and
traditional too.
Lisbon, Portugal:
I love Lisbon. I wish I got to stay longer. It’s such a
beautiful city full of color, art and history. Anyways, I’ll blog about it more
on my personal blog… this one is for food! So I believe Portugal is known for
their pastries. Sam and I shared Brisas. A woman at a bakery recommended it to
us and it basically was like a donut, but with this interesting glaze on top.
It was thicker than what is typically on an American donut and there was this
yellowish coating between the glaze on the pastry bit. I wish I could have
tried more, but I can’t live off pastries (or can I?).
Another delectable pastry is Pastéis de Belém! SO GOOD. It’s
like custard in a pastry cup, but this simple description doesn’t do it any
justice. There’s a similar Chinese dessert that has a more eggy taste,
pronounced dan-ta. Pastéis de Belém is much creamier and its pastry crust has
this lovely crunch. To add more pizzazz, shower the beautiful dessert with
powdered sugar and cinnamon. I had two… I wanted more. It was so cheap too!
Just over one euro. Only three people know its original recipe… I want to be
number four!
As for food and liquor, at 10:30 am I had a shot of cherry
liquor called Espinheira. No, I’m not a drunkard (I
have two shots in my hands because I’m holding Samantha’s). On our walking
tour, our guide Goncalo thought it would be a good idea to get everyone awake
and friendly. It wasn’t too bad! It tasted like cough syrup and there was a
surprise sour cherry at the bottom of the cup.
And lastly, let’s talk about Portuguese food as a whole. I
got to have two simple but delicious dishes. The first was a calamari dish at
Bacalhoeiro and the beef dish was at this little joint hidden in an alleyway
(sounds sketch, but we were told those restaurants serve authentic homemade
dishes). In general, it seems like Portuguese food is simple, flavorful and
healthy. I loved it! Out of all the European countries I traveled in, I have to
say that Portugal has the most healthy options.
Oh! One last
tip… if you got to Portugal or Spain, do not assume that the bread or whatever
appetizer the waiters put at your table is free. They actually charge you if
you touch and eat it. I learned the hard way, but I can’t say it wasn’t tasty.
Anywho, Life is calling. I have to apply for internships
(sob)… Until next time.
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