Episode 9: Food Tours as Delicious Introductions to Cultures, in Barcelona and Saigon
Marwa Preston, founder of Wanderbeak, on one of her walking food experiences in Barcelona.
They say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, and over years of not just travel writing but simply traveling, Eric and Kathryn have discovered that adage is true for falling in love with a city, too. As we’ve eaten our way through countless global destinations, in many cases we’ve simultaneously consumed local knowledge, history and context. It turns out food is a delicious gateway to new cultures, especially when you have a local host guiding the experience.
On Wanderbeak’s tours, local culture is on the menu alongside delicious food and drink.
To explore this concept we looked to a few individuals who have created some of our most positive and illuminating foodie outings. First up is Marwa Preston, a vivacious Egyptian expat living in Barcelona who founded a company called Wanderbeak that curates experiences around the city. Eric met her by chance in Spain’s Priorat wine region and she helped him get an insider’s perspective on a destination that can often feel over-touristed and inauthentic to those just scratching the surface. Marwa tells us all about Catalan cuisine and culture, and why walking through Barcelona with someone passionate about these things can be so much more meaningful than simply sightseeing.
Navigating Ho Chi Minh City’s markets like pros thanks to Saigon Street Eats. Photo by Kathryn Romeyn.
Kathryn gained far more knowledge than she anticipated during a pho-focused walking tour of Ho Chi Minh City with Saigon Street Eats, founded by a husband-and-wife team comprising Australian Barbara Adam and Vietnamese Vu Vo. From discovering the purpose of all the paper money and food sold in markets (offerings for the deceased), to learning the proper way to cross the street and how to choose a local restaurant, she came away with fascinating cultural insights along with a happily full belly. As she shares in the episode, Barbara’s new venture during the pandemic is Saigon Supper Club, offering Zoom cook-a-long experiences to those who can’t make it to Vietnam.
Shellfish delicacies on a walking tour with Saigon Street Eats.
For some delectable #foodporn follow @wanderbeak, @dropoutdiaries and @therealsaigonstreeteats. We’d also love to shout out a few other favorite food tours we’ve taken: @puertofoodtours in Puerto Escondido, Mexico; @scottdunn’s experiences in Fes, Morocco; and @cartagenaconnections in Cartagena, Colombia. Additionally, we mentioned Cuiline, regional global cooking classes that were born in the pandemic from the founder of Access Culinary Trips.