Emilia-Romagna Is for Eating

How much would life suck without the existence of the following foods?

• Parmigiano-Reggiano 
• Bolognese sauce
• Mortadella
• Balsamic vinegar
• Tortellini 
• Tagliatelle 
• Lasagna alla Bolognese
• Prosciutto

A lot! Life would suck a lot. To the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, the birthplace of these culinary wonders, I say grazie.

Favorite Moments in Paris

I swung by Paris for only three days last April, but I made the best of them. The photos below showcase my favorite moments from my most recent trip to the belle ville.

Reuniting with old friends

Not Doing Things in Porto

We arrived in Porto, a picturesque city in northern Portugal, ready to sample tons of port wine. As soon as we checked in, we took a cab across the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, where all the wine cellars are. We insisted on beginning our tour at the wine cellar that also sold cheese and crackers because we were famished. Thing is, our cabdriver was capable of finding any wine cellar but that one. He drove round and round, practicing his French with me, talking about keeping up with French news and keeping in touch with French friends and loving all things French. He also spoke extensively about Porto -- pointing out the architecture and providing a detailed history lesson -- all in French. This was amusing, but we were hungry and wanted our cheese right now. Now! At long last we found the cellar, bid adieu to our Francophile Portuguese cabdriver, and ate some freaking cheese. We managed to tag along on two wine cellar tours and sample four ports that afternoon. Success!

Good Eating in Lisbon

Food Post Disclaimer: In the era of Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, and the Food Network, everyone seems to be an expert in the art of food description. I'm only an expert in the art of food eating, so I'm afraid that readers of Travel, Je T'aime will have to excuse adjectives like "yummy" and "flavorful." 

On the first day of 2012, I boarded a flight to Portugal. Although I was trying to recover from an eventful New Year's Eve in London (read: rum and champagne), I was also looking forward to a delicious Portuguese meal. Ignoring my nausea, I called over a friendly-looking flight attendant and asked for restaurant recommendations. He reached into my seat pocket, pulled out a paper bag -- hey, I might need that! -- and proceeded to jot down a few names.