“Arriving in Oz, I knew for sure that I wanted to dive head first into the foodie scene here, but given everything I have come to realise – what fun is food without anyone to share the experience with?”
Sadie Elford
Deciding to pack up my London life and move to the other side of the world was obviously the culmination of a lot of factors, but I would be lying if I denied the fact that Australia’s culinary buzz didn’t hold a significant draw card for me. Forever guided by my stomach, it has been my hankering for authentic, honest food, combined with my curiosity and love for travel and adventure, that has been quite the driving force in my life thus far. Whether it be weekend plans with friends revolving around the “new brunch place I have to try” or road trips around the world plotted via the “must eats”, it is no secret that food is a pretty high priority of mine. And even though I am sometimes met with a groan or two that “it’s too far out of the way”, these groans are swiftly squashed when our tastebuds are rewarded for our efforts and more often than not we stumble across a gem of an area we would have otherwise never found. Who needs a GPS device when you have an appetite and passion for food to guide the way?!
I truly believe that a love and appreciation for food and dining is good for the soul; at least I know this to be true for me. Aside from the instant gratification we all get when we indulge in our favourite culinary delight, food has so much more to give. Food has the power to bring people together and it is this aspect that I think is so precious and often goes unnoticed. Food is more than sustenance and equally it is more than simple pleasure and indulgence. Food binds us – it is a common language that we all share and is something that we are all able to relate to. I think in the current times of social media, a lot of us are often guilty (me included!) of needing to get that ‘perfect foodie photo’ or be seen at the ‘chic new venue’. I think it is at times like these that the joy and pleasure of sharing food with the people important to us can pass us by.
I find that travelling allows me to see things from a new perspective, grounding me and reminding me to live in the moment; such important reminders for our hectic millennial lives. Travelling is also a time that I’m reminded that my love of food extends way beyond an indulgence for my tastebuds. This in particular struck me during my recent trip to the Philippines; sharing a meal with an extremely humble family, who clearly possessed very little, yet were so generous and insistent to share their food, I felt truly touched. It reminded me how food is the pathway to so much more than how many likes we get on social media; I don’t think there can be a more perfectly poignant example of this than a sharing of cultures.
Arriving in Oz, I knew for sure that I wanted to dive head first into the foodie scene here, but given everything I have come to realise – what fun is food without anyone to share the experience with? Enjoying food goes hand-in-hand with the people you choose to experience it with. And as I predicted, food has lead me to make some truly special friendships this side of the world. Yet another reason to be grateful for the unsuspecting power of food. After all, in the wise words of Julia Childs, “people who love to eat are always the best people”.
@thetravellingfoodaholic, Sadie Elford
