Weekend.

Never has the acronym TGIF seemed more profound.

Traveller's week began with her very first trip to A & E

{she's fine}

and it is currently ending with a bleary-eyed, midnight screening

of her latest television indulgence

whilst eating nutella straight out the jar.

T is classy like that.

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Over to the dark side.

Traveller's best friend from Australia, after reading yesterday's blog post, called her in distress.

The conversation goes as follows:

You can't cross over to the dark side! I won't allow it.

Sorry, pardon? The dark side?

Yes, you know, dark chocolate!

Well, it is better for you, you know? Which means I can eat a whole block and not feel too bad about myself.

But liking dark chocolate means you're getting old!

Well.. when you put it like that. Thanks.

The conversation ran through T's mind today as she nibbled on some dark orange chocolate with fig pieces {so good!}. She started to remember all the foods she used to avoid which now feature heavily on her 'love' list.

First, when she was fifteen, she suddenly began to adore anything to do with avocado. Prior to this, the fruit {isn't it weird that it's a fruit?} was not something that she enjoyed. Then, when she turned 20, Traveller started to be partial to fish. She remembers very vividly growing up in a house where fish was generally eaten once a week and T used to have nightmares about the silvery lining. Now, she can't get enough of the stuff. {The fish, not the silvery lining. That still kind of grosses her out.} Following this, in her early 20s, white wine started to taste quite nice.

Then, when a quarter of a century was reached, the foods which Traveller now enjoyed seemed to become a much longer list: she now loved stinky cheese {the bluer the better}, red wine is her drink of choice, all seafood is now savoured - including those creatures with more legs than T can count and the list goes on. She even, now this is serious news to T's friends who know her well, ate an olive this week without gagging! Progress!

Now, the only real food that's on Traveller's 'avoid at all cost' list is canned tuna. Frankly, she doesn't mind too much if she never quite develops the taste buds for that one. The stuff really stinks {and not in a good, blue-veined cheese, kind of way}!

Anyone agree with Traveller? What food do you enjoy that you used to loathe?

T is looking forward to hearing your stories.

Oh, and if liking these things means that T is old... than she doesn't want to be young.

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Addiction.

A chocolate addiction is a serious thing.
Traveller honestly can't think of a day when she has gone without chocolate {except for yesterday} in a long, long time.
In fact, one of T's new year resolutions is to eat less of the milky, creamy good stuff and switch to the less creamy, darker kind.{which explains why she didn't eat it yesterday}{she only made her resolutions yesterday}

T digresses...

Right before Christmas and before any such resolutions were made, Traveller visited the Lindt chocolate factory in Cologne, Germany and, let's just say, any building that has a chocolate fountain filled with pure, creamy, delicious Lindt chocolate is alright by her.

The best part?

A Lindt representative hands you a wafer that has been dipped into the afore mentioned fountain.

Needless to say, Traveller visited the obliging wafer lady more than once...

Another factor worth mentioning is that you receive a chocolate on the way in and a chocolate with any drink that you order from their lovely cafe which sits on the Rhine River.

Traveller has a feeling that she won't survive very long without the sweet goodness of Lindt chocolate.

They hand wrap the large chocolate santas. T timed her; it took seven minutes!


Traveller's exchange friend from Switzerland - Yuvia - enjoying the wafer dipped in melted chocolate

The pièce de résistance.

It is no secret that a country's culinary offerings are part of Traveller's favourite experiences whilst overseas. Whether it be zucchini flower gnocchi devoured in the hills of Tuscany, pinxtos fought over in Barcelona, alps macaronis relished in Bonn, a delicious seafood stew savoured in Lagos or fresh chilli mussels gobbled in Hvar, Traveller has had many memorable foodie moments.
T is not sure what they put in them, but the bread and pastries taste infinitely better in Belgium and France than they do anywhere else in the world. The bread is as light as air, yet gorgeously crisp on the outside and the pain au chocolat are the complementary match that chocolate and butter were always meant to be.
Many of Traveller's favourite memories from her recent travels involve food and, in particular, breakfast food. May it just be said - the Belgians do breakfast well. Really well.
First, chocolate is involved. It comes in the form of sprinkles, spreads or just actual chocolate. And, repeat after T, chocolate is never a bad thing!
Second, there are all manner of other sweet spreads, breads and fruits to enjoy.
Let's just say, waking up in Belgium was not tough at all!



How do the Belgians stay so thin?