TheWingedFork is not just about where to go and what to eat. It’s about experiences with different people and cultures, and the quirky things that happen along the way.
But who’s Abby? Seriously, tell me!
J’ai mange des vers! Yeah, I ate worms. Well, they were crispy fried flower worms, but all the same. Worms! That’s when I figured I ‘needed to’, no, ‘wanted to’ write about it, but I really didn’t know how to start a food blog or a travel blog. Well, it did go into my diary, but the internet is another ball game.
And before you tell me that even the infamous Gordon Ramsey spat out those huhu grubs that chef Monique Fiso offered him in New Zealand in the NGC episode. Remember the ones that were supposed to taste like peanut butter? Okay, so eating grub is an acquired taste, and a popular common healthy food in Africa too! But let me just say this, I’m not brave enough to eat live ones. The ones I ate were fried worms. See the pics below!
Plus, I’m really not that brave. It just happened. We were at the Le Bar’Lab in L’Futur Expo section of Futuroscope in Poitiers, France. This place displays technology, games, design, and architecture of the future, along with cool bizarre food too! Some of the fun stuff we tasted there were the ‘Glace de Cèpes et Foie Gras’, Cocktail Sphérification and the Coupelle D’insects.
The ‘Glace de Cèpes et Foie Gras’ was a great-tasting ice cream made of mushroom and duck liver. The Cocktail Sphérification was a cocktail of ‘billes de coquelicot’ or poppy balls that have undergone a spherification and stabilization process. Indescribable!
But I waited till my friend had eaten almost half the worms and grillions (they’re sorta like singing crickets in France) from the bowl before tasting any. And for the record, the kids at that place were finishing their grub so fast and going to their parents to get 5 more Euros for another bowl. I would not have been able to live with myself if I hadn’t tasted ‘les vers’. So I did!
After forgetting about it for another thirteen months (Ha! much longer than a human gestation period), my friends finally persuaded me into blogging since they loved my trip advisor reviews and ghost travel pieces that I write for my clients. And I met some really amazing people on my last trip that I just had to write about. So here I am!
I’m a traveller at heart. (Isn’t everybody?) And a foodie too. Well, I still get confused between a gyro and a shawarma. But I am human! I’ll bet it will happen again too, with some exotic dishes that I haven’t tasted yet. Can’t wait! What do you think?
But I digress. Back to travel. The first time I travelled outside my country, I was 15. Our family was visiting friends in the Holy Land and we spent almost a month there. Didn’t want to come back from Israel, but you know… life. Anyways, that’s me on the left of the pic below next to my siblings at the Garden of Gethsemane looking at the olive trees that Jesus may have touched. Random fun fact that you didn’t need to know: People used to call me fat back then, and now that I weigh 1.5 times that amount, people tell me I’ve lost weight.
nyways, although I travel alone too, you’ll often find me traveling with friends, siblings, or my parents who are senior citizens. That’s one thing I’ve learned, no matter your age, travel never stops!
I’ve been to a few countries, have lived in tents and a friend’s private cave on the one hand, and stayed in luxurious hotels on the other. I stayed in an igloo too. Did I tell you about that? Nope, not had the chance to visit Alaska or the Nordic countries yet. But I spent the night in an eco-friendly igloo in Manali, India. Who would have thought that possible?
Every place I visit adds a few more places to my bucket list. It never ends, and I hope it never will! Well, if it did, I wouldn’t have anything to blog about. Or maybe I would? I could blog about food, right? Well, I sorta do that on my recipe blog called Abby’s Plate. I also have a few cookbooks with recipes from my culture published, the most popular one being East Indian Celebration: Festive Recipes from Abby’s Plate.
Or if you’re looking for faith, home, lifestyle, and DIY stuff, catch me at Abby’s Hearth. Anyways, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and on my food channel on YouTube.
Other Writers At TheWingedFork
There are also a select few from different continents and diverse cultures who have made inspiring contributions to my blog in some way or another. They include my sis Sarah, my brother Aaron and sis-in-law Soz, my cousin brother Roy, and a few other awesome writers!
Here’s one from my friends who had troubles finding bras or swimsuits while travelling. Or those who’ve had bizarre encounters while travelling.
There’s something here for everyone. Read on! And see you somewhere someday maybe. 😉