Foodie fantasies: readers share their dream trips

In this year’s Golden Plates issue, we asked readers to share their dream culinary trip. They responded with no shortage of mouth-watering cooking excursions.

The usual suspects were all there. Readers divulged their carnal desires for all things Italian, Spanish, and French. Some wanted to bask under the Tuscan sun, making their meals on a quaint farm. Others fancied drinking copious amounts of wine while touring vineyards in the south of France.

From the vague—anywhere in Italy or France—to detailed accounts of cooking lessons with Spanish chef Ferran Adria at El Bulli, one thing was for sure: Georgia Straight readers are bona fide foodies who will travel the globe in search of the perfect meal.

Readers showed their desire to feel connected to the food on their plates. No matter what the destination, they wanted to visit local farmers, fishmongers, and butchers.

The desire to remain close to nature was also prevalent. Many described cycling and feasting their way through Europe.

Of course, not everyone was focused on Europe. One reader wanted to visit Hokkaido in Japan in “a van with my favourite person”. Others recognized that they don't need to travel long distances to find culinary delight—the Okanagan got a few nods as a dream food and wine vacation.

And some wanted to take a celebrity chef with them. Daniel Boulud, Jamie Oliver, and even the foul-mouthed, chain smoking Anthony Bourdain were mentioned as the perfect travel companion.

One local chef—Chindi Varadarajulu of Chutney Villa—had more than a few people ready to pack their bags for India.

Not all of our readers could summarize their dream trip in a few sentences. As one person wrote: “This could be the best and longest essay ever written if I really answered the question faithfully.”

Feel free to keep dreaming below.