Food

Last Wednesday, I was invited to a “Road Less Traveled” dinner at Craigie on Main, one of my favorite restaurants in the Boston area, just over the Charles River in Cambridge. Chef and owner Tony Maws was focusing on sustainability in food, using all parts of the animal so as not to make waste. While this is already being practiced around the globe, especially in countries that can’t afford to throw away precious meat, it’s only slowly gaining traction in America. We started with a tasty trio of crostini that included monkfish liver, lobster roe, and my personal favorite, the white cod milt, otherwise known as cod sperm. Maws, a James Beard-award finalist, could make a telephone book taste good. But as the night progressed, I found the texture of certain body parts to either be agreeable or disagreeable. The duck’s heart, placed on a skewer, was a tantalizing treat along with the pig’s head taco, where half a head was placed on a platter and you dug out the tender meat to roll into the soft tortillas. The duck’s testicle I found too chewy and the lamb’s brain had the consistency of hard string cheese. Then there was cock’s combs, the gelatinous top of a rooster that I feel no need to order again.

Maws is not only a master of using the whole animal, but makes a habit of using the best local and organic produce, fish, and meats that are available during that particular time of year, the reason why I find myself returning to his restaurant as often as possible. Local food and culture is an important part of sustainable travel and are topics I’m going to delve into further as ActiveTravels branches out this year to not only cater to Active Bodies, but Active Minds. This week, I’m going to focus on some of my favorite restaurants around the world.
 

If you ever wanted to visit India, see the major sites, stay at the top hotels, and be guided by one of the finest Indian chefs in America, you now have that opportunity. Geringer Global Travel has just announced a “Gourmet India 2011” jaunt led by James Beard-award winning chef, Prasad Chirnomula. Owner of five Thali restaurants in Connecticut, Chirnomula was the first Indian chef to be rated “Excellent” by The New York Times. From January 30 to February 15, Chirnomula will take you to all his favorite haunts in the old country, including the fishing village and market in Koli, the spice market in Cochin, and the fruit and vegetable markets in Colaba. The trip will feature lectures and cooking demonstrations by internationally renowned chefs, including lunch at Philip Kutty Farm, a family-run restaurant featuring Malabar cuisine on its own self-contained island, and a barbecue on a beach in Goa featuring Master Chef Rego. Lodging includes many of Travel & Leisure’s top hotels in the world, including the Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra, the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, and the Mumbai Taj Mahal Palace. Price of the 16-day trip is $12,910 per person, including four internal flights, all hotels, meals, and guides.