Thom Mulhern
"Food is part of a country's culture" a friend pointed out to me years ago. Now I look back at that statement as so obvious but back then it was a revelation. In travel, my interests keep changing, but food (I just can't call it cuisine unless we're in France ), what the locals eat and why they do, is still a big draw. I am as interested in the cafe menu as I am in the cathedral across the piazza, or the zocolo. Not everyone has to go to the museum or the church but they can't go long without the ristorante.