Tasty Trails Travel Pod

Quick trivia: there are only two countries on Earth you have to cross at least two borders to reach an ocean from. Uzbekistan is one of them. (Comment your guess for the other — no cheating — I'll drop the answer at the end.)Part two of my Central Asia trip: three cities, one solo leg, and history that Western education just doesn't bother teaching. Samarkand, built to impress. Bukhara, bu...

There's an Olympics you've probably never heard of — held every two years, made up entirely of centuries-old nomadic sports, and closed out by a goat carcass sport played on horseback. I went, and it was an EXPERIENCE! This is Kyrgyzstan — 90% mountains, home to the World Nomad Games, and the first stop of a longer Central Asia trip. I used to live next door in Kazakhstan so it was a lot o...

Part two of this Tasty Trails Travel Pod x Finding Korea crossover with Irene Yoo — chef, author, and Orion Bar co-owner — picks up where the drink itself left off and gets into everything that happens around it. We talk pouring order and who's allowed to pour for who, why saying no to a drink isn't really an option in most settings, and the corporate drinking culture that runs underneath a lot of...

In part one of this Tasty Trails Travel Pod x Finding Korea crossover, I sit down with chef, author, and Orion Bar co-owner Irene Yoo — who literally wrote the book on this one, *Soju Party: How to Drink and Eat Like a Korean.*We get into what soju actually is: the difference between the traditionally distilled version (rice, nuruk, water) and the mass-manufactured version most people know, how fl...

Is there really a difference between gelato and ice cream? Gianpaolo Grazioli — the "Giapo" behind Auckland's Giapo — has a strong opinion on it, and it's not the one you'd expect. Gianpaolo and his wife Annarosa have been running Giapo for almost 18 years, dropping a brand new flavor every single week. Their kitchen leans hard into New Zealand — grass-fed dairy, local fruit...

Ze Long was born and raised in Germany to Cantonese parents from Guangzhou, and grew up speaking both languages at home before he could speak either one fluently outside it. Now living in Almaty, Kazakhstan, he joins me to talk about Cantonese food and culture — not the version most of us know from Chinese restaurants abroad, but the real regional differences, the history behind it, and what it me...

If Part 1 was about who the Basque people are, Part 2 is about how they celebrate. Edgar Carranza is back to walk us through the food and drink culture that comes alive at Basque festivals — including kalimotxo, a drink with an origin story that genuinely made me lose it, and the bocata tradition that feeds the cuadrillas who show up every year for their town festivities. We also get into the grea...

The Basque Country sits between Spain and France, but it doesn't fully belong to either — and that's kind of the whole point. In this episode, I sit down with Edgar Karranza, a Bilbao-area native currently living in Almaty, for my first-ever in-person podcast interview. Over a very good bottle of wine, we dig into what it actually means to be Basque — the deep roots, the fierce community i...

Nigerian cuisine has a misinformation problem — and Ronke Shakirat-Edoho , founder of 9jafoodie, has spent years doing something about it. In Part 2 of this conversation, we get into the parts of Nigerian food culture that don't always make it into the conversation: the street food scene and an unspoken rule about competition that shapes how it works, what happens when Nigerian food has to ada...

Nigerian cuisine is one of the most layered, complex food cultures in the world — and most of us are only scratching the surface. Today I'm sitting down with Ronke Shikirat-Edoho, founder of 9jafoodie, to start changing that. In Part 1, we get into the building blocks of Nigerian food: palm oil and why it has been a cornerstone of West African cooking for generations, the slow-stewed pepper ba...

In part two of our Colombia conversation, Caro from Colombian Foodie takes us deeper into the culture — past the well-known dishes and into the food that shapes daily life. We talk about the role soup plays at every meal (yes, even when it's 30 degrees out), the street food scene from Cali to the coast, and the nightlife food culture that ends with a bowl of consommé at 4am. We also get into s...

Caro — the Colombian food blogger behind Colombian Foodie — grew up in Cali, has been living in Berlin since 2014, and has spent years teaching people outside Colombia how to make empanadas, arepas, and the dishes that shaped her. In this first part of our conversation, she gives us a real, grounded introduction to Colombian cuisine — not the tourist version, but the one that comes from actually g...

Planning a trip to Georgia? This episode is your ultimate introduction to Georgian food, culture, and travel experiences you won’t find in guidebooks. In this episode, I sit down with a local host from Tbilisi who runs immersive cooking classes for travelers. We explore the rich traditions behind Georgian cuisine, including the famous supra (a traditional feast led by a toastmaster), the role of f...

Namaste and welcome back to Tasty Trails Travel Pod ! 🌏✨ In this episode, we’re heading to Northern India with returning guest Sahana Kulur—travel writer, architect, and passionate vegetarian foodie. After exploring Southern Indian cuisine in her last visit, Sahana is back to guide us through the rich, diverse, and flavor-packed world of Northern Indian food. We dive deep into the vibrant street...

This week, we’re heading back to Southern India with a replay of one of my favorite conversations—just as I’m about to land in India for the very first time (!!). In this episode, I’m joined by Sahana, a passionate travel blogger and food enthusiast from India. Sahana shares her deep connection to Indian cuisine, discussing how her family's love for food has shaped her appreciation for both ho...

Is Chicago pizza really all about deep dish? Not exactly. In this episode of Tasty Trails Travel Pod , we explore the real story behind Chicago pizza culture , from the famous deep dish pizza tourists know to the tavern-style thin crust locals actually grew up eating. We talk about: 🍕 The history of Chicago-style deep dish pizza 🍕 What tavern-style pizza is — and why Chicagoans love it 🏙️ How ne...

It’s been one month since I moved to Kazakhstan, and in this episode I’m sharing what life in Almaty has really been like so far. I start with a broad overview of Kazakhstan — the ninth largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country, located in Central Asia — before diving into the personal side of relocating here. From a chaotic travel day and an unexpected overnight in Istanbul,...

What should you really eat in New York City beyond pizza and bagels? In this episode, I’m joined by Scott Goodfriend, founder of Ultimate Food Tours NYC, to explore the incredible diversity of New York food culture. From regional Chinese cuisine in Chinatown NYC to Central Asian markets in Brighton Beach Brooklyn, we talk about how food tells the story of immigration, neighborhoods, and identity i...

This week the episode is a vlog, and it's up on Youtube, all about my trip to Finland!! Check it out here This was my first real vacation in two years—no work, no laptop, just pure adventure—and I couldn’t have picked a better place than Finland 🇫🇮❄️In this episode of Tasty Trails Travel, I’m sharing my winter journey through Helsinki, Lapland, and beyond, including: An overnight train to Rova...

In this episode, we travel to Australia to explore Native Australian bush foods and the deep cultural knowledge behind them with Auntie Dale Chapman — Aboriginal chef, educator, and founder of My Dilly Bag . With more than 25 years at the heart of Australia’s bush food movement, Auntie Dale shares how Indigenous food knowledge has been passed down for over 65,000 years through storytelling, season...

What does food science actually mean — and how does it shape what we eat, how food tastes, and even how humans evolved? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist with a PhD, author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered , and the creator of an upcoming documentary on flavor chemistry called The Flavor Matrix . Together, we explore the science behind flavor, fermentation, a...

I’ve officially said chau to Argentina — after five incredible years of living there. 🇦🇷 Whenever I leave a place that’s meant a lot to me, I write a “10 Things I Hate About You”-style love letter. It’s part poetry, part therapy, and all nostalgia. I'm sharing all the different poems I've written about the places that have meant something to me - culminating in Argentina!! I wrote and reco...

A little late… but worth the wait. 🦃✨ This special Thanksgiving episode is all about gratitude—from Argentina to the people and places that shape our lives. After moving out of Argentina after five years, I’m reflecting on the community, food, friendships, and experiences that changed me forever. And I asked YOU what you’re grateful for this year. Tune in for a joyful, heartfelt collection of vo...

I’m back, baby — Season 2 is officially here! 🎙️ It feels so good to have the mic out again after taking a little break to travel (and, honestly, to breathe). To ease back in, I’m picking up right where we left off with Travel Disasters: Part 2 — because let’s be real, the travel chaos never truly ends. In this episode, I’m talking about all the fun stuff we love to hate: bedbugs, stolen passports...

Ever had your luggage disappear? Dealt with food poisoning abroad? Missed a flight by minutes ? You’re not alone. In this repurposed episode from Diary of a Digital Nomad , I am sharing real-life travel mishaps , what I learned, and my best tips for staying sane when things don’t go according to plan. Learn: How to avoid lost luggage (and what to pack in your carry-on) What to do if you get sick a...