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Eatcations...

Tuesday, 09 February 2016 00:10

As the countdown to the Rio 2016 begins, T+L is talking to Olympic hopefuls about how they travel. Here, American Triathlon favorite Gwen Jorgensen shares how food is her focus on the road.

By Gwen Jorgensen (travelandleisure.com)

Every year, my husband Patrick and I plan a trip entirely around food–an Eatcation. I’m a huge foodie, and checking restaurants around the world gets me extremely excited. Before we take-off, I make sure to check out Yelp reviews and map out Michelin-starred spots at each destination. Anytime we can try new foods or score a table at a hard-to-get-into restaurant, I consider it a success....

The first Eatcation we took was actually in San Francisco in 2013. Even after three days indulging in delicious food, I felt like we hadn’t scratched the surface of the culinary scene there. That can happen quite often. There’s so much to try, and so little time to get to everything. It’s helpful for us to narrow the list to a select few restaurants or dishes. That way we can focus our trip and avoid rushing to fit everything in. Otherwise, some destinations would be quite overwhelming.

Having an open mind is also key when trying new things. Some of the best meals I’ve ever tasted were a complete surprise. I remember sitting at a winery in Croatia and being served what appeared to be a shot of espresso and a cookie. However, when I took a bite, the taste was completely unexpected. The “espresso” turned out to be mushroom soup and the cookie was savory. It was delightful.  READ MORE