a few months ago, when i told my friends and family that i planned to set off on a culinary tour of the united states, i was startled to hear the same reaction each time: “why would you go to america for food!? yuck, the food there is terrible, you should be going to europe!” after a quick, sagacious “you don’t know me!” i felt dismayed at the apparent misconceptions about american gastronomy. after two brief visits to the land of the free which had included only brilliant dining experiences, i couldn’t understand the negativity. this, coupled with a once-in-a-generation strong aussie dollar, and my mind was made up- i wanted to go to there. 

(ferry building, san francisco)

and now, as i adjust back to life in now-freezing sydney, i can say with utter confidence that america is a brilliant destination for a culinary tour, should you wish to do one. in thirty days and five cities, i partook (what an odd word) in some of the most delicious food experiences of my life, visited arguably some of the most exciting restaurants in the world and ate approximately 500 pieces of pizza.*

(dean & de luca, nyc)

i know what you’re thinking, and let me reassure you, dear reader(s?)— all of the aforementioned foodstuffs were detailedly (another odd word) and often painfully documented. so stay tuned over the coming days as i relive my trip through the often blurry snaps of a food blogger abroad….

(farmer’s markets, san francisco)

… what you’ll (hopefully) see through the following posts, is exactly what i discovered: that as far as produce, service, innovation and value for money go, the us is the place to be. sure, it’s terrible at preventing gun violence, recovering from national debt and educating themselves about countries other than their own, but food: food they know.

enjoy!

*sadly, not as wildly exaggerated as it sounds. i ate, like, a lot of pizza.