INTERVIEW: WITH THE HUNGRY TRAVELLER

Interview with the Hungry Traveller
Written by Sandra Scholes

Keen and avid writer, The Hungry Traveller has been around the world searching for the best cuisine that tingles the taste-buds and fills his readers with a new willingness to go out and try it for themselves, or make use of the recipes in the book Travel Bites and cook these authentic exotic dishes yourself!

Here, The Hungry Traveller tells us more about his book and the reasons behind it as well as titbits about the cover and the food he enjoys.


JapanReviewer: You've been all over the globe, is there anywhere you haven't been that you would love to have a meal? 
THT: I still haven’t been to Japan even though I have friends who live there! It would be an interesting to experience the art and culture that accompanies formal dining over there, but I think what would most appeal to me is the wide variety of amazing and inexpensive food that you can get at bars and simple restaurants – all washed down with sake and Japanese beer


JapanReviewer: If you could add anything to Travel Bites, what would it have been?
THT: The hardest thing when pulling together Travel Bites was working with my publisher to decide what stories to leave out.  Not wanting to give too much away because this will definitely be a story that would have to make it into the sequel, but I was invited to dinner by a family in Cairo.  We sat cross legged on carpets on the roof top terrace of an apartment block that directly overlooked the pyramids that were lit up during the evening sound and light show; eating roasted goose and pilaf rice with our hands and enjoying the cool air of the evening which was such a welcome contrast after the blistering heat of the day.


JapanReviewer: What has been your favourite dish from the far-off places you have visited and why?
THT: I think some of the most memorable dishes that I have had has been the street food in countries like Thailand and Vietnam.  Generally each vendor will have one or two specialities which they cook hot and fresh in front of you.  What’s more, because of how it is cooked, the chances of getting an upset tummy are probably a lot lower than going into a restaurant where you cannot see how the food is prepared.


JapanReviewer: What's the best dessert you have sampled in the East?
THT: I think that this is where I have to be controversial and say that the desserts in a lot of the countries where I visited were not particularly memorable.  Growing up in the West, desserts tend to be rich, creamy, chocolately and decadent – whereas in the East, it was mostly fruit or some sort of sweetened, sticky rice based dish.


JapanReviewer: ...and best alcoholic drink?
THT: I am not sure if I would categorise it as the best drink that I have had, but I have had quite a few memorable nights in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand that were fuelled by rice whisky!


JapanReviewer: After all your travelling, what meal do you like to prepare for yourself at home?
THT: That’s easy.  I just randomly flick to one of the stories or recipes in my book for inspiration!


JapanReviewer: What's the weirdest place you have ever written your journal?
THT: I don’t know if I have ever written in my journal anywhere that is out and out weird, but perhaps on reflection, there have been places that would seem surreal – such as sitting in an outdoor cafe in Rome, enjoying a morning coffee while nearby buskers were singing opera, or sitting back in the shade cast by the sails of a felucca as it sailed down the Nile River through the Egyptian countryside, and looking upon a scene of farmers tending their date trees and small holdings which has probably remained unchanged for thousands of years (thankfully the Nile cruise ships tend to only travel along the river at night)


JapanReviewer: If you could have got artist L. Whyte to draw another image to add to the Travel Bites cover what would it be?
THT: I think the cover art work by Laura is awesome. What I love about it is the detail – like the seagull cheekily stealing food and how food has been incorporated into some of the most iconic tourist sites.  I don’t think that I could possibly want to change it in anyway.


JapanReviewer: And lastly, as Travel Bites was such a success, are you planning to do a sequel book?
THT:  The stories in travel bites are just the tip of the iceberg. I have enough material for a second and probably even a third book.  I just need to find the time to write it!

To order Travel Bites by The Hungry Traveller and to discover more on the author and his novel, enjoy the links provided:

Website:  http://travelbitesbythehungrytraveller.com/
Twitter: @travel_bites
Publisher: http://wattlepublishing.com/catalogue/travel-bites/