Food can provide you a sort of cultural topography of a place through the people living there and the stories behind the things they produce. Food, whether specialty products or a homecooked meal, is an expression not only of a culture, but of the individual preparing it for you. Food is not only a component of travel, but a journey in itself - and one that can be as adventurous as you want. And travel can provide you a context with which to connect your food with certain memories, or touchstones, throughout your life. Nicole Taylor was a picky eater growing up who credits her mother for taking her downtown to places a little kid wasn't expected. This early exposure to interesting food challenged her and quickly gave her an obsession for food. Nicole not only loves food but has actually worked in the specialty food industry, making chocolate, and now brings this passion into a life of travel and exploration, as well as her website, foodculturist.com, and her show, Hot Grease, which she describes as a ‘progressive food culture radio program.’ Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud or TuneIn What We Discuss Why you don't need someone else to travel with you to create a memory. Nicole's relationship to food as an owner of a candy business, and a food blogger in Brooklyn How food can provide you a sort of cultural topography of a place through the people there and the things they produce How a trip to Egypt, and it's food experience, opened a new door for her palette and her mind Nicole's process for finding good food (hint: Dig deep, and ask locals) How social media is a great way to get a local perspective on where to eat Words from an Explorer “Solo travel early opens you up to solo travel as an adult and a life of being fearless.” "Wherever you go, go to the places where you're not supposed to be or they're not expecting you to eat." Mentioned on this Show FoodCulturist.com Hot Grease @foodculturist The Modern Traveler's Green Zine The Modern Traveler's Green Zine on Etsy Credits Music: Intrepid Journey by Aaron Static Photo of Nicole by Jordan A. Colbert Photo of Luxor Spice Markets by EmsiProduction Like the show? I’d love a rating and review! Take action and please share the show! All you have to do is click one of the social sharing buttons at the top of this post. Also please leave a rating or review on iTunes! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. If you do, click here to let me know so I can personally thank you! Thank you so much for your support! See you next time! The post 42: How to Explore Food Culture with Nicole Taylor appeared first on The Daily Travel Podcast.