On the road again...

Food really is the fabric of our lives...it is how we celebrate, comfort ourselves, and it is an excuse to catch up with friends and co-workers. This week I was travelling again - off to California to my company's head office, and this trip out, I realized how much food is part of my travel rituals, and helps keep me sane while off in an "alternate reality" (which is kind of what business travel feels like!).

At some point in my travel career, I have given myself permission to eat junk food in airports totally guilt-free. When I get to T.O. airport, the first thing I do is get a trashy magazine, a 3-Musketeers bar (my favourite!), and a bag of Smartfood (salty and sweet both covered!). That is my comfort food for a 5-hour flight across the continent (Julie&Julia was playing on the plane, so that helped pass the time too! Perfect timing!).

I got to the hotel and checked-in to hear my favourite phrase of the week "Concierge Lounge"...I've finally stayed at Marriott hotels long enough to now be a Gold member, and have access to the fancy lounge...which means, all the Fruit Loops and Diet Pepsi I can eat and smuggle out in my purse!!!! Seriously, its amazing how happy it makes me to have unlimted access to cereal when I'm travelling.

Of course, you can't escape the fancy business dinners when travelling. Tuesday night dinner out was the best...my co-workers picked a fantastic restaurant with an outdoor patio, because they know how much I love being outside in the warmth (with my flip flops on!). Pomegranate mojitos, braised short ribs swimming in mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting was on the menu for me. Everything just tastes better when eaten on a patio, don't you think?

Whirlwind trip ended with a red-eye flight home from San Francisco last night...my SFO airport ritual is Ghirardelli chocolate, which is San Francisco specialty. I just can't be in that airport without buying a chocolate bar (okay, two). Again, this is how I survive getting on a plane at 10pm at night (which is really 1am EST), attempting to sleep on the plane, arriving in TO at 6am (which is really 3am PST), driving home, and crashing again for a few hours.

So, bottomline, the only thing I have actually cooked this week is the Kraft Dinner I made for "lunch" today, when I finally got out of bed at noon!

Now, its back to reality, where chocolate bars and Fruit Loops are not allowed (at least, not guilt-free), where it is snowing (no more flip flops or patios), and where I once again have to figure out something to make for dinner...