Hi, I’m Ethan VonHedemann. Welcome to my restaurant review blog!
I created this blog to help people make the most of their time and money when traveling by identifying some of the best-value restaurants I’ve found on my travels. Every city has their hidden gems that can help you develop an understanding of a region’s culinary specialties at a fraction of the price of many of the more well-known restaurants you’ll see on mainstream food websites. After traveling to 20 different countries over the last two years and participating in numerous tours, tastings, and workshops to learn about the cuisine of each region I’ve visited, I’m ready to start sharing some of these experiences with you.
I hope to continue traveling whenever I have the opportunity to do so meaningfully, and I’d love to share my progress here.
Making a quick stop to take in the view in the middle of a three-day trip from Marrakech to Ouarzazate
So that’s my goal for creating this blog, but now I’d like to share a little about why I’ve decided to help other travelers uncover the hidden value in underrated restaurants. Ultimately, there are three experiences over the course of my life that have led me to develop a strong passion for pursuing culinary experiences across the globe.
Living the backpacker’s dream
Firstly, I have always had a strong desire to travel for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, there were two stickers on my alarm clock that were the very first thing I’d see as I woke up each morning – a sticker reading “ROME” in all capital letters with an image of the Colosseum in the background, and a sticker reading “ATHENS” in all capital letters with an image of the Parthenon in the background. These iconic sites in distant lands were often the focus of my thoughts early in the morning after silencing my alarm, in that unique state somewhere between dream and reality. This naturally led me to develop a strong desire to one day see these places – and many others – in person, a dream that I have begun to actively pursue. Now that I’ve started engaging with this traveling lifestyle, I’ve realized that the most rewarding aspect is meeting others to both learn from and share in this lifestyle. I’ve greatly enjoyed my experiences of meeting fellow adventurers along my path, and I hope to foster an environment for myself and others to engage in that ongoing learning process on this blog.
A lifestyle of eating with purpose
Secondly, I have found eating mindfully to be the most helpful tool for me to maintain a healthy weight after struggling with childhood obesity. By paying deliberate attention to the more subtle and nuanced flavors in everything I eat, I have realized that every meal can be a worthwhile culinary journey in itself and something that is worth my time and focus. This approach has allowed me to minimize snacking in between meals, since I strive to eat only when I’m capable of fully understanding and enjoying the flavors of the food I’m eating. I hope that by drawing attention to deserving restaurants and giving a detailed description of the food they have to offer, I can share my habits with others and help them develop a practice of mindful eating in their own lives.
Backpacking on a budget
Thirdly, my experiences as a college student have helped me to realize the importance of developing responsible budgets for my trips in order to make the most of a limited supply of money. For me to be able to pursue my dream of traveling as a young adult, I have found it necessary to look for every possible opportunity to save money while traveling. While some sacrifices like overnight bus rides and budget hostels can have their drawbacks, I have greatly enjoyed the process of maximizing my food budget by uncovering high quality restaurants at bargain prices. I have enjoyed every aspect of researching the cuisine of the region in which I’m traveling in order to compile a list of the dishes I want to try, talking to locals and conducting my own research online to pinpoint restaurants that have the potential to offer above-average value, and putting these restaurants to the test by trying them myself. As you will see from some of my posts, I’m a highly adventurous eater, so I have no qualms about testing out all types of restaurants and unique dishes to identify the truly hidden gems. There’s a certain satisfaction that can be derived from putting in a little work in order to get a more authentic and affordable culinary experience off the beaten path of your typical tourist. By compiling the best of these finds in one comprehensive resource, I hope to help future travelers maximize their time and money while traveling.