My 33-year-old friend Roxy recently had a romance with a 23-year-old man, who she calmly told: “The key to happiness in life, Louis, is low expectations.” I am not quite such a stone-cold fox but, after the year we’ve had, I can see the wisdom in keeping dreams simple… so that potentially, our expectations can be surpassed. I’d never suggest we settle for the mediocre, but many of my most memorable travel experiences have occurred when I showed up with low or no expectations. So, I’m dedicating this column to the simple, unsung things that regularly overdeliver on their promise.
I’ll start with breakfast. The most humble meal of the day, it is frequently my favourite when I travel. Breakfast doesn’t have the same glamour attached to it as dinner, but it also doesn’t have the same price tag, or pressure. If dinner is a flop, it’s a crisis; if breakfast is so-so, well, who cares? It was just breakfast. There are another two meals left in the day, and even the most lacklustre hotel breakfast is probably better than the breakfasts most of us ate throughout childhood, when people expected even less of the meal. By occupying the most mundane mealtime of the day, breakfast is liberated from the pressures that besiege dinner. This freedom means that sometimes, breakfast is the meal that shines.
Esta historia es de la edición February 2021 de Gourmet Traveller.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición February 2021 de Gourmet Traveller.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
From personal experience
Former Hope St Radio chef ELLIE BOUHADANA invites you to gather your loved ones and enjoy an evening of good food and laughter with recipes from her new cookbook, Ellie's Table.
Kimberley Moulton
Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we applaud the international curator and Yorta Yorta woman who is shining a light on First Peoples.
Tom Wallace
We share a drop with the head winemaker for Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge and Pirie Sparkling, a master of cool-climate grapes.
Best in class
The top drops to keep an eye out for on wine lists (and why they're worth the splurge)
A taste of refuge
Fleeing war and persecution, Australia's new arrivals push our food culture forward. DANI VALENT explores the contributions of the country's refugee communities.
BE OUR GUEST
Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation
Barcelona BUZZ
A popular drawcard for digital nomads and expats alike, the Catalonian capital offers equal parts sophistication and fun. Here, DANI VALENT discovers the latest dining hotspots.
HEATHCOTE BOUND
MICHAEL HARDEN hits the road to explore regional Victoria's Heathcote, home to this year's Best Destination Dining and a host of other delights.
The art of...relishing restaurants
Does working in hospitality make someone a better or worse diner
HEART AND SOUL
Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.
