Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe by National Geographic Society

Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe Reviews

• 
  Julie

  Beautiful coffee table book. Entertaining reading! The extraordinary place to eat that sticks out in my mind is the restaurant in London where diners are served in the dark by blind waiters! The mind boggles!
• 
  Nursebookie

  TITLE: Food Journeys of a Lifetime 2nd Edition: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe
  AUTHOR: National Geographic
  PUB DATE: 10.18.2022
  
  REVIEW:
  
  I always believe that in order to learn about a particular culture, you must learn it through food. The food we eat shapes our cultural identity, memory, family, and heritage. I am both a foodie and a traveler, and this book definitely is the perfect resource for me when planning my next adventure with my family.
  
  Food Journeys of a Lifetime 2nd Edition is a phenomenal compilation of the best of the best information on destinations and the food that culture is most known for. I enjoy learning about the world’s best in food and travel destinations through photos and information written by the experts from Nat Geo.
  
  With the holiday season coming, consider adding this book to holiday gifting list for friends and families.
• 
  Amy

  Fabulous read, but not at all what I expected!
  
  I expected this to be a book of the greatest places to eat ... broken down by country. Instead, I discovered sections on Specialties & Ingredients, Outstanding Markets (& food bazaars), Seasonal Delights, In the Kitchen, Favorite Street Foods, Great Food Towns, Ultimate Luxuries, The Best Wine, Beer & More and finally, Just Desserts!
  
  Scattered throughout are annotated "Top Ten" lists including Old Fashioned Candy Stores, street Markets, Bike Tours for Foodies, Unusual Food & Drink Festivals, and many many more!
  
  One of the biggest surprises discovered was in a Top 10 list of Traveler's Restaurants. This is a list of places for people on the go, some are destinations in their own right, offering excellent food in styling surroundings. Number 4 [in the world:] on the list is the Indianapolis International Airport! The designers of Indianopolis's replacement terminal aimed to change people's perceptions of airports with local food, live music, and an eco-friendly design. On offer are Indianapolite favorites, including breakfast-vendor Patachou on the Fly, Shapiro's kosher deli, the South Bend Chocolate Company, the speedway-themed Indy 500 Grill, and the gourmet popcorn store, Just Pop In!
  
  Although not a coffee drinker myself, another fun find was in the Top 10 list for Places to Enjoy Cafe Society. Number 3 on this list is Seattle, Washington -- Home of Starbucks. Visitors have other options in coffee world including rival chain Caffe Ladro (ladro is Italian for "thief"), which deliberately opened venues close to its competitors!
  
  Finally, there is a Top Ten Places to Try Death by Chocolate ...
  
  
  
  
• 
  Steven Peterson

  A richly produced National Geographic book. . . . I received this as a Christmas present and enjoy its quirkiness immensely. The subtitle suggests why: "500 Extraordinary Places to Eat around the Globe." And I have actually been to some of the places, such as Ben & Jerry's in Vermont, Philly cheese steak venues in Philadelphia, the Beaver Club in Montreal, steak in Buenos Aires, beer halls of Munich, and Les Deux Magots in Paris. Some nice memories came back to me! Sitting at Les Deux Magots in Paris, having a Croque Monsieur for lunch. . . .
  
  The book is divided into a series of sections, such as Specialties & ingredients, Outstanding markets, Seasonal delights, In the kitchen, Favorite street foods, Great food towns, Ultimate luxuries, the best wine (beer and more), and Just desserts. After each title page, a series of examples is provided. For instance, after "Specialties & ingredients," we see a segment on lobsters (from the Atlantic coast) to maple syrup (Vermont). Also, there are "Top 10 listings," such as Top 10 Unusual Food and Drink Festivals, such as the Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater, Texas, or the Cabbage Festival in Hungary, or the Fete de fromage (Cheese Festival) in France. . . .
  
  In short, a lot of fun if you are a foodie. Not much in the way of recipes. Not much detail on any of the 500 places to eat. But a richly illustrated, enjoyable work to peruse.
  
• 
  Aoi

  Brilliant photos!
  
  Information - lite, very little on personalizing the experience for the 'armchair traveler' . Quite Euro-centric in terms of content
• 
  Patty

  Oh. My. Word.
  
  Since I have been stuck on my couch and really haven’t gone anywhere due to the pandemic that shall not be named I really needed a book like this. It’s big. Full of bold, glorious photos of all of the places I want to go when one can go again.
  
  And then there is the food. Food is half of the fun of travel isn’t it? Now, some food in some places is not food I am going to try but that doesn’t mean that I don’t read about it. I love to cook only seconded by going out to eat.
  
  Sitting with this book in my lap – which I have done more than once since it arrived – is pure escape for me. Just what I need living in my little city so far away from anything exotic.
  
  I know I will be turning to it in the depths of winter when I need to journey to a place where to food is exotic and the temperatures are warm.
• 
  Yaaresse

  It's OK. The photos are wonderful, as one would expect from National Geographic. The content just was more like a travel brochure than real information or the kind of quality writing National Geo can do when it really wants to. I was hoping for something more like the writing in the magazine (or in Saveur) where they delve into some little-known information in a colorful and intriguing way. This is just bare bones mini-facts and links to websites.
• 
  Petesake

  I'm an armchair traveller at the moment *and* I'm a foodie. What more in a book could I want, besides edible pages?
• 
  Jules Brugel

  Broad and shallow, but sometime that is exactly what I want.
• 
  Melissa

  I love these “coffee table” books from National Geographic, because they’re not only incredibly informative they’re also just beautiful. After all, they feature photographs from some of National Geographic’s best photographers, and articles from some of their best writers. This book, the second edition of Food Journeys of a Lifetime, is no exception. The photographs are not just of food – although many of them are – but also of fabulous food markets and unique restaurants. All are eye-catching. Some are mouth-watering.
  
  But this book is more than just pictures. It has pages that describe the best-know foods from individual U.S. states, and various countries around the world and has fascinating supportive text. Did you know that real wasabi (not the fake stuff we Americans get most of the time) has antibacterial benefits? I didn’t until I read this book. No, it won’t kill all the parasites in raw fish, but sashimi fish isn’t truly raw in the sense that it’s untouched. It’s just not cooked. (Also parasite-ridden fish isn’t served.)
  
  The other thing I loved about this book is that, as much as it’s a work of art, it’s also a reference guide. I would rank it right next to one of my favorite foodie resources, The Flavor Bible, in its usefulness to anyone who wants to improve their home cooking. Health experts tell us to “eat the rainbow.” With Food Journeys of a Lifetime you can broaden the number of colors, and enjoy vicarious travels at the same time.
  
  This book is great if you read it from cover to cover, but perfectly suited to pick up now and then, or skip around in.
  
  Goes well with: eggplant caponata and crusty sourdough baguette.
• 
  Ming Nur D

  little outdated
• 
  Kristy

  This book is amazing for any foodie around the world.
• 
  Lisa

  This is a browsing book, and that's what I've enjoyed - browsing the lists such as top ten unusual food and drink festivals, top ten culinary surprises, and the top ten bank-braking cocktail bars. But it isn't all lists, cuisines are broken down by area with a little bit of background and the beautiful photographs you expect from NatGeo. Very fun.
• 
  Mum

  The pictures alone make the check out worth it. If you have ever actually visited the places shown in the book you will be transported right back there in the blink of an eye. The recipes are just an extra bonus. If you haven't visited these places, you will want to book a trip right away. FUN!!
• 
  Elizabeth

  This is definitely a daydreaming book! I loved planning my little trips- real and imaginary with this book. This is a great National Geographic book- the photos are great, of course, but there are great articles and lists. Enjoy!
• 
  Angie Niles

  This book combines two of my favorite things - travel and food. It's so much fun to browse through and read about all the different food cultures all over the world and dream about what trip I may plan next.
• 
  Jill

  I love this book! I hate that I read it because now I want to go to all of these places and don't have the money to do it all right now! Lol.
  But it is seriously a great book if you love food, travel, or both.
• 
  Marina

  So many beautiful and delicious places to go! So little time and money to go there. (Boo-hoo!)
• 
  Dawn

  I want to go to all these places!
• 
  Lud

  This is a 'coffee table' type book, not something to sit and read from beginning to end in a sitting. I looked through it for 10-20 minutes at a time. Lovely photos.
• 
  Liz

  Enjoyable read, with the usual outstanding NatGeo photography. Added quite a few "would like to eat here someday" places to my Master List.
• 
  Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides

  Will make you want to go and eat something new and different, right away.
• 
  Jessica

  Makes me want to pack up my bags and my husband and travel around the world, led by our bellies!
• 
  Charity

  This was a great book for dreaming. I now have many more places in my head that someday I want to visit, and, more imporantly for me, foods to eat when I go there.
• 
  Stephen Cranney

  This book was a guilty pleasure. Re-incited my dormant wanderlust.
• 
  Peemon Saksengsopha

  book for dreaming...great infor :)