Feeling very much like a ten-year-old child with an allowance to blow, I approached the Toronto airport gift shop counter. One hand cupped a pile of $1 and $2 coin, the other grasped a dozen of my new favorite treat. Rather than exchange my Loonies and Toonies on my way back to the U.S., I was spending them all, and stocking up on the delicious dark toffee, peanut, chocolate, Eat-More bars that are only sold in Canada. Keith could hardly stand to watch, embarrassed that I would actually exchange cold hard cash (or coin) for nothing more than cooked sugar and nuts. But, he’s the one that turned me onto them, and don’t think for a second that when it came time to break into my stash over the next few months, that he ever turned down his half of the treat.

Discovering Eat-More candy bars marks the beginning of a whole new aspect in travel for me. In the last decade I have acquired tastes for foods that I had never before heard of. I’m not just talking about internationally, and it’s not all about candy, either. I know just about anything can be ordered online, but I really enjoy shopping in person. From little neighborhood markets to large chain supermarkets, local stores can be a great way to get to the pulse of a community.

My pantry is full of regional delights that I have gathered while traveling. I try to use everything in a timely manner so there is no waste. Nothing worse than waiting to cook a “special” meal with unique ingredients, only to find out they have spoiled or turned stale. Some things are really simple, like the no-name mushroom soup sold at the No Frills in Gananoque, Ontario in Canada. Others a bit more unique, like the bread-crumb sized flaky bits of TPAXANAS EYNOS the Greeks use as a soup base. Most prized is probably my 3-liter olive oil from Alassio, Italy, hand poured just for me from a vat the size of a Volkswagen. Every now and again I get a whiff of the smokey dried chipotle peppers that I just had to have from a Super Center in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico. They have been shoved to the back of the cupboard and I’ve never used a one…yet.

Last week while shopping at Rouses in New Orleans, I picked up a can of Trappey’s Cut Okra and Tomatoes, not something I see everyday, and a package of local Cajun Gumbo mix. This will go nicely with either the frozen crawfish tail meat or the gator sausage that I picked up at a tiny market while out touring Louisiana Plantations. Another grocery item score was the Acadiana honey, shipped down from Breaux Bridge, LA the Crawfish Capitol of the world. I’d hoped to get up to Breaux Bridge and/or Lafayette while in the area, but I am left to enjoy the honey of the region and put the destination itself back on the list to visit.

One drawback to being exposed to new and wonderful flavors and foods is the risk of being spoiled by them. Some things can not be brought home, so I am left with mouth-watering memories of foods I am lucky to have tasted. Fresh grilled calamari from the Mediterranean has ruined me for all other squid. And, not that I’m a big pizza eater, but what we get here in the U.S. is not even the same dish as what the little standing room only pizzerias in Italy sell. My waistline thanks me for this revelation.

What are some of your favorite foods that you have discovered in your lifetime?