Bedside Reading: Travel the World without Leaving Your Chair

I traveled extensively throughout the world when I was six. I was an armchair traveler and my vehicle was Time-Life's Foods of The World cookbook series. Today's indoor adventure? Armchair traveling!
 

 

Now for this indoor adventure, armchair traveling, you don't have to own regional cookbooks or travel guides, you just need access to your local library or the Internet. The San Francisco Public Library system actually has most of Time-Life's series in its stacks. If you'd rather have your own copy, visit a local used bookstore or head to eBay or Etsy where you can find a volume or two for under $10.
 

 

This adventure is good for all ages, and the best part? If you don't know how to cook you can still participate.
 

These first few steps apply to both adventures:

• Pick your country.
• Choose a movie either about your country or set in your country.
• For Europe, you have A Room with A View (Netflix Streaming), In Search of History: The Knights Templar (Netflix Streaming), Three Coins in a Fountain 1954 (Netflix Streaming), or Last Holiday (Netflix Streaming).
• For Japan, you have Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire (Netflix Streaming), a series of three documentaries, or one of the ten best movies about Japan, Made Manual: Instructions for Life picked, or have a Godzilla marathon (Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster 1964, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero 1965, Godzilla's Revenge 1969, all available via Netflix Streaming).
• For Thailand, you have Spirit of Bangkok (Netflix Streaming), The Hangover: Part II; and for 007 lovers, The Man with The Golden Gun and Tomorrow Never Dies.
• Grab a beverage that represents your country.
• For Europe, the choices are almost endless.
• For Japan, Kirin or Sapporo beer, or a nice Sake or Plum wine.
• For Thailand, Singha beer.

 

For those who really want to explore a country and its cuisine, here's the part that requires the most upfront time commitment.

• Select a few recipes that represent famous regional dishes from your cookbook. I've included two sample recipes from Japan and Thailand to get you started: Teriyaki and Mee Krop, respectively.
• Find and order any exotic ingredients specified in the recipes or modify the recipes to work with available ingredients.
• Cook.

 

For those who want a simple, no fuss activity to change up a night in, look up a restaurant in GrubHub, Waiters on Wheels, or your local delivery service, and order in.
 

 

Where should we travel for the first Family Dinner at The Station?
Europe | Japan | Thailand
 

Share your pick in the comments below, or check out Seesaw and vote there. I'll share the trial run of the armchair adventure here on the blog on February 28th.
 
Until then, safe travels!

Eden!

 

Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.