For the past four months I have lived in Mexico in a studio apartment that, while small, has a stove-top, pots and pans, and the ability to cook. After four and a half years on the road, this is the first time I’ve had the ability to slow down enough to fully shop at the local markets and then bring those flavors home and try to recreate traditional dishes. When I lived in Southeast Asia, I ate out for every meal—cheap and delicious, but it didn’t always give me very …

The sum of my past travel experiences infuse every aspect of my life, like the echoes of memories I have written about in the past, my food journey is ingrained in me now as well. Much of my traveling centered on Asia over the years, and my taste-buds craved the fusion of flavors, sour lime mixed with a sweet sauce and the kick of spicy chili gently burning over your palate—Thailand. Or the toasted bread, tart yogurt and aromatic curries—India. The Indian food I sampled over the years still calls …