Food and Thought: What You Liked in 2010
Filed Under: Blogging by Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott“We didn’t travel very much this past year, did we?” If we had a nickel for every time this thought passed through one of our heads as the year came to a close, we’d be able to match our Google Adsense earnings for the year.
Before we get to a rundown of which articles and topics you seemed to like this year and a slideshow of some of our favorite moments, some reflection. We dug deep into our 2010 chronology and learned a lesson: before you jump to conclusions, it is always a good idea to check your assumptions with some actual data. In 2010 we found upon further inspection that we traveled to 5 continents, 13 countries.
- Antarctica blew our minds. Penguins and blue icebergs were just the beginning.
- Uruguay (Montevideo especially) crept into our hearts. So did its steak and wine.
- Buenos Aires served as a temporary home and introduced us to new family.
- Patagonia left us breath-taken in Torres del Paine and El Chalten.
- So did ferry hopping across fjords from Chile’s Carretera Austral to Chiloe Island.
- Northern Argentina near Salta wowed us with its landscape and hospitality.
- Valparaiso surprised us with its street art and energetic market scene.
- Santiago and the Maipo Alto region introduced us zip lining and biodynamic wines with new friends.
- East and West Coasts of the United States reunited us with family and friends, as well as entering us into the world of speaking engagements.
- New York City introduced us to many fellow travel bloggers at TBEX.
- Prague brought more fun with old friends while the Czech countryside provided peace and tranquility.
- The Turkish neighborhood of Kreuzberg in Berlin served as an awesome place to live and eat for two months.
- A wine harvest in Bavaria (OK, and some beer harvesting, too) made us appreciate the hard work and passion needed for this craft.
- 10th anniversary trip to Tuscany to revisit where we were married reminded us why we still love Italy…and its food.
- A surprise visit to Niagara Falls, Canada for left us looking like Amelia Earheart and Howard Hughes…and excited about a new partnership with Gap Adventures.
- A visit to Vienna with a focus on Viennese wine reaffirmed that Austrians have a formidable wine culture…and a sense of humor.
- A dip in the warmth and spice of Thailand to avoid being snowbound was just what the doctor ordered.
- And we are more fluent in wine, with tastings in 6 countries and over a dozen regions over the course of the year.
2010 Places and Faces
Note: If you don’t have a high speed connection or you would like to read what the penguins are saying in these photos, view our 2010 In Review photo essay.
Your Favorite Articles of the Year
In the midst of all this, which content did our readers seem to enjoy most? We won’t belabor you with the algorithm we used to determine this, but it’s based mainly on views with tweets, facebook shares/likes and comments thrown in.
And it’s clear: you people like to eat. And you like to think. And this is why we love you.
Without further ado, the list that demonstrates how food, personal growth and a little bit of humor defined the year.
1. Argentine Food: Steak, Empanadas, Pizza, Pasta, Repeat
For us, a very surprising winner. Our overview of Argentine food from the four months we spent there enjoyed an unexpected dose of popularity while ruffling a few feathers along the way. Read the comments.
2. Peruvian Food: More than Just Ceviche
Peru was the culinary highlight of our travels through Latin America. Our mouths water just looking at this post and thinking back to the ceviche, tiradito and causa we downed in Lima.
3. A Little Bite of Buenos Aires
A round up of our favorite restaurants – from traditional steak parrillas to Armenian food – from two months of living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As usual, we focus not necessarily on the cheapest, but what we found to be the best value.
4. The Joy of Living Deliberately: 7 Questions
When it comes to lifestyle, it’s not what you choose, but rather how you choose it.
5. Nibbles That Give Me the Shivers (or, Sh*t I Wouldn’t Eat Again)
A cheeky little rundown of some of the less savory culinary bits we’ve encountered during our four years of traveling around the world. Photos are not for the faint of heart…or stomach.
6. Guerrilla Food Photography: 10 Tips for Taking Great Food Photos
From showing genuine curiosity and making a connection to adjusting white balance, we spill the beans on how we take the food photos you see on Uncornered Market.
7. Are You a Stuff Junkie or an Experience Junkie?
In an ideal world, you can have both. But in this article, we ask you to choose.
8. Berlin Cheap Eats: Top 10 Under 5 Euros
When we decided to spend two months in Berlin this year, we didn’t expect food to be a highlight. But, living in the heart of the primarily Turkish neighborhood of Kreuzberg provided us with endless delicious eating opportunities, most of which cost easily under 5€.
9. Eat Your Heart Out, Tuscany!
From ravioli in white truffle sauce to wild boar, a few favorite meals from our 10th anniversary return trip to Tuscany.
10: What’s Missing From My Hotel Room
It never ceases to amaze us how such practical things like trash cans and hooks are forgotten in so many hotel rooms around the world. Maybe our good will effort of the year will be to install hooks in every place we stay.
Honorable Mention: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Travelers
A piece that we published in 2009 that defines our approach to travel. It remained so popular this year that had it been published in 2010, it would easily have topped this list.
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If your favorite article is missing from the list, please let us know in the comments below.
A huge thank you to all our friends and readers. We look forward to continuing to sharing our journey with you in the coming year, and we wish you all the best for a peaceful, fruitful 2011.
December 29th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Although you (understandably) slowed down a bit in the second half of the year you still travelled to far more places than most people do! I’m looking forward to seeing where 2011 takes you.
It’s funny that your Argentine food post was so controversial. We actually had the opposite problem with our post ‘Top 10 foods to eat in Buenos Aires that are NOT Steak’ – some locals disagreed with our recommendations and commented about how bad they thought their food was!
December 29th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Never Ending Voyage and Marcello Arrambide. Marcello Arrambide said: RT @umarket Food and Thought: What You Liked in 2010 – “We didn’t travel very much this past year, did … http://ow.ly/1aEmJT [...]
December 29th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
That’s still an impressive year! You accomplished more than a lot of people do in their entire lifetimes! Be proud and I’m certainly looking forward to what 2011 brings for you!
December 30th, 2010 at 8:57 am
I am so excited about all these South American posts, they will be my bible as I head farther South!
December 30th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
looks like a grerat year you had!
December 31st, 2010 at 4:09 am
Look at all the food centric articles…
December 31st, 2010 at 10:58 pm
You guys just rock … plain and simple. Keep it coming in 2011!
January 1st, 2011 at 9:33 pm
I may be a nut, but I love end of year lists / end of year review articles. They make it so easy to relive some of the great moments from the year and catch up on things that I might have missed. Your post has several of both for me. Thanks.
January 1st, 2011 at 11:33 pm
@Erin: That’s really funny how your Argentina food piece received an opposite reaction from locals. The people who seemed to get offended on ours were Argentines living outside the country, usually in the United States.
Compared with 2009, it felt like we were traveling less in 2010. But, in looking back we still visited quite a few places and spent more time in places so it was fulfilling.
@Connie: Thanks for the New Year’s greetings! Yes, we definitely do not take our travels for granted – we realize we’re fortunate to have the health and flexibility to do what we do.
@Ayngelina: We still have a few more posts planned from Chile & Argentina, so keep checking back. Both are incredibly beautiful countries – the trick is to try not to do too much and tire yourself out.
@Greg: Thanks! Hope you have a great 2011!
@Dave: Yup, not really a surprise. People (and Google searches) love food posts
@Naomi: You’re too kind! Hope you and your family have a fantastic 2011!
@Marvin: I’m like you regarding year end lists. As the one producing it, it’s fun to go back and relive some of the memories and also see what others enjoyed most. As the reader, it’s great to go back and find pieces that I previously missed. Happy 2011!
January 7th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Such a great year you had! From all the delicious foods you have quoted I have enjoyed the ones in Tuscany. I love Italian cuisine!
January 7th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@Eliza: Tuscan cuisine — just one of the reasons we chose to get married there.