Best Travel Meal - Billie Ann

by Billie Ann

I travel for a good meal. The idea of Michelin starred establishment thrills me - a restaurant worthy enough of a cross-country flight or an 8 hour drive. But my favourite travel meal has more humble roots. A few years ago I went to China to visit my brother who was working in Beijing. Naturally, we went to visit the Great Wall, but a less-restored section of the wall that is not often frequented by tourists. We hired a local driver to take us there and the hike was grueling but rewarding. Because there were only a handful of other people there and the Wall was relatively intact (to history = not widened or reinforced) I felt a true connection to my ancestors and native country. On the way back, we stopped at a roadside restaurant. Actually perhaps “restaurant” is too grand of a term, it was more of a café/patio. They also sold produce and goods to passerby as well. This included walnuts, eggs and fish (located in a cement aquarium outside). One of our guides ordered for the table and a seemingly endless parade of local dishes were placed on our table. One of those dishes was an egg dish. It was so simple: eggs lightly scrambled and fried with some fish and vegetables. But the taste of the eggs! Wow! These were the eggs that were from the chickens running around the property and they were coloured in the most delicate shades of blue, yellow and green. They were unlike any eggs I have ever seen and the taste of them was so true to what an egg should taste like. This humble dish served in the most rustic setting made an indelible impression on me.