Fork in the road

Doesn't everything taste better when you are on the road? Every time I come back from a trip, I spend a few days caressing my memories. Because I eat for a living, many of the memories are about food.

- Vir Sanghvi

I remember sitting on a small island in the middle of the Nile, watching the sun go down, a plate of Egyptian savouries in my hand. I will never forget the view of the sea at Monopoli, in Italy's Puglia region, as I clutched my gelato. And nothing can beat a plate of noodles eaten by the largest Hindu temple in the world; no, not in India but in Cambodia at Angkor Wat.

When the excitement has faded somewhat, I start to think a little more dispassionately. Was the gelato really that good or was I just enraptured by Puglia? Would I really enjoy those Egyptian savouries without the sunset or the Nile?

My conclusion is that stunning beauty makes everything better, not just food. But so many of my best memories are of places that were not particularly beautiful.