Food Travelist was thrilled to interview travel expert Samantha Brown to learn about her favorite food travel memories, where she still wants to travel, and what food travel trends we can expect in the months ahead. Known for her cheerful personality and practical tips, Samantha Brown also knows a lot about food! We had a chance to catch up with her while she was on a visit in Vermont. Check out this video of Samantha Brown’s food travel insights.

Samantha Brown on Food Travel Interview Transcript

Read below for the transcript of our interview with Samantha Brown.

1.       You travel to many different parts of the world. Tell us a little about what places have surprised you with great food. 

I guess the place that really knocked my socks off was Thailand. Just being in Bangkok, I loved it and it was the food carts. The thing I love about food carts is that they were owned by generations of families. Four, five, and six generations of families where made one or two different items every single day and done that their entire lives for five generations. So you would wait in line and pay like three American dollars and you would get this plate, just like a paper plate and it wasn’t dressed nicely or looked fancy, but it tasted like the most luxurious meal you have ever had and again just like I said knocked your socks off. All the flavors were there and you spent two dollars I love when I can just be on the streets, eating street food with the locals and not shelling out $50-$70 per person for a great meal and that’s what I really loved about Bangkok. 

2.       What destination have you not yet been to but would like to visit and why? 

Wow – I have not been to so many places, I think that one of the biggest misconceptions about me is that I have been everywhere and I have been to 51 countries and I have traveled for 15 years, but the world keeps getting bigger, not smaller. Places I would love to go to, I would love to go to Finland to see the Aurora Borealis, that’s my dream. I would love to go to Glaciers National Park in Montana to go on a bike ride. Things like that, I love being active, I love being in the outdoors. I don’t necessarily like sleeping in outdoors, I still need that nice resort to keep me warm at night, but I love those far-flung destinations that exist even in our own country. 

3.       What undiscovered destination would you recommend?

Well, it really has to be South East Asia that is the mecca of food. It is possibly a little expensive to get there about a $1,200 flight, but once you get there everything is petty cash cheap. You can go to Malaysia and have some of the best food of your life. On the island of Penang where there is not only a Muslim influence but Asian, Chinese, and Indian and it’s a confluence of flavors and dishes, and for very little money just change your idea of what food should taste like especially from a cart or roadside stand. 

4.       What is one of your favorite food travel memories? 

I have so many, again if I may use Asia, I was in Singapore and I had fish head curry and I’m not the Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel, he has bizarre food. I like to stick to the chicken tenders, well not that bad but a part of the dinner was for the guest of honor to have the eye of the fish and this eye was probably this big and it’s the cooked eye of a fish. And everyone is watching me because they know as a Westerner that probably this is not my favorite experience that I was going to have and I put it in my mouth and I just waited. I had this large eye in my mouth and everyone is watching and it just dissolved and it tasted like butter and the flavors of the curry were mixed in and it was sensational. I loved it and I said “Well there is another eye right?” because don’t fish have two eyes? But as the guest you only get one eye, but it’s always taught me that we have a reaction to food like “Oh, we don’t eat that” and then you try it and it’s wonderful so it was one of my best experiences where I really got to try something that I would never try again, but I really enjoyed at the time.

5.       Do you see any trends in culinary travel? 

I think I see the biggest trend being one that I love is to make really great food accessible to the masses. Why do we have to stand in line at a really nice restaurant or not get in because we don’t have an expense account for the best chefs? These food trucks that are happening all over the United States are such a great way to have a little bite and really get a feel for something special. So I love the idea that I love when food is accessible and still really fabulous at the same time and I think that even though the food truck is a trend, it is here to stay.

We want to thank Samantha Brown for her time and thoughtful responses.

Thanks, Samantha! We wish you safe and tasty food travels.

Let us know what some of your favorite food travel memories are in the comments below.

THE QUICK BITE: Food Travelist interviews travel expert Samantha Brown about her food travel experiences and what trends she sees coming in the months ahead.