As I’ve been mentally preparing to live in Asia for a year, one of the aspects of culture shock that has been on my mind a lot has been food; of course. I’m not concerned with the food I’ll eat when I’m there; I’ve been more focused on what food I’ll miss.

So I’ve been eating lots of cheeseburgers; I insisted on making a stop at In-n-Out while in LA. I also took advantage of being in southern California and had some quality Mexican food. I will certainly miss a good bagel, but having New Yorker blood in me leaves me with high standards for what I call a ‘good’ bagel. In general, I’m a fan of food; there are so many delicious meals to be had and not enough time!

On my quest to get my fill of my favorite cuisines and American comfort food, it just couldn’t have worked out better that my last full meal would be a Thanksgiving feast. My sister, her boyfriend(who is a professional chef), a couple of her friends and I, didn’t disappoint with all the food we made. Naturally, there was too much; it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if you didn’t feel uncomfortably full, and then I got to pack a container to bring leftovers on the plane! It was a wonderful evening filled with good food, good beer(that they home brewed!) and good company. It really was the best send off from America, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.