A LIFE IN TRAVEL
Food writer Julie Biuso's cherished memories from a life in travel
What do you miss most about travel right now?
The excitement of going somewhere new.
What are your strongest memories from the first overseas trip you ever took?
I went to the US and Canada when
I was very young. I was agog the whole trip. New York spun me sideways; I just couldn't believe how fast people walked. I had my first garlic bread (I'd never heard of it before), and hamburgers to die for.
What was a standard family holiday like when growing up?
My first holiday memory was going to Waiheke when I was 6. It seemed to take forever to get there, and the bach was tiny compared to home, but we were right on Onetangi beach. Summers always included blackberry picking. We got scratched all over but Mum's blackberry and apple pies made it all worthwhile. And camping in the Kauaeranga Valley in Coromandel. Frogs on the tent!
Who has most inspired your travels?
Food writer Elizabeth David's book French Provincial Cooking (published 1962) hooked me in. It was the inspiration to go to France and discover all the delicious food she wrote about. Right from the beginning it was what people grew, cooked and ate, and their history, that inspired me to travel.
What is the greatest trip you've ever been on?
Going by boat to Italy. It was outrageous fun. Six weeks of mostly crappy food and wine, but no one cared and it was a continual party. Guess you had to be young to enjoy it.
And the worst?
In Liguria, Italy, being told not to clamber down the rocks for a swim but doing it anyway then picking infected sea urchin spines out of my heels for months after.
Stuck for 24 hours on the Channel ferry coming back to the UK was a disgusting trip. My aversion to vomiting meant I was the only one who wasn't sick on the voyage.
What's your approach to packing for an overseas trip?
Remembering that I have to carry it … so I lighten the load.
What is the destination that most surprised you – good or bad?
Travelling through parts of England and Wales. I loved the regional differences, something New Zealand doesn't really have.
Malaga, Spain shocked me (1975). The women were dressed head to toe in black in scorching sun. I wanted to tell them to take their drab clothes off so they'd stay cooler like me. How very ignorant.
Where was your most memorable sunrise/sunset?
Nothing compares to New Zealand sunsets, especially those on Waiheke.
What's the first thing you do when you get home from a long trip?
Take off my shoes and walk on grass.
What do you miss most about home when you travel?
Fresh salads and fruit. Fresh air.
Where is the one destination you must see in your lifetime?
Guernsey. My paternal grandmother, whom I never met was born there and I'm drawn to the place.
What's your favourite thing about travel?
The unexpected, especially who you might meet and the memories you will create.
Shared Kitchen, Julie Biuso's book with daughter Ilaria, is on sale now. The book is shortlisted in the international Gourmand Cookbook Awards. juliebiuso.com