Ever curious about what I’ve been eating all year?
Here is a glimpse into my diet the past 11 months:
Launch (Atlanta, GA)
Our $4/day budget got us PB&J sandwiches, Ramen, and some Little Caesar’s.
Qatar Airlines (Atlanta to Doha, Qatar)
One of many different airline meals over the past year, when we were fortunate enough to be served it. The airlines we took in Asia usually only had paid options.
India
Indian food is still probably my favorite food from the Race. We got to try lots of different curries along with curd, chapati, and dosa. We also got to try chicken biryani one day (second picture). In India, you eat with your right hand using a twisting motion to get the rice in a ball to scoop up and ‘shovel’ into your mouth.
Nepal
In Nepal, we ate out for most meals since we only had two small kitchens and no seating for our entire squad. We ate many different things including chow mein, PB&Js, ramen, and even burgers. The most common thing I ate was the traditional Nepali dish: momos. Available with chicken, buffalo meat, and vegetables. Veg momos are pictured here:
Thailand
Our food in Thailand was prepared for us by the orphanage. We ate traditional Thai food along with the girls including lots of rice, eggs, cabbage and other veggies (even for breakfast). We also got to try some street Pad Thai on our trip to Chiangmai. Here are a few examples of what we ate:
Cambodia
In Cambodia, I had the opportunity to cook breakfast and lunch for our teams with Mikayla and Darcy (our host’s daughter). We went to the market daily for fresh veggies and ingredients. A few days we were able to order meals from local restaurants our host supported. We had a great variety of food this month including soups, rice and beans, pasta, fried rice, etc.
Thanksgiving (in Cambodia)
We ended the month in Cambodia with a Thanksgiving celebration. On Thanksgiving, some of us went to a local restaurant, The Green Mango, for a special thanksgiving meal (first picture). And, on the day after, I helped cook a full thanksgiving meal with Mikayla, Darcy, and Kristen (second picture).
Vietnam
We lived in a hotel in Vietnam in an area of the city that only served Vietnamese food. After we went to a restaurant that you cooked your own meat over a small fire, and some of my team got parasites, we defaulted to eating Ritz crackers and ramen noodles rather than risk it. Here a a few pictures of some Vietnamese dishes we got to try: Pho, Mi Ga Ram, Cao Lau, and Banh Trang Nuong (or as we called them ‘Vietnamese Quesadillas’).
Christmas (in Vietnam)
We spent Christmas in Vietnam, so we didn’t draw attention to ourselves with a big group meal or with traditional Christmas food. For Christmas dinner, I ate fried rice with a few of my teammates at a restaurant a few doors down from our hostel.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, we cooked for ourselves. We stocked up on groceries every two weeks because our compound was in a remote location, and shopped for produce at the local market. We started getting creative and even managed to make tacos with chapati as the tortillas (thanks to our experience cooking in India!). One day, our hosts made us Injera, the traditional Ethiopian dish (first picture).
Rwanda
Breakfast in Rwanda consisted of chapati and assorted fruit (third picture), while lunch and dinner we had three pots of either rice or pasta, a type of potato, and beans, veggies, or a type of sauce and meat. One day we had a goat slaughtered for us and our host invited all of our friends to eat a special meal with us (fourth picture).
Bolivia
In Bolivia, we ate at the rehabilitation center we worked at. Matt and Kyle helped in the kitchen this month. Because some of the girls struggle with eating disorders, we were required to eat all that was put in front of us, so we made sure to ask for smaller portions ahead of time (or for no meat in my case most of the time…especially when it was cow heart or sardines). Here are some of the meals we ate (always accompanied by soup, tea, and a fruit or desert). Between lunch and dinner, we would go over for tea and bread as well. When we went to the Salt Flats, I also had the opportunity to try llama.
Peru
Peru was another month of cooking for ourselves. Many of us tried doing the Daniel Fast this month, so we ate lots of veggies from the market and a good amount of quinoa. At LDW at the end of the month, we spent a few days eating food prepared by Bloom’s host in Trujillo (third picture).
Ecuador
In Ecuador, we also had to cook our own food and had lots of taco nights and mac and cheese (and homemade chicken nuggets!) (third picture), but on days where we worked at the church, the pastor’s wife prepared us lunch. Some of the more typical Ecuadorian food we’ve eaten is pictured here:
Colombia
This month, we have been eating lunch alongside the kids that we teach, and our host has prepared our other meals for us. Meals always include a beverage. For breakfast, it is hot chocolate, lunch is accompanied by juice, and tea comes with dinner. Here are some examples of this month’s meals:
Growing up a picky eater, food was one of my biggest concerns coming on the Race, but God has been faithful in even the little things.
