I think that my business has changed me. Travel, for me, used to be about getting away from having to cook. Now that I'm cooking for a living....

Note: This post has a little gallery, so click on the icons to see the other pictures. Mark LaFavor took the pictures.

This is a Farmer's Market in Paris. We got up at four in the morning and actually got there before all of the early restaurant shopping began. Why four am? To take pictures of course. You know, the morning light thing.

The market had everything fresh and in season, from crayfish and foie gras to figs and porcini - all in fantastic abundance and display. It was beautiful, but really frustrating to have access to wonderful food and be staying in a hotel. Nowhere to test anything! That aside, I can only take so much restaurant food before I need a break and something simple like a pear and brie.

I had a similar experience in Seattle last year. What a market!

So, now I try to stay (at least part of the time-cuz I still like room service and waiters) in a place where I can, at the very least, keep some salami and cheese in a fridge and find a knife and plate to eat it with.