This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2051 Michelle's vacation tradition why you should take a cooking class when you travel.
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Are you planning to take an international trip this year?
Today, learn about one amazing way to immerse yourself in the culture and take home a practical kitchen skill.
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Hey, Lindsay, how are you?
I'm doing great, Michelle.
How's everything in your world?
God, I'm over at my parents, and so it's always nice to visit them.
So yeah, it feels very nice and clean here.
A little less chaotic, yeah.
Yeah, that's great.
That's great.
I love that.
So, but yeah, so this was just.
It takes about four hours to get here, but you and we have gone on some trips early, or like late spring, early summer right, Lindsay?
Yes.
Our whole team has been traveling this spring, right?
We all took our vacations early in the spring, like early summer, late spring.
And so we'll be back.
I'll be back soon.
But yeah, I was in Egypt.
You were in Paris and London.
So amazing stuff.
All the travel.
Yeah.
Yes.
And we love to travel.
Like guys.
You should see, sometimes you know off the Off the camera.
Lindsay and I talk about how much we travel and why and we're so dreamy about it
So it's really true.
So that's what we're going to really be talking about today, because we got a listener question, a more of a general question.
And I like this question because it really means that people want to hear more about our travels and our experiences and things we've learned.
Um, so Lindsay, would you like to read the question for us?
Yeah.
I mean, I think travel is a core value for most of our listener base here, our audience at All Ears English.
I think we are all curious about the world, right?
And so I'm excited to connect, especially in August, the month of August we're talking about travel quite a bit.
Um, so we just want our listeners to get out there and enjoy the world.
So this question comes from Hapisito.
Um, and, And here we go.
Talking about trips that you did to other countries and your experiences about people traditions food, places you don't have to miss when you visit those places.
Okay, I'm a little confused about the question.
Well, I think it's more of just a topic request.
A request.
Than a specific question about something.
Okay.
So I think this well.
Hapacito just wants to hear more about our travels and things that people should do when they go certain places.
So, and, you know, we do try and do this from time to time.
We should try and share a little bit about our experiences, because we really really love to do that.
So yeah, we're gonna talk about one specific thing today.
And it's good to know that this is a topic you guys are interested in, and we'll continue sharing stories of our travels.
Yes, and we wanna hear your stories too, guys.
So on Instagram.
You know, I know Michelle, you did an update.
I've seen some stuff from you from Paris and London on Instagram.
So guys, reply to our Instagram updates and tell us your stories of where you've been.
Michelle, I just booked a trip to Portugal.
Oh!
For the fall for Thanksgiving time.
And we were going to go to Sicily and we changed our minds because it's very expensive to fly from the US to Sicily.
And so instead we're going to Portugal.
And so I have to start learning Portuguese.
That's on my list.
That's very high up on my list of where I'd like to go.
Oh, that's so cool.
I think it's going to be good.
It's going to be good.
So one thing we want to remind our listeners about before we get into today's episode guys, the best way to consume the podcast is actually in our iOS or Android app, right?
It's at allearsenglish.com slash app.
And this app shows you transcripts automatically while you're listening.
So it's a fantastic way to see all the words of the show.
Michelle, let's talk about travel.
Let's get into it.
Let's do it.
Okay.
So we recently went on international trips and I'm sure I've shared this on the show before, but I wanted to make a whole episode about this special tradition my family has cemented while traveling.
What does that mean?
We've cemented it.
Yeah.
If you think about cement, it's something that's it's liquid at first and then it becomes hard.
And so you've you've confirmed like you have solidified this tradition.
You do it every time.
Yeah.
Yep.
Yep.
At first it starts out, oh, this would be fun.
And now it's like, oh, yeah, we have to do this.
So the tradition is taking a cooking class.
Very cool.
We can't do it every single place all the time, but we try as much as we can.
And it's something that we really enjoy.
So like when we were in London, we had a hard time finding something that would be good for the kids and things like that.
So we didn't do one there.
But in Japan, before children, we did sushi making.
In Italy, we did... pasta.
We did tiramisu.
And actually just on this most recent trip, we did macarons, a macaron making class.
Very cool.
Always good to lean towards the desserts, I think.
And that was in Paris, you said?
The macarons?
Oh, yeah.
Do you like macarons?
I do.
I like French food.
Yes.
I'll take any of it.
Sure.
Yes.
It is amazing.
So we're going to talk about like Why, guys, you should consider adding this to a trip that you do.
So we have another episode.
Episode 1851 is how to talk about your pre-trip rituals in English.
So a little bit about traditions there and what you do before a trip.
But, yeah, whenever we do a cooking class, it's a highlight of the trip.
So we're going to go over some reasons why this is good and why you guys should consider it.
Okay.
The first thing is you get to learn from a local.
Um, you can ask, you know, the teachers that we've had.
They are, you know, usually either either originally from that place or maybe they live there now.
And so you can ask fun questions about culture, what it's like to live there.
Um, our teacher who did the macaron class, she was from Venezuela.
I actually told her about the podcast and I told her I'll make an episode for her.
So this is her episode.
So yes.
Hello.
Thank you so much.
Um so um.
We spoke to her about what it's like living in Paris, learning a new language and culture.
It was such an interesting thing to get to talk.
So, Lindsay, I mean, what do you think about that?
Just like this experience, too.
It's kind of different than a tour.
I mean you can but, like when you're doing a cooking class, it's just kind of easy to.
There's some time where you're just waiting around and you can talk.
And yeah, I think that especially maybe we'll talk about this in a minute.
But when it comes to learning a language, the best way to learn a language if you are one, let's say you wanted to learn French.
You traveled to Paris and maybe you're taking your class from someone from Paris or who speaks French.
If it's in French, that is the best way to learn a language is to have to do a task.
So just from a language learning perspective, it's gold, right?
Yeah um yeah, exactly 100.
Yeah so um, on our end, what we tend to do is we do the food tours.
We've done a couple of uh cooking, but sometimes when i travel i'm just like i just want to eat, i don't want to cook, and so we did a cooking class in uh in lima And that was actually really, really cool.
It was in Spanish and we had some like traditional food, and Lima has an incredible food culture, but most of the time we'll just do the food tour.
So we're just eating neighborhoods, but I love it.
So in just a minute we're going to go into the second reason why we should actually go a little further and do that cooking class.
Right, Michelle?
All right.
So what is our second piece of advice regarding cooking classes?
Yeah.
All right.
Well, so the second reason is because you get to try the really fresh versions of food.
I mean, you're making it right there.
We made the macarons.
And so, you know, she said, you know, we were asking her about where you can get the best macarons.
And you know she said a lot of these.
You know a lot of places it's, you know, done by machine or whatever.
Um.
So, because there's a ton um, but some places aren't, and that those are the like the fresh I mean fresh is always the best right.
So, um, you get to try the fresh versions.
I mean, I remember making the pasta.
I mean, it was just so cool.
It tastes different.
Fresh food really, really tastes different.
Whenever I see that I can order like a real homemade pasta or something like that that's not mass produced, then I'm really excited.
So here, you know, you're trying the fresh version because you're making it.
Yeah, that's amazing.
I think in the States we I mean of course we you can eat fresh food if you go to like farm to table, but we don't have as much of a culture of appreciating fresh food.
Uh, but when you go to a understand how that tastes different from the mass produced, chemical induced food?
It's just so different.
Yeah, it's true.
I mean, even like the when we were there uh, every morning we would get a little fruit cup and just like the fruit tastes better.
Like, yeah.
Oh my gosh.
I mean, that's why it's so satisfying, or so you don't need to eat so much of it, because you're so satisfied after just a small portion, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah, definitely.
I love a food tour too.
We did one in Italy and yeah, those are great as well.
So definitely do that too.
A third reason is you get a great story for home and great photos.
So this is kind of a unique thing to do.
Not everybody does this.
Yeah.
And Lindsay we've talked about this before like certain things being even more valuable than like going to see the tourist site and taking the picture you know.
Yeah.
Of course you go to, you obviously went to the Eiffel Tower, you took a photo.
So you don't miss that, but maybe you spend a little less time in the crowds.
Maybe you don't go up the Eiffel Tower.
You just take a photo and then you go have a coffee and then you go start your cooking class nearby.
Right.
So that is the way to kind of feel a little bit more like a local, as it's a way to feel like a local taking these cooking classes.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
And you get to take fun photos.
Like we have like Maybe I'll put some on Instagram.
Like the ones we made.
They were so like, they were pretty like they were like this beautiful purple and pink.
And then a fun thing was it was also this the place where we did it.
They also had I don't know why.
I think it was for some other classes they teach.
They have like these like I don't know if they were paper mache or what they were, but these wigs.
And so we tried them on and we took all these funny photos.
And so it's just it's just different.
It's a different kind of thing to do.
I love that.
And what else, Michelle?
What would be the fourth reason that you love to do this?
You suggest to our listeners to do this.
Yes.
Well, you get to learn something to make at home.
I mean, we did make pasta and sushi at home after we did those classes.
We still need to try the macarons.
That's tricky.
Sounds like it's hard to make.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That it was.
It was.
You know there were.
There were a lot of things in the class where she would say like oh you, you get the feel of it.
And I'm like, oh gosh, like, you know, there's, I don't know if I'm going to feel for it.
Yeah, exactly.
So I, I mean, I would like to try and do it again.
Actually once, uh long ago, my friends and I we bought from like Bed, Bath and Beyond like this macaron making kit, and it was a disaster.
You don't make that.
That's not how you're supposed to do it.
Yeah.
Well, baking is notoriously a lot harder than cooking, right?
Scientific.
It's specific.
Exact.
Yeah.
So you really, you bit off quite a lot there.
What's that expression in English?
We don't bite off more than you can chew, but we do recommend it.
We recommend that challenge.
That's so fun, right?
I mean, if it doesn't work out at home, you had a fun experience in France.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And it was just, it was fun also to watch, like my son, because this is the first time I did.
We did one with kids and I mean, of course, the baby was just kind of, she was like sleeping in the hallway.
But you know, my son, he was really, he was so excited.
So it's also a meaningful thing to take to children too.
So it makes sense.
It makes sense.
I love it.
I love it.
And you know, we talked a little bit, I want to add on a piece here.
We talked a little bit when I came back from Egypt about the idea that we suggest our listeners look into starting their own experiences hosting becoming a host.
We booked a lot of stuff on Airbnb experiences.
I don't know how you booked your cooking class, Michelle.
How did you book that?
Was that through what?
Dan was in charge.
He found it.
You know what?
I have a feeling it was.
Yeah, I would guess.
I actually do have a feeling, but I'm not positive.
So, I mean, there's a whole way that our listeners could start their own businesses.
And I really want to, at some point this year, build a course on this, on how to build your own Airbnb experiences, how much you could charge.
You could charge a lot for tourists coming from places like the US, the UK.
They'll pay well to do a cooking class with a local person to meet you, hang out with you, learn to cook something local in your culture.
I just think it's a fantastic entrepreneurial concept.
Not just cooking classes would be a great idea.
Food tours, tours of really anything in your city, local immersive experiences.
So we're going to revisit this sometime this year.
Um, if our listeners signal to us that they're interested.
So guys, if you're interested in that idea, send me an email, lindsayatallersenglish.com.
I just think that'd be so cool to go into it from that perspective, because this is a way our listeners could make some money on the side and practice their English right.
Because if you hold it in English, yeah, fantastic.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
I'm excited to hear more about that, Lindsay.
Me too.
Michelle, what's the takeaway for today?
Where do we want to leave our listeners?
Yeah well, I mean, I just wanted to share with you a special tradition in my family that what we do when we travel.
But we encourage you to develop your own travel traditions, right?
So maybe it's not a cooking class.
Maybe it's a special picture.
You take a souvenir for a collection, a class, a tour, whatever it is.
You know, find something special to enhance your travels like make it something that you're not going to forget about.
And to me, it's always the experience that is going to be the most valuable thing.
And personally, and I know Lindsay, you feel the same way.
100%.
You want to come away with that experience.
The deeper we go into a culture, the more we try something that might make us feel a little uncomfortable at first right.
We walk into the cooking class, we think, oh, I'm not a chef.
I'm not a baker.
I don't know how to cook.
Those are usually the experiences where we come out of them with the most satisfaction.
Yeah.
No.
Yeah.
So try that, guys.
Good stuff.
All right, Michelle, thanks for sharing this.
I love it.
I want to try your macaroons, macaron, macaron, macaron.
Next time I visit you.
Oh, gosh, that's a lot of pressure.
OK, guys, thank you for listening and let us know about your travel traditions.
And we'll keep talking about travel just like Capicito asked for.
Yeah, this is really a theme in August and we'll keep going into it in the fall, if you guys are interested.
So good stuff.
Take care, Michelle.
Bye.
Bye.
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