One of the things I love about traveling is that it puts me in the position to taste a lot of different foods. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessed with food, I’m just enjoying life in all of its forms. And traveling while tasting a lot of new and exciting foods is one of the most fulfilling ways of enjoying life. In my opinion, at least.

I admit I wasn’t like this before. Food was one of my lowest priorities. If it was edible, affordable and quick, it was on my plate. If I look back at my younger days and see how unconsiderate I was in regard to eating, I can’t believe I’ve done a 9 and a half raw food diet last year. And enjoyed it! It’s a huge leap forward.

Eating For Living

Back in my younger days eating was just a necessity. I needed it in order to survive. So was work. And socializing. And a lot of other things. I wasn’t really enjoying life when I was younger. I was making a living, but didn’t actually enjoying it. All I did was running with the crowd, going to a job, running back home and get drunk in between. Grey in, grey out.

One of the jobs I had (and hated, at the same time) was being a journalist. Part of the job was in fact attending to a lot of press conferences, events and other social gatherings. After the initial adaptation period, I started to see a pattern: the press conference in itself, the short work period and the buffet afterwords. Every press conference had a buffet.

In a very short time I started to save money based on the press conferences I attended to. I was eating there. The first 2 phases of the event were on autopilot: the press conference and the work period in which I was actually writing my news. The part which was really appealing to me was the buffet.

Looking back to that period I realize I was exposed to an incredible variety of foods. I think I had caviar every week. And a lot of other fantastic, exquisite and rare foods. But what I really don’t remember is my joy and satisfaction. I didn’t actually enjoyed it. I was eating because it was affordable (as in free), quick and easy to put on my plate.

It’s Always There

Now, every time I try a new food, I am literally puzzled. Every new taste is making me thrill with joy, every new gastronomical encounter is actually a travel in itself. I can easily tell the difference between a good meal and chef meal. There is this subtle difference between something good and something really extraordinary. My taste buds are educated now.

And that’s the only difference. I had caviar before and didn’t enjoy it. When I have caviar now it’s like going all the way up to Japan and back. Every time I try a new fruit I feel like I’m walking on a remote beach in New Zealand. Every exotic food really transports me somewhere in Thailand. I traveled the world and I saw things. My receptors are alive now. I developed my ability to enjoy.

The fact is that good meals are always there. The extraordinary is surrounding you every second. You don’t see it only because your tastes aren’t educated enough. Your capacity of joy is limited. Your ability to be happy and grateful is not worked out. It’s like a fluffy muscle trying to lift an enormous weight. It won’t. And of course, you will blame the weight, not your fluffy muscle. The meal doesn’t taste good. Even if it’s caviar.

What Good Taste Is

Good taste has nothing to do with food. Good taste has nothing to do with talent. Good taste has nothing to do with education.

Good taste is your ability to enjoy life.

Have you noticed that in every area where you show good taste you’re actually enjoying life? You have a good taste in art, therefore you’re happy when consuming art. You have good taste in women, so you’re happy when spending quality time with gorgeous women. You’re enjoying the things you appreciate the most.

Even more, if you show good taste you will also attract appreciation from other people. You will become an authority on that topic and others will want to know your opinion. You’re the one with the good taste, right?

Whenever you think you have a boring life, think twice. Maybe is not life, but your ability to enjoy it? Maybe your taste in life has suffered a serious atrophy? Maybe you’re surrounded with beauty, wonder and magic, but you don’t see it? Maybe you’re eating caviar as we speak, but you don’t really care?

Now really: do you think you have good taste in life?