The Ocean Between Us.
You know one of the reasons I love living in New Zealand is the ocean. I promised myself when I decided to stay in Auckland and not move back to the UK that the day I didn’t fall in love with colour of the Waitemata Harbour when travelling over the bridge was the day I needed to leave the country. That promise holds strong today and some of my favourite memories involve the ocean. Attaching a can of tuna to a colleagues fishing line when he asked me to hold his fishing rod, endless dog walks on the beaches of the East Coast, that first plunge of the summer into the water and the promises to do it daily while the weather was warm enough, cockling and fishing from the rocks in the far north – they are all treasured times living here.
And it’s the Pacific Ocean that connects us to our Big Foody sister region of Oregon. Perhaps the most obvious that Oregon and Auckland have in common is our food and drink, and although seafood probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Oregon, it certainly has a deep history. From an Oregonian’s perspective, there are certain things one does at certain times of year, on the coast it is Dungeness crabbing in winter, razor clamming in spring/summer, and fishing for the mighty Chinook in late summer and fall.
Oregon’s food culture is defined by ‘doing’, actively seeking that bounty in the oceans, mountains, valleys and crafting it into something delicious. It’s not just about great restaurants, although there are plenty of those (and we will definitely share those with you), but it’s about the places, people and their recipes who make our homes special.
In Auckland, 1 in 4 people, have a boat, fishing is a right of passage and passed down from generations to generations. Gathering, hunting and living off the land and from the ocean is still very much a way of life in areas of New Zealand.
On our first five day tour of the Oregon State we will visit the stunning Pacific North West coastline around Astoria and Cannons Beach and onto Netarts Bay where the incredible Jacobsens Sea Salt is made!
Join us over the next few weeks as we post more on about our Culinary Escapes for the year.
Elle
