The Food-Lover's Trick to Never Feeling Awkward at a Party Again — Gathering

"What do you do?"

"Is this your first time here?"

"How long have you been traveling?"

I was sitting at a restaurant with some people I'd just met — which was lovely — but after traveling across Thailand for several weeks, I didn't want to ask and answer the same questions again.

I'd recently read Jodi Ettenberg's blog post on condiments around the world, and had been paying more attention to what was served in different countries. So instead of joining the rote Q&A session, I examined each of the jars on our small plastic table. Then, picking up the prik naam plaa, I asked my companions: "If you could only live with one condiment for the rest of your life, what would it be?"

READ MORE »