If you’re ever in Indiana, you have to check out Jan’s Village Pizza in Westfield. The quaint little town of Westfield is home to many cute artsy shops and marvelous shopping opportunities. It is also the home of what is, in my humble opinion, the best pizzeria in the world!

Jan’s Village Pizza is a hole-in-the-wall family restaurant. At first glance, you might not even notice it; but don’t let it fool you! This restaurant is known throughout Indiana for its great homemade pizzas. I’ve toured all over Europe, Africa, and Central America, and even in Italy I did not find any pizza that could compare with the pizza that is lovingly made here.

Upon entering, find yourself a seat as you enjoy the beautiful paintings on display. The owner of the restaurant paints these illustrations of gorgeous locations around the globe, which are for sale.

After admiring the lovely scenes on the charming brick walls, look at the menu. There are so many options that choosing can be difficult. There are many different kinds of pizzas and they are often the inventions of the staff. All are delicious; my personal favorite is the savory Buffalo Chicken. Salads, pastas, breadsticks and more are served here, but the pizzas are what bring crowds from all around the state.

No canned products are used the making of this pizza. The dough is handmade in their kitchens, and is never permitted to be baked until the yeast comes to the perfect stage of fermentation, giving their crust that delicious, chewy flavor. None of that gross frozen dough. After your first meal you will want to come back again and again!

There are always deals to be found at the Jan’s Village Pizza website. Check it out before you go since you could save some money or even get a free pizza. Even if you don’t, the prices are always more than reasonable at this fun family restaurant.

If you are ever in Westfield, Indiana be sure to visit this state-renown family owned restaurant. You’re sure to have the most delicious time of your life!

Ah, yes, the food. The most important part of the market.

There are a variety of specialties found here that are rare at any other time in the year. The traditional Christkindlesmarkt snack is the Mandelen. These delicious treats are almonds, glazed in sugar. They are great! Besides almonds, you can also usually find peanuts and cashews that have been given the same treatment. Be on the lookout for these; it’s a food you don’t want to miss! They come in paper cones of different sizes.

Cotton candy is sometimes for sale, along with popcorn. There is always a selection of gingerbread as well. You will find it, usually wrapped in plastic, hanging in front of the stands. Frosting is used to spell words and make pictures on the surface. This gingerbread is hard, along with the frosting on top of it, so it takes a while to eat.

There is usually Lebkuchen which is a German food that usually comes in a circular or rectangular shape. Colors vary with the topping, but the best is the chocolate covered Lebkuchen. For those who don’t like chocolate, they also come plain or glazed with sugar. They are excellent as well, and a must if it’s your first time at a Christkindlesmarkt.

It is sometimes possible to find fresh waffles at Christkindlesmarkts as well, but by far the most common food to find is the Bratwurst. It is similar to a hot dog, but has a harder consistency. It is great in a biscuit, washed down with some Kinderpunsch. Kinderpunsch is a sharp, sweet drink served to children at the market. You can keep the special cups it is served in, or return them for a refund.

Hot chocolate can often be found as well!

In my experience, these are the main foods you can eat at the Christkindlesmarkts. Next section: the festivities!

Quincy Market

Near Faneuil Hall one of the best markets in Boston takes place every weekend. Stalls are set up, tarps flap in the wind, and a faint scent of fruit and veggies wafts through the salty air. Vendors scurry around their claimed booths, yelling above the noise of the city to each other, laughing and joking as they pile high the strawberries, melons, broccoli, tomatoes and more that they’ve brought to sell.

Soon the customers begin to arrive. Little old women hobble by, dragging their carts behind them, business men look for some lunch, kids giggle as they munch on some fruit. Old men haggle furiously with the vendors, just for the joy of bargaining. The cry’s of the vendors hawking their wares echo through the streets, merging with the sounds of cars, people and seagulls.

L’ Osteria 

Part of Boston is entirely inhabited by people with an Italian heritage. It is here that my very favorite restaurant in the world (so far!) is located. Enter L’ Osteria, a restaurant run  by an Italian family, with the most deliciously mouthwatering food I’ve ever tasted. The interior is elegantly designed, with old fashioned lighting and a wine bar. The menu? A wide variety of pastas, antipasti, meat dishes, seafood, and more. Each meal comes with a complementary basket of bread and olive oil to dip it in. Everything on the menu is good, which makes it rather difficult to choose an entrée!

Mike’s Pastry

For desert, head over a few blocks to Mike’s Pastry. This is the very best pastry shop in Boston, or for that matter, in all of New England. President Clinton used to order from this shop and have his pastries delivered straight to the White House. They specialize in  cannoli’s, but also provide cakes, cheesecakes, gelato, cupcakes, cookies of every kind imaginable, and more. My personal favorite are the Lobstertails. These culinary creations are gigantic hollow pastries with a ridiculously delicious amount of rich cream filling inside. Yum!

What are your favorite food destinations in the States?

We walked around the park twice sniffing out our multi-cultural options.

• Tacos and churros in Mexico.
• Eggrolls and lo mein in China.
• Bratwursts in Germany.
• Pasta in Italy.
• Burgers and fries in America.
• Sushi and seafood in Japan.
• Lamb in Morocco.
• Escargot in the French Bistro.
• Fish and chips in United Kingdom.

What I liked about Epcot’s eating’s was the cultural choicest. Where else can you walk between homemade pasta sauce and fresh grilled bratwursts?!  What I didn’t like was the fancy dinning options in some of the countries. I was hoping to try food that I wasn’t familiar with (like lamb!) but I didn’t want to go to a higher priced restaurant if I ended up hated it. I’m a bit picky that way.

We landed in China. Well we walked around the parked twice and thought General Tso chicken and fried rice sounded great. The restaurant had a Chinese feel to it and our place settings taught us how to write Chinese symbols. Eating in Epcot could take a whole day if you tried everything. I suggest grabbing a map and lapping the park first.

Have you ever thought about how coffee is made?

Many don’t even know how it grows.  We all have the ability to go to the store and buy our coffee, drinking it within a few short hours. But who’s on the other end of the line? Who is making our coffee for us? More importantly, how is it made?

While living in Guatemala last winter I had the opportunity to learn the process hands on, as the highlands of Guatemala produce coffee for shipment around the world, and I happened to have some growing in my backyard.

When our gardener first showed me the coffee plants, I had no idea that what I was looking at was coffee. I had expected conventional coffee beans, not the bright red and green pods that hung in abundance from one of the many bushes surrounding our house. Add to that my limited understanding of the Spanish language, and I was thoroughly confused.

 Luckily, the gardener was patient.

He showed me how to pop the outer red casing (but only if it’s red) and extract the two green beans inside each one. Soon we had a major coffee production taking place on our porch, with a great pan of slimy green beans soaking in the first stage of the week long process.

After the beans soak for three to four days, they are set out in the sun to dry for another three to four days. I was worried that the birds and lizards might eat them, but Adong assured me that at this point they are not edible for any creature.

When they are finally dry there are still two steps to go before they are finished and ready to be ground and made into coffee as we know it. After being dried they are left with a white, papery shell. This will add a bitter flavor to the coffee and has to be removed.

 This is my least favorite part of the coffee making process.

We didn’t have a machine to take the husks off and so we had to do it by hand. It’s a long, boring, difficult job that tends to take hours and the efforts of the entire family.

 Luckily, after that, it gets easier.

The final step is to roast the coffee, which my Dad did in a cheap metal pan. The delicious aroma filled the entire house. After grinding it by hand with a mortar and pestle, we all gathered around as Dad tried our first attempt at coffee. He swirled it in his cup, gravely considering it, and we all held our breath as he took a sip. His face wrinkled unpleasantly and he promptly spat it into the sink.

Well, so our first try was a failure; the next was better and after a few months we were pros. We all really enjoyed the experience of learning how to make our own coffee at home.

Happy Trails!

Cheeses, olives, bread, wine and more; mealtimes are a time of gathering and communion in the family for many Italians.

My family passed through Italy on our bicycle trip around Europe, and so we got to eat Italian food for a whole month as we pedaled our way down the Adriatic Coast. Here’s some of my favorite (and least favorite) foods that we ate:

Buffalo Mozzarella

This is one of my favorite cheeses; and trust me, I have many! It is normally ball shaped, and when bought in a market comes in a plastic bag with it’s natural juices to preserve the flavor. It has a rich, milky taste, is quite chewy, and utterly delicious!

Olives, olives and more olives!

Olives were one of Italy’s main attractions for me. I’m a huge olive fan and would eat them all day long if it were possible. Many of the markets will have whole stalls dedicated entirely to the olive industry, with multiple families comparing secret family recipes passed down and modified through generations to achieve that perfect flavor.

Giant pans full of olives sit in the stalls: pepper stuffed, cheese stuffed, some with names I honestly can’t pronounce, green, purple, red, brown-green, spicy, briny, but all delicious!

Pizza (Yuck)

Everyone says that Italian pizzas are mouthwatering delicacies. There are restaurants everywhere advertising fresh authentic Italian pizza, with pictures of giant pies with perfectly crispy golden crust, soft, stringy cheese, sausages, pepperonis, you name it, they’ve got it! The only problem is… Italian pizza is really quite awful! Just for kicks, we ordered one. It came with an egg cracked raw on top, peas, carrots and frozen broccoli. The broccoli was still frozen when it came out. Italian pizza was definitely not on my list of favorites.

Pasta, plenty of it!

Pasta is one of Italy’s main foods. It comes in all shapes, sizes and colors, and is utterly delicious. Various different sauces are used in the pasta, and it is often homemade. We ate pasta practically all the time when we were riding in Italy.

I was constantly amazed by the great care that Italians take with the preparation of their food. Unlike in our Western culture, food is an art and a joy to take part in. It is a way of bringing the family together and celebrating times of plenty. Italians greatly enjoy food in a way that we just don’t see in many other countries. Want to try out some Italian recipes for yourself?

Hello travelers! My name is Hannah and I’m delighted to be Teen Travel Talk’s newest travel blogger! I’m an American but homeless by choice; my family has been traveling full time for over three years now.

• We rode our bicycles from London, UK to Tunisia, in North Africa, and back.
• We took a 10,000 mile road trip through Central America.
• Most recently we spent six months living in the highlands of Guatemala; Lago de Atitlan is my second home.
• Next, we’re heading to Asia with backpacks!

You can learn more about me and my crazy nomadic life with three brothers at The Edventure Project.

Since I love to cook and eat my way around the world, I thought I’d start by introducing you to some of the unique foods of one of my favorite Central American countries.

Belize. A beautiful country filled to the brim with wonderful foods. Bordered by reef filled oceans stocked with all sorts of brightly colored fish and seafood that simply melts in your mouth as well as land abounding with tropical fruits and vegetables. Having spent parts of the past two winters in Belize, I have found four delicious foods that this country does best.

Coconut Rice

Coconuts are abundant on the coast of Belize, so naturally the Belizian people use them in everything. Rice, as I’ve discovered, tastes amazing when cooked with a generous amount of coconut milk and shaved coconut. It’s almost good enough to be a dessert! (Hint: you can try this at home!)

Stewed Chicken

Mmmm… Coming in to dinner after a long day of SCUBA, hiking or sunbathing to find a delicious pot of stewed chicken and rice simmering on the stove is an amazing feeling! The spicy tender chicken falls apart in your mouth and will leave you feeling warm and rejuvenated! Stewed chicken with beans and rice is Belize’s national dish. Want to taste it at home? Here’s a great recipe.

Beans, Beans, Beans!

Belizians are famous for their delicious beans. Because they’re cheap they’ve been cooked in more ways than you can count! Baked, stewed, pureed, poured on plantains, with chicken, or potatoes, the possibilities seem endless. If you’re going to make the stewed chicken, these are the beans to go with it!

Conch

What? Isn’t that a pretty pink shell? Why would anyone want to eat that? The conch meat inside of it, although pink and white and rather slimy, is delicious cooked, stewed, fried as fritters or as ceviche; otherwise known as raw. It has a slight crunch to it and a coconut flavor before it’s cooked. This is a traditional Belizian delicacy, I didn’t like it very much.

I’ve really enjoyed  Belizian foods. Both spicy and sweet, tangy and incredible, full of the scrumptious tropical flavor of Belize! If you can’t visit soon, take a kitchen field trip at home!

What are your favorite foods from your travels?

“Arab Street” in Singapore was where my friends had suggested we wander, now that we returned to the city as tourists rather than residents. We have all just finished our first year of college and were ready to explore the home that we’ve missed!

The name “Arab Street” is a bit of a misnomer because nobody who regularly shops or sells on the street speaks Arabic or comes from the Middle East. Instead, the area is known for Malays and Indonesians (two Islamic Southeast Asian countries). Nevertheless, I could spot an Egyptian restaurant and three Turkish restaurants in the same area as a cafe called “Kampong Glam.” Kampong Glam was packed whereas the places we went to seemed more geared towards tourists.

The first restaurant we stopped in was a Turkish place named Alaturka. There were iznik tiles everywhere and decorative plates on the walls. Still longing for Istanbul, I was hooked. It was still only 4 p.m. so we just had tea and coffee. Their apple tea was good, but the coffee was a bit sour. Also, I was confused for a second when the waitress asked whether I wanted sugar. In Istanbul, you order your coffee by how much sugar you want — none, medium, or a lot. “Kafve orta” means coffee with medium sugar, what I was used to ordering. Later that night, we would eat at another Turkish restaurant for dinner.

My favorite part of Arab Street is all the little shops. This is where Singaporeans go to buy fabric. It’s especially popular for Muslim women who want to create appropriately-lengthed dresses. When your dress is expected to be floor length, straight cut, and maybe long-sleeved, the design of the fabric is very important. Material for saris can also be bought there, reflecting the ethnic diversity of Singapore. There’s also many bead stores and at least one perfume shop. We stopped in the perfume store so Yuvika could buy some amber perfume. Perfumes that aren’t created by designer brands and bought in a shopping mall just seem more appealing to me. I’ll probably go back to get some coconut and vanilla perfume. A small, unadorned bottle, only costs a few US dollars.

The food at the rodeo is unreal – you won’t believe your taste buds!  There are three food tents, under which are picnic tables and about 8 mini-restaurants per tent.  Major Houston-area restaurants set up shop at the rodeo for three weeks and battle for hungry customers to try their choice favorites.  I LOVED Goode Company’s brisket sandwich.  (Make sure you ask for sauce!)  For dessert, I had deep fried Oreos… my favorite!  They’re all over at the rodeo.  Here’s an insider’s tip – bring extra money for drinks since they range in price from $3.75-4.50 just for a bottle of water.

There's lots of fried food at the Rodeo...

The carnival is surprisingly good as my standards go.  There are two parts to the carnival, the “little-kid” side and the “adult” side, as my brother calls it.  He and I spent all of our tickets on the little-kid side before we realized the best attractions were on the other side of the Astrodome.  For many rides, there’s an identical one on the other side of the Astrodome, which divides the carnival in half, except just a  bigger and more exciting ride.  Also, the tickets are very expensive and disappear before your eyes!  My mom got coupon books for free drinks, tickets, and games online at the HLSR website.  (See bottom of article) They cost $10 per booklet, but are worth it if you’re going to the carnival.

Near the food tents is the Reliant Center, which holds hundreds of Texas (to be said with an accent) boutiques and all the ah-dorable animals.  If you’re looking for boots, an authentic cowboy hat, and a belt buckle the size of a small animal, then this is the place to be.  Also, there are the animals – rows and rows of cows, pigs, and rabbits ready for auction; all the animals were raised by Texas FFA kids.  I love the cows, because the owners decorate each animal’s spot with neat decorations – “Lady Gaga” the cow had her own dressing room-themed spot!  Another must-see is the Birthing Center, where all the baby animals are born.

The baby animals include calves, piglets, lambs, and chicks!

The Rodeo and the concert are together at the Reliant Stadium.  Your ticket for the Rodeo is also for the concert, because ten minutes after the rodeo ends – bam! — your favorite artist struts onto the 360^o rotating stage singing your favorite song.  The Rodeo part, which lasts about two hours, has several different events, but the best one is the Calf Scramble, where 28 FFA kids from all over Texas scramble to catch a calf and drag it into the middle of the arena.  It’s hilarious! The artist, like I said, is different each night, so you can’t miss out – they range from Jason Aldean to the Zac Brown Band to the Black Eyed Peas. (The Rodeo isn’t just country stars.)

One event at the Rodeo is bareback riding! Ouch!

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ended last Saturday, but next year it runs during the first three weeks of March.  Check it out next year, and you won’t be disappointed.

Greetings from Texas,

Emily

(If you want to check out the Rodeo next year, try these websites: http://www.hlsr.com/, http://www.visithoustontexas.com/)

For more Houston travels, read about the World Biggest Flower.