“Every moment is worth it” – Interview with Aditi from Lyf&Spice

Photo provided by and used with permission from Aditi Shukla at Lyf&Spice

Today’s interview is with Aditi Shukla, a food and travel blogger at Lyf&Spice. According to her about page, “Lyf” is pronounced “life,” which “looks different from every angle. Add some spice to it & you have a zesty life! […] Lyf = a new angle to sprucing up life, might I add, with some flavor & spice!”

In this interview, Aditi shares some fun facts about herself, her bucket list, and the best advice she’s ever received.

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Name and blog:
Aditi Shukla at Lyf&Spice

Fun fact about you:
The thought of dipping my feet in water [used to] send shivers down my spine, but I’m now a certified Open Water Diver 😉

Funner fact:
I’m very bad at yoga, I skip work-out sessions, I can eat chocolate cakes all day. I am always positive, motivated, and always on time (rather… before time) for meetings and gatherings.

Funnest fact:
I collect bills [receipts] from dinner catch-up with friends, boarding passes, and small notes and scribbles from daily life for my scrap book. I label the collection and go through it once in a while.

What do you think has been essential to your success as a travel blogger?
I wouldn’t call myself successful yet, but my journey has been nurtured by consistency, hard work and the quintessential “never say die” spirit. It took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do with Lyf&Spice. It eventually grew to be about Travel and Food, and I spend all the time I can nurturing it. My aim is to help readers and fellow travellers with tips and tricks, and take non-travellers on a virtual trip through Lyf&Spice.

What was something that surprised you about blogging?
The amount of networking that needs to be done. To be noticed, you have to be seen first.

If you had to describe your blog in 6 words or less, what would you say?
Read – Travel – Drool – Repeat.

Who or what inspires you?
My mom, for the energy and confidence she exudes – her positivity always keeps me going.

What is your all-time favorite bucket list item (of yours or someone else’s)?
Well, besides wanting to travel the world with my travel buddy (hubby), I want to eat at every possible city of the world. Hosting a travel and food show ranks one on my (dream) list!

If you aren’t doing anything related to travel, what are you doing in your free time?
Writing, eating chocolate cake, hanging out with friends and family, or trying something new.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
From my dad – Celebrate life, ‘coz every moment is worth it!

Readers: Join me in thanking Aditi for sharing her time, stories, and advice with us! If you want to learn more about her, check out her blog Lyf&Spice, with all the links to the usual social media sites.

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“Fries, eh?” – Trying poutine (Canadian fries)

Photo credit: Guilhem Vellut via Flickr, used unmodified under CC BY 2.0 license

I love French fries, so I’m pretty excited about trying poutine, which people tell me is fries with gravy and cheese. Sort of like the concept of nachos, but with fries, and from Canada. That’s what I hear anyway.

We’re at a bar at a ski resort in Idaho (but not to ski, story for another time). The Winter Olympics (hosted in Canada) are playing on the TV, and we sit with it in view. The server comes by and tells us they’re having some specials in honor of the Olympics, and hands us a piece of paper with several items, including poutine.

Okay, the description doesn’t sound that great (because I prefer ketchup or Ranch on my fries, not gravy and cheese), but it’s unique and something that I haven’t tried yet. So… one order of poutine for the table, please!

When it arrives, I pull out one of the fries hanging over the edge, and it comes out with a bit of gravy and some melted cheese. That looks promising, I think, because it reminds me of other melty-cheese foods I like.

But, when I taste it, I’m not sure if I like it.

I’m not sure why it’s weirding me out so much. Mashed potatoes have gravy, and baked potatoes have cheese. I love both. But this is different somehow. Maybe the fried taste with the gravy?

The second fry has more gravy and I like it much less. This poutine adventure isn’t as great as I’d thought it would be. That’s sort of disappointing.

But with the three of us, we eat most of them, until the rest are a soggy mess at the bottom, wallowing in the gravy (actually, those aren’t that bad, they’re more like mashed potatoes, but by now I’m pretty full, and this is a very salty food).

Still, the most memorable thing about poutine is yet to come:

When we get the bill, the poutine is listed as, “Fries, eh?” 

Makes me smile every time I think of it! 🙂

So, while I’m grateful for the opportunity to try a new (to me) food, it’s probably the top way to ruin good French fries. But maybe it’s because I didn’t eat them in Canada. Either way, I’d be open to trying again, at least once. At least the receipt made it worth this first experience!

Have you eaten poutine? Do you like it? 

“Center of the Universe”: 50+ ways to spend a weekend in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle

Fremont Troll under the bridge – Photo Credit: Sue via Flickr, Used unmodified under CC BY 2.0 license

The self-proclaimed “Center of the Universe,” the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle is a great place to spend some time, whether you’re just visiting or exploring the city you live in. There’s enough going on that you could even make a weekend trip for this neighborhood alone.

Fremont is known for its eclectic, artsy feel and its many festivals and events. It’s located north of downtown, and is easily accessible by public transportation, car, or walking, so there’s no excuse not to stop by.

There’s a ton of interesting things to see and places to visit in this neighborhood, so I’m sure I overlooked something. Several people helped me with this list, and you can be one of them: if you think of something that I’ve left off and should include in the next round, leave a note in the comments!

Who and what’s included:
I came up with a list of places I recommend checking out (indicated by an asterisk). Then I contacted several of those places and asked anyone working there if they had additional recommendations (you’ll see their ideas in each category below). These are the businesses I talked with:

• Jill at Ophelia’s Books
• Danielle at Fainting Goat Gelato
• Lauren at Portage Bay Goods
• Nancy who owns Hotel Hotel Hostel
• Hal who owns the Teeny Tiny Guesthouse
• Josh at Uneeda Burger

Our recommendations include food and drink, services and shopping, activities and sightseeing, and accommodations. (Click to jump to your favorite section or read them all!)

Note: If I didn’t put an asterisk next to the recommendation, it doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s probably just that I haven’t been there yet to personally recommend it. There’s so much to see and do that I haven’t been to all of these!