CURRENT MISSION

To eat my way around the world, ovopescatarian style!

ABOUT ME

A dilettante who has dabbled in many things. There are so many interesting things in the world. Love getting to know different cultures and what makes people tick. My mother is a chef and she raised us on freshly prepared meals. She is not an outwardly emotional person and that's how she best expressed her love. I love reading about food, cooking it, looking at it, smelling it and discovering the endless possibilities of its enjoyment.

For many cultures, social bonds are made and reinforced over everyday meals and through extravagant holiday feasts. It is fascinating to discover this aspect of various cultures and how people have ingeniously developed ways to bring out the most flavor from what their environment provides. Even harsh environments have cultivated some amazing foods.

By now I've tasted so many ways that eggplants are showcased in various cuisines and it's so enriching and life-affirming to learn about their similarities and how each of the regional twists can elevate this mighty vegetable to new gustatory heights.

PHILOSOPHY

There is so much good food in the world it's really a shame when you have bad food. Meals should be rewards everyday. I'm happy if my stomach is happy. Ovopescatarian. Yep, it's my sect.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So after I started surfing and hosting (and having a helluva blast) in Helsinki and Europe, I moved to Vietnam, where I had a tumultuous year and a personal emergency which has kept me away from CS. But now I'm more settled again, this time in the Philippines and hope to get back into the scene. I've had the most amazing experiences with CS!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Graduated to intermediate, I guess! I have surfed a few times and all of them have been the best travel and personal experiences. It's made the world a smaller place knowing that there are so many caring and hospitable people out there across cultures and borders.

Interests

Food, more food, and then more food. Okay, really, beautiful things, art, films, nature, cycling, cooking, traveling, languages, the usual...Concord grapes!!!

• arts
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• surfing
• snorkeling
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Inception, The Seagull (Chekov), 500 Days of Summer, In the Mood for Love, English Patient, Dark Knight, Sur Mes Levres, Jean de Florette, Manon des Sources, Indochine, My Neighbor Totoro, All Audrey Hepburn stuff and the classics from the 40's and 50's, Ronan, etc, etc, my memory is fading. Listen to anything. 18th and 19th century English lit. So romantic. PBS rocks! So does 30 Rock, Dead like me, Wonderfalls, Arrested Development, the Office, Murphy Brown, the X-Files, House, and lots of anime (aka time killers)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Safari in the Serengeti.
Snorkeling in Zanzibar.
Seeing Mt Kilimanjaro.
Picking blueberries, lingonberries, and mushrooms in the heart of the Finnish forest. Felt like a real Finn.
Drive from Miami to Key West--amazing, ethereal waters abound.
Snorkeling in Key West.
Snorkeling in Hawaii, Hanauma Bay. Snorkel enough???!!
Motorbike ride in the jungles and coast of Kep, Cambodia.
Eating my way through the old town of San Sebastián.

Teach, Learn, Share

Can hoola hoop for a long time. Very random.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Open-minded conversations, different perspectives, bi-cultural awareness. I love getting to know the local culture by spending time with my hosts and I am also independent and do not need guidance if the host is busy. I'm happy with whatever the host can or cannot spare in terms of time.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cambodia, Egypt, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Laos, Malta, Philippines, Russian Federation, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, France, Philippines, South Korea, United States, Viet Nam

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