taste cultural food tours: global explorer
About 30km west of Sydney CBD is a suburb called Fairfield. A suburb that has opened its arms to people of 139 cultural backgrounds…. The most culturally diverse place in the world.
We know of the suburb, we know approximately where it is but we really have never explored it. So when Taste Food Tours advertised its Global Explorer in Fairfield, we signed up without hesitation.
The concept behind the food tours was to break down barriers between different cultural backgrounds and bridging the gap. And where do great social opportunities and happy memories normally happen? When there is food! It is a very innovative and fun way to bring people together.
It’s not physically possible to explore 6 countries in several continents in one day AND return home… but it is possible to explore flavours from that many countries in one day.
We drove to Fairfield with no idea what to expect; it was our first ever “food tour”… “food safari”… “walking food tour” (whatever one likes to refer to such a tour).
In a bit over 4 hours, together with 12 other food explorers, we tasted a bit of Bosnia, Italy, Argentina, Lebanon, Iraq and China.
We ate and we walked and we ate and we chatted and we ate and we shopped. Did we mention we ate?
First off the rank was trying Bosnian Cevapi – grilled mince meat in a shape of a frankfurt, served with some flatbread, sour cream, raw onions and a cabbage salad. The verdict…. DELICIOUS!
Next was a visit to an Italian deli, where the shelves were stocked with an array of imported foods from Europe, all of which one day we hope to try. And at the counter, there were cold meats and cheeses to our hearts content. The owner prepared a little platter for us to try and the most memorable was the provolone cheese…. YUM!
An Argentinian cake shop was next on the cards and we were fed very well there. We tasted beef empanadas, dulce de leche croissants, quince croissants and 3-layered Argentinian sandwiches (the bread sliced at 3mm thick, buttered and mayo-ed with a various other fillings).
And what did we think? Dulce de leche says enough, don’t you think?
A Middle Eastern nuts shop which was brimming with sweets, nuts, dried fruits, and imported foods of all sorts is just the place for foodies. The varieties were endless. The owners here prepared a platter with a few dips, nuts and olives for us to taste.
Onto a Lebanese butcher, followed by an Iraqi bakery and lastly a northern Chinese luncheon which was a feast! 
We only snapped the dumplings because we were so overwhelmed with the amount and variety that kept coming out, we totally forgot to photograph the rest of the feast. But… in our defence, we needed to save some mystery for anyone else who might decide to do this tour one day.
At all the shops and restaurants we went, we met the owners, some with stories to tell while others were a little more reserved.
So it was NOT only about food, we learned a bit about the countries, cultures, family histories and how the different families started their businesses in Australia.
It was a lovely day trip. It was a great way to meet new people. It was a fantastic way to explore a suburb to gain the confidence to come back again.
As with trying anything new, go with an open mind and you are sure not to be disappointed!
We’d like to make a special mention to our guide, Nevzeta who was so friendly, warm and welcoming. She is full of enthusiasm and knowledge. It is easy to see she is passionate about what she does.
For more information about Taste Food Tours and the tours offered, see their website.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a discount for this tour however there was no obligation or arrangement for us to write or promote Taste Food Tours. The opinions expressed throughout this piece is entirely that of Wise Monkeys Abroad.
Which food tour have you done (anywhere in the world) that you would recommend to us?
Leave your comments here.
wise monkeys abroad 
September 19, 2015 at 10:05 pm
[…] may have read about our last experience doing the Global Explorer, this time we were invited to join a tour of Little India, right here in Harris Park, Sydney. This […]
August 3, 2015 at 8:03 pm
How wonderful, a virtual trip around the world.
The school I work at is the most diverse in Queensland with more than 50 countries represented. I love the atmosphere. It’s so friendly and there is such an air of tolerance among the children and their parents. I’ve been given traditional food from the culture of my students as gifts in the past and it is such a special thing, truly given with pride and love.
August 3, 2015 at 8:23 pm
Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 Diversity and tolerance certainly make us smile! You sound like you work at a beautiful place.
August 3, 2015 at 8:24 pm
It is a fantastic place to spend my days.
August 3, 2015 at 8:26 pm
Very rarely hear teachers not LOVE what they do 😉 It must be so satisfying making such a difference in the next generation …
August 3, 2015 at 8:27 pm
It’s not the sort of job people should do if they don’t love it. I’m lucky to work in such an amazing place.
August 3, 2015 at 4:08 pm
Such an interesting tour! I really enjoy these events where you can get to know so much about different countries just by their food. I am sure you ate your heart out 🙂
August 3, 2015 at 8:25 pm
We ate our heart, our stomachs and our taste buds off 🙂
It is a lot of fun to do these type of things. Try things we wouldn’t have thought to normally… Hope you had a lovely weekend!
August 3, 2015 at 12:03 pm
So much food there and one can only eat so much 😉 The Middle Eastern nuts shop looks fantastic. I’m sure they allowed you to pinch a few nuts and sweets here and there. How can one resist all that colour, so tempting. Looks like you two ate enough food for a few days 😀
August 3, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Yeah, we ate a lot and will need to exercise to burn it all off this week 🙂 How is your book coming along?
August 3, 2015 at 2:27 pm
New week, great to start if off with some exercise 😉 Not too bad on the book writing front, though I think nothing that I’ve written makes sense at the moment 😀
August 3, 2015 at 8:24 pm
We are sure you are writing plenty that makes sense! Keep going… happy writing!
August 3, 2015 at 7:57 am
This sounds like a really good time 🙂
August 3, 2015 at 12:49 pm
It was A LOT of fun. A different way for us to spend our time in Sydney 🙂
August 3, 2015 at 4:11 am
Sounds great! Travel and food is my favorite combination 🙂
August 3, 2015 at 7:22 am
We’ve realised that it is our favourite combination too ; Hope you are well.
August 3, 2015 at 2:29 am
I can only recommend Rou jia mo in Xi’an! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rou_jia_mo
August 3, 2015 at 7:21 am
Cool… Next time we are in Xi’an, we will have to remember! So how many days now til you take off?
August 3, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Still 23 days 😀
August 3, 2015 at 8:21 pm
You mean ONLY 23 days 😉
August 3, 2015 at 8:45 pm
It’s still a long time especially because right now my wife is basically 24/7 busy with our own business 🙂
August 7, 2015 at 9:32 am
Oh wow! Had no idea you guys ran your own business! Good for you 🙂 Do you mind us asking what business you run?
August 7, 2015 at 5:05 pm
It’s just a simple trading business with Chinese customers. Products range from clothes over kitchen utensils to everything a baby needs 🙂
August 16, 2015 at 6:30 pm
Wow! That’s exciting! Must be fun running your own business 🙂
August 16, 2015 at 6:52 pm
It is but it is also at time overwhelming in the beginning 🙂
August 2, 2015 at 10:26 pm
so much on offer!
August 3, 2015 at 7:20 am
Definitely plenty on offer…. everything from food, information and experience 🙂
August 2, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Interesting post. The photos are great and the food looks very good. 🙂
August 3, 2015 at 7:19 am
Thank you so much for reading and for leaving us a comment! Also thanking you for giving our blog our follow 🙂