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Join Locals at their Tables

Alex Shaked
by Alex Shaked

August 27, 2021

3 minute read

"When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them, you're inviting a person into your life." – Maya Angelou

Food is a spectacular snapshot into a destination’s culture. More importantly, food offers a way for us to connect with each other.  The work and care that goes into the preparation of a meal is humbling, and it brings us closer to our hosts.

Travelers who join us on many tours get the chance to experience a country’s hospitality directly and share a meal with local hosts in their own homes. Through these home hosted meals, Collette travelers get to savor a meal and an experience that others will never find at a restaurant, bar, food cart, or café. Here are a few of our tours that offer home hosted meals:

Jordan & Israel: Cultural Crossroads

In Jerusalem, join a local Orthodox Jewish family in their home to share conversation and a traditional Israeli meal. The resilient spirt of the one of the world’s oldest cities is alive as your hosts welcome you into their world for a little while. Learn about the practices of Jewish festivals and the foods you may find at them from the people who know them best.

Tuscan & Umbrian Countryside

Umbria’s rustic cuisine relies heavily on locally foraged ingredients. Freshly picked fennel and sage. Harvested legumes and grains. The illustrious truffle. World-renowned full bodied olive oils. You can learn more about the gems of this regional cuisine when you are welcomed into the country home of a local family for lunch!

Mysteries of India

Step into the home of a local family in Jaipur and be warmly welcomed to a true behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a traditional meal. Prepare a fresh, flavorful vegetarian dish and get to know your hosts. Alongside your guides in the kitchen and their family, you’ll gain so much more than just a meal after the cooking demonstration.

Alaska: America’s Last Frontier

Sled dogs are a huge piece of history in Alaska. These working dogs were used to deliver mail and packages into the 1900s after settlers moved there during the Gold Rush. This history set the stage for the famous Iditarod Race. When in Fairbanks, you’ll visit the legendary Trail Breaker Kennel, founded by a late four-time Iditarod race winner and her husband. Many sled dogs recognize the kennel as a home today, and mushers and those happy pups will be happy to welcome you into their world. You’ll get the chance to witness the dogs in their element and later share a meal with and learn from these talented dog handlers.

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