“Tell me something about you that’s not on your resume” is one of the hardest questions I’ve been hit with in an interview. Generally, you try to convey everything you want an interviewer to know through your resume, so coming up with something to say on the spot was tricky. Before I knew it, I blurted out “I take vacations solely based on food” the first time I was asked this.
Truth be told, one of my fondest memories from high school is taking a cheap bus from Durham to NYC at least once a year. Upon arriving, my friends and I would spend most of our time scoping out cheap eats and eating foods we couldn’t get back in Chapel Hill. Through all of my travels thus far, I have learned something important about myself: my favorite way to explore a city is through food.
Before arriving in DC, I was already scoping out places I needed to try. While it definitely takes some budgeting and, to be quite honest, going without three meals a day most of the week, I find the sacrifices worth it to be able to eat some of the amazing food DC has to offer.
One of my main goals for the summer is to get as much Persian food as I possibly can. Being in a city where the food I grew up with is so abundant means the world to me. Very rarely do I get good Persian food these days, considering we only get to go home from school a few times a year. The kabobs, stews, saffron rice, yogurts, baklavas, and salads I’ve eaten here blow the one Persian restaurant in Raleigh-Durham out of the water. It’s a comforting feeling to be in a city where the food you associate with home is readily available when you want it.
While Persian food is the main focus of my culinary adventures in DC, it’s almost impossible to hold back from exploring the food festivals and restaurants this city has to offer. Because our only free time during the day is on weekends, brunch has been one of my favorite ways to learn about food in DC. My friends and I have used brunch as a way to explore iconic DC staples, celebrate birthdays, and decompress from the long days we have Monday through Friday. Before coming here, I had never really had real brunch before, and I must say it has become one of my favorite things to do on the weekend. I’ve also had amazing food at the farmer’s markets that are scattered throughout the city as well as at the food festivals DC has on the weekends.
Eating this way on the weekends has forced me to be extremely frugal on weekdays; however, this is truly my favorite way to explore a city and the sacrifices have been worth it for me. I am in awe at the food scene in DC and excited to continue trying more throughout the summer. This city has so much to offer for almost any type of food you can think of, and I highly recommend taking advantage of being in this location if culinary exploration is important to you.