Celebrating 27: My 27 Favorite Foods in My 27th Year of Life
You can learn a lot about someone by just asking them what their favorite food is. These are my 27 favorites.
When I realized that I would be celebrating my 27th birthday in Spain—the country that stole my heart from the second I stepped foot on her cobblestone streets—I knew it was going to be special.
After all, I’ve always loved the number 27. (Why? I don’t even know, it just feels like the perfect number to me.)
I spent my 27th birthday in Madrid, eating one of my favorite foods: pollo a la brasa (Peruvian rotisserie chicken) at one of my favorite restaurants: Humo, with my favorite person: my husband Pedro. And it was a good birthday.
But more importantly, 27 was a great year.
It was the year I showed Pedro around California for the first time. My California—Lake Tahoe, where we spent every summer growing up, Mikunis: my favorite sushi place, the school where I went to kindergarten, the parks where I played soccer.
It was the year I scootered along the Amalfi coast, ate pizza in Naples, and had the best gelato of my life in Rome.
It was the year I saw my third world wonder—the Roman Colosseum (though, arguably, Rome herself is a wonderful world of her own).
It was the year I spent Christmas in California with my family for the first time in a long time, with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and all my siblings—all together.
It was the year I was reunited with dear friends in Santander, after years of not seeing each other. And it felt like no time had gone by at all.
It was the year I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle—and had the most incredible steak frites and crepes.
It was the year I started this foodie writing adventure to share places I love to eat around the world with you.
A year full of fun, blessings, growth, and moments I never want to forget.
I’ll only be 27 for a few more days. So, I thought that apart from reflecting on the year it’s been (I’m deeply nostalgic at heart), I’d also share something useful. Well, maybe not useful per se, but at least interesting, if you’re a foodie like me:
My 27 Favorite Foods In My 27th Year Of Life (More or Less, in Order):
Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian rotisserie chicken)
Steak Frites—from a specific restaurant in Paris because it’s fresh on the stomach and I need more.
Ben & Jerry’s Milk and Cookies Ice Cream—unarguably the greatest flavor of all time. And yes, ice cream is one of my favorite foods.
Mikuni’s Sushi—the greatest sushi restaurant of all time. Everything there is incredible.
Ceviche (Peruvian ceviche, for the uncultured who think any country can do ceviche)—specifically from Mi Barrunto in Lima.
Pasta—everything and anything pasta, this has been my favorite food since I was five years old.
Seco de Cabrito—another winning dish from Peru, El Mochica de Doña Fresia does it best.
Anticuchos (Grilled beef hearts)—my favorite Peruvian street food of all time.
Street tacos—al pastor, carnitas, campechanas, gringas, I’m not picky with this one. Just fill me with tacos.
Grandpa’s homemade ice cream—for the nostalgia and the unbeatable texture, especially his Andes mint flavor.
Pizza from Giovanni’s—with the dreamy ranch sauce (but, I’ll clarify, this is the only place I eat pizza with ranch, and it’s only because both the pizza and the ranch here are literally perfect.)
The Bacon Cheeseburger—You just can’t go wrong with a good bacon cheeseburger.
Fried Rice or Arroz Chaufa (Peruvian fried rice).
Colombian empanadas—and yes, I’m picky here too, the ones from Colombia are the best.
Lomo Saltado (Peruvian steak stir fry with fries and rice)
Parmesan cheese—from a block, never bought pre-grated. One year when I was little, I got a hand rotary cheese grater for my birthday (yep, like the ones the waiters bring around in the restaurants) and that’s how I became a parmesan cheese snob.
Limonada de coco—The best, creamiest coconut drink in all of Colombia.
Pillsbury Canned Orange Rolls—The inner redneck is coming out. But I don’t care, I’m in love with these orange rolls.
Goodie Goodie sauce from Wasabi—Yes, just the sauce, it’s so good you could drink it (and all the food at Wasabi is fantastic).
Patatas Bravas (Spanish chunky fried potatoes with alioli and spicy paprika sauce)—undoubtedly the best Spanish tapa.
Pesto pasta—Yes, I mentioned pasta before, but pesto has made it onto my almost-weekly rotation, and it deserves its own mention.
Sfogliatella frolla—This delicious Italian pastry stole my heart.
Deditos Colombianos—A deep fried, cheese-and-guava snack that my husband makes best.
Mom’s banana bread—And all things banana.
Fish and Chips from Sea Pal Cove in Fort Bragg, California—the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.
Mercadona Guava Juice—Because it tastes just like the guava juice from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which enamored me the moment I drank it.
New York-style cookies from Dolce 27—the best cookies I’ve ever had, IN MY LIFE (unfortunately they’re no longer in business).
Did this turn into a list of nostalgic foods I remember and am now craving? Possibly. But I’m not complaining.
You can learn a lot about someone by just asking them what their favorite food is. (For example, if they don’t have one… watch out. Someone who would put anything in their mouth is not to be trusted.)
Although, if you met me at an airport and I responded with this list of 27 favorite foods, you might think I’m crazy and never talk to me again…
Or, we might become BFFS: best foodie friends.
If you’re looking for a foodie friend to share restaurant recommendations with, talk food, and reminisce about that one meal you ate at that one hole-in-the-wall place 17 years ago, I think you’ll enjoy my drool-worthy corner of the internet.
As my 27th year comes to a close, I’m grateful for a champ of a stomach that’s survived the street food of three Latin American countries, the hard water of Spain, and everything I’ve put it through so far.
I’m grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me with unforgettably beautiful experiences during my journey here on planet Earth.
And I’m grateful for a year 28, which I hope will be filled with even more delicious eats.
You need to try fish and chips in Scotland or northern England sometime. we went to some shops that were next level better than anything I’ve ever had elsewhere!!