Blogs are the perfect way to express yourself and introduce your interests to a wide audience. A lucky few turn their blogs into something that people can’t wait to read everyday. The adventure, the pictures, and the food, make the blogs in this feature just that. It is like a good book that you just can’t put down until you finish the entire thing.
By Jennifer Post
Image courtesy of FEAST: An Edible Road Trip (Dana on the left, Lindsay on the right) 
Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller, of FEAST: An Edible Road Trip, have taken an adventure of a lifetime, and lived to write about it. Their blog quickly became one of my personal favorites, after having felt a connection with them through their writing, photographs, and love of food. Once they both reached a point in their lives where the idea of taking off on an adventure could become a reality, they both jumped at the chance. The goal of this adventure? To show people that there is such a thing as Canadian cuisine and to explore the Canadian food culture. “We’ve both always loved food and travel, and have spent a lot of time talking about how dismissive many people seem to be towards the idea of Canadian cuisine. ‘There is no such thing as Canadian food’ seems to be a popular turn of phrase.”
During their travels, Lindsay and Dana realized how much of their own country they found unfamiliar. “You think, ‘I’m Canadian! Born and raised! I know what this place is all about!’ And then you actually get out there, to far flung places that look nothing like what you know, and into the homes of people who have led vastly different lives than your own.” Through being in the homes of others, both women, unexpectedly, gained a new group of friends whose stories, advice, and food, were some of the greatest rewards of their trip.
While there is never one answer to a question as complex as what the food of a nation is, Lindsay and Dana wanted to celebrate Canadian food through its diversity and discover as many dishes and ingredients as possible. “Canadians are spread across such an enormous landmass, we often have no idea what others are cooking/eating/growing/fishing in other parts of the country.” They have accomplished their mission by traveling from one coast of Canada to the other, exploring every province in search of farmers, fishers, chef, hunters, foragers, etc. Their most recent experience? Cod fishing with Bruce.
Image courtesy of FEAST: An Edible Road Trip
Aside from the blog and their adventure across Canada, both Lindsay and Dana’s lives are pretty normal. They like to cook, enjoy a cocktail, and spend time with friends. Lindsay says that she cannot start the day without a strong cup of black tea. Calling herself “The Original Morning Person,” before ten in the morning she has usually “done about two or three hours of work and […] back from a workout at the gym.” After all of that, she has time to indulge in her latest favorite ingredient, coconut, and to cook up her favorite meal, “a classic ragù with pappardelle (covered in parm) has never let me down.”
Dana, on the other hand, prefers to start her day with a cup of coffee, either alone or with a friend. While Lindsay is The Original Morning Person, Dana wishes she was a creature of routine. “My life tends towards the sporadic . . . Most mornings, however, I’ve enjoyed coffee and/or breakfast with my roommates, and have sat down to work before 10am.” Getting such an early start leaves Dana plenty of time to use her favorite ingredient when cooking: lemons. “Lemons pretty much end up in everything I cook.” She also loves potatoes so much that she boldly jests, “Serve me lemon-y potatoes, and I’ll marry you on the spot.”
Before they began FEAST, the girls were just hoping to complete the trip in one piece, and not have crippling debt because of the trip, “that, and create something enjoyable for our families and friends to read.” Since the readership of their blog has extended far beyond their parents, and they have won a Saveur award, they want to pursue FEAST and incorporate it into their careers somehow. “Looking forward, we would be thrilled to hop in the car and continue telling stories of food culture, whether those be Canadian, American, or further abroad.”
Image courtesy of FEAST: An Edible Road Trip
To read more delicious posts by Lindsay and Dana, and see more pictures from their travels, check out their blog FEAST: An Edible Road Trip and experience food culture with them!
