Souvlaki, pastizzi and callos

VALLETTA, Malta — Twelve days on the road, away from the familiar sights and sounds of home, your body starts telling you one thing.

Actually, just days into this holiday, I started dreaming about the food that I left behind.

I imagined how my seafood in spicy coconut milk and adobong pusit gave me a big smile every time I took a spoonful of rice with them during lunch or dinner back home.

To save some Euros and let my daughter Audrey (who lives in Madrid) get a much-longed for taste of Pinoy food, I brought along with me almost two weeks ago a can each of Delimondo Ranch and Purefoods corned beef, canned luncheon meat and some other items that can be cooked in our rented apartment.

In past visits, I also had the same types of food alongside canned sardines and packets of sinigang mix.

One time, we made crab and corn soup from scratch (eaten with steamed white rice and canned meat) as I bought cream-style corn while my daughter still had crab sticks, chicken bullion and eggs inside her fridge.

Since, I likewise brought coconut milk, I cooked Bicol Express using local pork and ingredients widely available in shops.

Previously, we also had spaghetti (using Philippine-purchased sauce but Italian-made pasta) and even juicy steak from the local butcher.

You see, we used to stay in hotels during our previous European trips and that proved to be a bit costly.

By renting an Airbnb, we get to hang around in a bigger area than a hotel room and allow us to cook breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

The supermarkets are stacked with high quality but affordable food. The meat section is superb; the bakery is exemplary; and the fruits and veggies are like no other.

Of course, we still go out to check the local cuisine as part of the trip and we have our respective favorites from our annual trips to the continent.

On this particular one, we’ve grown to like quite a few.

For four straight days in Athens, I had souvlaki (shaved pork on pita bread with tatziki, tomatoes, onions and fries) every single day.

“That’s my favorite, too,” hollered my wifey, Cathleen.

One time, I had them as back-to-back meals.

Actually, just before leaving Athens going here, I had it as my pre-flight meal and felt bad that I won’t be having it anymore anytime soon.

I have fallen in love with it so much that it is the main reason that I have made a vow to visit Athens again.

Here in Malta, it is the pastizzi (a flaky pastry stuffed with cheese, peas and chicken) that Audrey was so fond of.

Of course, you can never go wrong with the usual tried and tested Spanish treats such as callos, bocadillo de calamares and their churros when in Madrid or elsewhere in Spain.

Did I mention that a bag of artisanal potato chips from a neighborhood is splendid and much, much better than the branded ones?

I never travel without buying a bag or two to eat whilst there and to bring a few bags home for my parents who are addicted to it.

But there comes a time during your travels that you start longing for the taste of home.

The scent of local garlic, onions and tomatoes (sometimes ginger, too) giving that unmistakable aroma and sizzle remains unmatched, guaranteeing you of a wonderful meal ahead.

As I write this, I am starting to drool because pretty soon, I will get to finally put a stop to my cravings but quietly plotting another trip so I get to see my dear daughter again.