How Things Disappear: A Travel Writer’s Pilgrimage
On tough editorial calls, Rick Steves, and a small town in Andalusia, selected for Best American Food & Travel Writing 2024
What, exactly, is a travel writer who cannot travel?
A feature essay in the Washington Post Magazine in which I take a journey inward to reflect on the lessons of travel
The Endless Siesta
In Spain, I took measure of what had changed in the country — and in myself — since the pandemic. From the Washington Post Magazine.
The Sommeliers of Everything
In our era of hyper-credentialism, there’s a creeping wine-ification in all realms of taste, none without a certified expert. From Washington Post Mag
God and Pesto are Dead
The Genoese were mad at me for my Pesto Generator. But for some of us, cultural contamination is love. From Everyday Drinking
The Best American Travel Writing
The 2020 edition of The Best American Travel Writing anthology is out now!
Trend reporting @ Taste of Home
Click to see my work on the Trends team at Taste of Home
Notes From the German Asparagus Festival
Spring Harvest in Germany is Celebrated for Its "White Gold," in Travel + Leisure
We Need To Talk About Rum
The “Tasting of the Century” raises questions about what lurks in rum’s past. In Everyday Drinking.
A New Spirit of Travel in La Rioja
My travel feature on how to eat and drink in Spain's most famous wine region, in Travel + Leisure
Writing @ The Philadelphia Citizen
My column, Foodizen, that delved into the nexus of food and culture in Philly.
A Round of Applause for Parsnips?
‘Oh wow! Look at those beautiful parsnips!’ said no one ever. From Heated.
On Boars, Booze, and Barbarism
Observations on an autumn hunt in France, from Everyday Drinking
Just Make Some Canapés
Parties are canceled, but you can still make yourself some fancy (but simple) hors d’oeuvres. From Heated.
Simply Satay
The Indonesian classic is more than just chicken on a stick. From Heated.
Check Out This Definitive Book on Pasta
The 1974 masterwork ‘The Pasta Codex’ is finally translated into English. From Heated.
Orange is the Color of a Fall Pantry
Why this sweet potato recipe Is my go-to autumn staple, from Heated
On Travel Writing
In the absence of travel, what is a travel writer to do? From Guernica.
In troubled times, make your memories as best you can.
An essay about pasta in a pandemic, published in Heated.
We Were Wrong to Give Up on Pour-Over Coffee
It’s the perfect meditation for our time
Playmobil’s Plan to Infiltrate Your Workplace
Not content to have shaped your childhood, the toy company now wants to shape your office life. From Washington Post Magazine.
At a Snail’s Pace
In the Washington Post, I explore whether American escargot is, very slowly, starting to have a moment.
Journeys in Trump World
Here’s what I glimpsed about America’s future as a tourist at Trump resorts, in the Washington Post Magazine.
Vermont Maple Means Big Business
The maple syrup business is booming, thanks to technology and changing tastes. In the Washington Post.
Saving California’s Historic Orchards
California’s century-old orchards provide a link to the vanishing past. My report in Preservation.
Eating the Easter Bunny
A coveted ingredient in many global cuisines, rabbit meat has always been a hard sell among American diners. In the New Yorker.
Puff Piece
For Ybor City in Florida, a historic cigar town faces a cloudy future. My feature in the Washington Post.
Dairy Made
How artisanal cheese is helping save Vermont’s historic landscape. My cheesy dispatch in Preservation.
How Good Has U.S. Cheese Become?
Good enough to worry the Italians. My dispatch from Slow Cheese in Bra, Italy.
New (York) Nordic
Cutting-edge Scandinavian cuisine takes on the American food court. In the Washington Post.
Verona’s Kebab Kibosh
The dark side of food protectionism. Dispatch in Roads & Kingdoms.
Tutti Frutti
Maybe traditional or maybe not, fruit in risotto is a inspired summer pleasure. In the Washington Post.
Reconsidering Tapas
Spain wants to protect tapas. But what is ‘tapas’ anyway? I delve into the question in the Washington Post.
Freudian Trip
Is Vienna really the most livable city? My pleasurable investigation in the Washington Post Magazine.
Under the Crushing Weight of the Tuscan Sun
On the 20th anniversary of Frances Mayes’s bestseller, a look at the insidious Tuscan phenomenon. In the New Yorker.
Pesto Questo
In Italy, I learned how to make true pesto. In America, I buck tradition. In the Washington Post.
The Playmobil Conundrum
Playmobil’s charming, joyful, bourgeois little details both pull children in and push them away. In the New Yorker.
The Charms of Cremona
There’s more to the Italian city on the Po than just violins. Dispatch in New York Times Travel.
Beyond Ragù
Outside of the classics, many of Italy’s traditional pastas include surprising ingredients – and these unusual dishes deserve more attention.
A Fruitful Dinner
I’ve always made meals out of my summer fruit binges. And this year, I was especially captivated by Italy’s traditional berry and melon risottos.
One Traveler, Three Dishes Named ‘Jason’
I have a breakfast sandwich, a pizza and a dessert named after me in three countries. Go ahead: Be amazed.
Dining Out in Philadelphia
For a while, I wrote a dining column for the Philadelphia Daily News. Check it out here.
Food for Thought
Eating moss, kelp, weeds, raw shellfish, and dirt at Copenhagen’s Noma, the world’s most provocative restaurant. In the Washington Post Ma...
Schnitzel Happens
Eating veal in America can be…uncomfortable. But for me, there are few dishes more comforting than wiener schnitzel.
Wash Thoroughly Without a Swimsuit
One man’s mission to swim around Iceland. In the Washington Post Magazine.
Tapas and beyond
Bar-hopping through north-central Spain. A tipsy journey in the Washington Post.
How Do U Say…?
Misadventures with translator apps. Hablo español in the Washington Post.
Whistling at the Northern Lights
An Icelandic sheep roundup and the lost aimlessness of youth.
Haitian Dreams
Coffee beans, cock fights, and mysticism in the tiny Caribbean country.
Travel Channels
How is a video game like travel writing?
The Lifestyle Beat
Tales from the kind of reporting that includes shark attacks, flavored vodkas, and elves.
How To Live Forever
Is the secret to be found among the centenarians in an isolated region of Sardinia?
Santa™
Does Father Christmas live in Finnish Lapland? My son and I investigate.
Do Not Disturb
On a small Nicaraguan island, two strangers and I find paradise. In Salon.
Lost in the Shuffle
A young man’s return to an old game. Feature in the Washington Post Magazine.