Hello!

I was born in Guatemala, I’m 22 years old (1992) and since I’m very little I’ve had and amazing attraction to food and traveling. Want to make me happy? Food is the right way to do it. No matter what kind of food it is I will always appreciate it! For me food it’s an extension of culture and it reflects in a great way a country, a family and a person.

Going back to me, since I was born in Guatemala I studied there my basic formation and then moved to Argentina to study graphic design for about six months, later on I went back to Guatemala to study Culinary Arts, I graduated on January 2014.

On the second semester of my culinary career I started working on and Gourmet Asian/ Sushi restaurant on Guatemala (It’s called Saibashi Sushi Lounge, you can look for it on Facebook). There I was the creative manager and sushi head chef, I worked there for like 1 year and 10 months, between that time I had a lots of great experience cooking and knowing Asian food but I felt that it wasn’t enough, so that's how I decided to start this wonderful journey.

Have you ever visited a country where they say they prepare food from your country and it taste terrible, well that's something that happened to me, so realizing this I decided to travel to world to actually learn about culture and food and really know how to make it the right way, and what better that with someone who actually lives in that country.

I just moved for a small period of time to Barcelona. Mostly because here I’ll have way better opportunities to know people, share with them experiences, recipes and ideas. Also I see Europe in general as a bridge to cross to Asia (one of my main goals talking in the matter of food). Besides that fact, Spain is one of those countries I really appreciate talking about culinary arts. Some of my favorite chefs and restaurants are here. Other Europe Countries as well (France, Germany, Italy and the UK).

Currently I’m working on a food blog, it’s main idea is to explore food from a different perspective, a professional cook and a traveler perspective (also from the science perspective), not just to post the regular recipe or restaurant review, go beyond that.

So what I post on my blog? Well about everything., from recipes to stories, poems and essays if its something about food I’ll post it there. Sometimes also random stuff that has nothing to do with food.

Since I’m about to start really traveling the world I’m also willing to write reviews on things I try abroad, recipes form other places, experiences with locals, different ingredients and whatever comes in the way. All to share with the world what’s food about and the real meaning of it.
My blog is in Spanish due to the fact it’s my native language. If you ever need me to translate a post for you I’ll be more than glad to do it.

Here’s the link to it: www.exploraciongastronomica.wordpress.com

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

I remember one day I was in Culinary School and someone made dumplings, a friend of mine haven’t ever tried them before, so she was very excited to try them. Sadly the recipe wasn't the original Chinese recipe, so the were lacking of flavor and texture. My friend tried them and said: “I thought the will be way more tastier and flavorful”, looking at that scene I realized that no matter how good your cooking skills are you always need to learn how to cook from the original source.

A year ahead of that story, I was working on a recipe on the restaurant, it was PAD THAI. I saw lots of videos, did a lot of research, read lots of recipes and did lots of tests to get the right flavor. Once the owner of the restaurant (she’s not even from Thailand) tried the actual original recipe she said that it wasn’t tasty enough and that she wanted to remove some original ingredients to make it different, she said that I was wrong on adding tamarind paste to it and also remarked that she will believe me that I have to add tamarind paste once I go to Thailand to actually learn how to cook it.

So having those things in mind and realizing I wasn't actually cooking and learning from a root I decided to save money for a year and start traveling the world cooking and learning how to cook recipes from its original source, sharing with people and eating what they eat, going to places where they go. Cooking in their homes and actually living the essence of the food from their perspective. Food’s all about sharing!

Doing some research and talking to some friends I ended up on Couch Surfing. I realized that Couch Surfing is the best way to know people, their culture, their food and traditions.

I feel that couch surfing is a enormous gate for you to know a country and a culture from another point of view that is not the tourist one. It also will let me share my culture with other people around the world, share my experiences, gain new ones and specially new friends!

All of this keeping in mind to be always humble and patient. Also happy and peaceful.

Interessen

Well as you have may noticed I love food, but besides that face there’s plenty of stuff I like and I appreciate, here’s a list of some things I enjoy:

• Cultural Interchange
• Reading and writing
• Walking (helps me clear my mind)
• Traveling
• Eating of course
• Watching Movies, especially if they are foreign ones (not that commercial stuff they play on the theaters).
• Photography
• Painting and drawing
• Sharing stories with people
• Meditating
• Camping and any other outdoor activity
• Listening and talking
• I really enjoy Museums, Plays and cultural activities
• Getting lost in markets (food ones of course)
• Minimalism and simple living
• Tiny houses

I think the list may go longer but that’s not the point. So, basically that's what I like, what do you like?

• arts
• culture
• writing
• poetry
• design
• graphic design
• photography
• perfumes
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• walking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• painting
• drawing
• minimalism
• outdoor activities
• camping
• surfing
• boxing
• science

Musik, Filme und Bücher

Well, this is another huge list I have but I’ll make it short and consistent:

Music:
• IDM in general
• Aphex Twin
• Tycho
• Bonobo
• Boards of Canada
• Shpongle
• Mrs. Jynx
• Mr. Scruff
• Björk
• Floex
• Chicane
• Moby
• And some others, also I really enjoy Indie and Rock.

Movies, well this one is really long, but I’ll put my favorite ones:
• Amelie
• Amores Perros
• Delicatessen
• Carandiru
• Estómago
• Lost in translation

Books, most of the time I read cookbooks but I really enjoy books like:
• Afrodita
• Una historia en bicicleta
• Allegory of the cave
• Minimalism books in general
• Buddhism books
• All coming from Osho

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

I think that one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done is to go to live by myself at the age of 18. That was on Argentina. It was a one of a lifetime experience, helped me to realize who I am, what I’m capable of and what do I want in life.

It gave me back great friends and a sense of life that I don't change for anything. Here is where my travel addiction began. It also helped me to be more mature and humble. Helped me to appreciate the little things in life.

I know once I start traveling for real around the world this box will grow and change! :)

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I love to teach, its one of my dreams, to become a cook that teaches lots of people, not just in schools but around the world (that's the purpose of my blog, I list the link on the about me section).

Once I gave a course of how to make sushi to kids with Down Syndrome and it was amazing, it helps you realize why are you really cooking and that money is not everything in this life.

I’m more than joyful on teaching and sharing how to cook, also on showing some graphic design tips and photography ones. Depending on what you like I’ll be more than glad to share with you my experiences and knowledge!

Remember that teaching is about knowing that the ones you are educating will be better than you someday and they will continue the chain so others become better too.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

All my knowledge and experiences, from my cooking to my traditions. Stories, ideas and whatever develops on the way.

The main goal is to create new experiences and memories! :)
I insist, it's all about sharing!

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Argentina, El Salvador, Spain, United States

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Argentina, Guatemala, Spain