My name is Faraaz Ali and there are 2 hobbies that I love passionately, these are cooking and travelling. I have lived in Fiji, New Zealand and currently call Norway my home base. From a very young age I took interest in cooking and developed this into a strong skill set and took some time away from my regular field of work and worked as a chef. As for travelling, this is in the bloodline as my dad has worked in the airlines and travel industry all his life. So from a young age I was exposed to exploring the world and the hunger for this has gotten stronger as an adult.
What is Chase that dish?
This blog focuses on writing about destinations that would help a traveler have more insights into the destination, the journey, and make better informed decisions to save themselves time and avoid tourist traps. Every country and city needs to be explored by the traveller themselves to uncover what they are seeking but with the travelling market booming now, finding that perfect location and not sharing with a 1000 other tourists becomes more and more difficult but not impossible. I simply write to guide the user to a better experience as they uncover the treasures of travelling.
The guide helps the user to useful sites for location information, booking flights, hotels, restaurants, manage expectations, saving money, saving time, and simply some insight that will help them in the long run to avoid making mistakes that can be avoided.
One of the main feedbacks being the great restaurants around the globe that one should not miss.
My background:
Born and raised in Fiji, I had my fair share of beautiful beaches and Island life for 12 years before moving to New Zealand. After another good 12 years in Auckland, I decided to move to Norway. 12 years in both locations was a coincidence but I guess we have to wait another 2 years to see how this pattern folds out.
For the last decade, Norway has been by home base as I travelled to the different corners of the earth. Norway is a small, beautiful, and expensive country. The summer is short and the rest of the seasons are cold. This only motivates the locals and likeminded residents here to take journeys into Europe and beyond to see what the world has to offer.
What Inspired this Blog?
This is not that story about how I quit my job and decided to travel the world for a year. A year away travelling sounds like fun & tempting but a lot of people just can’t do that managing jobs and families. Since moving to Norway my international exploration has reached a whole new level. I have been fortunate to see all these locations, and on some occasions multiple times.
A lot of my adventures result in social media check-ins and photos across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I try to recruit my friends for the journeys but they can’t always make it due to scheduling conflicts. So when they do go on their trips they are always curious for tips, advice, and locations. Placing emails out to them was the norm a while ago but a lot of contacts started asking the same questions so I figured it is time for a travel blog.
What about the cooking and cuisine bit?
I love cooking and trying new food. So cooking and posting food on social media was the beginning but then the requests came for the recipes from friends. So similarly a blog regarding recipes will eventually surface but for now I explore the top restaurants around the globe, exotic restaurants hidden from the world, and simply engaging in local cooking classes and try to learn about the local culinary scene. This often results in a great way to engage with the locals since “food” like “love” has no language.
Why I travel?
Four things that I love about travelling:
The adventure: Simply sitting at the beach and soaking in the rays does not do it for me. Beach sports, ocean activities, jungle hiking, or simply anything that puts me in a thrilling encounter with nature or wild animals is what I seek.
The culture: Learning about someone’s culture is best done in person and in the origin country. This helps to really engage and understand while being in the deep end.
The destination: Each location has its own unique charm, scenery, people, and energy. However I could never really pin down a favourite country. It is the experiences that you have in these locations that help define those moments in life that you appreciate, enjoy, and simply not take for granted.
The cuisine: The history and culture of each area I find best represented by the cuisine. To discover new tastes, original traditional dishes, and progressive new dishes helps make the whole travelling experience even better. I am not very often in museums or art galleries when abroad, you will find me at cooking classes, local street food vendors, restaurants, or better yet someone’s home.
The Journey so far:
After numerous requests for information and tips regarding cities around the world, I have decided to document my journeys to help my friends and fellow travellers.
This blog is only 1 year old so it will take some time but it will happen. After travelling to 55 countries on 6 continents, I have only covered 25 % of all the countries in the world. So I still have a lot of ground to cover in the coming years.
What is my favourite country?
I do not have a favourite country, I have favourite experiences from travelling to a location. If I was to identify a pattern anywhere then it would be warmer locations seem to generate more fun experiences for me.
Swimming with whale sharks In Mexico, Inca Trail Hike for 4 days, Stuck on a island for several days with Multiple Vineyards & Great restaurants, Road trip across Spain or in USA are some of the experiences that make for a great memory.
