I thought that when we went on trips, the sheer act of documentng the dishes and drinks we had via photos would be enough to jog my memory when I would go to write about them later. But when we went to Barcelona and San Sebastian last September, I actually made a point of taking out my Moleskine and writing down as much of the food and drink we had while we were there by each location and it somehow was SO much better. I was able to make connections to the photos I took, and I had the notes of what made the dishes I liked worked so well as soon as I had them. As a result, I had one of the most prolific period of cooking and writing in the months following our trip versus any other we had taken.
When we were recently in Miami, I did the same, taking my battered notebook out for another spin to write down everything we were eating and drinking over the four-ish days we were there, and I swear that it made that trip way more memorable. There’s such a pleasure in physically writing something down and even though I get strange looks about it from time to time--nearly all of them from men--I don’t really care? For me, it’s more meaningful than snapping a photo, and it feels less intrusive than whipping out my phone and trying to swipe text notes that never come out properly the first time around.
I’m nearing the end of my current Moleskine, finally, as I have had it for years now, but it’s made me excited to fill a new one with records of everywhere we go.