I always seem to make the mistake of flying without any decent food. I'm usually too rushed to pack something before leaving my house, and I'm just not into the subpar selections at the airport. Airport food tends to be on the unhealthy side, and the thought of eating anything greasy when flying makes me cringe, mostly because I know that once on board, my movement will be limited and will consist of me trying to find a comfortable position in the infant-sized plane seat (impossible by the way). Besides, this time of year is for indulging in cookies, and pastries and pies (oh my!), not overpriced pizza and fries.

On Saturday I was set to get on a 7pm flight home to London for the holidays. I was happy with my departure time, because it meant I would be on an overnight flight and would arrive early the next morning. But what would dinner be? How about breakfast? I had not had the chance to make anything, but when my flight was delayed by a day I took it as a sign and spent an hour making myself a nice little meal for my flight the next day. I knew I would want something satisfying, but also light and healthy. I had recently tested out this Barley Stew with Leeks, Mushrooms and Greens recipe, and had been craving it ever since. Even though the recipe asks for barley I opted for quinoa, mainly because I already had it at home, and brought the delectable dish on the plane with me. I was not able to heat it up, but to be honest I actually like food at room temperature (same goes for drinks). For me it was the perfect solution. It took no time, and it didn't weigh me down during my seven hour flight. For breakfast I packed a banana and a peanut butter sandwich.

What do you eat when you fly? Do you buy food at the airport or bring something from home?

Arizona: Free German, French & Italian Wine Tasting (Dec. 19)

Illinois: "The View From the Kitchen: An Upstairs-Downstairs Look at Frank Lloyd Wright's Most Famous House" (Dec. 19)

New York: 8th Annual Coquito Tasting Contest (Dec. 19)

Texas: "Treats of Texas" Food Bank Benefit (Dec. 19)

Michigan: School of Rock Food Drive (Dec. 20)

California: Gingerbread House Building Class (Dec. 21)

Oregon: Kids' 2-Day International Cooking Camp (Dec. 21-22)

Vermont: Candy Cane Making Demonstrations (Weds., Fri., and Sat. until Dec. 23)

California: The Science of Gingerbread (through Jan. 3)

New Hampshire: "America's Kitchens" Exhibit (through Jan. 17)

In ten days I'll be embarking on a trip to Japan. Though I swear I was Japanese in a past life, I have never actually been there. I cannot wait to eat sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! (Yes, I know Japanese cuisine consists of much more than sushi, but I do love it!) If, for some strange reason, I overdose on raw fish, I will resort to eating teriyaki, yakitori and noodles, which is hardly the worst thing in the world. As my father would say, "In heaven, they only serve Japanese food."

I am also eager to try new types of fish, and learn the proper eating etiquette of the Japanese. I have been reading up on it a bit; the last thing I want is to come off as ignorant and disrespectful (Lord knows I have done that before. Read below for an embarrassing story.) For example t is considered bad manners to waste soy sauce, so one should really refrain from over serving him or her self when eating sushi. White rice should not be directly seasoned with soy sauce, and when eating it one should hold the rice bowl in one hand, and chopsticks in another.

Clearly there is a lot to learn, and I will learn it!!! I hate making the same mistake twice which brings me to my embarrassing story. A few years ago I was in Greece with a great friend of mine, we had just savored an incredible meal of grilled octopus, melt-in-your-mouth mild feta and this olive oil drenched white fish salad. It was a gorgeous night, all the locals were out and this place was packed. At the end of the meal we were gifted a small glass of Ouzo (Anise flavored liqueur) and this unappetizing looking dessert chocolate dessert. Now, my dear friend was polite enough to indulge in both. I on the other hand refused. As much as I love Kookaburra Black Australian licorice, I can't say my love translates into all things licorice. So we paid the bill and as we stood up the once noisy veranda went silent. Like radio silent. Awwwwkward. Clearly when given something you should accept it and consume it, I thought to myself. So the two of us nonchalantly walked out of the place, knowing that we could never return again, which was tragic considering it was by far one of the most memorable meals I've had.

Can you relate? Do you have a similar story to share?

Love food and wine festivals? We've gathered a few of the delicious events happening this week - what's going on where you live?

New York: City Harvest Gingerbread House Display (through Jan. 31)

New York: Patsy's Serves Frank Sinatra's Favorite Dishes (Dec. 11-12)

Washington: 2009 Holiday Wine Tasting Event (Dec. 11-12)

London, England: Chocolate Festival (Dec. 11-13)

California: A MarketBar Farm Dinner Benefiting Marin Organic (Dec. 12)

Italy: "Birre sotto l'albero 2009" Christmas Beer Festival (Dec. 12)

Oregon: Amnesia Brewing's Second Annual Winter Ale Festival (Dec. 12)

Washington, DC: Certified Specialist in Wine Certification Course (Dec. 12-13)

Vermont: Holidazed & Confused Pt. 1 (Dec. 14)

South Carolina: Dickens Dinner (Dec. 16)

England: Pig's Ear Beer & Cider Festival (Dec. 1-5)

Germany: Chocolate Festival chocolART (Dec. 1-6)

Connecticut:  Christmastime Teas (Tues.-Sat., Dec. 1-19)

South Carolina:  Progressive Dinners for the Holidays (Dec. 1-23)

Oregon: Annual Holiday Ale Festival (Dec. 2-6)

California: December Nights: International Cottage Christmas Festival (Dec. 4-5)

Texas: Texas Hill Country Holiday Wine Trail (Dec. 4-6, 11-13, and 18-20)

New York: Wild Tea Party (Dec. 5)

Oregon:  "Season's Eatings" Benefit for Foodbank (Dec. 5)

California: Indio International Tamale Festival (Dec. 5-6)

Massachusetts: Hot Chocolate Tasting (Dec. 8 and 15)

Michigan:  Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival (through Nov. 14)

Louisiana: Port Barre Cracklin Festival (through Nov. 15)

Ohio: Fabulous Food Show (Nov. 13-15)

Illinois: 3rd Annual Pinot Days Grand Festival Public Tasting (Nov. 14)

Nebraska: Nebraska Food Festival (Nov. 14)

New York:  2nd Annual New York State Gingerbread House Competition (Nov. 14)

Oregon: Lincoln City Chowder Cook-Off (Nov. 14)

Oregon: NW Food and Wine Festival (Nov.14)

Rhode Island: Great International Beer Festival (Nov. 14)

Virginia: RFM Oyster Roast (Nov. 14)

Florida: Orlando Food and Wine Fest (Nov. 14-15)

North Carolina:  National Gingerbread House Competition (Nov. 16)

California: San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival (Nov. 18-22)

Pundits have been declaring that Spain is the new France for years. That modern chefs look to Spanish cuisine for culinary innovation. I wanted to taste some of this revolution so I packed up my bags and flew to Barcelona in late October. I knew my trek was limited: I had neither the time nor the money to go Madrid, Valencia, or Basque country; El Bulli was closed; and wine country would have to wait for another vacation.

My short take: Yes,  I had some terrific food. But I also chowed down on a few truly awful meals. In retrospect, I should have known that not every tapas joint serves up miracle morsels. Barcelona is like any city: You need to know where to go and when to go. Actually, you need reservations, a lot of money, and/or tons of patience because the most critically revered spots are mobbed. Even on Monday nights at 10pm. Below is a partial report, with original photos (like the gorgeous fruit bowl above), as well as tips for anyone thinking about visiting Barcelona.

California: Big Sur Food and Wine Festival (Nov. 6-7)

Florida: Florida Seafood Festival (Nov. 6-7)

Hawaii: Kona Coffee Cultural Festival (Nov. 6-15)

Oklahoma:  Oklahoma WineFest (Nov. 7)

Pennsylvania: 5th GoodTaste! Pittsburgh Food & Cooking Expo (Nov. 7)

Tennessee Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival (Nov. 7)

Virginia: Brunswick Stew Festival (Nov. 7)

Louisiana: Giant Omelette Celebration (Nov. 7-8)

Washington, DC: Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show (Nov. 7-8)

Jamaica:  Kingston Restaurant Week (Nov. 7-14)

California: Great Chefs of Los Angeles "Go Green, Go Organic" (Nov. 8)

Texas: New World Wine & Food Festival (Nov. 8-15)

New Jersey:  Vanilla 2009 (Nov. 10-11)

Michigan: Food, Wine and All That Jazz (Oct. 30)

Seoul, Korea: Amazing Korean Table: World Feast of Gastronomy (Oct. 28-Nov. 1)

Georgia: National BBQ Festival (Oct. 30-31)

Mississippi: 12th Southern Foodways Symposium (Oct. 30-Nov.1)

New York: 12th annual Chocolate Show (Oct. 30-Nov. 1)

Alabama: National Peanut Festival (Oct. 30-Nov. 8)

Alabama: Elberta German Sausage Festival (Oct. 31)

Lincoln, England: Sausage Festival (Oct. 31)

Massachusetts: Pudding Hollow Pudding Festival (Oct. 31)

New York:  A Haunted Tasting (Oct. 31)

Massachusetts: 14th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (Oct. 31-Nov. 1)

Minnesota: Pumpkin Mania Day (Nov. 1)

Washington, DC: Women Chefs and Restaurateur's National Conference (Nov. 1-3)

New Jersey: 10th Annual YCS Festival of Flavors Benefit (Nov. 2)

There are a lot of myths about dining out in Italy. But the main one has become so entrenched it has taken on the force of a culinary commandment: eat only in the back roads mom and pop trattorias where the locals collect and where mama and/or papa, and maybe some kids, are rattling pans in the doll-sized kitchen.

Having just returned from Italy I'm not going to argue the case. I had plenty of memorable meals in those authentic trattorias. But I had some really mediocre ones too and by sticking too closely to conventional wisdom you can cheat yourself of another kind of Italian culinary experience: the big, la dolce vita, glamorama, blow-out dinner at one of the luxe restaurants that are the antidote to austere home cooking, and just as true, in their own way, to the Italian sensibility. Call it the flamboyant, Felliniesque face of a country that loves showy drama.

In Rome, at least, that flamboyant side is basic to the city and the leap for something baroque meant a dinner at the Hassler, one of those iconic (but what isn't these days?) hotels perched at the top of the Spanish Steps that was never particularly known for its food. Until recently.