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Taking the Kids: Places made memorable in 2018 by what we ate

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

Giant shrimp, anchovies and sardines, clams and mussels -- known here in Italy as "back gold" -- pasta in a shrimp and lemon sauce along with salads and a huge tiramisu cake for dessert.

We were cruising the Venice Lagoons aboard the Uniworld River Countess after a morning spent in the fishing area of Chioggia, which, we learned, has a larger wholesale fish market than Venice's famous Rialto Market. "We try to match the area with the food and get everything as fresh as possible," Chef Bogdan Antonescu explained.

Before lunch we had biked to Sottomarina beach, past all of the fishing boats, through tiny alleys and past men chatting over espresso at cafes.

Certainly food is an important part of any trip to Italy, but these days food is increasingly important whether families are traveling to Orlando or to Anaheim, skiing or hiking in Colorado or heading to a vacation rental or resort in sunny climes.

I realize as I look back over this past year that food has played a role in my family's most memorable experiences. Here are five stand-out food memories for 2018:

IT'S NOT ABOUT WINNING OR LOSING. My daughter, Mel, and my husband, Andy, spent two days in our VRBO rental in Crested Butte, Colorado, cooking a 10-gallon pot of Mel's famous "Build Me Up, Butternut," chili, their entrée in this year's Crested Butte Chile and Beer Festival.They were grateful for the first-rate appliances and dishwasher, as well as the help of our old friends from Texas who joined us for the weekend. The two moms made the cornbread -- and cleaned up the kitchen each night.

 

Mel and her boyfriend live in Crested Butte, a tiny historic mining town known for its slopes in the winter and wildflowers in summer. We're glad for any chance to visit. Mel had won the Chile Fest twice before -- this was the first time she and her dad made it a father-daughter affair. They didn't win, but that wasn't the point. "I've had such a fun weekend," Mel said. "I'm so glad you came."

A RESTAURANT WORTHY OF THE HIKE. There are no taxis and we've missed the last bus. Our only option is a three-quarter-mile hike up a steep hill to Café 3692, a restaurant named for the height (in meters) of the Wetterhorn Mountain, which looms over the town of Grindelwald, along with the Eiger and other peaks in the Jungfrau range. The café's owners, Myriam and Bruno Kaufmann, have created this 36-seat café on the site of what had been a Kauffmann home, which dated back generations.

We were on a self-guided hiking trip in Switzerland arranged by the American-owned company Alpenwild. We spent three nights in Grindelwald.

The restaurant is different from most here as it is only open for dinner Friday and Saturday nights -- breakfast and lunch other days. As it is close to the children's ski school, many families come for breakfast or lunch and there are baskets of kids' toys and books.

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