Foodie.

No, not that guy.

ME.

Although, to be honest, his show was the reason I’ve become an accidental foodie.

Arizona/Tuscan/ El Euru Canelo- home of the Sonoran hot dog

I started watching No Reservations about a year or so ago and became almost instantly hooked. Anthony Bourdain tells a great story and the food he eats and the places he visits are beautifully shot and narrated.

California/LA/ Phillipes- original French Dip Sandwich

Unfortunately, soon Tony wasn’t enough. There just weren’t enough episodes, even with re-runs, to satisfy my ever-growing hunger for food TV.

Connecticut/New Haven/ Louis Lunch- invented the cheesburger

So I started watching Man vs. Food.

And even though the challenges at the end of each show are fairly disgusting pig outs (can anyone really eat that much food?), the rest of the show is great. Before each episode’s epic challenge, what’s-his-name, Adam Richman, highlights some of the other restaurants in whichever city he’s visiting. It’s cool.

Georgia/Atlanta/ The Vortex- burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches instead of buns

Alarmingly, No Reservations AND Man vs. Food STILL weren’t enough to fill the ache I felt. I knew I had a problem.

Illinois/Chicago/ Burt’s Place- Chicago deep dish pizza

Soon Miss Carol and me were watching ALL of The Travel Channel’s foodie shows every single night while we had cocktails and made dinner. And the most disturbing part?

West Virginia/Lesage/ Hillbilly Hotdogs-need I say more?

I started making notes.

Louisiana/New Orleans/ Willie Mae’s- the best fried chicken in the US

I found myself compiling a list of featured restaurants sorted by state and city- just in case Miss Carol and me ever found ourselves in the proximity, we could, you know, eat there. There being wherever.

Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/ Dinics- Roast pork sandwich that’s supposedly better than a cheesesteak (is that even possible?)

All of which would have been fine. A little goofy perhaps, considering the amount of travel that Miss Carol and me do, but certainly a fairly harmless waste of time. Right?

Tennessee/Memphis/ Dyers- deep fried hamburgers, dry rub barbeque

Except.

Minnesota/Minneapolis/ Matt’s- the Jucy Lucy burger

It got worse. I found myself thinking about making a restaurant’s signature dish a vacation destination.

New York/New York/ Lombardi’s Pizza- since 1908, the original coal-fired pizza

And the thing is, these places aren’t even like five-star restaurants. They’re just little mom and pops serving up really delicious looking food.

Maine/Boston/ The Barking Crab- 5lb lobster

So now I got me one of them there conundrums. I want to visit these places and follow my Travel Channel foodie TV whetted appetite to burger and pizza nirvana, but how do I approach Miss Carol about it?

Colorado/Denver/ Duffy’s Cherry Cricket- amazing burgers

I mean, I can’t just sidle up to her and say hey baby, how’s about we fly to Amarillo Texas so’s we can go to Coyote Bluff and have their burger from Hell?

Texas/Lockhart/ Smitty’s Market- best BBQ in Texas

I mean, it’s a problem right?

Florida/Miami/ Sarussi’s– cuban sandwiches