Persian Food, Mexican Beer, & How I Travel Without a Plane Ticket

Persian Food, Mexican Beer, & How I Travel Without a Plane Ticket

• Sunday, July 02, 2017

This post is sponsored by Anheuser Busch, but the content & opinions expressed here are my own. The following content is intended for those who are 21 or older. 

I love traveling, sampling tasty foods, experiencing different cultures, & listening to the beautiful range of languages in the world. To celebrate our travels, our families, our new entrepreneurial adventures, & our lives together, Fred & I sipped on some Estrella Jalisco, had a few snacks, listened to music, & yes, looked up flight deals. The $420 round-trip flight to Oslo, Norway was pretty tempting but ultimately, we decided not to go for it.

We look at online flight deals all the time. Even though we often joke about booking the next trip out, it's not always the most feasible option. Does Fred have a local assignment or interview he has to be in town for? Do I have a paid campaign or required purchase at a location-specific retailer? Even in Paris, it was a challenge to maintain the balance between being a tourist & finding time to work.

The good news is we don't have to leave the country to experience something new. We drove to Reno, Nevada a couple weeks ago & it was an incredible adventure. No plane ticket needed! We witnessed the landscape, the roads, the views, the food, the people, the history of another state.

The even better news is we don't have to leave our own city to experience something new. I can drive a few miles down the road to the international market & purchase some of my mom's favorite Persian nan e berenji cookies (rice cookies with poppy seeds) or head to my local grocery store for some authentic Mexican beer like Estrella Jalisco.

One of my favorite pastimes is scouring the store for international products. In fact, I literally wrote a post sharing some of my international food & beverage finds. It's cheaper than a plane ticket, right? Although Estrella Jalisco has been a legacy in Mexico for over 100 years, it's new to the U.S. market.

When I heard that, I immediately had to scope it out for myself. So, I headed to the store & picked up a couple of their glass bottle 6-packs: one for us & one to enjoy with friends. That same day, Fred & I had a flight browsing bonanza & an Estrella Jalisco tasting.

Estrella is a premium, 4.5% ABV Mexican pilsner with a pale golden yellow hue. It's refreshing & light with crisp flavor & no aftertaste, making it the perfect beer to drink on hot summer days in San Diego. A light beer like Estrella Jalisco would've made our desert camping experience a bit more bearable.

My mother's side is from Iran & Fred's family is originally from Querétaro, located in Central Mexico. Whether it's Fred's mom's freshly made salsa (the key is to roast ingredients on the cast-iron comal to create a nice char) or my mom's vegetarian-friendly fesenjan (swap chicken with mushrooms), I don't have to book a flight or even have to leave the house to learn a little bit about someone's history & culture. 

I can buy my frozen pizza & my authentic Mexican beer in the same place. Now that's something I'm grateful for! I'm going to pop open an Estrella Jalisco & call it a day. Cheers to diversity, travel, & making the most out of every moment.

How do you travel affordably? Share your tips in the comments! :]

* Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Anheuser Busch. As always, all opinions are 100% mine aka Carmen's. Learn more about my disclosure. :]