Eating the food of a place makes you feel close to a place in such a good way. When I read about places I've never been, I always want to know what foods they eat, and how and when and where they eat those foods--it's such a central part of life.

I went to an Ethiopian restaurant once in New York City, and the food was delicious. Then I read a really wonderful book, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231851.The_Beautiful_Things_That_Heaven_Bears), and that got me to try cooking a little Ethiopian food.