Day Zero: 197 Countries

So we’re all stuck in lockdown. Covid19 has us firmly in its grip. Boris Johnson et al have announced another 3 weeks of it, plus I have the bittersweet news that I’m furloughed for the foreseeable future – and given the travel industry at the moment, I assume that I’ll be out of work until the Government Job Retention Scheme stops, which at this rate is the end of June. Two and a half months of doing staying at home and trying to find a way of keeping myself entertained. Thank goodness the weather is good!

I’ve been thinking of personal development and how I can fill my time with interesting and worthwhile activities. I’ve taken up knitting, which my grandma will no doubt be pleased about, my Duolingo is up to a 57-day streak with Spanish (“hola, me llamo Savannah, mucho gusto” is about as good as it gets at the moment), and I’ve started the 100 babies challenge on Sims 4.

None of this feels particularly challenging though. In fact, it’s all a bit monotonous. And I’m a travel agent! I want to be out exploring the world! But with the borders all closed and airlines pulling 80% of their flights, it’s a bit tricky to get out there at the moment – even tourism boards of the various UK countries are saying Visit, but Not Right Now.

With this in mind, and with inspiration drawn by something I saw on Facebook, I have come up with a project: Cook The World. Plan and execute a meal (dinner) from every country on the planet, in alphabetical order.

There are restraints, naturally. As of 2020 I no longer eat meat (although I do still eat fish, but rarely), and my partner has a severe allergy to all varieties of nuts, peanuts, sesame, shellfish and crustaceans. So it’s going to be a difficult challenge, considering off the top of my head I already have no idea how I’m going to avoid nuts or sesame in Asia. I’ve started researching various countries already and a vegetarian or pescatarian diet is more difficult than it seems.

However, here we are. And I like the idea of expanding my cooking knowledge. I cook a lot of Western food, and don’t tend to cook much out of my comfort zone. And as a new vegetarian, (can I call myself that if I still occasionally eat fish? Probably not), it would be beneficial to branch out and explore new options.

According to countries-of the-world.com, the total number of independent states in the world today is 197. 193 of those are fully recognised members of the UN, while Vatican City and Palestine are considered permanent observers. I’m also going to include Kosovo (recognised by 98 UN members), and Taiwan (recognised by 15 countries).

I’m sure that there will be double ups of national dishes, especially from regions that neighbour each other, or perhaps used to be one large nation that was divided over time. And from my (basic) research so far, the vast majority of national dishes are meat-based. My partner is a meat-eater so there will possibly be a few meals that may include a meat option, but I will stick to my guns and do my best to find vegetarian-friendly, and nut-free meals. If this doesn’t work out, then I’ll try to find something that is easily substituted.

197 countries to go!