Credit: CNN / Design: BHG
Eva Longoria is no stranger to travel. These days, she splits her time between Mexico City and Marbella, Spain—though the actress says that she makes any place she visits feel like home. That’s part of what makes her culinary travel series so special. In the latest installment of her CNN food travel show, she traveled all over France to learn about the culinary traditions and cuisines across different regions.
We spoke with Longoria over a strong vanilla latte while she reflected on her life growing up on a ranch in Texas, what she loves about where she lives now, and her favorite French foods.
Coffee Walk
Q. What is your go-to coffee order?
My go-to coffee order is a four-shot latte, with one pump vanilla and whole milk.
Q. What makes you happy?
Coffee makes me happy, eating makes me happy, and cooking makes me happy.
Q. What is your favorite dish to cook?
My favorite cuisine to cook is Mexican, so I guess the favorite dish would be tacos. My favorite dish to cook is chicken tacos, beef tacos, soft tacos, hard tacos—I love a taco.
Q. What was your upbringing like in a Texas town?
I grew up on a ranch in Texas, so I grew up with a lot of animals. Cows and chickens and pigs, and I had to get eggs, and I had to feed the cows, and [there were] a lot of chores on the ranch. It was really fun. And we had a garden, so I grew up with a lot of fresh vegetables, and we always ate seasonally. It was really fun to grow up on a ranch.
Q. What memories from your childhood home stuck with you as you grew up?
I never met a cow I don’t like. I love meeting cows. When I did Searching for France, Searching for Spain, Searching for Mexico, it was a lot of cows. Seeing cows makes me very nostalgic for Texas. And the smell of leña—of firewood—for me, reminds me of Texas, and home, and my childhood.
Q. Right now, you live in LA, Spain, and Mexico. What do you love about each of those places?
I lived in LA because I had to—the industry was there. Now the industry is everywhere in the world, so I mostly live between Mexico City and Spain, in Marbella. And I love the easy living in Spain—I love that they really love a meal, they do what’s called sobremesa, which is just sit after a meal, talk, enjoy. And Mexico is very similar; they have very long lunches. They work to live—they like to enjoy life in both of those countries.
You know, home is where my family is. And I think home isn’t a place—it’s the people you’re with, so I feel at home almost everywhere I go. I had to shoot in Catalonia for six months, and it felt like home. I have to shoot in Italy, and it feels like home. So, I really create that home feeling wherever I go. I could live anywhere in the world.
Q. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, what do you do to ground yourself?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I cook. I will get off a 12-hour flight and start cooking a four-hour meal. I just love it, it relaxes me, it’s super therapeutic, and it really grounds me.
Q. Searching for France drops soon—what was your favorite experience while you were there?
My favorite thing about traveling through France was, of course, the people. France is very diverse—it’s not just Paris, people think France is just Paris—it’s so much more. A lot of diverse gastronomy, but [also] diversity in people. The people from the north are very different from the people in the south, the weather’s very different, so I just love how you can have so many different places to visit within one country.
Q. Croissant or macaron?
Croissant.
Q. Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot?
Cab Sauvignon.
Q. Baguette or brioche?
That’s a hard one because I love brioche, but I’m going to have to go with baguette.
Q. Steak frites or coq au vin?
Steak frites, all day long.
Q. Who would you like to dedicate your coffee to today?
I would love to dedicate my coffee to all the other foodies out there: all the travelers, all the culture seekers, and curious people in life. This coffee’s for you.
Read the original article on Better Homes & Gardens
Dining and Cooking