Hi, I’m Jennifer, the voice behind Adventurous Appetite. Originally from Florida, I started this blog after moving to Seoul to teach English in 2009. I had planned to stay only a year, but the travel bug bit me hard. I’ve since backpacked through Southeast Asia and South America, lived in Colombia, worked as a teacher and food writer in Shanghai, taught journalism to high schoolers in Bucharest, and now I’m freelancing from Abruzzo, Italy.

I have an obsession with food, and believe that it’s the gateway to understanding a culture. I’m one of those strange people who have an affinity for durian. I love slurping noodles outside hole-in-the-wall restaurants while sitting on squat plastic stools. I’ve learned how to cook by obsessively watching Barefoot Contessa, sharing the stove with my mom, and taking cooking classes around the world. 

While I haven’t blogged consistently over the last few years (teaching teenagers will do that), I still jump on here from time to time to share travel stories and musings from my life abroad. Apologies for the lessening of pictures, listicle-type pieces, and itineraries as I gain in years, but there are plenty of 20-something travelers putting out enough for all of us.

I hope this site can inspire people to travel more and to remain curious about the world and its people. I also hope to provide some good recipes along the way, and hopefully convince readers that carbs are not the enemy.