We’re Nicolas and Gabriella, a food and travel-obsessed duo (well that’s a bit obvious isn’t it, considering we have a food and travel blog) who want to better understand the world we live in through eating everything in sight. We bring together Italian, Chinese, French and Belgian origins; between us we have lived in Brazil, China, Ethiopia, France, Kenya, Morocco, the U.K. and met each other in Brussels, Belgium. Home is where we put our bags down but when not on the road you will now find us mostly slow traveling in the food-obsessed city of Hong Kong.
We are the story tellers behind The Funnelogy Channel. The A-Z lists over on the right, gives you a glimpse into what we like. More importantly, we’ll pretty much eat anything you give us, except green bell peppers and oysters.
Gabi is usually the one cooking and writing and Nico the light-obsessed photographer and brave recipe tester. Which seems to be a surprisingly common gender division of labour in the blogging world! You can find Nico’s photography portfolio right here.
The history of our blog
It all began with our common desire for adventure. The decision was to quit our jobs and take a year off to travel by land through a region that neither of us had ever been to. We left on April 2014 and after a year of travelling we realised that the journey had just begun. Exploring unknown places, engaging with its people and eating our way across the Eurasian continent has taught us new things about the world and ourselves. It has also shown us that everywhere has a story to tell.
This is a space where we want to share stories which feed our mind.
We found that one of the best ways to engage with others is through food. Where our language skills are lacking in some countries, food as a universal language provides a bridge. Food is also one of the best representations of nature being translated into culture.
If someone asked you what you would like your last meal to be, would it be that fancy foam layered, sous-vide perfected meal at the Michelin star restaurant you once went to or the plate of cheese-sprinkled ravioli in thick ragù that you grew up eating? Or maybe even a simple toast with salted butter and a touch of honey that you eat every time you are too tired to cook. We know it is a difficult question, but we are betting on one of the latter.
The foods that we crave the most, that become part of us, are the every day foods, the ones we eat again and again, the ones we associate with family and memories and if we are lucky enough, the every day foods from far away places, the ones we associate with exciting encounters and foreign flavours.
By going into peoples’ kitchens, developing our own recipes and looking into the art of every day food, our culinary journey aims to dive into the heart of local culture and every day life.
None of this is possible without the generosity of people we meet on the way. Food is about much more than eating, travel is about much more than wandering, it is about the family you share a plate with, the person you share a bus seat with, the new friends you share a drink with, the multiple stories that make you realise your place in the world.
That is why our blog name does not include the word “food” nor the word “travel” or any other word often associated with the two. We came up with a ridiculous word that somehow made sense to us because we realise that every story is filtered through our own personal experience, plus we wanted to have a whole lot of fun while doing this.
FUN-NELOGY [FUHN/:L-OL-UH-JEE/:] NOUN.,
1. The science of understanding the world we live in while having fun
2. The art of funneling multiple stories through our own lenses
The “Channel” part reflects the importance of sharing for us, be it sharing with people we meet on our journey – exchanging recipes and stories, or also sharing with You and learning from You, staying true to our “learn it and pass it on” motto.
Our aim is not to offer a range of travel tips, tell you which hotel to stay in or where you should go on holiday next year. We hope that by sharing stories from the road, it will trigger something in you, to find your own journey, discover your own experiences and build your own memories wherever they may be. No expedition is like another and as long as there is curiosity, you will find your route.
The Revolution will not be Microwaved!
[ssba]
9 Comments
Jerry van den Berge
March 4, 2014Great website!
Let your curiousity guide you and have FUN!
Carlos
March 28, 2014Love it!!! Love you!
12. Always keep an open heart!! 🙂
Nada
April 5, 2014looking forward to following your experiences on the blog!! Sounds so exciting! Kudos to both of you for having the courage to take time out and live, really LIVE! hugs
Nico & Gabi
May 27, 2014Thanks for all the support! And congratulations on starting up your new blog Nada, looking forward to reading some of your thoughts 🙂
Eric De Wouters
August 7, 2014this is real fun!!! ENJOY big times!!!… the spirit is high! Peace & Love!
Dan Harper
February 26, 2015Somehow sitting in the UK in Radstock in the rain in the studio does not compare! I’ll be thinking of you in-between teaching music and media whilst eating my pasta pot or school lunch 🙂 I am not jealous as that is negative, but I am curious and happy to see you doing this. I really hope you have the best time. I have not had a year out since pre-university but one day I hope to find the time and finance for longer and further adventures. They are some of the best days to cherish until we pass on. Maybe when my daughter has grown up I can hit the road for real again one year. Hey Nico, here’s to ours times in Addis and the new X
swati chakrabarti
February 27, 2015Love your website! Am gonna totally follow you around the world now.
Nico & Gabi
March 17, 2015Thanks Swati! Hope you enjoy the journey too!
Saghar S. {Lab Noon}
April 28, 2015Hey guys! I just took a better look at your blog! It’s really awesome! and I feel so envious! I wish you a lot of luck and looking forward to reading your new adventures. Voted for you in Saveur blog awards too!
🙂