--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Going to Europe as a budding cook opened…" description: "\"Going to Europe as a budding cook opened my eyes to food in a different way. When I got to Italy, the first thing I did was put my little basil plants ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/frances-mayes-7779_basil_going-to-europe-as-a-budding-cook-opened_1560309.png" --- # Going to Europe as a budding cook opened my eyes to food… ![“Going to Europe as a budding cook opened my eyes to food in a different way. When I got to Italy, the first thing I did was put my little basil plants in the ground and watch them turn into big, healthy bushes.” quote by Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/frances-mayes-7779_basil_going-to-europe-as-a-budding-cook-opened_1560309.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/frances-mayes-7779_basil_going-to-europe-as-a-budding-cook-opened_1560309.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/frances-mayes-7779_basil_going-to-europe-as-a-budding-cook-opened_1560309.png) > “Going to Europe as a budding cook opened my eyes to food in a different way. When I got to Italy, the first thing I did was put my little basil plants in the ground and watch them turn into big, healthy bushes.” [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Traveling and cooking abroad expands culinary perspective, turning simple seeds into thriving gardens that symbolize personal growth. **In simple terms:** Travel broadens taste and nurtures growth. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity through food and place. Themes travel food growth gardening Mood inspired nostalgic Type reflective descriptive When to use this quote - backpacking - home gardening - recipe development - farm‑to‑table cooking Key Concepts cultural immersion sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How does a new environment reshape your palate? - What does planting symbolize for you? A Different Perspective Not everyone can access fresh land or resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Italy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italy/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Plants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plants/) ## Related quotes > [If you've got a plot the size of a car or a tiny yard in Italy, you're going to be growing tomatoes and basil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/if-you-ve-got-a-plot-the-size-of-a-car-or-a-tiny-yard-in-italy-you-re/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“POMMAROLA Tomato Sauce ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, minced 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes, or 6–8 firm fresh tomatoes, peeled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/pommarola-tomato-sauce-cup-extra-virgin-olive-oil-1-small-onion/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [I don't think my two loves - music and food - are that different. They've certainly served me well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-oliver/i-don-t-think-my-two-loves-music-and-food-are-that-different-they-ve/) [Andi Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-oliver/) > [“Different languages, different food, different customs. That's our neighborhood: wild and tangled and colorful. Like the best kind of garden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/different-languages-different-food-different-customs-that-s-our/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [Italy has the best natural ingredients for food - the food we have there has a different taste. It's amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-mckennie/italy-has-the-best-natural-ingredients-for-food-the-food-we-have/) [Weston McKennie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-mckennie/) > [The thing I liked about writing about food when I started it was that I felt I was writing about food in a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/the-thing-i-liked-about-writing-about-food-when-i-started-it-was-that/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [The way humans hunt for parking and the way animals hunt for food are not as different as you might think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vanderbilt/the-way-humans-hunt-for-parking-and-the-way-animals-hunt-for-food-are/) [Tom Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vanderbilt/) > [I know how a Manipuri is different from a Mizo or someone from Shillong. It's culturally very different... the food is also very different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayani-gupta/i-know-how-a-manipuri-is-different-from-a-mizo-or-someone-from/) [Sayani Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayani-gupta/) > [I know well the delectable thrill of moving into a new house somewhere altogether else, in somebody else’s county, where the climate is different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-morris/i-know-well-the-delectable-thrill-of-moving-into-a-new-house/) [Jan Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-morris/) > [I feel like there is an emphasis against teaching geography in American schools. Americans don't say, "I'm going to Germany." They say, "I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayshay/i-feel-like-there-is-an-emphasis-against-teaching-geography-in/) Ayshay > [A lot of players were going to Europe, but there were always stories of teams not being able to pay, and the players and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-donovan/a-lot-of-players-were-going-to-europe-but-there-were-always-stories/) [Anne Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-donovan/) > [The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/the-lamps-are-going-out-all-over-europe-we-shall-not-see-them-lit/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [Well, I first started going to Europe in the late '70s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-allison/well-i-first-started-going-to-europe-in-the-late-70s/) [Luther Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-allison/) > [I love going over to Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boreanaz/i-love-going-over-to-europe/) [David Boreanaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boreanaz/) > [I don't even think of going to Europe as going to another country now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/i-don-t-even-think-of-going-to-europe-as-going-to-another-country-now/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) ## More by Frances Mayes > [If you've got a plot the size of a car or a tiny yard in Italy, you're going to be growing tomatoes and basil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/if-you-ve-got-a-plot-the-size-of-a-car-or-a-tiny-yard-in-italy-you-re/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“Always, I liked the infinitive 'to go.' Let's go, let's go. let's really go. 'Andare' was the first verb I learned to conjugate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/always-i-liked-the-infinitive-to-go-let-s-go-let-s-go-let-s-really-go/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [ “\[As Garibaldi says,\] 'Sleep, my dear Chevalley, sleep, that is what Sicilians want, and they will always hate anyone who tries to wake them...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/as-garibaldi-says-sleep-my-dear-chevalley-sleep-that-is-what/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [All afternoon in the deck chair, I try to describe to my notebook the colors of the water and sky. How to translate sunlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/all-afternoon-in-the-deck-chair-i-try-to-describe-to-my-notebook-the/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [Life offers you a thousand chances... all you have to do is take one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/life-offers-you-a-thousand-chances-all-you-have-to-do-is-take-one/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [The Only Thing More Surprising Than the Chance She's Taking...Is Where It's Taking Her!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/the-only-thing-more-surprising-than-the-chance-she-s-taking-is-where/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [The Italians have their priorities right: They're driven, they do their work, but they really enjoy the day-to-day and they don't put off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/the-italians-have-their-priorities-right-they-re-driven-they-do-their/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [Anytime the perfume of orange and lemon groves wafts in the window; the human body has to feel suffused with a languorous well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/anytime-the-perfume-of-orange-and-lemon-groves-wafts-in-the-window/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [It’s daunting to find the language so foreign, so distant, but also so thrilling. One is absolved of responsibility when the language is incomprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/it-s-daunting-to-find-the-language-so-foreign-so-distant-but-also-so/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“There are reasons we congregate in these hot spots- to worship beauty and to feel its effects light up the electrolytes in the bloodstream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/there-are-reasons-we-congregate-in-these-hot-spots-to-worship-beauty/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“And my mother, whose radius of travel was short, tied the letters with ribbon and kept them in her desk, When you get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/and-my-mother-whose-radius-of-travel-was-short-tied-the-letters-with/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [I got the idea that to write books would be the best way to spend a life. I never thought of anything else that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/i-got-the-idea-that-to-write-books-would-be-the-best-way-to-spend-a/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [ “\[As Chevalley says,\] 'Sicilians never want to improve for the simple reason that they think themselves perfect...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/as-chevalley-says-sicilians-never-want-to-improve-for-the-simple/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [In America, people are just so straightforward when they dislike things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/in-america-people-are-just-so-straightforward-when-they-dislike-things/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“At Bramasole, the first secret spot that draws me outside is a stump and board bench on a high terrace overlooking the lake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/at-bramasole-the-first-secret-spot-that-draws-me-outside-is-a-stump/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) [Explore all 86 Frances Mayes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) ## More Basil quotes > [If you've got a plot the size of a car or a tiny yard in Italy, you're going to be growing tomatoes and basil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/if-you-ve-got-a-plot-the-size-of-a-car-or-a-tiny-yard-in-italy-you-re/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [ Illy \[Ray Illingworth\] had the man-management skills of Basil Fawlty ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-gough/illy-ray-illingworth-had-the-man-management-skills-of-basil-fawlty/) Darren Gough > [The scent organ was playing a delightfully refreshing Herbal Capriccio - rippling arpeggios of thyme and lavender, of rosemary, basil, myrtle, tarragon; a series…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-scent-organ-was-playing-a-delightfully-refreshing-herbal/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I think you are wrong, Basil, but I won't argue with you. It is only the intellectually lost who ever argue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-think-you-are-wrong-basil-but-i-won-t-argue-with-you-it-is-only-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“He is some brainless beautiful creature who should be always here in winter when we have no flowers to look at, and always here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/he-is-some-brainless-beautiful-creature-who-should-be-always-here-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [When I was thinking about what we could do in terms of what production values of Broadway might be able to add to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-timbers/when-i-was-thinking-about-what-we-could-do-in-terms-of-what/) [Alex Timbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-timbers/) > [ Ernie Hayes, Jimmy Lewis, and either Belton Evans or Khalil Mahdi on drums \[were in Sweet Basil\]. All those guys really took care of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/ernie-hayes-jimmy-lewis-and-either-belton-evans-or-khalil-mahdi-on/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [Basil Stag Hare tut-tutted severely as he remarked to Ambrose Spike, 'Tch, tch. Dreadful table manners. Just look at those three wallahs, kicking up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/basil-stag-hare-tut-tutted-severely-as-he-remarked-to-ambrose-spike/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [Conscience and cowardice are really the same things, Basil. Conscience is the trade-name of the firm. That is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/conscience-and-cowardice-are-really-the-same-things-basil-conscience/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Basil Fawlty was an easy character for me. For some reason, portraying a mean uptight incompetent bully comes naturally to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/basil-fawlty-was-an-easy-character-for-me-for-some-reason-portraying/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I was also sitting in from the middle of senior year of high school at Sweet Basil, it was a great club in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/i-was-also-sitting-in-from-the-middle-of-senior-year-of-high-school/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [“Forgiveness is a lot like basil, it's so strong that you only need a little to change the whole recipe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-e-wrightmoor/forgiveness-is-a-lot-like-basil-it-s-so-strong-that-you-only-need-a/) Will E. Wrightmoor > [“He once called her his basil plant; and when she asked for an explanation, said that basil was a plant which had flourished wonderfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/he-once-called-her-his-basil-plant-and-when-she-asked-for-an/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Basil flushed and made a poor pass. He had been called by a nickname. It was a poor makeshift, but it was something more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/basil-flushed-and-made-a-poor-pass-he-had-been-called-by-a-nickname/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [That's definitely true! It was before my father died, so I can't attribute it to an obsession with death. When I was seven, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/that-s-definitely-true-it-was-before-my-father-died-so-i-can-t/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) Browse all 44 Basil quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Going to Europe as a budding cook opened my eyes to food in a different way. 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