Last week, Megan Wachtendorf wrote about trying sushi for the first time. As a sushi fanatic, I started thinking about the first time I had sushi, which then got me thinking about food connections to various places I have been.

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My first trip with a large group of friends was to Las Vegas; it was also my first experience with sushi. One night, we dined at Shibuya in the MGM Grand. I don’t even remember exactly what we had, but I know it consisted of some rolls, nigiri and sashimi. I also know I was hooked and went back the next day.

In 2005, we went to New Orleans, just a few months prior to Hurricane Katrina. I had turtle soup at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans. I vowed to try a local delicacy, and K-Paul’s served it very well. I had turtle soup a few times since then and, unfortunately, none were ever as good as K-Paul’s.

On a baseball trip with my friends, we saw games in Philadelphia and Baltimore and made a stop in Washington, D.C. I am a cannoli elitist, but one of my friends surprised me and brought me to Vaccaro’s because it was highly recommended. I still remember enjoying that cannoli on the warm summer night.

In 1995, my brother-in-law Scott invited me on his yearly fishing trip to Canada. It was a great trip, and I made several new friends. The eight of us enjoyed freshly caught fish cooked in a variety of ways during our eight days in a remote area of Canada. I never tasted such delicious fish in my life. I never imagined there would be that much difference.

I also have to mention I drank a lot of Canadian Coke on that trip (and even brought several cases back home). Pure cane sugar and a different water supply made this Coke something special.

I could go on for days about how certain foods are connected to various places where I traveled. If you read my blogs with any consistency, you know food is a big part of my travels. I would love to hear about your food-travel memories.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor