The Cookbook Adventure: The Mongol Rally with a Side Order!
For many men cooking can be an adventure in itself. The mere sight of a saucepan and an unopened can of beans can smite the mightiest of commercially astute brains and the thought of constructing a simple sandwich defeat the most capable of engineers. There’s a barrier there, despite the likes of Jamie Oliver urging us all to get stuck in and disappear in a haze of lime juice and olive oil, some of us simply can’t do it.
For others food is the gateway to another world and none more so than three blokes from Sweden. Proving that adventures can present themselves in all sorts of guises, . As part of The Mongolian Rally they’re going to document all the food they have along the way and the result will be The Adventure Cookbook. And if it tickles your fancy you too can become part of the whole escapade by stumping up a modest contribution which can see you with anything from personalised recipes to a full on banquet for a group of friends.
We caught up with Jesper Lejfjord and tried to find out a bit more about the adventure, the person and Sweden.
Adrian Simpson: What does adventuring mean to you?
Jesper Lejfjord: Adventuring means to challenge oneself in a different environment and go beyond your comfort zone. For some people this might be to take a further than usual sailing trip or bus ride on an organised tour but in a country they are not familiar with and some people need to do life threatening rock-climbing to call it an adventure.. My point is that the classification of adventure is very personal.
AS: When did you realise that your life would be a life less ordinary?
JL: I guess when I travelled in Laos and volunteered in the jungle. This experience gave me lots of new perspectives and led me to believe anything was possible. I then continued to start my volunteer travel company World Volunteer. (www.world-volunteer.com) + my other company Entreprenörskyrkan (co working space for start-ups in Stockholm in a former church) www.entreprenorskyrkan.se and the hunger for more experiences, adventure and knowledge has been with me since my days in the jungle.
AS: When did you come up with this idea?
JL: Exactly one year ago when Gustav my travel mate found MR on the web. Then it developed into The Cookbook Adventure (www.cookbookadventure.com).
AS: What’s going to be the hardest part?
JL: Probably all the non-verbal communication that has to take place in order for us to meet as many families as we wish to cook with them along the way and tap into the wonderful local cuisine. I bet a few motor-breakdowns in the desert will be the cherry on top =)
AS: Is Sweden a good breeding ground for adventurers?
JL: I´d think so. We´d be far up north to take on the adventures around the artic and so cold we feel the urge to explore other countries and destinations where the climate is different. Swedes tend to be quite adventurous in my opinion. (maybe my circles are a bit biased though).
AS: What is Sweden’s best export ABBA, IKEA or Volvo?
JL: Of these choices I´d say Volvo, but if I´d be free to choose I´d say soon the cookbook adventure!
About the Author
Adrian Simpson Adrian Simpson is a writer and TV presenter with a profound love of the outdoors. His family, snow, sea, brewing, vinyl, guitars and VW buses mean the world to him.
