In this edition of Celebrity Travel Addicts, we speak with Tiger Andrén, the professional chef from Sweden who is leaving his mark on the world by sampling as much food as he can while touring Southeast Asia on his YouTube channel, aHungry Tiger! We chat with Tiger about what kick-started his passion for travel, why he decided to follow the path he’s on today, his favorite destinations around the world, and much more. Find out why travel is important to him and find out where he’s thinking of heading next!
Around three years ago, I went on my first trip to Asia with a dear friend of mine and that just opened up a whole new world for me, we started with going to Thailand first and explored Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Then we went to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. There is just so much to see around the world and it would be a shame not explore it.
Travel is something that should be mandatory for everyone to do If they have the opportunity, It gives you the ability to understand other cultures and appreciate its differences. The benefit of this is that it makes you a much more open-minded person and that is definitely something we need more of in this society we live in today (growing nationalism for example).
Sure, I am a professional chef that went to culinary school in my home country Sweden. I love food, I got really tired of working in a kitchen mostly because of how horrible some of the people can be there, ‘Hells kitchen” is actually not too far from the truth of some kitchens out there. I wanted to do something different, I took a gamble and left everything I had in order to travel the world and make videos – with no experience at all editing, recording, being in front of a camera or even traveling alone. True, I am still struggling making the channel grow, but I have this feeling that It will somehow work out in the end.
I look for authentic food that is native to the place which I am in or even the city that I am in. I am open-minded but I definitely do have my preferences which can sometimes be a bit frustrating when I have to try food that is local, but just not to my taste.
Some of the dishes that people create is just phenomenal and super hard to recreate, one of them that comes to mind immediately is ‘Pho’ in Vietnam, anyone who is a chef knows how difficult it can be to create a good broth and no doubts some of the Vietnamese knows exactly how to make it so tremendously rich. Thai food is relatively easy and I love it, so this is definitely something that I will be doing much more when/If I come home but not in a professional setting.
Right now I am on a never ending trip, haha! But I do not prefer to travel short timeframes, when I go somewhere I do not look for a place to relax (like a beach) I want do delve deep into the place, I want to walk around the streets, I want get the scent of every corner of the place, trying their food, chatting with locals etc. Nature, clean, quiet, small towns and historical places, especially those with rich food culture is my favorite.
That is a deep question, this is something I do not reflect too much about to be honest, I want it to be something that people enjoy to watch. I think they can learn a lot about culture, travel, food. But sometimes I worry about giving the wrong impressions about a place since videography is something that takes a small piece of beauty of one place and ignoring the rest. So in the end I believe it is up to them what they can learn from it, but ultimately it should be something that is enjoyable to watch.
So hard!
Tokyo Japan, Chiayi Taiwan, Hoi An Vietnam.
It is hard because it depends on how you count I do not remember as a child but I think it is around 20 around this point.
Again, so hard! Swedish, Thai and Japanese. (+ French, Italian, Greek haha I can just keep writing)
I am a big fan of cheap, high-quality food with limited ‘dining experience’ which is usually is really fancy restaurants. I do not mind eating on a plastic chair on the street as long as the taste is satisfying. I recommend anyone trying an authentic ramen restaurant in Japan, maybe in Sapporo to try some spicy miso ramen, one of my favorites was ‘Ramen Shingen’.
I do not really watch many movies but I sincerely think everyone has to watch Vietnam War documentary by Ken Burns.
Singapore Airport.
Chiang Mai in Thailand or anywhere in Taiwan.
Since I travel alone I have to say myself! The best companion you will ever have in life is indeed yourself.
Podcasts, reading, meditating, mindlessly thinking while listening to music.
I think Vietnam will bring you to some really crazy places. But I was also on Japanese television, that was a big rollercoaster.
Just go, seriously. Do not make up petty excuses to why you cannot do it. I have seen people that are traveling alone 65+ or families, the world is out there and ready to be seen by everyone.
Phone, wallet, good pair of shoes and a big fat smile to let the world know they cannot bring you down.
I already went there, It was Japan and it was amazing. I would recommend anyone to go there and skip Kyoto (yes there is something controversial for you).
Not really a travel quote but It is from Steve Jobs, I think he has a lot of wisdom to share to other people.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. ”
Undecided, I think I might make my way back to Thailand soon!
Hey everyone, thank you for reading about me.
My name is Tiger (yes it is my real name) I am chef that comes from Sweden and my biggest dream in life is to share foods across the world to people, If you want to follow my dream you can check it out on my Youtube where I publish videos about it.
Learn more about Tiger Andrén and his travels by checking out his YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook!
Counter
101 Countries • 1432 Cities
