Introducing Verna Gao's new food travel series

Looking for on-the-ground food and travel recommendations? Want to get to the heart of the world's most vibrant culinary scenes? We're excited to introduce olive's new contributor, Verna Gao...

"If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably know me as someone who’s always talking about food, planning her next solo trip or figuring out how many meals she can squeeze into a single day. Like many millennials, food and travel have become more than passions for me, they’re part of how I see and understand the world.

But here’s something you might not know: I was born in Shanghai.

I moved to London when I was seven, after my parents divorced, and I’ve been bouncing between cultures – and continents – ever since. But Shanghai has always been home in a quiet, complicated way. It’s where my roots are, where my palate was shaped and where some of my earliest memories are tucked away in side streets and soup stalls.

Over the past few years, I’ve returned to Shanghai again and again, spending extended time exploring not just the city, but China more broadly. These trips haven’t just been about eating (though let’s be honest, there's definitely been a lot of eating)... They’ve been about reconnecting with a place that raised me, rediscovering the layers of a city I thought I knew, and learning how to share a culture that still lives deep in my bones, even if I’ve lived away from it most of my life. So when olive magazine asked me to create a series sharing my favourite food and travel moments, there was no better place to begin.

Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing honest recommendations, personal stories and deep dives into the flavours that have shaped me. I am starting with Shanghai, and soon venturing to South Korea, Colombia and more. Think: late-night hotpot, hidden alley snacks, market treats you’ll wish you could smell through the screen and the kind of travel moments that make you feel just a little more connected to somewhere new — or somewhere old.

If you’re hungry for real food, real places, and a side of heart with your travel guides, you’re in the right place.

First up: Shanghai, as recommended by a Shanghai girl...

Meanwhile check out olive's local guides to city's across the world...

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The Gastro Gays' guide to where to eat and drink in Dublin

Lena Peter's neighbourhood restaurants in Berlin