By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
December 15, 2015
Sixteen years after Tia Mowry became a household name on the sitcom, “Sister, Sister,” the busy actress stars in two series. She appears on TV Land’s “Instant Mom” and “Tia Mowry at Home,” her own lifestyle show on the Cooking Channel. Married to actor Cory Hardrict, she says her family travels all the time and never tires of it.
“When Cory is filming on a movie set, (our son) Cree and I will pack up and go visit for as long as we can,” says Mowry, 37. “Our son (is four) and has always been a really good traveler. We got really lucky.”
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Q. What are your favorite vacation destinations?
A. Sardinia is beautiful. The people were so friendly and the food was incredible! I also loved Florence. I spent two months there as part of a school study-abroad program. On the weekends, we would get to travel wherever we wanted, so I would explore. That was a magical time. I was turning 21 and it was the first time I celebrated my birthday with a glass of wine. We went salsa dancing at a cool kind of bar.
Q. Where have you enjoyed your best meal?
A. Oh, my gosh, Florence! I had the best meal and it was so simple. It was spaghetti. What really made it so special was the freshness of the pasta. You could tell right away that it wasn’t packaged. It was homemade from scratch and I was so surprised at how different that tasted. Unreal. The tomato sauce was also so different. I’ve never tasted sauce like that in my life. It was sweet and I asked why it didn’t have that acidy taste that some American sauce has. I was told that in Italy, they used carrots in their marinara sauce and that’s what makes them naturally sweet. I was completely in awe of that. And the bread that was served with it was freshly baked. I could’ve eaten the whole loaf. They didn’t put salt in their bread, because that was in the tomato sauce and pasta, so you would get the salt from dipping your bread in your meal. It was just incredible.
Q. Where do you enjoy going for a quick getaway?
A. New York. It’s a place I always go to for work, but then you’re in and out and there’s not much time to have fun. The first time I went on my own, I looked at the hotel menu and was like, “How much do you want for a 4-ounce glass of OJ? Five dollars?” (Laughs) It’s a very different case when you’re spending your own money. It was a wakeup call. But I will say that I fell in love with New York and loved going to see the plays and trying all the incredible food the city has to offer. If you’re craving Indian food or Thai, you can find really good restaurants pretty easily. I always say that I would go poor eating my way through New York, because I like to try everything.
Q. Do you prefer to see the sights or just hang out at the pool when you’re on vacation?
A. I am the touristy kind and my husband’s the opposite. He says, “We’re on vacation. Relax.” But I love to travel and explore. Exploring is one of my favorite things to do, but I don’t really want to be in a tour group. I like doing it alone, or with whomever I’m traveling with.
Q. When did you know Cree would be a good travel buddy?
A. When he was a baby. Cree has been all over. I hope that when he’s 30, he’ll turn the tables and take me on trips with him. I hope he’ll always want to travel and, hopefully, he’ll want to travel with me.
Q. What is on your travel bucket list?
A. I want to get to Japan and really experience it. My mom and brother have gone for work. I want to take Cree with me to the Disneyland over there. I hear that it’s phenomenal.
Q. Are you an adventurous eater?
A. Yes. As a teen, I was hesitant about trying new things, but not now. I love to discover new foods. In Budapest, I always had questions. What is your signature dish? They, of course, said goulash. I loved it so much and now have to figure out a way to make it at home.
Q. What best describes your attitude about travel?
A. In my early 20s, I met Brittany Daniel, who was an actress on my show, “The Game.” We became really good friends. She said, “Never let fear hinder you from discovering the world. No one can take away your experiences, so try and explore as much as you can, if you can.” That’s my golden motto in life.
© 2015 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
