Nice to meet you! We are Dottie and Lenza, the couple behind Dots on a Map.
If you’re curious about how people eat and cook around the world and want to know about the best local places to eat when you travel, you’ve come to the right place. We hope that with us, you will be able to:
- Gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and perspectives via food
- Find travel guides and resources to help you explore new destinations as authentically as possible
- Get inspired by all the beauty (and deliciousness!) in the world
Our other interests include street art around the world, photography tips & tricks as we work on perfecting our craft, and the challenges, beauty, and nuances of being in a cross-cultural relationship like our own. You’ll find these topics popping up here and there on the blog as well.
We try to be as real as possible in all our content, and aim to showcase what places are really like with our words, photography, and videos. You won’t find generic posts based on Google search results here, and we’ll never sugarcoat our experiences for the sake of marketing a destination.
In the end, our goal is to help YOU, our readers. If you have any suggestions on how we can make our content better, or simply want to say hello, drop us a line on our contact page.
Meet Dottie
Dottie manages writing and marketing for Dots on a Map and is Chief Eater of the Dots on a Map food show.
Born in Rhode Island, USA, Dottie moved with her family to Taiwan at the age of 3. There, she grew up as the only “foreigner” in her local kindergarten and elementary school. Seven years later, her family packed up and moved back to the States. She has been there ever since (with a few international jaunts in-between).
Dottie finds it fascinating to reflect on the culture shock she experienced upon moving back to the States and to analyze the differences between the two cultures that have shaped who she is. She stays in touch with her Taiwanese side largely via food, and loves to cook, eat, and discover new dishes all over the world.
Meet Lenza
Lenza is responsible for all the photography and video you see on Dots on a Map. He’s also our resident WordPress trouble-shooter 😝
Lenza is originally from Brasilia, Brazil. As a child, he grew up with his hardworking single mother and witnessed the intense poverty, crime, and violence that dominates poor neighborhoods across Brazil. At 18, Lenza joined the Brazilian Air Force, making his way into tech and IT.
At 26, Lenza packed up and moved to San Francisco with $2400 in his pocket and zero English-speaking skills. A few short years later, he is fluent in English, has found the perfect love of his life (who is certainly not the one writing this), and is working on building a career in photography and video. He loves to skateboard and spot animals in the wild in his free time.