What do you eat when you travel?
January 29th 2008 07:01
Reference article: 7 Secrets for Eating like a Local
I am a budget traveller, and often after having paid for my flight and my accommodations I am left with limited funds for food. Europe is great because I can live off great breads and yogurt if I am really packing it tight. However, sometimes you just wonder if there are any other way?
The author of the above article Ross Tabak states a valid point - when we travel, we often forget that we still need to eat or the need to eat well. After searching around for choices some of us often end up in McDonalds... simply because that's all we are familiar with.
But eating crap means you'll feel crap, and when you are travelling, you do need every bit of energy and an uplifted mood to keep you going.
So how to be good to ourselves and make sure we eat? And how do we know what to eat and where to eat?
I personally always prefer something local, and you'll find that it's often cheaper than eating at McDonalds. It may mean that you will be the only foreigner in the place, you'll be eating something you are not used to, or you'll risk health issues. However there are easy ways to avoid all of these with a little bit of search and caution....
Ross list some excellent advice:
- Let Your Food Be Your Medicine
- Eat where the locals eat
- Follow The Crowd
- Learn The Lingo
- Go Grocery Shopping
- Don’t Be Afraid To Eat Alone
- Try Everything…Once
Yes, do try everything once. If you are in the country, why not also experience the authentic cuisines the local culture has to offer? You never know you might like it! I've eaten snake, rabbit, possum, buffalo, intestines and guinea pigs...
What have you tried? What do you eat when you travel?
I am a budget traveller, and often after having paid for my flight and my accommodations I am left with limited funds for food. Europe is great because I can live off great breads and yogurt if I am really packing it tight. However, sometimes you just wonder if there are any other way?
Don't be afraid to try something new
The author of the above article Ross Tabak states a valid point - when we travel, we often forget that we still need to eat or the need to eat well. After searching around for choices some of us often end up in McDonalds... simply because that's all we are familiar with.
But eating crap means you'll feel crap, and when you are travelling, you do need every bit of energy and an uplifted mood to keep you going.
So how to be good to ourselves and make sure we eat? And how do we know what to eat and where to eat?
I personally always prefer something local, and you'll find that it's often cheaper than eating at McDonalds. It may mean that you will be the only foreigner in the place, you'll be eating something you are not used to, or you'll risk health issues. However there are easy ways to avoid all of these with a little bit of search and caution....
Ross list some excellent advice:
- Let Your Food Be Your Medicine
- Eat where the locals eat
- Follow The Crowd
- Learn The Lingo
- Go Grocery Shopping
- Don’t Be Afraid To Eat Alone
- Try Everything…Once
Yes, do try everything once. If you are in the country, why not also experience the authentic cuisines the local culture has to offer? You never know you might like it! I've eaten snake, rabbit, possum, buffalo, intestines and guinea pigs...
What have you tried? What do you eat when you travel?
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Comment by Jusis
Comment by Anonymous
One day you'll eat too much and get fat. That's if you ever get a REAL job. Ho ho.
Comment by AmyHuang
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Me? Get fat? Nah, I am too active to get fat
Comment by Lilla
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This is a BIGGIE for me, as I have a very delicate stomach ... even so, I would suggest that a westerner NEVER EAT OF THE STREET IN INDIA. You will end up so sick ... well, they don't call it Delhi belly for nothing... however if you do have to eat cheap in India, your advice to '..eat where the locals eat' is very sound. Go to the Dobas (that's the "truck stops" where the food is reasonably clean).
The problem for us all here in the west is that we are so homogenised and cling-wraped, sterlised and germ free, our systems cannot cope. However, I have such fond memories of the noodle houses of Singapore and Asia, but overall, most of the time I end up eating fruit, nuts, bread and cheese, wherever I go.
I have eaten dog in China and was sick for a week when I found out.
This is a tricky one in my book...
Lilla ...
Comment by AmyHuang
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It's true - not everyone can be adventurous with their food, I mean, even so I wouldn't recommend a place if I know it's known to give bugs! I had salmonella in Peru and it wasn't very pretty.... I think fruit, nuts bread and cheese is very sensible, unless you are in a country like China where cheese is absolutely crap... or like Taiwan where cheese is the most expensive item on the shelves...
Thanks for your thoughts!
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
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you reminded me of cheese in China (and parts of India) oh pleeze... I wasn;t thinking of those places when I wrote that *HAHAHA* just awful, I agree!
I had it once up in the Himalayas and boy was I sick and I only had a bottle of scotch and peppermint essence to get me through, until about three days later I found some charcol tablets... thanks God, somehow I pulled through *rolling eyes*
Cheers
PS Memories of Moscow has four parts and I've put them all in the spotlight posts, if you enjoyed the tale so far...
Comment by What's Your Story?
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