I’ve traveled to a lot of countries at this point in my life. Often, my travels have been for work, but increasingly they are for pleasure. I’d like to share my thoughts about eating out in general, and in other countries.
- Try it! You just may like it. . . When you travel to another country, try the local cuisine. Part of the experience of visiting a new place is getting a full dose of the local culture, which includes their cuisine. If you don’t know what to order, ask the waiter or restaurant manager what they recommend. My first visit to India (Chennai in the southern part of the country), my boss told me that the best thing he ever did was to ask the waiter to order dinner for him. He knew that in India, the flavor combinations amongst dishes and the marriage of spices within the meal was critical to the taste experience. He also knew that he didn’t have the experience to do this himself, and could result in him picking dishes that would taste terrible together. Even though he had been going to India for years and probably knew how to do it himself by that point in time, he continued this practice and found that he had incredible taste experiences that he may not have had otherwise, without the local expertise. While he wasn’t a vegetarian, he also recommended asking for a combination of ‘veg’ and ‘non-veg’ so that you could try out different foods.
- Just because you don’t normally eat that particular item, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad (unhealthy, disgusting, gross. . .). I’ve often met Americans who can’t imagine eating something like pigeon, because in the US, we see them as dirty birds akin to flying rats. However, in France, pigeon is a delicious taste experience. When I went to Finland, I actually tried horse. These aren’t ‘pet’ horses and aren’t those pumped up with steroids to make them good for racing, these are farm animals raised just like sheep and cows. While there, I also had ‘reindeer’ (venison) and bear meat. I found the bear to be really heavy and dense (similar to beef liver in some ways), so eating a full meal of it would be too much for me, but it was interesting to taste it. When visiting China, this was the norm – much of what you eat there, you can’t get at home, and sometimes it just doesn’t translate (I found that many of the fish names would translate into English as ‘white fish’ So, you didn’t really know exactly what kind of fish you were eating, but fish is fish, so I wasn’t worried).
- It can be fun to try American chains abroad. If you have the time, and the inclination, it can be interesting to see how American food has been localized abroad. For example, I found that Starbucks has some really interesting twists on their Chai Tea lattes in their locations in China and India. Years ago, I had pizza at a Pizza Hut in Edinburgh, where they served cheddar cheese on the pizza (and had wine, which the US restaurants weren’t allowed to serve at the time). As an American, I had never had cheddar cheese on my pizza before – it was ‘different,’ for sure. While I’m not a fan of fast-food restaurants, the special menus that are in place for places like MacDonald’s are interesting. If you want to taste what happens when you localize American standards like Burger King and MacDonald’s, try them out.
- Don’t order something that you can make yourself. For example, I rarely order things like chili, lasagna or meatloaf. I’m more than capable of making these myself, and I often do. Unless I’m homesick or feeling like I really need a dose of ‘Mom’s home cooking,’ I avoid these in my dining out experiences. The reality is that my Mom’s recipes are really the best, and I’m not sure I want my meatloaf experience to be marred by some inferior restaurant recipe 😊.
- Stay away from chain restaurants. Yes, consistency and certainty are nice, but it’s boring! When I’m traveling, I’m not looking for something that I’ve eaten before. This also falls into the category of ‘things I can get a home,’ if I’m traveling within the US. Now, if I’m traveling outside the US, I might try a local or regional chain. However, I find that chains are chains regardless of country, and their menus tend to be rather repetitive, oftentimes there are limited options and they’re just plain boring. Some chains are an exception to this, and I’m a huge fan of Season’s 52 in the US – I love their portion sizes, decent wine list and their ‘farm to table’ menus (not to mention the cute little desserts that are ‘just right!’ for someone who likes a bite of a sweet at the end of the meal).
- Beware of restaurants that feature food from ‘not here.’ Unless I’m going to a specific style of restaurant (see below about going to ethnic restaurants), I generally don’t order dishes that aren’t local. For example, I eat Maryland crab in – Maryland. I’d probably stay away from ordering it in Arizona. If I want New England Clam Chowder, I’ll wait until I’m in – New England. Dining in the Midwest can be tough when it comes to fish since ‘local’ would mean lake fish, so I flex this rule when I’m in the middle of the country and a restaurant is featuring something like mussels – pretty unlikely those came from somewhere nearby, but they can be a tasty addition to a meal all the same.
- Beware of raw meat and fish – I’m big on sushi, but I’m careful when dining out. If I want sushi, I’m going to go to a Japanese restaurant that specializes. I worry about sushi in the airport (unless it’s one like Detroit where a lot of Japanese tourists come through and demand good quality fish), or restaurants that serve it as a part of a huge menu (just how fresh can it be?). I also had a really bad experience in Scotland with medium rare lamb once. I still order my lamb medium rare (it’s so tough and difficult to chew when overcooked), but I’m a little more cautious about what restaurants I trust to serve me good meat. So, while I wouldn’t say ‘don’t ever eat raw meat or fish,’ I would say, ‘be careful where you order these things’ – look for restaurants that seem to have a quick turnover of product or are very busy (so food doesn’t stick around long). When it comes to meat, I’ll probably tend towards a steak house (or similar) when going for steak tartare or asking for a rare (blue) steak.
- Try to eat local specialties as much as possible or visit restaurants that are doing ‘farm to table.’ Besides getting an opportunity to eat foods that are more representative of where you are, you’re helping with sustainability and oftentimes contributing to the local community (by encouraging restaurants to buy their food from local farms). I find that these can be some of the most interesting dishes you can try when dining out, and depending on where you are, it’s not likely that you’ll get something you can easily make at home.
- If you’re looking for a specific ethnic food experience outside of the home country, see if you can talk to someone from that country about their recommendation for where to go. For example, when I worked outside of Boston, one of my site managers was from India. I asked him where he went to get authentic Indian food, and he told me a specific restaurant in Arlington that served dishes that were closest to what he had growing up in South India. Likewise, for Chinese New Year in Chicago, I found a restaurant where the menu for the evening was in Chinese and I was one of the few Caucasians there (thankfully, they had an English-language version of the menu for me). When I want food from a certain country or geography, I’d rather not have the Americanized version of that food. If I can’t go to China, then I want a restaurant that can prepare me ‘real’ Chinese food in the US.
- Food and wine pairings can be a whole new taste experience – just watch out for portion sizes. I’ve had some excellent 6 course meals that came with recommended wine pairing. I’ve also had to drink several times the amount of wine I normally would (and suffered the consequences) when an overzealous restaurant served full glasses of wine (upwards of 6 or 8 ounces) with each course. In one case, they served all the red wines in the same glass (so, ‘bottom’s up!’). This meant it was difficult to just leave a glass partially drunk, and I felt pressured to finish the glass so that they could pour the next wine. After a few experiences of drinking way too much wine, then suffering later that evening or the next day, I’ve taken to asking how much wine is included. I also check on portion sizes since in the US, you can often get so much food that you really couldn’t (or shouldn’t) finish it. The trend in the US seems to be towards much better portion control, especially in higher end restaurants, but it’s still good to confirm that an American restaurant isn’t going to give you all the calories you need for a week in one meal. I have not found European restaurants to over-serve, either food or drink, so this is less of an issue outside the US and Canada (I’ve found that sometimes Canadian restaurants follow the same practices as US and serve way too much food). If, after checking, you’re still worried about the amount of wine in a pairing menu, ask the server or the sommelier which wine they would recommend that could go well with the entire set meal, then order one glass of it to savor over the offerings.
- Try out the community table. This is something that isn’t that common in the US, though it is starting to spread in some cities. Most Americans are used to the idea that when they go to a restaurant, they will sit at a table which is just for their immediate party, unless they’re taking their meal at the bar. The idea that a couple going out and being seated at a table with one or two other couples is a foreign concept for many Americans. However, these can be some of the most interesting experiences you can have when visiting another country. Sitting with strangers who could be locals or even other tourists is fun, and if you’re traveling alone, it can mean a much more social dining experience. You can meet people that you wouldn’t normally meet and share in conversation that you might not otherwise have when dining alone (or as a couple). When my daughter, son-in-law and I were in Florence, Italy, we were seated at a community table on my final night with them. The other party at our table consisted of four tourists from the Ukraine. We had so much fun chatting with them (they were very excited to get to practice their English and talk about the US). It may feel strange at first, but just think of it as part of the cultural experience, and don’t worry – if you don’t hit it off with your table-mates, or you don’t speak their language, they’ll generally just get on talking amongst themselves and let you get on with your meal too.
- No one is trying to poison you – in general, people in other countries aren’t going to deliberately recommend food that will make you sick. When traveling in China, I knew that my work colleagues would never ‘get’ me to eat something that was bad or would hurt me. I had one female colleague who seemed to be quite fussy about what she ate, so my rule of thumb was that if she ate something, then I’d eat it too. I made clear my dietary preferences (I don’t eat pork), and they were quite careful to ensure that I didn’t have dishes containing pork. I did try chicken feet and some other dishes that seemed really strange, but only when my colleagues recommended them. Maybe I am too trusting, but most people in other countries will try to ensure that you have a good experience while visiting. I found the Chinese, in particular, especially concerned that I come away with a good impression of the country (and its food). Of course, you do need to be careful about street food vendors in any country since sometimes the hygiene isn’t always good, or food storage may lead to spoilage that can make you sick. If a colleague recommended street food, I was always careful to check that it was thoroughly cooked and served hot. However, usually we stuck to restaurants or hotels for our meals since they were aware that street food could be a problem even for them.
- Post reviews! I feel like when I’m using TripAdvisor to select a restaurant, then I owe it to my fellow travelers to share my thoughts as well. Sometimes, I get busy and forget to post a review, but I do try my best to keep up with it so that I can benefit everyone else who are doing the same things I do. . . Also, it’s helpful when you’re traveling in another country when you can get reviews that are in English or allow for translation, to check whether it’s somewhere you want to go (see my article about picking restaurants when traveling).
Bon Appetite!
