How to Experience A New Place Through Food
Cuisine is Key to Understanding Culture
Many people travel and see eating as just a way to nourish themselves as they pass through their trip. But eating another culture's foods and eating in the way the citizens of that country eat is an important way to learn about the new culture and expand one's palate and experience. Here are some practical tips for how to make that happen.
Do as the Romans Do
When in Spain, you should eat tapas, as anyone who has traveled to Spain will tell you. But the key to enjoying tapas the Spanish way is to eat them with a small beer in the middle of the afternoon when the Spanish actually do. Tapas are a tradition not only because of the actual food but because of the tradition of sitting down and taking a break and enjoying a bite or two with your afternoon beer.
This same principle applies to eating schedules. When traveling through Argentina, for instance, you should try your best to sync up to the Argentine eating schedule: waking up later, eating a small breakfast, eating a large lunch around 3 p.m., having a coffee break with a snack closer to 5 or 6 p.m. and then eating your dinner at around 11 p.m. Not only will you experience food they way the Argentines do, you'll be more likely to actually experience it with them!
Don't Sweat the Language Barrier
Sometimes travelers worry about not being able to communicate in restaurants that aren't tourist-friendly or English-speaking. That's just not true, though. Throughout the world, people are savvy enough to gesture and to meet each other halfway when figuring something out when there's a language barrier. You can always fall back on pointing at something.
A thoughtful way to approach a situation with a language barrier is to learn just a handful of words in the host country's language. For instance, just having the words "hello" and "thank you" in your vocabulary will be an immense help and will show your hosts that you're making an effort to communicate.
Don't Follow Your Fellow Tourists
If you see a restaurant that's full of people who look, act and behave, well, just like you, walk in the other direction. If you wanted to dine among your fellow tourists, you would have just stayed home and gone out to dinner. Although it stretches the comfort zone, it's very good for tourists to look for places a little more off the beaten path, which are also more likely to offer you foods that are more authentic to the culture.
Try Everything Once
Your mother said it when you were young, but it's especially important to remember when you're traveling. If something looks gross, it might be. But if you never try it, you're not allowing yourself to fully explore the culture. Take just one bite of everything, and you'll be glad you did - you just might find something new and exciting to call your favorite!
Try Local and Ethnic Foods
Another interesting way to explore a culture while traveling is to try that country's foreign food. So, for example, try the Mexican food in Southeast Asia, the pizza in Ireland, the paella and tapas in Scandinavia. Seeing the way that the culture views other countries' foods and adapts it to the country's own tastes can be a very interesting experience. And even if you don't like it, it'll give you a great conversation topic next time you're eating Mexican food back home.
Take Advantage of Deals
In places where the dollar (or your local currency) goes far, take advantage and really splurge on a nice meal. You can sometimes be served five or six-course meals with elaborate and delicious desserts in foreign countries for the same price as you'd buy a plain old chain-restaurant one-dish meal at home.
Eating the food in a foreign country, while on a trip, can be exciting and an insightful way to learn about the culture. Be a little more adventurous next time, and you might also learn a little something about yourself.
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