ezlivin

>>> I hate wasting money on bad food when I could have had a memorable meal for the same price or slightly more. <<<

Well put.

walkinaround

i agree with NYC, if i can cook it better myself, i get frustrated.

i most enjoy going to a place where the chef has prepared done the most he can with the ingredients. where you say, "this could not possibly be done any better". this works for even the simplest of dishes.

i am very good at sizing up restaurants and if there are few choices and i sense that i will be faced with poor food, i can easily adjust to this situation by just ordering simple and cheap to avoid disappointment. some people maintain high expectations and cannot adjust to the reality of the situation that they are in.

if i'm on a short break, i like the restaurants but for a week or two, i prefer to do some of my own cooking, especially if i'm in an area where I can get amazing produce.

lyb

Well, I'm glad to see that many other travelers' priorities are not restaurants.

As I said, I do love a meal in a great restaurant, but I can't see myself looking for a particular restaurant when traveling, UNLESS, it was a return visit, maybe the 3rd or 4th time I visit a city.

But as I've read in other messages, some people don't like the idea of taking many photographs while traveling, while I couldn't think of not having my camera with me while traveling.

The only thing that is important, is that your traveling partner wants the same thing as you do.

Happy travels, eating and photo taking everyone.

JamesA

I do find it interesting how high a priority it is for some and it also can seem to affect where people actually go or not. Personaly I have never though that restaurants played any part in choice of destination. As far as restaurant guides go, yes, like any guide they are of some use but remember it can take often 2 years for a restaurant to even get listed in a printed guide and even online guides can sometimes make it difficult to get listed, I know a lot of online guides where it seems impossible to get listed sousing guides and recommendations doesn't mean anyway that you would be eating at the best.

tripgirl

ok, I'll bite!

I'll be a bit different here.

Food is our top priority, but then again I'm a chef!!!

And some of the meals we've had, oh my!!!!!

Kate

well I seem to be one of the odd ones out here, because I find eating out and having great food is one of my highest priorities on holiday - it's one of the reasons I adore Italy, and am so-so about Spain and Greece.

I guess food - both cooking and dining out, is a hobby, and a fast proportion of my spending money will always go on food and drink. I rarely buy souvenirs, but frequently buy a great cheese, or local wine, to take home.

Everyday I look forward to my evening meal - it's often the high spot of my day. It's thw whole event I love - the different foods, great ambience, a really goo bottle (or more) of local wine.

Don't get me wrong - this doesn't have to mean upscale every night. I can get just as much enjoyment from a small trattoria or a picnic made up of purchases from the local market.

But food for me is NEVER simply fuel, and I never just 'grab a sandwich' while running to the next church/gallery/museum.

(I might add, before you all think I'm a pig, that loving good food doesn't mean getting as much of it down my neck as fast as possible - quality, not quantity, has always been my mantra).

mamc

Good food is a priority for us. I think food is a part of the culture of the places we visit and we like to experience that part. That said, we do not plan breakfast and lunch but simply eat in a convenient cafe or pick up something while we are enjoying the sights. I like to research restaurants and we usually make reservations for dinner from a list we have put together. We have had spectacular food and save the trouble of searching for a restaurant. Dinner for us is often the evenings entertainment and we are seldom disappointed.

Maria_H

I like my food and love to try local dishes when travelling but it doesn't play a part in choosing my destination. I like casual dining and my other half wouldn't dream of taking a shirt and tie on vacation, also being from a background where money was tight, I still dislike blowing lots of money on an expensive meal.

I love Greece and part of the enjoyment for us is sitting in a sea front taverna, watching the sun go down and listening to the sea lapping on the shore. Almost anything tastes good there.

ncgrrl

Growing up, I never went to restaurants. So I never got used to them as a child. I don't like the whole production of reservations, waiting for order taking, waiting for food, waiting for bill, having to ask for stuff I need.

I tend to find grocery stores or take out food. And I eat when I'm hungry at a place nearby. And I never pass up the opportunity for ice cream.

But what I find shocking is the amount of alcohol people here drink. I'm not much of a drinker and one drink is all I can handle. With the folks here talking about cocktails before meals, bottleS of wine with a meal, after dinner drinks I'm amazed they can stand up and walk straight.

SuzieC

Growing up I was taken to wonderful restaurants. I cooked a darned tasty Thanksgiving dinner for well, more than 10 people when I was 11 years old (I forget it was many years ago).
Food is important to me. I have the personal pleasure of cooking for my friends - a lot. I can plan for 10 and end up serving another 10 drop-bys.
But, the circumstances of my existence right now limits me. Yes, I can plan and go to Europe BUT I can't stay at 4 stars - and plan a daily visit to any one of, say 7 starred restaurants during a "week" in town.
But I can do 1! I consider myself pretty damned lucky at that!
I cannot eat late either. So by myself, my dinners are usually everyone else's lunches. I eat light at Dinner when I'm by myself.
Circumstances are changing for me. A new beau, who is european, "likes" food but its not a priority with him. He does like throwing a dinner party... so that's a good thing!
If I could plan on eating at all those great restaurants, would I? I doubt it. I too like to graze through and nibble local specialities and people watch.
All things in moderation.

Chele60

Another poster chiming in with the "restaurant/food thing just isn't all that important to me." I like good food, but I don't research it like some do. Normally, I take along a short list of restaurants that have recommendations and sound interesting, but if I get to them or not depends on my mood.

Dinner is more important for me than lunch or dinner. Normally, when I'm on vacation, I just grab breakfast/lunch on the run. At that point, food is fuel. Dinner is more of my time to relax and unwind. The only trip I truly took down restaurant recommendations and (for the most part) followed them was while I visited New Orleans. And usually the hardest thing for me is that first meal. Between long flight, jet lag, feeling tired, I just want something in my stomach and I don't care what it is. That's usually my only junk food/fast food time!

AGM_Cape_Cod

I am definitely on the other side of the coin. After mulling this over I realize there are many reasons why I spend so much time reseaching restaurants.
First, I was a trained chef for many years so I am predisposed to be interested in food.
Second is more historical. My first trip overseas with my parent's while in high school was to Ireland. Without stating my age I will disclose that we were siteseeing in Dublin when the US landed on the moon (most of the Irish people at the place we were staying thought we were nuts for not sitting in front of the telly with them.) The food was awful. The second stage of the trip was Paris -what a comparison.
Then I traveled with my sister who dragged us from pillar to post looking for a cheaper restaurant. The night we ended up having 'soup' (I am sure what we got was the liquid soaking the soup pot) I put my foot down. We had very nice steak frites the next night in Colmar.
I am use to relying on my own research for restaurants especially after taking a recommendation for a restuarant in Boston that was an obvious kick back situation for the person who recommended it.
The best part of all this is that this has been a nice thread about our differences without name calling or insults.

allisonm

As for not planning meals in advance...We were in the quite touristy area behind St Severin earlier this month. There were fellows in the doorways of restaurants, smashing plates to get your attention and lure you in. Around the corner was a small place with no dishsmashers (say that 5 times fast!) or guys waving us in, but a price fix dinner of 9E. We ended up in there for a lovely dinner and 1.5 bottles of Beaujolais. It was definitely not a place we would have planned to go, but we had a very decent meal and a wonderful time for a pretty low price (well, those euros sure do add up to many dollars...) But if we were only following a list of recommended restos, we would have missed out on this great evening.

dsm22

Great post, but I can't say that I can agree, sorry. If I had the money I would plan whole vacations around where I would eat and the food.

We do not over eat, but we do love food. I really enjoy good food and trying new dishes. I do get annoyed when I go places and I cook better than they do. I will pay a goodly sum of money will a smile on my face for a good meal. I just hate when it is expensive, and not up to standards.

cigalechanta

dsm, I never eat what I can prepare at home. Like baby eels, or confits. they are things I would not usually cook at home. When we went to Alsace, we didn't plan to go to one of the greatest restaurants but luck was we were there without a reservation, Auberge De L'Ill.
( I read it took 6 months to reserve)\
In Annecy, we did not reserve at the famous Augerge de Eriden, the Chef Marc Fayat, a darling of most chefs. Was most welcoming, they happened to have a cancellation. These were special occasion dining, a celebration of phases in our lives, otherwise dining at our favorite cafés where we know the regulars in a travels in France is really much more fun.

dsm22

Point well taken. It is hard though, I come out of a restaurant/catering/bakery
background. I can cook most anything, but do I, no. So you are right I do order things I am not prone to prepare at home. My skill level to prepare it is still there though.

Isn't it nice though to stumble upon those unexpected pleasures cigalechanta?