Do you have a favorite food that you try everywhere you go
 

When I travel in Germanic countries, I have bratwurst everywhere I can. If possible, I have the hausgemacht (house made) sausage. This way I try a wide variety of the wurst. I have enjoyed them all, altho one near Heidelberg had too much parsley for my taste.

Do you have a food that you sample almost everywhere you go (don't include beer/wine)

I always order mushrooms if I see it on menus. I love mushrooms and enjoy trying the different varieties (esp wild ones) in other countries ~ as long as they're not poisonous. ;)

If I happen to be in Central Europe during April-June, I ALWAYS order spargel (white asparagus). It is so delicate and delicious that I can eat it 3 times a day every day.

Spargel is just the word aspergus in German. This covers both the white as well as the green.

Both spargel are the same item, except the white ones are kept underground. As soon as they're open to the sun, they turn green.

Blackduff

Caribbean and London - Roti wrap

Europe and US cities with big Polish population - pierogis

Chicago - Italian beef sandwich (hot and juicy), (you have to have one at the right place to understand)

Thailand - Curry dishes (hot)

Japan - Kobe steaks

US - Top Steakhouses

Italy - just about anything....:-)

Right, blackduff. But to me, the white asparagus has a much nicer flavor (and much more tender) than the sun-exposed green ones. And isn't it true that the white ones are more expensive than the green ones?

French fries and Mexican food (but not together of course!)

I love these two foods and I love to see the different "takes" on it. We've had Mexican in the UK that tasted like Tex-Mex meets Chinese. And I love the way that foreign waiters always offer us catsup for our fries because they know we're American.

I like to "eat locally" but I think always trying to sample the same thing gives you a different view. There was a trip report about a woman in NYC that had a Manhattan (or a cosmo?) at every bar they went to so that she could compare them. I think that sounds like fun!

On our Italian honeymoon, I made it a point to try bruschetta in every restaurant we visited... in addition, I felt I was duty-bound to sample as much gelato as possible.

:)

yk
True, the white spargel are more expensive. The reason in the amount of trouble to keep the aspergus covered, instead giving it the sun.

Someone goes each day and builds up a bit of dirt over the spargels. They build up to about four or five inches, trying them to grow. Finally they whisk away the dirt and collect spargels.

These white spargels are awaited in Switzerland. This is the festival period and spargels are everywhere in the tables.

Blackduff

Not exactly food, but a related item: toothpaste. I almost always buy a small tube of toothpaste at my destination, usually looking for the most unusual, and if possible, most old-fashioned one. Favorite so far: Email Rouge, a bright red French toothpaste that tastes like licorice. The bright red actually tint your gums a bit, and makes your teeth look whiter in contrast.

And yes, it's every bit as strange as it sounds.

hot dogs (sausages, whatever their local name and style).

Goat cheese. I'll try just about any type of goat cheese. When we went to Sancerre a few years ago, we gave as much attention to touring the nearby "Goat Cheese Loop" as we did to the wineries.
In Vienna, at the renowned Steirereck restaurant, I skipped dessert, opting for the cheese tray instead. The restaurant has an outstanding cheese selection and they offered several goat cheese selections I hadn't tried before (including a delicious goat cheese camembert)
Yesterday, I stopped into the 1707 Wine Bar in London. I wasn't planning to eat there, just have a glass of wine, but when I saw "twice baked crottin de Chavignol souffle and salad with walnut oil dressing" on the menu, I couldn't resist.

I also like to sample local coffee roasters and usually bring home at least a half kilo bag of whatever seems particularly appealing. As souvenirs go, coffee isn't expensive.

Therese: That red toothpaste sounds intriguing..where is it sold?

I don't try the same foods; I try to concentrate on the foods of each region.

The name of the toothpaste is actually Email Diamant ("diamond enamel"), not Email Rouge as I initially said above. It comes in a fairly small yellow box with a picture of a toreador on the front. Yes, that's right, a toreador. Because I always think of bullfights when I think of brushing my teeth, of course.

I assume that the toreador reference is something to do with the red color, though he's not shown holding a red cape, so who really knows.

In any case I don't recall which shop I found it in, but it was in Paris, somewhere near Porte Maillot. Possibly a Monoprix, possibly a small pharmacy. Large shops that sell toiletries will typically have lots and lots of the big international brands like Colgate, but if you look long enough you'll find a few examples of old-fashioned things that are still around.

If you don't happen to be going to France any time soon you can buy it at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Formula-Rouge-.../dp/B000OPBPZU

The link has a nice little picture of the package, with the toreador. Be warned, the licorice/anise flavor is fairly strong.

I always like to try local cheeses ... and then of course I have to try the local wines. Can't possibly have cheese without wine, can you?

I always try the food, wine cheese that is native to the area and in Provence I always order the Brandade and stuffed squash flowers.

Macarons in Paris! I pick one flavor for the trip and buy one at various shops and pick the best! Of course, I do research for future trips and try other flavors as well! I'm going in back in about a week and have not decided which flavor will be my "control" for this round of research.

Gelato, tiramisu and ok, kill me now ( I know its soooo not ethical), but foie gras!!( sorry!!!, really sorry!)

Bread!

Ice cream-gotta have my ice cream everyday

Therese thanks for that link..I've never seen it but will keep my eyes peeled next time I am in France! I love the packaging!