I can easily sit amidst 1000 snail eaters and just have the bread and wine.

I dont want to try things that "know" will make me gag. So I will never try warthog, horse, snail, monkey, rat, dog and many more.

I like to find restaurants that
- are more homey and less 'intimidating'
- have been commented on by a few people on the web but not by a lot of people
- have a sample menu online that I can print and get an idea that there are at least 2 choices I'd enjoy (and same for hubby)

Other than those restaurants, we're happy with an Asian deli, a casual pizza/Italian place, local brasserie's roast chicken, moules,etc..

Therefore, we don't spend much money on meals - range from 25E up to 70E for complete meal for 2 with beverages. Some foods haven't been my favorites but I haven't had to spit anything out, either.

Warthog? (With sauerkraut and mashed taters?)
Snails...like 'em alot.
Rat. We have "muskrat" festivals here in Delaware...ahem. I tried a bite. Now, when I say no thank you, I know why.
OK, I'm fulla stuffin' coz I won't try cat or dog either, but...hadn't given that much thought.
mmmm... is that usual cuisine in Western Europe that one would have to worry about?

There are Paris restaurants of every kind, offering specialties from every region of France, and ethnic restaurants of all kinds, too, especially in eastern Paris, where in some blocks you can eat your way through a half-dozen lands! Fluency in French is no guarantee of understanding each offering on a French menu and neither is a dictionary. Sometimes you have to ask, just like in your native land, or simply hope for the best.

It seems like you're overthinking this - unless you're talking about a 3* Michelin meal for some special event.

French food in France isn;t really that different from French food in the US. And if there are unfamiliar items on the menu or you don;t understand how anything is prepared - just ask. The waiters love to explain everything.

All I do is memorize the few things I know I won't/can;t eat (bunnies, turtles, organ meats) and then go for what it seems I will like best. Sometimes everyday, sometimes a little esoteric. It's just one meal - not a life decision.

Eat at more casual places & I'm guessing you will be more comfortable. Learn basic words (i.e., chicken, beef, etc.) or take along a one page restaurant translator in each language.

"It's just one meal - not a life decision."

True enough.

Still, after several trips to europe, I dislike the hit or miss nature of things. My expectations are too high and I don't do enough research. So my fault for that. But eating there just seems like its the weakest part of the trip. It doesn't ruin the whole vacation. I just want to feel a little better about that part.

I would be almost willing to bet that the waiters in the places you will be eating in will speak some English. Many times tourists will be given tables in the section of the restaurant assigned to English-speaking waiters. Do not worry!

Cato, stop thinking you can get good grub in europe like we got in our lovely strip-malls here in the US. All the good chefs came to the US and over-stayed there visas a long time ago.

And it's good to see you are not complaining about no ice, no coffee re-fills, small portions, and the disappearing waiters over there.

We spent a lot of time for our Paris trip researching phrase books (highly recommend Patricia Wells), bistros, restaurants, etc. Our strategy proved that we used all different kinds of information. Upon first arriving, our hotel was next door to a boulangerie with the most appealing incredible smell. Smell is important, and the croissants and sandwiches were delicious. We stayed off the Blvd. St. Germain and avoided the big touristy places. Instead, we found little places on side street that turned out to have excellent food and lots of atsmosphere. I speak French, so we didn't have to point, but the tables in most Paris restaurants are so close, you can hear others' conversations. People engaged us in conversation and likewise and we learned what was good and what to avoid. Get a couple of recommendations from people you speak to and evaluate them. Most important of all, be flexible. Our daily activities changed and we found ourselves in places we had not originally planned to eat dinner. Be experimental, it's only a meal and seize the opportunity!

snails are very nice, horse is tasty (much better than cattle), warthog is also quite good - more flavorful than standard pork...

I usually find out what the local specialties are, and try these...

I almost always ask the waiter/waitress for a recommendation. Then I usually order one of their recommendations, especially if it is a house specialty or a daily special.

The waiters usually like that we have taken their advice and give us some extra attention and are more friendly.

We don't worry too much about what we are eating, except just don't want to eat brains, intestines, etc.

At Locanda Locatelli in London, on the advice of the waitress I ordered her favorite dish: pasta with chicken livers and sage. Never in a million years would I order something with liver, but it was delicious and one of my favorite meals of that trip.

When picking restaurants, I use Fodor's suggestions. I always check with Zagat's, to see what the numerical rating of a recommended restaurant is. I know if it is less than 20 points, I will probably not find it to my taste for an elegant meal. As at atmospheric lunch stop, it might be okay with me. for dinner, I'd rather find a recommended restaurant in the 23+ range on Zagat's, and usually try to find a 26+ meal once or twice on a trip.

Hi C,

>...usually Italian or Asian. Spend about $20PP without wine. <

Go to Italy. :)

If you stick to that price point, you will get food in Paris that is about as good, or better, as you will find in a large city in the US.

Get a menu translator.

I happen to rnjoy sweetbreads, kidneys, choucroute, pig's feet, duck gizzards, tripe sausage, braised meats and a lot of other stuff that my wife considers inedible, and I think that the French do them superbly.

You can get very good Italian food in Paris.

Check oout *Amorino" at www.pagesjeaunes.fr for 1 cl gelato.

((I))

Hi Cato

I had similar experiences during my 3 weeks in Spain this time. I did not find english spoken everywhere and on top of that, when you travel to different states their language changes enough to cause more confusion. I do blame myself for not being better prepared. I would say that I lost 10 lbs. while I was there. Even though beer and wine have a lot of calories it wasn't enough. I really don't have any complaints but know what you mean. BS

First of all, as someone try almost everything edibe, find something interesting usually isn't a problem.

Besdies, I try to understand and memorize menu (the only thing really do pre-trip) before visiting any country, and always carry a cheatsheet in my packet which make ordering meals much eaier.

Interesting post.

We too like delicious food but don't want to break the bank getting it and so far, we've been very successful, especially in Italy (where I haven't had a bad meal yet and have only had one "not so great" meal in France). I'm at the point where I don't even bother with Italian restaurants here in Seattle--they have all disappointed compared to what we can get in Italy--and stick to Asian here.

I do lots of research (here and guidebooks), and have learned that if a restaurant is empty at that country's dinner time, don't go there. I like to go where locals go and take a translator with me. And I'm not above pointing at something I see on the way in if it looks good.

DH doesn't eat red meat, so I learn to say that in whatever language is appropriate.

One thing I've NEVER been disappointed in while in France, Italy, or Spain is the "vino de casa" :D !

Ira - oh, yes, Yes, YES to Amorino - forget Berthillon!

We have always found eating (not just fine dining whihc we don;t do mmost meals - but eating) one of the best parts of our trips to europe.

Sometimes everything is absolutley wonderful and exactly as you imagine and sometimes it's completely different than what you thought - but still good.

One of the things we've found most interesting is that IMHO Belgium has much better food than France - where we have found a lot of the ordinary food - well, ordinary.

Also - except for Venice (where the mass of tourists versus the small number of locals skews things) we have food in Italy universally good. (Good - not great - you don;t expect great from the random trattoria or pizzeria you drop into for lunch.)

And in Germany/Switzerland etc you learn to appreciate the differnt style (heavier than we usually eat at home) - but good and often excellent for what it is.

If you're being disappointed on a regular basis, perhaps you're expecting too much for the places you're going - is it that you expect every dish to be spectacular and they're not? Or not spending enough - is the food just not tasty at all?

Frankly - except for one or 2 special meals in each city we simply aren;t spending enough to cause that level of disappointment. But even with the random cafe or sandwich shop we usually find the food better than in many places in the US - where you have to order defensively.

I used to do beaucoup research on restaurants and found it wasn't convenient to be at a certain place at a certain time. I have come across some very good places by chance and have been disappointed in some high price recommended eateries. This happened in Lyon where we were disappointed in the highly touted restaurants where we had reserved and on the other hand wandered into some excellent places. My biggest disappointment in Lyon was the quenelles which were so different to what I expected. To sum up I think it is good to research and if you are near a good restaurant at mealtime go there. But to stick to a strict itinerary of eating places is usually at the expense of missing other things.

We take a menu translator with us to what ever country we are going to. We read the menu outside of the restaurant and pick a meal of about 75 euro with wine or beer. We have never been disappointed except in terni Italy but if you don't see an ocean don't order sea food!