Tourists and Eating
 

Is food your most important travel concern?

No, it is minor, but I do like to try regional foods.

Food is the last thing on my list, as eating wastes a tremendous amount of time, <i>especiallly</i> when one is eating in an unfamiliar place. Typically I eat at McDonald's when abroad, because I know what to expect (making it easy to order), and I'm free to eat quickly without waiting for table service, and the restaurants are usually clean and inexpensive. I don't like to lose four or five hours a day to food when I'm trying to sightsee or do other things.

I know there are many other people like this, although they seem very reluctant to admit that they are so. I have clients who come to Paris and are interested in everything but the food; so rather than try to force them to sample the local fare, we go to a fast-food place or sandwich stand and eat there, which requires only 10-15 minutes and allows us to resume sightseeing as quickly as possible.

Hi G,

I don't think that you can understand other people without eating their food, preferably with them.

To me, what is used for food, how it is prepared and how it is eaten says more than all of the gilded churches, monuments to dead men, sculptures and paintings in any city.

I suggest that the only thing that compares to food is music.

((I))

Food certainly isn't my main concern but I wouldn't go somewhere new without trying at least some of the local food/drink. Food has ENORMOUS cultural significance in many parts of the world and to ignore that fact is to miss out on much of what a country has to offer.

I agree with Ira, you will not necessarily 'learn' more by eating the local food but you will probably 'understand' more. And it's also a live, real-time experience, unlike a dry and dusty museum that glories in the past...

It is hard to say what is MOST important but food is certainly very very important to me when I travel. I probably spend as much time researching places to eat as I do everything else. I try to avoid places filled solely with other tourists and I always try to order the dishes for which a particular area is famous. So, I would never order spaghetti carbonara in Florence, for example. But I will try the tripe sandwiches from the street carts in that city. I think food offers a fascinating key to the hustory and culture of a particular place. Why, for example, does Tuscan bread seem to lack salt, a matter that has been commented on here in the past?

FOOD! Who would travel and then eat at another House of Fat and Fries.

The day is a failure if I had to pay more for the bed than for the food.

New tastes! New ways to use ingredients. New combinations! Wine! Dessert! Snacks! Street food! Pastry! Cheese! Chocolate! Breads! Candy! Beer!

Of course, just like being tone deaf, some people are taste deaf.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I am with those that say &quot;not the MOST important, but significant.&quot;

When I tell people about my travel, they express a lot of interest in the fodd and restaurants.

Keith

&gt;Why, for example, does Tuscan bread seem to lack salt, ...&lt;

It's an interesting question as to whether they leave salt out of the bread because it goes well with their salty cheeses and cured meats, or if they like salty cheeses and cured meats because they don't put salt in the bread.

((I))

Why travel anywhere if you are not going to try the regional dishes? Food plays an important part in all of the world’s cultures; when they eat, how they eat, what they eat. To visit a country and not sample its traditional and non-traditional cuisines is to miss out on one of the most important aspects that culture. If all you want to do is see a few sights and move on, why waste the time traveling to a foreign country when you can watch a documentary from the comfort of your own living room and order in a pizza. Your sense of taste plays an important part in your life. Trying the local dishes enhances your knowledge and enjoyment of that culture.

I can’t imagine going to the Pa&iacute;s Vasco, Pays Basque, Cantabria, Asturias or Navarra without enjoying what is considered by many to be some of the best cuisine in the world today. Or visiting Paris without having lunch in a classic bistro like Au Bon Accueil, L’Affriol&eacute;, L’Avant-Go&uuml;t, Le Bistro d’Hubert or Le Clos des Gourmets, to name but a few excellent examples. How can you visit any part of Spain without savoring its fabulous jabugo? Touring Italy without sampling several types of seafood pastas? Grab a hamburger in Athens? Spend a day in Morocco and not have a dish traditional Couscous? Why go?

I agree with you Robert.


The FOOD is not necessarily &quot;THE&quot; most important travel concern, but it certainly is a big part of the trip to me.

I love to experience the restaurants, cafes and enjoy local cusine. To me it enhances my enjoyment of the trip and is part of the fun.

To sit and enjoy a great meal, a glass of wine, people watch is awesome.

I love to research the restaurants, the type of food that is special in the area.

I even enjoy looking at specialty food stores, bakeries, local markets, and finding surprises.

My main travel &quot;concern&quot; is experience. Food and lodging are certainly integral parts of having a unique experience, but I esp. look for opportunities to meet people and accept invitations without fear to dine with folks, get a tour by a local or visit someone's home. Since mine is not a budget of complete luxury, I have eaten my share of fast food, but not usually at a McDonalds or the like. Somehow, eperiencing great food or lodgings at a deal price is a thrill. My hubby and I ate mostly food from COOPs and Billa supermarkets while in Switzerland and ate a heck of a lot better/cheaper than American fast food chains. One can still sample regional fare but without the hassle of sitting/menu issues/tipping etc.

I thought MFK Fisher and AJ Liebling answered the question many times over in their wonderful books. They are about food and travel and the inseperabilty of the topics. You go interesting places and you eat interesting food.

Ira: There are two reasons given as to why Tuscans do not salt their bread. The first is that salt was taxed heavily and the thrifty Tuscans thus baked their bread without it. The second reason given is that due to a lack of wood for ovens, bread was baked once a week. Bread baked without salt is more long lived, as it does not get moldy, merely dry. And dry bread is a staple of several Tuscan dishes based on the &quot;cuisine of poverty,&quot; (cucina povera): panzarella, (bread and tomato salad), ribollita, papa al pomodoro--all of which are classic in the region and all of which have as a main ingedient, stale bread.

I respect those for whom food is important to the enjoyment of travel. If I am traveling with my wife, we always have a nice dinner, however, when on my own it most likely will be a pre-made sandwich for lunch and pub grub for dinner. Generally I eat lightly, a bowl of soup or salad is normally all I need or want. When I travel I like to keep on the move and taking lots of time over food just isn't my thing. Now if you want to talk about beer and whisky, that another story.

&gt;&gt; There are two reasons given as to why Tuscans do not salt their bread.&lt;&lt;

They don't tax it anyomre, and they have modern ovens today. Why do they STILL keep salt out of their bread. I've seen many people with a slice of bread in one hand, and a salt shaker in the other to salt the bread before they take a bite.

Tuscany is the only place I've ever seen my father-in-law refuse to eat bread.

Tradition ???

Like ekscrunchy, I research restaurants in an area just as thoroughly as I research sites to visit. I grab a slice of pizza or sandwich from a deli for lunch to save time. My dinners are always at least 2 hour affairs with as many courses as possible, and (perhaps too much) local wine.

Ira &amp; I (and wives) spent a wonderful dinner together in the Dordogne this fall with some other fellow travelers and food lovers. Great way to cap the evening &amp; exchange travel stories.

Stu Dudley

GSteed - food is definitely an integral part of travelling. Imagine visiting the Greek Islands, and not eating greek food together with a local greek wine. The whole experience of travelling is to learn about various cultures, history, food/wine, etc.

Probably the single most important aspect of travel for me. Not the only important aspect, but integral to the experience.

There all sorts of ways to waste time, in my experience, but eating well and locally is rarely one of them. Adn I'll skip meals entirely if the only things available are poor quality. I generally lose weight when I travel.

Some of my most special memories of travel have involved &quot;food&quot; eating at memorable places, and socializing at different restaurants and cafes.

I can't even imagine enjoying Europe on the level that I do, if it did not include some of the amazing &quot;dining experiences&quot; and eating some very special meals.

Travel to me is just not running from one sight to another to just &quot;check it off of the TO DO LIST.&quot;

Italy and McDonalds do not even belong in the same sentence!

I am all about the food. It's <b>enormously</b> important to me. That said, it doesn't have to be expensive to be good. It just has to be well prepared and authentic.
Food is a huge part of culture and I search out not only good restaurants, but bakeries, markets, street food, and cooking classes when I travel. Then again, I'm a little biased since I work in the restaurant industry.

For me, the local cuisine is definitely an important part of the adventure. A fine meal feeds the soul as well as the belly. Isn't that a lot of what vacations and travelling are about?

It would be if I'd have allergies.

Food in Europe is not a &quot;concern&quot; it's a blessing!

Food is definitely up there as one of the most important aspects of travel. It is also something you can take home with you: recipes, a good bottle of wine, jars of jam or honey. There have been restaurants and dinners that have made the whole experience worthwhile. Friends and I have even taken trips based on cuisine--a culinary adventure into Emilia Romagna comes to mind.

Those of you who think that food is one of the most important aspects (if not THE most important), what kind of culinary trips have you taken?

Let's just say that if the plane departs 20 hours late but dinner is served by the flight attendants on time, I am not going to be appeased.

One of my &quot;dreams&quot; is to take a cooking class in Italy or France on a future trip.

But, I did actually take a cooking class on one of my domestic trips to Santa Fe, at the SANTA FE COOKING SCHOOL. That was great fun, and I enjoyed learning different things about local cooking tips. I am now a &quot;black belt&quot; on knowledge about GREEN CHILLIES.

A dear friend of mine took a wonderful trip to Provence and had a 1 week &quot;intense' cooking instruction and shared with me all the details.

This was an &quot;upper end&quot; class, however she learned so many interesting and wonderful thing. The experience brought a new group of friends into her life as well, that were in the French cooking class with her.

The cooking, food experience brings people together in a wonderful way.

My wife once asked a new client why he had ended his relationship with a previous vendor. The client's answer:

&quot;When I asked my old vendor where he had eaten on his latest trip to Paris, he said he had been too busy to eat anywhere but McDonalds. I decided that if he was so dumb that he ate at McDonald's in Paris, he was too dumb to keep my business!&quot;

Pretty dumb to judge a business associate on whether or not they are into food for food's sake. Just because a person isn't a foodie doesn't mean they would be bad in business.

Food is a very important part of travel. EXPENSIVE food and long drawn out meals is NOT. While I would never eat at a McDonalds (well OK once when my daughter was 12 and she promised her friends she would try a McDs in Italy, but that was the only time), I don't think you need to eat in fancy, expensive restaurants to get fabulous, regional food. The street food, pizza, sandwich type food, picnic food, etc. - not to mention small restaurants - maybe with bare wood or formica tables rather than linen table cloths. Those are the kinds of experiences I go for. I've said many times I'd rather eat pizza for three weeks, than eat in expenisve restaurants and only be able to afford a week. That doesn't mean food isn't important.

I also agree that long lesisurely meals does not equal (necessarily) any kind of superior experience. Or any kind of more authentic experience. &quot;Regular&quot; Europeans do not spend two or three hours at lunch (or dinner) every day. Maybe if they are retired or independently wealthy but most people only do that on special occasions. So while I might once in a while on a trip go for that type of meal, I generally would rather be out seeing and doing things than sitting at a table in a restaurant. Exceptions of course are sitting a cafe and people watching, resting tired feet, etc. But that's about another experience, not food.

For me, the purpose of travel is to leave all my concerns back at home and enjoy the experience.

I don't think we've ever made a reservation anywhere for a meal. We usually follow our nose when hungry and find some hole in the wall, which generally works very well.

Hi J,

&gt;Those of you who think that food is one of the most important aspects (if not THE most important), what kind of culinary trips have you taken? &lt;

See my trip report:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645

Photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&amp;y=-pla2au

((I))

Jackie-
My culinary trips are also online:
http://www.wired2theworld.com
I've done cooking classes in Bali, Thailand and Sicily, not to mention some amazing meals in France, Spain and the rest of the world.

&gt; I don't think we've ever made a reservation anywhere for a meal.

The only ones I have had, were when I was eating in the hotel where I stayed, and they asked if I would be eating there, when I checked in.

Keith

Just about all of my trips have been culinary trips in the sense that I read up on the food of the place and where to eat it (as well as buy to take home) and spend a lot of my time in markets. We rarely eat in big-ticket places, and try always to avoid tourist-laden spots and try to order the specials of the area. I prefer not to travel in places where the food is not interesting, although almost everywhere does have food that interests me, so I am not too limited! Before I travel, I read not only restaraunt guides but books by authors who write about the food itself. Waverly Root, Fred Plotkin, Penelope Casas, Faith Willinger, and Pat Wells come to mind for Western Europe. Andn of course, chowhound is very helpful for everything food related. Often I will read a cookbook or two on the country to which I am headed. So before I arrive I often have a list of dishes that I am eager to try. Here are a few of the places, for example, that we plan to visit in Florence next month: Alla Vecchia Bettola (one of my favorites); Cambi (also reliable); Il Guscio; Carlino Diladdarno.

Of course not the most important - otherwise you wouldn;t be traveling - you'd just be restauranting. For us - about as important as it is at home. It doesn;t determine destinations. But once we pick cities, looking at info on sites and restaurants comes next.

Not big breakfast eaters. Usually just have a casuale lunch wherever we happen to be - but not a hot dog from a stand, an actual sit down lunch - even if only a sandwich or salad. (No eating in the room, no picnics, no dragging stuff out of supermarkets - except extra beverages.)

We like to relax over dinner and the food has to be at least good (which is not the same as very expensive in most countries) - but we do plan at least one special dinner in each city as an event - just as we do at home for special occasions.

Food is not important to me, but this doesn't mean I don't try out the food of the region while I'm there, how can you not?

Although I have to admit, I don't understand how eating regional food helps you understand the people. Maybe I'm just too busy enjoying concentrated time with my friends in the region to notice? Or is it osmosis in some way?

&gt;&gt;I am now a &quot;black belt&quot; on knowledge about GREEN CHILLIES.&lt;&lt;

The classes at the Santa Fe Cooking School always sound great!

However, I'm going to (gently, I hope) correct your spelling - it's chile, not chillie, around here. :-)

Lee Ann

I thought Chile was a country and a chilli was a pepper, plural chillies.

thanks so much for the spelling correction ElendilPickle.


Now about the food question on the thread....is food the most important travel concern for YOU?

Food and travel is a great thread to read about.

I thought it was &quot;chili&quot;.

((I))

We like to try local foods, but it is not a major point of the travel experience for us.

Heck, we enjoyed Costa Rica very much even though the local cuisine is, shall we say, not especially adventurous.