When You're Vacationing In A New Place....
 

are you a person who tries new foods, unique to that area/country, or do you try to stick to the same kinds of food you eat at home? I like to try new things, but I have a relative that we travel with who eats mostly what he eats at home.......... you know, a cheeseburger in a big city, even though you're near some of the best deli's! Or pasta in a restaurant famous for stuffed flounder? Now, I am not being critical. You have paid for your vacation, and should eat whatever the heck you want......... Just wondered which category you fall into?

(Geesh! Wonder if this is travel-related enough........ Fodor's is pulling them with the speed of light today!)

I typically like to try foods of the country, region or city that I am visiting. For me, it's part of the traveling/learning experience. I have been know, however, to pop into a "comfort food" eatery when on vacation at times.

that you Bunch??

ronkala, lol! I don't think bonnieb is B'o'Argum. He would have said:

All my friends ask me, "Why do you eat weird food when you travel to those strange places?" I tell them I like different foods except in places where there are no trees and the beds are hard as rocks.

These days on fodors I sort of miss Bunch.

I <b>DEFINITELY</b> try foods native to the country/region. My personal motto is, &quot;The world is my buffet!&quot;

One of my nieces tends to be a picky/bland eater at home, but when we travel she keeps an open mind and tries everything we put in front of her, even deer meat or fresh anchovies!

Wow, your niece IS a trooper, eating the anchovies. I like just a whisper, as in Caesar salad dressing, but my husband can eat them tossed all over a pizza! Not me! Yikes!=-o

We like trying the food and drink native to the place we're visiting. We figure if we don't like it, we won't order it again.

bonnie, your husband can eat pizza with me anytime! Pepperoni and anchovies...yum!

Yeah, one time we were having an airplane meal (yuck!) and my niece ordered the pasta. It was basically boiled noodles with a few tomatoes and a hint of parmesan on top. Bland city, right? She turned to her parents and exclaimed, &quot;This is the best pasta I've ever had!&quot; So I do give her a lot of credit, eating whatever her wierd Aunty Melissa puts in front of her....

I will try anything that does not involve insects! Isnt that why we travel? To see, to experience and to TASTE!!! I just love food.

MelissaHI, I also find it curious that my daughter (11) is a lot more adventurous about tasting when we are on vacation than when we are at home.

I'll try the local food although I will still shy away from something too esoteric.

I also tend to look for items I won't normally make at home when dining at nicer restaurants here. A friend is the Executive Chef at a relatively well known place here in NYC and when we go there I just trust his judgement on some of their specialty items.

I try to sample the local specialties, though I have my limits. I did get an anchovy dish in Cinque Terre, Italy, but skipped the tripe in Florence (but I did get rabbit, I guess that's different).
I avoid like the plague any chain restaurants while traveling (unless they are local chains).
I am VERY fond of trying out the local drinks too!!

We always enjoy trying new foods of different areas. As far as kids go...usually if the parent is open minded the kids will follow suit. When our son was 4 and we were in Portugal he tried grilled calamari...and found he loved it. It is sill one of his favorite foods even 7 years later. The kids also ate haggis in Scotland, and escargot and frogs legs in France. They didn't care for the haggis so much, but the escargot and frogs legs were a huge hit and they ate those the entire trip.

Interesting food, interesting scenery, interesting people...isn't that what travel is all about? I can't imagine going someplace and eating exactly the same stuff I get at home. Must try new things!

However, I opted not to try the guinea pig while in Peru. Just couldn't do it. The alpaca wasn't bad, though...

Definitely need to be somewhat adventurous when it comes to trying local fair. If it something that I can't really see myself eating (like bugs that were mentioned or some kind of animal intestines or something) then I'll have to pass though.