How to eat like a local while travelling
Ideothetic Flow
Hi!
With the holiday season coming up, I thought it would be a good time to share this article from Rebecca Holland of the New York Times about How to Actually Eat Like a Local While Travelling.
This starts with an interesting muse that this concept of "eating like a local" is more of a fantasy ideal we have when travelling. Ironically, we would not trust the stranger on the street as a food expert in our own home country, yet take this as the standard for a good experience abroad. She offers several tips from her own experiences: Conducting preliminary research; Going on a food tour; Asking bartenders and waiters; Being critical of reviews; Trying street food; and being specific when asking locals. I think these are quite good, specific advice, and worth a quick look before you go off on a holiday.
Personally, I found that airbnb owners have some of the best recommendations for food, which are often not easily found through research. So I always make sure to ask for their views and try them.
Also, while good research is important to make sure we visit the best restaurants , I think some space should be left behind for serendipitous discovery through exploration, rather than carefully planning each meal based on researched choices. Otherwise, everyone's holiday itinerary will end up looking very similar as we all go to the same few popular places. Taking a chance on an unknown place creates a shared experience unique to those on the trip, and tends to be more memorable.
I agree with Rebecca that reviews cannot be taken blindly. I feel there is often a disproportionate bias for the highest ranking places, leading to them becoming crowded and lowering their standards as they get complacent. Reviews also often feed upon each other in a virtuous cycle, with good reviews attracting more customers, who already come with a positive mindset, and give more good reviews. I mentioned in an earlier newsletter about the problem of , where we exaggerate the effects of quantitative differences. Food is subjective anyway, and rarely eaten in close comparison to one another (though mak and tsim noodles in Hong Kong are one of the few exceptions). Between the #1 and #10 ranks, the enjoyment between the two might be the same if taken in isolation. I prefer to use reviews only to validate a place, than to be the source of discovery. For a good laugh, and a reminder of the limitations of tripadvisor, check out "I made my shed the top rated restaurant on tripadvisor" , where a journalist creates a fake restaurant and manages to boost it to the #1 spot, the video is really hilarious.
How do you like to go about choosing your food when you travel? I'd love to hear how you would decide where to eat, so do drop me a mail to share!
Hope you have a great week ahead!
James
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Ideothetic Flow is a fortnightly newsletter where I reflect on insights that I have found useful in rethinking life in a more realistic way.
Modern culture, media, and technology, for all their benefits, have distorted the view of a complete and happy life. The ideas I share are those which have helped me gain a deeper understanding of my own identity and circumstances, and inspire change towards a happier life, and I hope they will do the same for anyone else who reads this.
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