Everyone loves food. Apart from being a necessity, food says a lot about the culture of a city or even a whole nation. This is the reason why most people just can’t complete their travels without savoring the many gastronomic treats they can find along the way.
Here’s a guide that will show you how.
Be health-conscious
There’s no telling what lies in store for you as you head towards your next destination. Even more so, you will never know if the food you will be eating is safe for the gullet.
In this sense, it is important to be mindful of any health condition you may have. To be safe, you will have to check a dish by asking when was it made and how long it was kept in storage. Anything that exceeds the recommended shelf life should be pushed aside. Besides, you can always have pizza delivered to your doorsteps anytime.
Do your food research
Any enthusiastic foodie knows better than to go on a journey without doing a lot of research on the places where they are going.
Whether you’re bound eastward or westward, you will have to know the delicacies in every region you come across. Take time to learn about prevailing cooking styles, and the places where you can encounter them, to give yourself a good idea on where to go and what dishes to taste. Or you can just…
Surprise yourself
If you opt to do what celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain does, then there’s no loss in traveling without any prior culinary knowledge. After all, it is the journey that matters, and what better way to make any journey memorable than to delve into the unknown.
You can start by going to an unfamiliar location and ask for food recommendations. Once it is served, don’t ask questions. Taste it and then you can learn about what it is made of. Regardless of your reaction, the experience can make for a lasting memory you wouldn’t want to forget.
Learn some history
Don’t just focus how a meal tastes like. Everything has an origin story, and this also includes food. Who knew that beloved regional delicacies have gone through a lot in a nation’s past?
The locals do, and they will more than willing to share a story or two about the food that you will be tasting. Take it as a lesson in culture, and you will find out how much you didn’t know about certain food.
Visit weekend markets
Restaurants are not the only place that traveling foodies should visit. There are also farmers’ markets where a wide range of ingredients are being sold. Visiting these markets should be considered a part of your culinary journey, so you might as well take home a bag of spices or local coffee beans to bring home.
Make reviews and recommendations
Give other travelers a heads-up on the places you have been and, more importantly, the food you have eaten. This can help others maximize their own experiences and help them avoid whatever it was that you wouldn’t want to try again!