Anyone who knows how much I love food should not be surprised that I finally decided to write about my process for deciding where and what to eat, especially while traveling. Anyone who has ever found themselves traveling with me knows how serious I am and has probably been annoyed at me during this process at some point. All I have to say is, I'm sorry that you had to deal with me but I am not at all sorry for my food and restaurant choices and I would do it all over again in an instant.
Here are some of my tips for eating like a local and some great restaurants to try for those foods.
Avoid Tourist Traps
The first step is avoiding anywhere that is designed for tourists because it will. In Rome there would be hosts standing outside restaurants harassing you to come eat there and promising specials and complimenting you. It's a good general rule to avoid going anywhere that's begging you to give them your business; if they were actually a good place to dine, they wouldn't have to beg. This harassment also happens on South Beach in Miami, but I allow myself to go to these places when I'm not looking to have a good meal and instead just ordering cocktails served in glasses the size of my head.
Along those lines, my roommates and I also intentionally went to one of those tourist spots in Campo di Fiori because we just wanted some drinks and lunch with a fun atmosphere and didn't really care about quality. My mom and I did the same by the Pantheon because we wanted a good view and were actually pleasantly surprised by the yummy food! Not all are so lucky though.
Another good rule of thumb when avoiding tourist traps is to never ever go anywhere where they put pictures of the food on the menu. The food will be mediocre at best and will be way overpriced because they know that their most likely convenient location and pictures of their food will be super inviting to tourists.
A few times while traveling the group I was with would find and suggest one of these places, and I would try my hardest not to be obnoxious about it but would ultimately refuse to eat there and force everyone to keep looking, no matter how hungry we were.
Here's why: if I'm eating out and spending money on food, I'm not going to waste that money and time on some mediocre meal when I could eat an even better meal for probably cheaper. I care a lot about food, and food is such an important part of other cultures, so to me it's crucial that I experience as close to an authentic meal as possible. I would be missing out on a huge part of the country if I ate some meal designed to appeal to picky tourists looking for food they recognize.
In addition to the culture part of things, as an abroad student it's all about budgeting and getting the most for your money, so I would rather spend 20 euro on an exquisite authentic meal than spend 20 euro on a forgettable meal that I ate just so that I wasn't starving. To me, it's worth it to stay hungry for a little longer to find something great to eat.
Although I don't usually research places before going out to eat (I really do prefer wandering and finding something authentic), sometimes when traveling to new cities a little research is required. What I like to do is either think of a classic dish of that region, or research if I'm not at all familiar with the culture, and then I either wander around looking for a restaurant that serves that, or look up a list of the best places to get that dish in that city.
London: Golden Union; Aladin Brick Lane
In London, I was dying for some fish and chips. I mean, it's the food people think of when they picture England, right? But according to locals, you can't just order fish and chips from any old pub or else you'll get a soggy, fishy-tasting fried mess, and you'll be disappointed.
Since I trust the internet with everything, I looked up "best fish and chips in London" and found a long and comprehensive list of the best places, the best prices, and the closest locations to me.
We ended up at an amazing little place called Golden Union, where they have multiple types of fish as options and multiple sizes for platters. I got the classic cod fish, size large, and a heaping side of chips. I doused it in some malt vinegar, dipped it in some ketchup, and had one of the best meals of my life.
Yes we had to walk a little farther out of the way through a blizzard and take the tube a few extra stops, but I am so glad that we did because we had a memorable lunch and have no regrets about it.
Sometimes foods typical of a place aren't what you'd expect, which is when research definitely comes in handy. In London, they're more known for their delicious Indian food than for their fish and chips, so I got a great recommendation from a friend and had the best Indian food at a place called Aladin Brick Lane. Even if the food isn't necessarily typical of a region, definitely do the research so you don't miss out on a cuisine that's been perfected somewhere.
Paris: Chez Fernand
It's also super easy to get overwhelmed by a place and not even know where to start looking for an authentic meal. Somewhere like Paris, that's known for it's elevated cuisine (and elevated prices) can be hard to begin to tackle, but even if you just allow yourself one good, near-authentic meal during your trip it makes it much more doable. I stopped at small shops to eat things like crepes and macaroons which are pretty much the same everywhere in Paris, and on one night we went to an amazing little French restaurant called Chez Fernand with our friend who was studying there.
Since we were at a restaurant that we already knew was authentic, we ordered multiple dishes from the menu to try, such as French onion soup and boeuf bourguignon, and even escargot. Everything was amazing and felt true to French cuisine, plus there was an adorable atmosphere with red checkered tablecloths and candlelight that really made me feel immersed in the culture (and I had eaten CHIPOTLE hours before I mean talk about a turn around).
Rome: Flavio al Velavevodetto
These guidelines can also change if you're living in one place for an extended period of time, like how I was in Rome primarily and traveled on the weekends. This is GREAT because it gives you a chance to further explore foods and restaurants and specific cravings you might have, or a certain meal you want to have for a special occasion.
On Easter in Rome it is customary to have roast lamb and potatoes, and I obviously wanted to have an authentic Roman Easter, so I promptly Googled "best places to get lamb on Easter in Rome" and found a highly rated restaurant! Woo! After a nice Easter Mass in a beautiful church, Emily and I trekked into the depths of a very real little Roman neighborhood, far from tourists and attractions, and ate an incredible lamb feast. I also ended up taking my mom back here for dinner because I loved the authenticity and homey feel of the place.
Venice: Street Food
Some places have traditional street food as opposed to a full traditional meal. I was living in Rome so I had eaten my fair share of pastas, pizzas, and any other typical Italian food. I still tried to avoid tourist traps as best as possible and continued to eat classic pasta dishes, but I wasn't too concerned with finding an authentic Venetian meal.
Instead, I found some traditional Venetian pastries called fritelle. They are basically little tiny fried dough balls (like a doughnut hole) that are rolled in sugar and can be stuffed with different things. I ate probably twenty of them over the course of our two days there and primarily ordered the Nutella-stuffed variety.
They were delicious, easy to grab and eat since they are sold nearly everywhere, and they gave me a glimpse into the culture of the tiny sinking city. I could just see true Venetians walking down the pedestrian-only paths, stopping at a pastry window to grab a fritelle or two, and then continuing on their way, eating as they go. A treat not to be missed, and an inexpensive and easy way to experience some new culture.
There will also be places you return to time and time again, whether for great food, cheap prices, or cravings of comfort food, and believe me, I had plenty of regular spots. There's something to be said about having those places you return to; you can feel like a local and it can be really important to making somewhere foreign feel like home.
For me, I can't feel like I truly experienced a culture until I've eaten like a local. This is my policy everywhere: in cities in America, in cities abroad, and even in neighborhoods near my own home.
There are also instances, especially as an abroad student, where you miss some of the comforts from home. I don't eat McDonald's, which is really the only American fast food chain in Rome, so while traveling I was so happy to see some food I was used to. In London I indulged with a Five Guys burger and some pork soup dumplings in China Town. In Paris, I trekked to Chipotle for a burrito bowl. In Copenhagen I allowed myself to order Dominos pizza. All of this is okay and doesn't make you a lame, uncultured American, believe it or not! Sometimes you just want your comfort food!
Next time you find yourself traveling and looking to explore and learn further, stop into a local restaurant, ask for dish recommendations (or do your research beforehand), and taste the culture of your location. What more effective (and a lot yummier) way to immerse yourself and step out of your comfort zone than to dine like the locals?
Comments