when you travel, have you ever try local food?

1. 57

   phuketindexposted 16 years ago

   When you travel, have you ever try local food?
   
   Why, yes?
   
   Why, No?
   
   For me I like to try them, I think it's their culture and make me closer to them...

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   1. 71

      mommyfreelancerposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you, local cuisine makes the travel experience complete. But I don't always eat local food, perhaps they're spicy or contains something I don't eat. I try to eat those that I like. While in Thailand I drank iced coffee whenever I saw one, and love, love, looove McDonald's shrimp fillet

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   2. 0

      Lady_Eposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Yes. Part of the beauty of traveling is getting to try new things, experience other cultures and this includes Food.

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2. 70

   brad4lposted 16 years ago

   I almost always do, because I can always have regular food when at home, but don't always have the opportunity to have, for example, a great Cuban meal, like when in Florida.

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3. 80

   aka-djposted 16 years ago

   That's part of the experience. How could you go to the US, and not try hotdogs etc. I also like to try other cultures version of my normal food.
   I loved the hamburgers that a small roadside cafe' made in Phuket. I would eat more of them if we had them here.

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4. 59

   Ktooposted 16 years ago

   Absolutely.  That's part of the point of travel for me.  I travel to get experience, and local food is certainly part of that experience.

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5. 93

   Dolores Monetposted 16 years ago

   Of course, local food is part of any journey. Chances are that the local food will be cheaper and better! My nice works at a chain resturant and she says all the food is microwaved, there is no creativity, nothing fresh (except salad which probably comes in a bag)

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6. 0

   Leta Sposted 16 years ago

   Absolutely!  That's part of the whole thing.  But I'm more Anthony Bourdain-ish than Weird Food Guy, if you get what I'm saying.
   
   Interestingly, the only 'authentic' foods I have not had are German, English, Irish--too much influence anyway, I guess, in the areas I have lived.

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7. 56

   Edwin Clarkposted 16 years ago

   I always eat local food, the smaller the restaurant the better.
   
   I don't like it when I see travelers eating in US fast food restaurants such as McDonald's. The thought of flying halfway across the world to eat something you can get back home is plain silly.

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      JamaGeneeposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Coulda knocked me over with a feather when I saw a McDonald's in one of the perimeter buildings of the Tower of London!  What were they thinking!
      
      But, yes, I choose to eat local when I travel!

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   2. 54

      Suksanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      It does make me laugh when foreigners eat at Fast Food joints that they can get home.
      
      Here in Phuket, it seems to be the culture that the Thai's want to be like the west and so eat lots and lots of crappy burgers, chicken and ice cream.
      
      This is having a very bad impact on their size and weight, since most Thai's are small, you would think you were walking into American-Thailand.
      
      I must confess though, since I live here in Phuket, I indulge in a Burger King maybe once every 3 months, but that's it.
      
      Local food is always the best, especially if you find a popular small cafe. I am not talking about restaurants that only cater for foreigners which are always situated in tourist only areas either.
      
      Suksan

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8. 60

   ChrisSnilposted 16 years ago

   Of course! That's what makes a trip for me
   
   Whenever I go to the US I make it a rule not to eat at the fast food restaurants I can eat at here in the UK, but then again I'd rather go to independent restaurants and diners than a Wendy's or somewhere

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9. 66

   WeddingConsultantposted 16 years ago

   Why travel when you have the convenience of foreign food locally?
   
   I have eaten french fries here in the US, and they're great. It makes me like France.

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10. 86

    febriedethanposted 16 years ago

    Of course..I love to try local food. I really enjoy a new experience to taste different kinds of food

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11. 59

    charanjeet kaurposted 16 years ago

    I guess thats the beauty of travelling isnt it, that you can experiment and explore with thier food and traditions they follow in cooking. I eat only chicken and eggs in non vegetarian other than this restriction have tried every cuisine that came by way. Earlier i was resentful but my advice would be how can you resent something you never tried. I fell in love with mexican and thai food and i am glad i tried..

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12. 53

    ocbillposted 15 years ago

    Huh?  I eat 2/3 local food and 1/3 foreign food when at home, so when traveling it makes not much difference to eat their local food. In fact, it always seems lighter so it's a welcome.

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13. 78

    rmcrayneposted 15 years ago

    Absolutely!  In the military, we have an expression (or 2), “Embrace the local community” or “Embrace the local culture.”  I was stationed overseas 6+ years.  While in Turkey I ate at small restaurants in small villages, but was also very fortunate to eat true Turkish cuisine in Turkish families’ homes.  I had to get hepatitis shots every 6 months, but it was worth it!

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14. 63

    mugshotposted 15 years ago

    Yes! Why...how else can you sample the culture properly if your no willing to try the food they eat...I have tried things that some would say makes their stomach turn like Sheeps eyes, pigs brain and more!!

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    1. 78

       rmcrayneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Mugshot, you are more adventurous than I!  I could not eat the “sheep face soup” in Turkey.

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15. 0

    mtsi1098posted 15 years ago

    i would try any food as long as i know what it is beforehand - i do not like surprises

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16. 0

    Crazdwriterposted 15 years ago

    Yes I do and would try the local food. Why not? Can't kill me...right? lol

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17. 75

    frogdroppingposted 15 years ago

    I've eaten local cuisine when abroad. It's pretty much all I eat now. Not that I like everything the portuguese dish up. The snails just won't do for one. No matter how nice they smell. I can't bring myself to eat insects.
    
    But they do make delicious muffin type mini-cakes. I rarely miss having one for breakfast

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18. 59

    PerfumeFanposted 15 years ago

    Absolutely!
    
    I've been to Asia and I just love Asian cuisine. My favorites are Singaporean and Indian food.

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19. 73

    earnestshubposted 15 years ago

    Some places I have traveled it would be a major mistake to eat the local food, unless you don't mind a stint in hospital.
    The local water is usually the culprit, and a nice fresh salad can make you very ill indeed. I try to just eat fruit that is skinned like bananas in these places.
    I worked in one country for 2 years without eating the local food. My employer was smart. Got all my food imported.

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20. 60

    White Teethposted 15 years ago

    Depends on what you mean by local...when friends found out we were going to London they said the food would be terribly bland...so we ate Indian the whole time...but it was local Indian...

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21. 68

    B.Z. Alixandreposted 15 years ago

    When I was a teenager I went to Germany (which I had actually lived in when I was a kid) and I avoided two dishes while I was there because I was scared.  I avoided the local Bratwurst and the imported Turkish Doener (the o is actually umlouted, but I don't have that easy access: pronounced Derna) (which is as prevelant there as Mexican food in the US).  I finally ate them on the last few days I was there, and I really really regretted waiting so long because they were SOOO good.  So my lesson is learned.  I will always try local food now.

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22. 0

    Crazdwriterposted 15 years ago

    Yep I love trying the food when I travel. That is how I find out that I like poi from Hawaii...they have excellent food there I never thought I would eat but YUM! I can't wait to travel more places and try new foods

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23. 60

    The Ropeposted 15 years ago

    Always!  And PhuketIndex...I love the food in Phuket Thailand as well as the surrounding areas.  It can be quite excellent - and is always an adventure.
    
    
    (Crazdw-great new pic!)

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24. 69

    Beth100posted 15 years ago

    An absolute YES!!  Travelling involves more than the visual senses and there is no better way to experience a culture than through taste.  It's an adventure in itself.

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25. 79

    sarovaiposted 15 years ago

    Not often. I try to avoid , because of various reasons.

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26. 84

    WriteAngledposted 15 years ago

    Eating local food is one of the highlights of any travelling I do. That also includes trying regional and local specialties when I travel within the UK.
    
    During a trip to India, our guide handed round a bag of samosas bought off a street stall in Jaipur. Everyone hesitated a bit, not wanting to be rude, but also concerned about the health aspects. He started laughing and pointed out the samosas had just been cooked in boiling oil, which would knock out any pathogens. They were the best samosas I've ever had!!!
    
    In some countries, I do avoid uncooked salads, fruit that cannot be peeled and untreated water and I do not have ice in my drinks. The only time I failed was when we were invited to welcome cocktails in a Luxor hotel. Fortunately, I only had one. I felt a tiny bit wobbly the next day. Some people who had more were really sick. A woman who had gone into the reception early said later that she had noted some ice in the drinks. This had melted by the time I got there, so I thought mistakenly that I was safe.
    
    Frogdropping, I had snails once, but really all I could taste was the garlic butter smothering them so I've never bothered to have them again.

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27. 0

    Will Apseposted 15 years ago

    I try to avoid local food in the UK and US. Mainly because many things described as food items are, in fact, artery bombs which explode many years later.

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28. 68

    Flightkeeperposted 15 years ago

    I definitely eat the local food, but I always make sure to eat only hot meals.

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29. 61

    maudine_05posted 15 years ago

    definitely! I love to eat and this is the first thing I check wherever I go

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30. 59

    NewYorkerposted 15 years ago

    Well.. No. I don't know why, but when I go to a foreign country, I try to find the nearest McDonald's, KFC or something I recognize from home.
    
    I have been to China, and I couldn't eat Chinese food there. I can eat Chinese food in the States, but not in China.
    
    I only eat American food.

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31. 59

    Greg Cremiaposted 15 years ago

    Eating local food is the best way to get to know the locals.

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32. 54

    Gentlesunposted 15 years ago

    Dats defin8ly da 1st thng i do wen i get anywhre..And belve me wit da luks of m0st of da fuds u reali g0na loss ur apptte..As 4me i try wat ever kinda fud they hv,and stik 2da gud 1s.

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    1. 57

       Sab Ohposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Can anyone translate?

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33. 0

    SensuousWorldposted 15 years ago

    For us one of the main points of travel is to become emersed in the local and try to live as the locals do. We rarely stay in hotels or resorts but rather opt to find villas or homes and apartments to rent while traveling. A big part of experiencing the local culture is through the food and drink of the region you are visiting. I have found that some of the things I would never have tried just from what was in them or just what the name of the dish was turned out to be pretty good. Curried Goat for one...very tasty!

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34. 38

    efeguyposted 15 years ago

    yes yes
    
    makes one know variety and how to prepare them.

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