when you vacation, do you look for local food favorites to try?

[lynn]

Or are we just weird? We like to try bbq, pizza, and bakery's, we also look up digs drive ins and dives(?) Places from the food net work. Some are hits others are misses.

[KrissiK]

When it was just dh and me, yes, we would. But now that we have a mob to feed, generally no. I would love to, but not with the ages of our kids, etc. it's easier to play it safe with a known entity.

[Occasionally]

One of our kids has a food allergy, so no. When it was just DH and I, absolutely.

[Slartibartfast]

Yes, I use urban spoon quite a lot while traveling. It has sent us to some really neat places that we never would have found otherwise.

[Night Elf]

Awww... I'm the least adventurous person when it comes to food and ds is downright picky. I should also admit the only vacation we go on each year is to visit family. We stick with the same things we eat at home. I don't even like to try new places where I live! I have no idea if that bothers my DH. That's a good question to ask him.

[Caroline]

We do a gluten free friendly search on urban spoon. We have tried some great restaurants that way.

[Pawz4me]

Absolutely!  Sampling the local cuisine is one of our favorite vacation activities.

[Belacqua]

Definitely. I like finding local holes-in-the-wall, but my husband is positively obsessed with the idea. Whenever we travel, he'll stop total strangers on the street and ask where locals eat. Most people are very receptive to helping, and it has almost* always led us to really good food. 

 

Though I'll admit there are times when I just have to say no to yet another local treasure and insist on Panera. My adventurous nature, apparently, has its limits.

 

* Ok, the place with marshmallow scallop tacos was a little dubious.

[Colleen]

Yes!  I rarely eat at chain restaurants, and look forward to trying independent places unique to the area I'm visiting.  That's part of the exploration!

[creekland]

Whenever we travel we have a rule that forbids us from eating anywhere we could eat at when home.  We started this rule when the kids were quite young - before they hit double digits.  They love it as much as we do.

 

Since we also tend to stay off interstates when we are doing road trips, we've found some fantastic places where we're sometimes the only "tourists" (unrelated to locals) that folks see.  Some outright tell us this.  We've had chefs bring us out their specialties to try... and we've VERY rarely had anything we didn't like.

 

Our only regret is that we rarely travel the same route twice... there are many of these places we'd love to return to if they weren't so far away.

[SoCalLynn]

We love to try local places! My husband really doesn't like chain restaurants or fast food, so we are always looking for local diners to eat the local specialties when we go on a trip. One of the most fun things my daughter and I did was eat at a restaurant we saw on Guy Fieri's show Diners, Dives and Drive-Thrus (?). It a family tamale place in Indianapolis that made the biggest tamales I've ever seen (and I'm from southern CA!) It was on our way back to the airport and it was delicious! We are pretty adventurous eaters, and it makes for special memories.

[LibraryLover]

It's all jolly when they are little, w/small tummies, but truly, we've created monster$. Ack.

[Soror]

I usually do a search for gf and paleo eateries to see what cool place we can find. We have very few options here so it is nice to find something new when we are out and about. We do some chains as well the kids love Red Robin which has gf hamburgers as we don't have that around here and we all like Chipolte so usually it is a mix but we don't usually eat anything that we have locally.

[AndyJoy]

Yes! We were unexpectedly stranded in a random place recently and bypassed the chains for an interesting-looking place I looked up. We had some tasty grass-fed beef burgers topped with goat-cheese, grilled onions, and avocado. Yum!

[Guest]

I have to throw my hat in with others and say we did this more without kids, but now it is simpler to go with what we know.

 

Although just FTR, I was really annoyed when we were at Niagara Falls and ate at Appleby's. That is just *lame*!

[Cinder]

Sometimes. Ds2 seems to think that a trip means at least one meal at Cracker Barrel, though.

[AndyJoy]

It's all jolly when they are little, w/small tummies, but truly, we've created monster$. Ack.

My dad used to jokingly lament exposing us to a variety of foods because we thought the kid's meal choices were lame and no tasty "adult" food he tried to keep for himself was safe from sharing :)

 

I ate 1 slice of pizza with 5 sets of toppings at my 10th birthday party because my guests all converted my favorite supreme pizza to cheese :)

[Annie G]

Now that our kids are grown and it's usually just dh and me traveling, yes!  But when our kids were young, we mostly just stopped wherever we could hurry up and eat and get on the road. With 4 kids, someone was usually cranky. Oftentimes that person was me. g

[marbel]

Sure, we do it.   Nothing weird about it. What's the point of travel if not to try new things, including food?   (Within limits of kids, finances, allergies, etc.)

[Brilliant]

We definitely look for the local spots, whether it's food or coffee.  We went on a weeklong vacation a couple of years ago to Northern California, and made it our goal to NOT drink Starbucks.  In Northern CA, that's not too hard to do.  :)  We found some fun spots by ignoring the chains.

[Rachel]

Absolutely! We have the same rule as Creekland, so we may eat at a regional chain on occasion, but we prefer locally owned.

 

We check yelp when we are getting ready to stop then go to the closest local place with a decent rating. That's led us to many excellent meals and a couple of duds.

[littlebug42]

We do.  We have discovered some favorite places that we revisit when we can.  We do go to IHOP when on the road because my kids love it there and there isn't one close to us so it is a treat for them to go there.  My favorite part of most trips is the eating.  

[zoobie]

Absolutely! It's part of the fun of traveling. We don't eat at chains if at all possible. Yelp, chowhound, urbanspoon...

[kewb]

Absolutely.  Isn't that the point of traveling. See new things, try new foods.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Yep. I scope out yelp before traveling and bookmark places we want to try.

[Donna]

We look for local places. When we made a 5 week trip to the western part of the country, we found some of the best Mexican and Tex/Mex food I've ever tasted at some places that looked like dives with families obviously running them…all the children in the family watched us each from a window to the kitchen at the best place. No chain restaurants when on vacation.

[Amira]

Yes! We love street food so we're always trying it wherever we go. We also don't eat food we could get at home. I do have to admit to eating at KFC in Xi'an a few times, but we were living in Kyrgyzstan at the time and there is no fast food there of any kind, so technically it didn't break the rule. :)

[Joker]

We just finished a vacation in the Keys and found some great local places. A few looked really bad going in but turned out to be so very good. We try to avoid all chain eateries when we're on vacation.

[Alessandra]

Absolutely! I usually read travel guides before going on a trip. We have enjoyed mufalletta, po' boys, and jambalaya in New Orleans, Tex Mex and barbecue in Texas, crab and oysters on the Eastern Shore, lobster rolls in New England, and so on. Trying new food is a big part of traveling for me.

[Stacia]

We've tried a few of the Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives because ds always enjoyed that show & wanted us to try some of the places. I also like asking locals for some suggestions of places to go. The dc & I found a fun diner in the Seattle area when I asked a gal at the local bookstore for a recommendation.

 

We do a mix -- sometimes new/local places & foods, sometimes the old standby chains. Depends on the day/circumstance/travel/etc....

[Camelfeet]

Yes, it is an important part of traveling for us!  The only time we do chains is in airports, for drive through coffee, or if we need to stop and get wifi.

 

We eat street food, local style food from both dives and upscale places, and local in season vegetables.  Actually, some of the places I most want to visit are on the list just because I want to eat the food!

I also love grocery shopping in new places.  I like picking up locally made or unique food items that I won't be able to get anywhere else - saves $$ compared to eating out every meal and you still get a taste for local foods.

   

 

 

 

 

[Melinda in VT]

My first thought was, "Doesn't everyone?" Even when the kids were little. Even though we have four. Even with an extremely picky eater, although he is so picky that he doesn't like most fast food or chain restaurants either.

 

There have been exceptions, but we speak of them with embarrassment. ;-)

[Alessandra]

Yes, it is an important part of traveling for us! The only time we do chains is in airports, for drive through coffee, or if we need to stop and get wifi.

 

We eat street food, local style food from both dives and upscale places, and local in season vegetables. Actually, some of the places I most want to visit are on the list just because I want to eat the food!

I also love grocery shopping in new places. I like picking up locally made or unique food items that I won't be able to get anywhere else - saves $$ compared to eating out every meal and you still get a taste for local foods.

You reminded me of the delicious milkshakes in the Dominican Republic, batidas I think they spare called. Milk, ice and absolutely fresh fruit that is peeled while you wait. I have ha these in restaurants and in roadside stands in the middle of nowhere. In Turkey, there is a similar drink of yoghurt, water and fresh fruit sold at little street stands. Not dozens of choices, just whatever is in season and fresh.

 

I like to visit food stores, and I also come home with local cookware. Or, if it is too heavy, I will search out things where I live. Guacamole made in a molcajete is the best!

[J-rap]

We always try and eat at a local restaurant/cafe and avoid chains when traveling.

 

However, whether those restaurants serve actual local food or not, I'm not sure.

[TheApprentice]

Yep. Chain restaurants that we can get at home are not allowed. :001_smile:

[Alessandra]

I also look for places locally. There is a Cuban restaurant near us, tiny, the whole place, kitchen included, about the size of my bedroom. The whole family is there, making pressed sandwiches and bigger meals, mostly for take out. Not fast food by any means, and I usually get behind a guy from the police dept with a massive order. But everything is fresh and cooked to order. Plus, I can get a coconut soda or other beverage I don't usually see.

[Ellie]

Or are we just weird? We like to try bbq, pizza, and bakery's, we also look up digs drive ins and dives(?) Places from the food net work. Some are hits others are misses.

 

Of course.

 

And we would also look up "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." We love that show! We have a found a couple of his choices right here in the Austin area. :-)

[littlebug42]

Of course.

 

And we would also look up "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." We love that show! We have a found a couple of his choices right here in the Austin area. :-)

 

I went to school in Austin and all of my favorites were local places.  Yum!

[Word Nerd]

Yes—and we do that while traveling closer to home as well.

[Desert Strawberry]

Yes! We love street food so we're always trying it wherever we go. We also don't eat food we could get at home. I do have to admit to eating at KFC in Xi'an a few times, but we were living in Kyrgyzstan at the time and there is no fast food there of any kind, so technically it didn't break the rule. :)

That totally counts. I loved visiting American chains in Japan. Nothing like you'd expect.  McTeriyaki burgers made with sausage patties, Shakey's pizza on a rice flour crust topped with nori, sweet KFC biscuits with holes in the middle.

 

Food is such an important aspect of culture, I don't think you can truly experience a new place without tasting some things.

 

My kids are good eaters, but even with some food restrictions, we don't have trouble finding safe, affordable options for everyone. Everyone can and will eat beans and rice. This is so pervasive and varied a dish that you can order a version of it nearly anywhere, and it's always cheap. I definitely find the food at local dives to be more affordable, more enjoyable, and more satisfying than fast food.

[Belacqua]

There have been exceptions, but we speak of them with embarrassment. ;-)

 

I'm sure you had your reasons. :)

 

I try not to admit to having eaten McDonald's in Glasgow. But in my defense, it was midnight and I could find nowhere else to get food. No kebab stand, no dodgy pub, not even a convenience store where I could get a box of crackers. It was McD's or a fuzzy cough drop from the bottom of my purse. But I'm not proud of it.

[Colleen]

 

I try not to admit to having eaten McDonald's in Glasgow. But in my defense, it was midnight and I could find nowhere else to get food. 

 

Ha ha!  Same experience, different city ~ Helsinki, in my case.  This was back in college.  Flight to Leningrad (so called at the time) had to turn back due to weather.  Back in Helsinki at midnight, we hungry students roamed about looking, truly, for other options.  Alas, McDonalds was it.  Although I have to say, it was still an interesting cultural experience what with menu differences and so on.  One could argue that popping into Starbucks or McDonalds or Subway 'round the world would at a minimum make for fun cultural comparisons.  (Wait a minute…Did I, the woman who decries the presence of Starbucks in the heart of Lucerne, just say that?! ;-) )

[In2why]

We eat locally and try things we can't normally find or haven't tried.   While snorkeling in the Caribbean, the captain of our boat dove down and brought up conch.  He cleaned, chopped, and added lime, onion, and we scooped it up.  Fresh conch sushi not even 10 minutes old.    In Haiti we ate street food constantly.  Others in our group were appalled but we loved it.   

 

Even when we go out to eat here in town I always choose things I can't prepare at home.

[Amira]

My first thought was, "Doesn't everyone?" Even when the kids were little. Even though we have four. Even with an extremely picky eater, although he is so picky that he doesn't like most fast food or chain restaurants either.

 

There have been exceptions, but we speak of them with embarrassment. ;-)

 

 

I have met people who look for familiar food when they travel overseas, especially with children.  It can be hard for them to figure out what to get, how to get it, and to convince themselves it's safe.  I was chatting with one such woman the other day and we found that we have significant differences in our eating habits when we travel. We ended up at a Thai restaurant which wouldn't have been my choice in Mexico (give me a hot lonche instead, please), but it was still delicious. :)

[KungFuPanda]

I caved and got Popeye's in Seoul. I am ashamed.

[Lieutenant Stranger]

Absolutely, YES. We've always been that way. No way in heck am I going to travel somewhere unique and then eat at Chilis. (Wait, I don't eat at Chilis now.) No matter where we go, we always find a variety of food that we're willing to try.

[LibraryLover]

I caved and got Popeye's in Seoul. I am ashamed.

 

I've done worse. I can't speak of it, it's so bad.  It was a long time ago, but it was really, really, really shameful.

 

I've made reparations.

[Belacqua]

I've done worse. I can't speak of it, it's so bad.  It was a long time ago, but it was really, really, really shameful.

 

Tease. :)

[Amira]

I've done worse. I can't speak of it, it's so bad.  It was a long time ago, but it was really, really, really shameful.

 

I've made reparations.

 

I am so dying to know what you ate.

[Caroline]

I had Starbucks in Thessaloniki, Greece. I had a bad headache from not eating, I knew I could get a muffin and raise my blood sugar pretty fast. Here's the thing... A blueberry muffin at Starbucks in Thessaloniki is very different from a blueberry muffin in Starbucks in ATL. It was more of a dry bran muffin with some blueberries stuck in. It did it's job, and I only did it once.