Eating Out

Soon after I land in a new city and check into my hotel, motel, or tent. I feel the grumble of my stomach. Dehydrated after the plane flight and ravenous for more than just the tiny pack of pretzels or peanuts provided by the flight attendants: I’m ready to eat. Usually I head out to find someone in the know. I’ll ask hotel staff or friendly passersby: “So where do the locals eat?”

I’ve eaten some wonderful local food this way and I’ve reveled in how adventurous I feel with each new bite of the unfamiliar. I’m not unique in my zest for a taste of the area’s traditions. Guide books look down their noses at chain restaurants that unnervingly look alike, smell alike and taste alike. Most of the travelers I meet want meals on the road to be representative of their setting. Many claim they’re immune to the pull of the chain restaurant or familiar menu item.

But, I'd bet big money that they are lying.
Sometimes, a few days into my travels, I feel almost desperate for the comfort of a familiar chain. Don't you?

Admit it- you’ve caught yourself looking longingly at the Olive Garden, Baja Fresh, or Denny’s after you’ve been away from home for awhile.

Chains are comforting. Think about it, after a few nights on the road the glitzy restaurants and rich new foods take their toll on your stomach. You’ve slept in a strange bed, exhausted yourself with exciting activities and you’re looking at another night of unfamiliar dinner. That’s when I start dreaming of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

On those nights, chains start looking good and I’ll blissfully search out a place that looks like, smells like, and tastes just like home.

Chain restaurants plan whole marketing campaigns around consistency- their menus are identical state to state, sometimes even country to country and comercials even advertise identical prices and service.

Sometimes its not even the environment I crave- it is the comfort food. You know, on those days when I'm hungry for home, nothing but good 'ole peanut butter and jelly can satisfy.

This isn't just an isolated occurrence. Turns out I've had this irrational desire for food from home on all kinds of trips and I've always been able to find a recognizable meal. In Germany I craved Fruit Loops for breakfast. In Scotland I found Mexican food. In Spain we ate frozen pizza that tasted like cardboard and in Peru I settled for a Philly cheese steak made by an Irish ex-pat.

I think, it is the taste of the familiar that often makes me realize just how special all that local food is. I can appreciate my culinary adventures more because i can compare fabulous local food to my old standards.

So, go out and eat- enjoy the local restaurants filled with personality and try not to feel too guilty about that mid-trip day when you choose Dairy Queen's cone over Italian gelato.