Guest Post by: Bridget Staroscik O’Reilly
When my friend came to visit from Scotland, she was here for 2 weeks and during that time I never saw her eat anything but pizza and chicken strips. I guess these were her comfort foods, and that makes sense for now and then, but that was all she ate the whole trip. The only American food she really ate, if it’s actually American food, was Nutterbutter cookies.
As a person who loves Nutterbutters, I can see their appeal. Still, I can’t help but think about all of the things that she missed out on. Some of my best travel memories have to do with food. When I traveled in Ireland I fell in love with the little mushroom and chicken pies they sell in the deli section of the grocery store there. Not to mention the cookies and candy. Ireland has the best candy.
One of my tastiest food experiences in Rome was Chinese take-out from a hole in the wall place near Vatican City that didn’t even have tables. I ordered chow mien which they called spaghetti and it was absolutely wonderful. I also discovered the Caprese sandwich or salad on that same trip which has remained a favorite.
That’s not to say everything you try will be great. I treated myself to a fancy restaurant in Rome after a particularly hard day and it was perhaps the worst food I’ve ever eaten. Not to mention the fact that it made me sick as a dog. I have to say though, even given what I know now, I would still go for it.
Food is so much a part of a place that if you stick with what you know you take the chance that you might miss out on what could become your new all time favorite thing. The first time I had chips (French fries of course) delivered to me in Ireland, they were soaked with vinegar. At the time I thought it sounded disgusting and only ate it so as not to offend the owner of the small shop, but they turned out to be delicious.
The people who own or cook at wherever it is you go have feelings too. Try to remember that, so that even if something isn’t what you expect, in Sorrento they put an unconscionable amount of mayo on my tomato and cheese sandwich, muster up a smile and a thank you. If you truly can’t eat something, make a polite excuse. I’ve already eaten always works. Or you could say that you’re only eating a little at each meal ‘so I can try more new things’.
Sure the food where you go won’t be like home, but isn’t that the whole point of traveling? How boring would life be if every place was exactly the same. It’s true that everyone needs some comfort food once in a while, and there’s no harm in that. Still would you want to miss out on getting a Kinder Sorpresa egg and finding a surprise inside? I think not.
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Guest Post by: Bridget Staroscik O’Reilly
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