Some may doubt the wisdom of this advice. Some may say that eating at local establishments, rather than those that cater just to the tourist crowd, is taking a big chance that you’ll get some kind of bug. But I care to differ and with some knowledge in hand, there’s no reason the local food will be any more or less prone to gastric problems.
Eating locally means picking a restaurant off the well beaten tourist path. It may mean walking a bit further or asking around to find a decent spot. And it doesn’t mean you have to succumb to the likes of Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods
First, ask your local staff where they eat. The hotel clerks, cab drivers and tourist office workers. If that fails, find a fit person on the street and ask them! Most people will be glad to share with you one or two places where you won’t find a lot of tourists. However, some may be reluctant to give up a local haunt to out of town guests, so you may need to be persistent. If it’s a place someone has frequented more than once, that’s a good sign it’s probably half way decent food.
Next, check it out before you go in and don’t be afraid to get up and walk out if things don’t seem to your liking. Is the silverware washed? Are people dressed neat? Did you just see the cook wipe his nose, smash a cockroach and then go back to preparing your food? These are things you may instinctively take for granted while at home but they are the common sense types of ‘feel’ of the place.
Lastly, if you have struck out on suggestions, look for a packed joint. Beware of empty restaurants as it may be an indicator of the quality. Or it may just not be lunch time yet. In travels to South America I often went to dinner way too early compared to the local crowd just because that’s when I was hungry. That made it hard to judge the popularity of an establishment. Waiting until the regular dinner time (around 8-9pm) gave me a better gauge.
Eating with locals should also be one of the reasons you came to a faraway land! I’m talking about international travel here, not something just down the road, unless it’s Oregon and then all bets are off! (Just kidding Oregon, I love your lack of sales tax!!) If you speak the language, being surrounded by more local families will give you a chance to interact that is often missed in the Hardrock Cafes of the world. I’ve found most people are at least polite to foreigners no matter what the media says, and especially so with a family. Letting your children have a chance to be exposed to the local flavor will enhance their experience too.
I firmly believe eating with the locals off the tourist path establishments will better your odds to avoid food borne yickness. Give it a try!!
