April 28, 2008
My 6 Rules For Dining Out
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photo credit: stu_spivack
I've done a bit of traveling around and eating out in various countries. These are some of the rules I've come up with in order to experience the best gastronomic experience possible. You won't shoot 100% with these rules, but you'll end up with a better ratio than without them.
6. Take recommendations from tour operators with extreme skepticism. These people usually get kickbacks for delivering people to certain resturaunts. They aren't interested in your dining experience, they're interested in the money they'll make. You may get some ok resturants, but rarely will they point you to the real gems.
5. Do not eat in a place where the garbage is next to the entrance. If they don't care about the initial impression they're giving, they won't care about what they're putting in your stomach.
4. Do not eat is a place only filled with tourists. The din of American accents may feel safe and familiar abroad but it won't improve your dining pleasure. You're in a new place to experience the 'real' atmosphere so get out!
3. Avoid places that "specialize" in more than one type of cuisine. A place doing Japanese, Chinese and Korean isn't going to do any of them justice. If you happen to end up in a place doing Japanese-American or Chinese-American cuisine only eat the stuff they really focus on. You should be able to tell from the decor (in these cases, Chinese or Japanese writing on the wall means you should choose those dishes.)
2. If it's dinner time (local dinner time) and the resturaunt is empty or nearly empty, move on. If the locals don't like it, there's a reason.
1. Never, ever, under no circumstances eat in a place with pictures of their food. If you cannot imagine what the food is like from the description, it isn't going to be any good. If you don't understand the language and you're in a hopping place (see the rule above) point to something that looks good and just say you'll have what they're having. If you're avoiding the tourist areas, this shouldn't be a problem.
If you have any additional recommendations, leave them in the comments. Happy eating!
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Filed under Internet Business, You by Steven Lohrenz
Comments on My 6 Rules For Dining Out »
B Smith at Wealth and Wisdom @ 9:18 am
Steven-Great post.
-Be open to new foods and flavors. This isn't Kansas, and you may end up with moose or reindeer (personal experience). They may not all be good, but you are there to experience their culture.
-Stick with the local cuisine. Again, experience the culture. Also, often their interpretation of our food falls short. I remember spaghetti in the Philippines…Ketchup is not marinara!
Foodaholic @ 5:28 pm
Those are some good rules. It is very important to enjoy a nice meal when dining out, but not always easy to find a great place to eat.
Bill Harmon @ 12:25 am
I don't know how much research went into your Rule No. 1, but it is a generalization that is very suspect. I have eaten in local restaurants all over the Far East, particularly in Japan, Korea and Thailand, and have found restaurants picturing their food either on the menu or near the entrance that served outstanding food. I have also eaten in restaurants that provided pictures where the food was ghastly poor. I'd be hard put to quantify those experiences, but I am fairly sure that your adjuration to avoid restaurants that picture their food is misleading, and may cause your readers to pass by some really good places.
The other rules seem to be logical and worth following.
Bill Harmon
81 years old, and having lived abroad
Steven Lohrenz @ 4:55 pm
Bill, It is a generalization and it's mine. I've rarely found a good place to eat where they have shown pictures of their food. I've been all over Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and the US and for me the generalization holds up. Yes, I do miss some good places but I miss a lot of bad places. I doubt my readers take each of my posts as gospel. They need to test each and every thing I talk about and form their own conclusions. Which is something I talk about quite often. If your own experiences are different great - live by your own set of rules! Cheers, Steve