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Travel
the World... |
Independent advice for |
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traveling the world |
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| Photo by Jeff Booth
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Red Eye
By Eric Tiettmeyer
"The hotter the flame, the safer the food."
Frugal Globetrotter by Bruce Northam
When I travel abroad, I avoid touristy areas unless they are museums or churches, avoid souvenir shops like the plague, and select cheaper, authentic mom and pop places to eat. However, finding authentic food in the States is tough because we like to "Americanize" our food.
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What's the difference between Americanized International food and authentic food? For one, they are giant food chains that tell you to "run for the border" and then serve you their "spin" on mexican; Fiesta Chalupas, Mexican Pizzas, and Double Decker tacos. I find the double decker taco particularly amusing, figuring that no dish from Mexico would take two taco shells and glue them together with refried beans. In addition, you will find this Americanized food in most international restaurants. Chinese restaurants have Chinese Chicken Salads and egg rolls. I never saw anything like that in Hong Kong a few years ago. Moreover, why would the Chinese want to eat a salad out of a flour tortilla shell?
Of course, the issue here is not whether many international foods are Americanized when they cross our borders and into the local restaurant. It's whether I should feel guilty that I'm not eating authentic cuisine when eating out. So, when I eat out from now on, I will stop asking the waitress how good the food is, and instead ask how authentic it is. There is nothing wrong with adapting food with local flavor. Just let me know if it's something found in the old country or a new concoction glued together with refried beans.
Stay on the move,
Eric
P.S. We are almost near the end of our 4th year of publishing SWT. One of the most important reasons for our growth is input from readers like you. We want to know what you like and don't like. So let us know. Contact us any time. Say hi. Tell us where you've been. We like that stuff.
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