Food is the Best Way to Learn About a Country’s Culture
So Travel Hungry
If you want to really experience a place when you’re travelling or on vacation, you need to get under its skin. Find its heart and soul. Its culture.
And I’m not talking about visiting landmarks here. If all you do is look at pretty buildings and tour museums all day you may come away feeling unsatisfied.
I know I did. I’d come back from a trip with a bit of a suntan and a load of photos of all the must-see sights but no lasting memories of what made the place special. No deeper understanding of where I’d been.
Because it’s not landmarks that offer the best insight into a place and its culture. It’s food.
Through food — and specifically through the act of dining — we can really understand a place’s culture and come home with more satisfying experiences that stay with us for years.
I didn’t always get this.
I can’t tell you how many museums, churches, ancient ruins and other ‘cultural’ landmarks I dragged myself around over the years. Not only as a kid but also well into my 20s because I thought that’s ‘what you are supposed to do’ when you visit somewhere new.
It wasn’t until I was nearly 30 that I learned that the way I wanted to travel and…
