How To Have The Best Dining Experience While Traveling
Trying out local food is definitely the best way to learn a new culture while traveling. However, as dining etiquette and traditions may vary, it can be tricky for visitors to truly have a great dining experience. This becomes a lot easier if you know a local as you don’t have to do much research as your friend is your Google. However, not everyone has friends all around the world, and if that’s the case, here are some of the things that you should do:
Eat at the right hour and take your time
In the U.S, most restaurants are full around 6 to 8 pm, but in some countries, dinners don’t even start until later than 9, so just make sure to do some research about when to go so that you can have the same experience as locals. And once you’re there, be sure that you take your time and not rush down your meal, as most countries including Brazil, France, and Italy really consider this time to connect. Not only that, going to the restaurant at the right time and not rushing this experience also increases the chance to meet people. Especially if you’re single and ready to mingle, you really just might see someone cool, who might start out as a local guide friend and turned into a special someone — who knows!
Observe the way the locals eat
Although this seem quite obvious, observing your surroundings is key. As tourists, especially if you are traveling to a place where you don’t speak the language, it’s important to really pay attention to what people are doing during their meals to make sure that you’re doing things right. For example, in Asian countries that predominately use chopsticks like Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, you can’t stick them upright in a bowl of rice as it brings bad luck. So, not only you need to make sure that your chopstick game is on point there, remember not to do that, to chase the bad jujus away. On the other hand, for other countries like India, the Middle East, and Africa, you’d easily blend in when you go in with your hands when enjoying your meals. However, be cautious not to use your left hand as it’s considered unclean.
Find out how to pay and/or tip
Although tipping is very customary and essential in the U.S, the payment and tipping system doesn’t work the same way in other countries, so it’s important to do some research beforehand regarding this issue. In countries like Japan, it’s actually considered an insult to tip, and in France, you’ll be considered unsophisticated if you split the bill, instead pay to offer the bill and be that stand up guy — or girl. Also, do some research if the country you’re visiting is going to accept payments with credit card. In a lot of developing countries like Africa and Asia, credit card payments aren’t so common even in restaurants. So, it’s best to have the local currency in hand to make sure that you can pay for dinner.
