Home » Outdoor & Recreation » Traveling on a Budget » Eating in a Small Town

Eating in a Small Town

© Dr. Tami Brady

As an archaeologist, I spend a great deal of my time traveling through, eating at, and living in small towns throughout Canada and the United States. At first, the task of finding a good place to eat and a clean place to sleep was a little overwhelming. However, over time, I learned a few tricks that made staying in small towns a pleasure. In this article, I will share a few of my favorite tips on how to find a good meal in a small town.

Don't eat at hotel restaurant or any establishment that advertise for or are aimed at tourists. Such establishments include those with nice views, gift shops, museums, or those near amusement parks. These places are expensive and the food is second rate. Furthermore, do not eat at fast food restaurants as the food will be slow, cold, and the teenagers who work in these establishments tend to have bad hygiene.

In general, eat where the locals eat. Locals won't eat at a place that serves bad food and rumors of such travel extremely fast in a small town. There are a few ways to tell if a restaurant is a local hangout. First off, look for parking lots full of vehicles. It is especially important to look for trucks as these more likely belong to locals than mini-vans, cars, and campers. Also look for big rig trucks (truckers) and white trucks (rig workers, surveyors, archaeologists, and other individuals that do a lot of working, eating, and living in small towns. Once in the establishment, look for groups of older locals with coffee cups in their hands who stare at you like you are an alien the moment you walk in.

Eating at these local haunts is like eating at home or at Grandma's house. The atmosphere is relaxed and generally friendly, despite the gawking. Your children are welcome and can order foods they will actually enjoy in these places. Moreover, the portions are large, fresh, hot, and reasonably priced.

However, do not expect gourmet, vegetarian, low gluten, special low fat, or low carb menus. If you have these concerns, pick and choose items from the existing menus to suit your needs. However, beyond can I switch the fries to mashed potatoes or a salad, do not ask for or expect preferential treatment. This means don't ramble on for half an hour about how you want the dish prepared. Though the waitress may smile and nod politely, the meal will come to you exactly as the cook decides to cook it. Furthermore, if you are rude or difficult, your food will also be slow and cold; the waitress will ignore you for the rest of your meal; and the cook may just spit on your food.

The copyright of the article Eating in a Small Town in Traveling on a Budget is owned by Dr. Tami Brady. Permission to republish Eating in a Small Town in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.