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Travels with Maryanne - In Search of Local Food

© Maryanne Nasiatka

I love to travel. There's something special about visiting a place for the first time. The architecture, the landscape, the history, the people and of course the local cuisine, fascinate me.

I've been fortunate enough to travel extensively throughout North America and Europe. I've even been able to climb the Great Wall of China and see the ruins of the ancient Thai capital, Ayutthaya.

Local cuisines fascinate me. A long time ago I learned to eat where the locals eat. This sometimes takes a bit of an effort. Tour operators and hotels automatically send you to places where you get a version that's - well - bland, overpriced and something locals wouldn't eat.

Venture out yourself. Read the menus. Are the choices a representative sample of local food? Take a look at how crowded a restaurant is. Do the people inside look like they're enjoying themselves?

Once you're inside, the fun begins. Take a look at what the other patrons have ordered as you make your way to your table. Are a lot of people having the same thing? Maybe there's a specialty.

Menu studying is critical. None of this "I'll look at the menu only until I find the first thing I like." Selecting something to eat is only one objective.

I look to see what local ingredients are used. How are they combined? What are they served with? How are they prepared? I often make notes in the trusty little pad that I carry in my purse. Could I make this at home?

And then, the moment of truth: my meal arrives. Is this the way I envisioned it? I make a mental note about how the chef plated it. This is very useful if you replicate the dish. I say, "why not serve it like the pros do?"

What do my taste buds tell me? Do I taste those local ingredients? Are they sweet? Sour? Hot? Mellow?

I ask myself: "Self, are you pleased?" If I'm not, I figure out why. It might be a simple change that I would do at home. For instance, I don't like peas, so I leave them out when I cook.

If I can't figure out what an ingredient is or how something is made, I ask. Sometimes the waitstaff doesn't know, but they'll almost always find out and report the information back to me. Chefs are usually thrilled that someone is interested. I've gotten many good tips and learned interesting techniques this way.

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