Food, glorious food.
The relationship between food and travel.
“Do you have any dietary requirements?”
This was one of the first questions that was drilled into me when I first started my career in travel. At the time it’s purpose was primarily to let airlines know to pre-order any special meals. Over the last twenty years however, as the world has become even more aware of food intolerances, it’s become essential in terms of the overall holiday plan. For example if I was to book a stay in a Ryokan in Japan it would be vital to give them plenty notice of any requirements to make sure they can cater for it.
Today, Friday October 16th is World Food Day so let’s have a look at the relationship between food and travel. Dietary requirements aside up to 80% of holiday makers cite food as being an integral part of their holiday experience. I’ve been privileged enough to have travelled much of the world; I’ve been to every continent and travelled in many different styles which plays a huge factor in the culinary experience.
Even though I really like food and different cuisines, I can’t honestly say that it’s ever played a role in deciding where I travel to, so I reached out to one of my foodie/travel friends a few days ago for a bit of inspiration to complement my own experiences. At this point I should probably apologise to her and her company that she apparently ditched work for the afternoon while she took a deep dive into the foodie/travel rabbit hole!
For some the food experience can be less about the food itself and more about the cultural experience. My first experience of this was in Egypt when a local fixer who worked in our hotel organised a trip seeing some of the lesser known sights of the Theban Necropolis. What he didn’t tell us was that he also organised a camel ride to his sister’s house in a local village where she had prepared dinner for us and brought along the entire extended family, only two of whom spoke English. My Arabic was a bit rusty so conversation was a little difficult. It didn’t matter though, as we sat on the floor cross legged eating a delicious home cooked meal the experience connected all of us and broke down any language or cultural barriers.
I had a similar experience in Leshan, China as we somehow found ourselves on a day tour catering to Chinese tourists, none of whom spoke English. Lunch was included in a warehouse, western cutlery wasn’t. The carrot that one of my travelling companions launched across the table hitting an elderly woman between the eyes confirmed the fact that the handling of chopsticks had yet to be mastered. Thankfully the old woman laughed, as did everyone at the table. The perfect ice breaker!
I mentioned that I’ve travelled in many different styles which influences the culinary experience. Travelling overland on participation camping trips in Africa means that you can’t be fussy however the cooks always exceed expectations. They do need a hand though which is where the participation comes from. Put up your own tent, then help out in camp. Helping the cooks to prepare dinner doubles as a bonding exercise with the camping team and your fellow travellers as well as picking up some nice tips along the way.
While we’re on the subject of picking up tips, local cooking classes have become an increasingly popular part of the holiday experience. These are sometimes run by hotels so could be an important factor when choosing your accommodation. Alternatively many local tour operators offer cooking classes all over the world offering a more immersive experience where you visit local markets to shop for local ingredients before cooking your masterpiece.
Food festivals are also a good way of immersing yourself in the local culture. Iceland’s Thorrablot, also known as the ugly food festival, celebrates ancient Icelandic food and culture. You could travel to Bessieres in France for the Easter festival where 15,000 eggs are used to make a giant omelette. Maybe you’d rather play with your food instead of eating it, in which case you should travel to Buñol, Spain for La Tomatina where you can throw tomatoes to your heart’s content! The roguishly named roadkill festival in West Virginia doesn’t actually consist of roadkill but the meat is sourced from hunters and could be anything from possum to elk and anything else that gets in their sights.
If the roadkill festival makes you squirm then you should also probably avoid bush tucker in Australia although I did have green ant pie on Kangaroo Island, South Australia which was actually delicious. A variety of insects are eaten across Asia, Africa and South & Central America which are a great source of protein but might not sound appealing. Some hotels in Southeast Asia enforce a ban on the durian fruit due to it’s pungent aroma and speaking of pungent aromas, the most adventurous of travellers with the strongest of stomachs visibly wilt in the presence of the Swedish surströmming.
Food is intrinsically linked to the travel experience whether intentional or not. While I may not have used food as a reason to travel to a particular destination I have often salivated in anticipation of the food that lays ahead in destinations like Italy, China, India and Thailand.
At other times I haven’t paid it any attention at all but nonetheless it became part of the story, for example trekking in Nepal and staying in teahouses you become accustomed to eating daal bhat, a combination of rice, lentils and spiced vegetables mopped up with naan bread while the surreal image of eating a meal sat on a deck chair while looking out for snow leopards in the Indian Himalayas will forever be etched in my memory.
Ultimately wherever I have travelled and for whatever reason, food has always become part of the story, whether it’s the best meal I ever had in my life in the Banyan tree hotel in Bangkok or whether I’m simply eating what’s put in front of me………as long as it’s not a Hawaiian pizza!!
