Trying local cuisine - how adventurous are you?

[leadman]

I watch first. If the cook the cough out of it in a super heated wok, I'll give it a go. Any bug that survives that ca have a go at me!

Working up-country Thailand for the past 8 years, 1 week a month with most of the lunch and dinner from "street woks" I have not come down with food poisoning. And its the same with my Thai colleagues, they don't want eat and get food poisoning either!

Now alcohol poisoning, that is an entirely another matter! i know where their local "scotch" can be put!

 

[RooFlyer]

Australia has no single culture or cuisine, which is a good thing IMHO. What we DO have is access to high quality ingredients, including a few unique to our continent. So when overseas guests visit us our first question is "Have you ever watched Skippy?".

The second question is "Want to eat the star?"

Too much prior information.

After I lived in Canada for a few years, I moved to Adelaide and afterwards had a steady stream of Nth American visitors. I eventually had a standard day tour - up to the Barossa, then to the open-range bush 'zoo' in the Adelaide Hills to see the cute wildlife, then back to town, and a cook-your-own- BBQ dinner at a pub in North Adelaide.

"I'm chef" I'd declare and looked after getting the meats and putting them on the BBQ.

Guests usually commented on the unusual flavour of the meat.

Hmm, yes, you remember that cute wallaby you petted at the zoo ? ...

 

[LadyC]

I am certainly happy to try street food if it is something that interests me. I won't eat something weird just for the sake of it. And if it smells bad, no chance!

 

[JohnK]

I scored 20!

But I generally prefer to see the food and whether it's spicy or not before eating.

P.S. Love pork braun. Love goulash. Love patsa.

 

[kpc]

I will try most things but refused to eat horse tartare in Jeju!

 

[leadman]

I will try most things but refused to eat horse tartare in Jeju!

I can remember the furore many years ago when they found out that donkey, horse, camel etc, were being used in the old Aussie meat pie. This day and age you would be charged a premium for pies made like that now.

 

[Forg]

I can remember the furore many years ago when they found out that donkey, horse, camel etc, were being used in the old Aussie meat pie. This day and age you would be charged a premium for pies made like that now.

That furore was probably related to the fact that horse isn’t (for some reason) allowed to be sold for human consumption in this country ... ie. it was pet food in said pies.
I’ve not managed to find horsey when OS; tried in Belgium, but it being more a French than a Dutch thing maybe I needed to head down to Wallonia.

 

[leadman]

I think the furore was from many points; touching the holy grail of Aussie tucker, the meat pie.

Ive had horse in a number of places, Wuhan in China and Gwangju in Korea. Three dishes were served with the meat in Wuhan, one was horses knee, which even today i cannot see the point of.

 

[cvmceg]

I have an iron constitution and ate whatever was served by the roadside vendors throughout south east asia. Travel companions ate western food most of the time.

That's the only place I've been so far where the hygiene standards raised eyebrows.

 

[Forg]

I have an iron constitution and ate whatever was served by the roadside vendors throughout south east asia. Travel companions ate western food most of the time.

That's the only place I've been so far where the hygiene standards raised eyebrows.

In that case, you didn’t see the guy who works in the nearby Sydney chicken shop taking a leak in the carpark & then head straight back into said chicken-shop & start serving customers ... although admittedly, he was south-east Asian.

 

[leadman]

And this was my "worlds best Philly Steak" here in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. Picked the meat out the best i could and the rest was dumped. Over-sauced on day old bread. How i wished for Thai street vendor food.....

 

[juddles]

.... the holy grail of Aussie tucker, the meat pie......

The destruction of this emblematic cuisine is one of the reasons I no longer choose to reside in Australia

I am almost always a very calm person, but each time I enter a bakery or a servo, ask for a "plain pie", and get told they only have left .... curry/pepper/cheese/etc etc etc etc, I start to explode with rage. If everyone wants those fancy flavours, why the flock are there never any good old "plain" ones left??

When I heard that some anarchist had won the aussie pie competition with their "satay seafood" pie, I gave up.

Damn, am now so worked up I will not sleep.....

 

[leadman]

The destruction of this emblematic cuisine is one of the reasons I no longer choose to reside in Australia

I am almost always a very calm person, but each time I enter a bakery or a servo, ask for a "plain pie", and get told they only have left .... curry/pepper/cheese/etc etc etc etc, I start to explode with rage. If everyone wants those fancy flavours, why the flock are there never any good old "plain" ones left??

When I heard that some anarchist had won the aussie pie competition with their "satay seafood" pie, I gave up.

Damn, am now so worked up I will not sleep.....

Understand totally; one tradition of fatherhood was to teach your children the skill of eating a meat pie with one hand at footy. Sadly this has been lost i fear never ever to be revived! A quiche just doesn't hold............

 

[Cossie]

That furore was probably related to the fact that horse isn’t (for some reason) allowed to be sold for human consumption in this country ... ie. it was pet food in said pies.
I’ve not managed to find horsey when OS; tried in Belgium, but it being more a French than a Dutch thing maybe I needed to head down to Wallonia.

Head to Sardinia, very common there. One place in Castelsardo that I've eaten at a couple of times had donkey on the menu. No I didn't try it.

 

[JohnK]

Fine .... so you agree that allergies aside, those that choose to avoid the local cuisine at all costs are the worst sort of tourists?

Why? I don't travel to sample foods. I travel to go somewhere different and relax.

 

[Forg]

Fine .... so you agree that allergies aside, those that choose to avoid the local cuisine at all costs are the worst sort of tourists?

These are just people who are unable to enjoy some of the best things in life; it’s a bit sad for them, really.

 

[mrsterryn]

Nope boring as all get out here.
MrTerry (forget what his Nick is on here) will eat almost anything. He tries different types of food all over
At a bare minimum I need pictures
A girlfriend i was travelling in Japan was so overwhelmed by the different types of food had to go to Maccas not even Mos Burgers !!

 

[love_the_life]

These are just people who are unable to enjoy some of the best things in life; it’s a bit sad for them, really.

Not everyone is the same. That’s part of life’s rich tapestry. Not sad for them at all. Because I don’t want to experience bungee jumping, skydiving etc am I missing out and have a sad miserable life? I don’t think so.

 

[somebol]

I'm sure it's all disposable plastic

disposable paper cups.

 

[Lynda2475]

And this was my "worlds best Philly Steak" here in Fort Lauderdale yesterday

Oh no there is no salad allowed on a genuine cheesesteak, that is so wrong!

I like to try local foods when travelling, I'm fairly adventurous taking precautions depending where in the world I am, but I have no interest in eating offal/innards/blood anywhere and will avoid food that have ingredients I know dont agree with me namely coriander/cilantro (i have that gene that means it taste like soap so ruins any dish) and melons which make me queasy.

I've only had serious food poisoning (fever, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps) once when travelling internationally and that was in Peru but the local Peruvian food wasn't to blame, rather my travel buddy was sick of eating local and insisted we eat at the Irish Pub in Cusco for lunch to have something familiar. What made me want to die was actually a cottage/shepherds pie!

I think eating local and fresh is generally the way to go, i would never seek out a Maccas/KFC in foreign places.

One of the best meals I had in Mexico City was a chef hatted restaurant in a non touristy area only 1 staff member had any english. My friend and I thought we knew enough spanish to order but because it was fancy we barely recognised any words. The one waiter who did have english, came over ran us through the menu super quick, we then ordered form memory and it was all awesome.

I also quite enjoyed the chilli salt and lime deep fried grasshoppers at the central market in mexico City too.