Enjoying the Food on Your Vacation

One of the great things about going away on vacation, especially to somewhere you have not been before, is trying the local food. Whether you choose to go somewhere in Europe, Asia or any other location, there is a wide variety of food that we eat on this little planet called Earth and to truly emerge yourself in the local culture you will need to forgo your burger and chips and try eating what the locals eat. You may be surprised and like it!

A country’s specialty

Each country has its own specialty that they are known for through the rest of the world. When you think of a certain country you may automatically conjure up an image in your head of the food.

• Italy – Pasta or Pizza
• Spain – Paella
• Thailand – Tom Yung Kung
• Greece – Mousaka

If you are going to a country for the very first time, especially if it is an exotic location such as Asia, you do not know when you are going to be able to go back and visit the place again so you need to make the most of it while you are there. So this is an ideal time to get out of your comfort zone and try something new and exotic. You may find foods that you do not like, if so just move onto something else. It is better to try and food and not like it than to not try something and also not know what you are missing. You may be passing up the chance to try your new favorite food cooked authentically in the country of origin, rather than out of a packet and put in the microwave at home.

More exotic foods

Some countries enjoy food that we would turn our noses up at home. This is just through conditioning as we have become very unaware of where your food comes from and what it consists of in the West. This means you can get quite a shock when traveling to some of the more exotic locations and you see what they eat as a specialty. You could eat stuffed camel in Dubai, Crickets in Northern Thailand or monkey brains in China, some of the food stuffs on offer may differ quite a lot from the food that we are used to at home. You may even want to try the eating the famous puffer fish in Japan. This kind of food is poisonous if not prepared correctly so you must go to a restaurant which is actually licensed to sell this. The chefs have to go through years of training before they are qualified to prepare this dish.

Looking after your stomach

The last thing that we want to do is get sick while we are on vacation. Sometimes it is inevitable that you will get the runs or a dodgy tummy, there are things that you can do to try and prevent this and also be prepared in case it does happen.

One thing which causes a lot of minor sickness to travelers is the microbes and bacteria in the local water. We have similar organisms in your water at home but your system is used to these so they do not cause you illness. When going to a different country though as you have no immunity to the local organisms in the water, these can cause minor stomach upsets and even diarrhea. Try to avoid drinking tap water and instead drink only bottled water. The same when brushing your teeth you should use bottled water to rinse your mouth out. You may also wish to avoid having ice in your drinks if this is not made from a sterile source of water as this is a way that you may get sick when on your travels.

Eating shellfish is also potentially where you can get sick, especially if not cooked correctly. Just make sure that when you pack your suitcase that you bring along with you some products to help deal with an upset stomach. You may also wish to bring something to stop you going to the toilet especially if you are traveling. Speak to your local chemist and tell them where you are going and they will be able to recommend some products to help look after you in case you get sick. Whether you choose a cheap holiday in Spain, Turkey, Egypt or anywhere else, make sure you try the local food on offer but also look after yourself so that you can have a brilliant time and bring back some wonderful memories, and hopefully no stomach bugs!