Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
However the bread is usually better and the way Italians eat is not the same. !
This is the heart of the matter, IMHO.
McDonald's may be everywhere, and globalization is a very real, but it is not so all-encompassing and multi-culti that standards are the same for everyone in every country or region.
Quote:
We actually gave up one time and had Mcdonalds for one meal there just to ensure we had a meal that we know would satisfy us.
I was that desperate once.
It was a Sunday in Montpelier, France, and no other restaurant was open.
Going to McDonald's in order to be satisfied with your meal is, for me, inconceivable, but everyone is different, and entitled to their own opinions and tastes.
I had never thought about that before, but Europeans don't really eat very well. Everywhere in South America, Asia, and even much of Africa, one can always find a rich assortment of delicious food in street stands, market stalls, bus stations, everywhere---just follow your nose. In Europe and America, there is very little food available, except fast-food chains and formal dining, and the high overhead forces high prices.
Lack of available good food, and a wide variety must be a local problem in Texas. Around here I can, within 10 minutes, find anything from a great meal I refuse to pay the price for (cheap, cheap) to a street vendor selling some of the best ribs, Mexican, Italian, you name it. In fact, if you watch the TLC show about the best ribs cooked out of a truck, the winner is from here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Then you misunderstood me. I lumped the US and Europe together into an area where a decent filling meal is much harder to find than on other continents.
The reason for that, I think in part, is that the US and Europe have raised cleanliness to a shrill hysteria, and there is no place in the culture for "casual" eating experiences. Like a woman sitting on a street corner with a charcoal fire cooking up pots of stew and serving it in rinsed out plastic bowls, to customers who eat it sitting on the curb.
In Europe/America, the only eating option is to walk into a licensed inspected sterile climate-controlled environment, and order from a menu something that you can't watch being cooked. Such places exist only if someone rich enough to start up makes the investment. If you ask for something they don't have, they won't send one of their kids down the street to buy it so they can cook it for you.
It may not be done to the extent you see in some countries, but we have vending trucks cooking all types of food "on the street" here. You don't see that in Texas? What a shame.
It may not be done to the extent you see in some countries, but we have vending trucks cooking all types of food "on the street" here. You don't see that in Texas? What a shame.
Where are you? I'm not talking about a chips or hot dog stand. I'm talking about a portable sidewalk facility for cooking a complete meal, which sometimes
has even a few stools and a counter. Several of them clustered together, each one with a different specialty. Stew at one place, grilled fish at another, you know, hot meals on a plate. Along all busy roads in a city, or near the bus park in a small town.
It may not be done to the extent you see in some countries, but we have vending trucks cooking all types of food "on the street" here. You don't see that in Texas? What a shame.
We have so many food trucks serving anything from banh mi to Indian food to bakery specialities here in SoCal. We even had a Foodie Fest recently, where over 50 of these trucks from just this area showed up. No hot dogs, no bad food. Most serve restaurant fares at more reasonable prices. I can't believe the rest of the country won't catch up to this trend! LA is the capital of food trucks, it seems, with gourmet trucks on just about every corner!
And, the first Friday of every month, they all come to Venice Beach and line up in a parking lot. There, you can have whatever your heart desires all in one place. I guess I should be lucky I don't live in Texas since they lack so much in the food department!
There are no lack of food choices here in Dallas - I believe we have more restaurants per capita than NYC.
I've been to Europe so many times I have lost count - maybe a dozen times if I had to guess. I have found that they aren't as fond of beef as we Texans are -- so I usually do not order it (yes had some bad beef in Paris) unless it's in goulash.
Speaking of lasagna, I ordered some in Portofino, expecting the layered version - what I got was a single strip of noodle covered by basil pesto sauce. I was a bit dubious until I had a taste - pure heaven! I shall never forget that dish.
There are no lack of food choices here in Dallas - I believe we have more restaurants per capita than NYC.
Having many restaurants does not equate to good food. My husband was in Dallas last month and going back next week for work. That's the one city they have a problem finding a restaurant for the entire company since they can't find any quality restaurants with good food.
My husband and I both agree, to the horrors of others...the worst bbq in the nation is in Texas. We've had it in many cities, from Dallas to Austin to SA to Houston and the surrounding areas and it is just terrible! All the local recs were bad, so we tried Yelp and those were bad so we tried tv recs and those were bad so we gave up and decided to just stay away from eating any kind of meat in that state!
It is amazing to me that anyone ordered a steak in France and it came back over-cooked, like shoe leather. My husband kept sending his back because they were raw and bloody.
We soon figured out that the standards of doneness are a bit different over there. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think grass-fed beef is more common in Europe (as opposed to the more tender corn or grainfed in the States).
What usually works for us is to stay away from touristy places.
As my husband figured out with his steak, it does not make a lot of sense to go over there expecting to eat American food cooked to American standards.
If you embrace regional specialties, you can really get some tasty fare.
Some of my best meals:
Paella in Spain
Insalata Caprese in southern Italy
Fresh oysters in Brittany, France
Salmon in Scotland
Cantal cheese in Auvergne, France (along with aligot potatoes)
simple feta salad in Greece
I couldn't agree more with what you said. When you travel, you don't just travel to see the place, but also to try out whatever new things you've never tried at home, and that's including food. Most escpecially food!
Only people in The USA would actually consider flying over an ocean just so they could eat!
Is that all you guys think about? Food!
Oh my lord, shock and horror.
Yes I eat 3 times a day typically and if I am going to eat then I want to eat something good, filling and preferably somewhat healthy and fresh.
When I travel I certainly don't think of going out of my way to eat at a decent restaurant.
In Europe, which is hailed by the pseudo intellectual crowd as some great paradise for foodies, for me anyways, it has failed to impress so far. I'd certainly say that there are many places unexplored but I have not yet found the paradise so proclaimed by the experts.
And no things like sandwiches with razor thin one slice of meat and cheese and tons of bread don't impress me. I'd rather have a good sandwich at Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh, or a Dibella sub or a cheese steak from many great places in PA.
It's like anything else-it depends on the effort you put in. If you bumble around randomly, you'll probably find some mediocre meals, just like in the US. I am a OCD-type super-planner who has restaurants earmarked in the guidebook before I even leave home. Half the fun! But I have to admit, I will never be happy with the typical continental breakfast. Gimme those Scandinavian breakfasts with tables groaning under eight types of herring!
Only people in The USA would actually consider flying over an ocean just so they could eat!
Is that all you guys think about? Food!
I travel for food. I love good food, love to eat. And, I'm not American. I have a food blog and take pictures of food every time I go out. I'm one of those with a huge camera at the table, photographing the food. Funny thing is, they always assume I'm some kind of food critic (been asked that so many times) and my food is presented neatly and photograph ready!
There is a difference between eating and enjoying a simple, good, fresh meal vs. stuffing your face with the typical American fast food until you're ready to puke. I like food, not food products.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
