I have a confession to make.
A confession that will divide opinion. A confession that many of you won’t be able to understand. A confession that might change the way you think of me.
But, here goes… I am NOT a foodie. There, I said it.
But wait – there’s more: I like McDonald’s. I love a good Subway. I live for KFC. And I will happily eat all of these things, regardless of whether I am at home or in Italy, Poland or Spain. Sometimes I’ll even get a Burger King (as a last resort, of course).
And what’s more – I’m not ashamed.
The Golden Arches in Yaroslavl
So why am I sharing this deep dark secret with you?
Several people have recently told me they believe food makes up 90% of the experience of travelling. I couldn’t disagree more.
Of course I’m not saying I don’t make an effort to try regional food and drink – I’ve had Pierogi in Gdansk, Black Balsam in Riga and chicken kievs in Kyiv (yes, they do come from there) – but I also don’t stick my nose up at cheap, easy eats when I’m on the road. And more importantly – I don’t think for a minute I should feel ashamed of that.
If McLenin’s were, I’d eat there
Foodie-ism has become such a huge phenomenon, but I think that somewhere in between the instagrams of quinoa and the life-changing decision of whether to go gluten-free, a huge side-dish of snobbery has been served up, too.
And somehow, as a result, admitting to enjoying fast food when travelling feels like taboo.
A beautiful Sunday Lunch in Manchester
If picking the perfect place to dine is your thing – that’s great. However, I’d rather head to the first half-decent-looking restaurant I see then spend hours trawling the streets for that ‘special something’. If I’m travelling alone, I’d rather pop in for quick McChicken and have more time for exploring the city than diligently hunt out the best pulled pork and sweet potato fries.
But what do you think?
Should I make more of an effort to ditch the fried chicken? Or do you think being a foodie has become an excuse for being a snob?
Oh, I could go on and on about this, and have mentioned your very point in posts that I’ve written before! I AM a foodie – I adore food and will procure a list of highly recommended restaurants and local eats and then hunt them down wherever I go. However, I’m not averse to eating fast food when I travel. I’ve had McDonald’s in Moldova, KFC in Colombia, Papa John’s in Medellin, and Subway in Taipei. Sometimes I honestly can’t be bothered deciphering a menu in a language I don’t speak and end up winding with aubergine salad instead of mango juice (that happened in Taipei not so long ago). Other times, I might be feeling a bit down and want nothing more than a bucket of fried chicken. But that’s OK.
Does food make up 90% of travel to a place? As much as I love food, I think 90% is an extraordinarily high percentage, so I can’t agree with that. However it is important for me, and if I don’t like the food in a place, it does tend to fog over any potential fondness for a place that I may have otherwise had had the food been good.
It’s great that as a foodie (and food porn addict) you can still enjoy some simple, greasy, deep-fried comfort food every once in a while. I do have some very good ‘food memories’ of places I’ve visited (particularly Ukraine), but I can’t personally say bad food would sour my thoughts of a place.
I’m really not a foodie either, and know exactly what you mean about food snobbery. It can be seen that you’re not a ‘proper’ traveller if you don’t eat street food and try all the local dishes. Mine’s more as I have had to become a faddy eater (no wheat, no dairy – hopefully only temporarily!) so it’s a nightmare finding something that won’t make me ill, so usually end up doing self catering if I can.
I despise food snobbery and think it’s ludicrous that it’s almost expected that a traveller place more importance on eating than learning about a city’s history or culture.
Self-catering is a great option, particularly in more expensive places (i.e. OSLO).
When I’m at home, I am careful about what I eat and for the last five years (or more) I haven’t eaten at McDonalds or KFC at all. But when I’m on holiday I eat whatever I find (still no McDo or KFC). The best thing I ate in Amsterdam was a burger named after a drag queen that was so good, I wanted to marry it (the burger, not the drag queen). Still, I do make sure I eat something traditional at least once.
When I’m travelling, 9 times out of 10, convenience wins every time, whether that’s McDonald’s, KFC, a street stall or a cafe.
Sounds like a great burger!
I think this is very individual. I am one of those people for whom at least 50% of travel is about food. On Saturday in Amsterdam my itinerary included 3 sightseeing establishments – the flower market, the van gogh museum and the red lights district – and 3 food experiences: pancakes, pickled herring, and Indonesian cuisine (win/meh/win). Plus I got local beer and cheese.
I DO, however, think that convenience is a poor excuse. In the busiest parts of Amsterdam and Brussels and Paris and Madrid and other cities, right next to the McD and KFC you will find the stands with frites & mayo, waffles, crepes and churros. Just as cheap and convenient – but local.
I also think that food is an essential part of a country’s cultural fabric. Take Amsterdam: cheese and herring are essentially tied to their geography, and fishing and agricultural heritage, while prevalence of quality Indonesian food is illustrative of the country’s colonial past in Asia. PLUS, in many countries socializing and big holidays are inextricably tied to particular dishes or even just the process of sharing a meal a certain way.
Ironically, back in Moscow McD is a special treat for me (= voluntary poisoning of my body instead of eating healthily).
I understand what you mean about the cultural importance of food, and I do always try to have at least one regional dish. But if McDonald’s is close and convenient and I want to get to a museum, I will happily pop in for a quick bite and head on my way.
Funnily enough Russia is somewhere I rarely have Western fast food – give me Kartoshka anyday!
Oh god I love Kartoshka – I actually wrote about it here http://gohomeandaway.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/street-meat/ – but it IS fast food, come up! Granted, more local, but still. But McD….yum…I love it. It’s a treat every time. Shoot me now.
Haha, nothing wrong with a nice Big Mac!
I’m a part time foodie, I think. Alot of the time, finding somewhere to eat becomes a stress and we’ll happily settle for convenience. Sometimes I tell myself I’d love to choose good restaurants and book tables before we travel somewhere, but we can never really predict where our days will take us and food often seems like an add on to the exploration. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with non-foodie travel!
I know how you feel – stumbling upon a great restaurant is such a lovely feeling, but traipsing around for hours to hunt one out isn’t as fun… Non-foodie travel all the way!