Travel Food: Stress or Romance?
Immediately warn gourmet and romantics – do not read this article. It is harmful in essence, and reflects my subjective opinion about the diet in the journey. Absolutely not imposing his point of view to others, but only share his own experience. The fact is that food is what strains me most in the journey. Especially if this is a trip to Europe, or North America. Now I will not discuss the countries of Asia and Africa, for this topic of a separate conversation. Why then in civilized states so hard to eat? Read on.
Last week, returned from a three-week journey to relatively banal countries: France, Britain, Belgium, Spain, Portugal. I took the car rental, flew on the aircraft, enjoyed trains. Complete set, in one word. About this trip, divided into several articles, can be read separately. An indicative of this trip was the fact that once again I experienced what is wrong and not rational food. My route was planned with mathematical accuracy of days and hours. Simply put, a month before the trip, I already prevented that at 14.30-14.50 I will die on the car from Belgian Bruges to French Calais, and in 15.30 I will be registered with the ferry in Britain. And after that until 18.00, already sailing in Britain, I will have time before the closure of the museum in the Fortress of Dover. And similar alignment on all days of travel.
The appropriate question is set – but to eat when? And the answer is such – it is not clear when, and time for food is not laid in the route, for how I can know where and when I eat?
Breakfast in the hotel
1. Bun / croisson
2. Jam
3. Milk with Cornflex (Aka Muesli)
4. Tea coffee
. and all! There is nothing more. Liked such breakfast? I do not, for I can’t stand Muesli, I don’t drink milk in the morning, I do not drink jam in plastic packaging with the listing of various food dyes in them. I do not drink coffee, I love the normal tea (not Lipton Packets). The bun remains, and as a rule, the slightly referred, because they were taken on the eve of the evening. So the bun is not always acceptable to use. Thus, breakfast passed by, and I leave the hotel hungry, having drank except that a glass of mineral water. Therefore, it took the rule – when booking a room to refuse breakfast. If a miracle happens, and breakfast will be good – you can always pay for it on the spot the same money and even smaller.
Where to eat?
Fast Fud: Good and Bad
Good fast foods this is usually Arab, Turkish and Chinese. The cost of meals is the same as in McDonalds, but in return you get a big portion of delicious, fresh and nutritious food. It can be a portion of the shovers on a plate with rice and salads + pellets + real Arabic tea.
If this is a Chinese kitchen, then constant rice with meat / fish + soup + salad. In all cases you will be fastened quickly and cheap. It is in this kind of establishments that I eat, traveling to Western Europe, USA, or Canada.
Restaurants
So what we have? Restaurants Many, they are at every turn, the benefit that the town of Tourist. Everywhere is offered an option for such economical travelers as we are called "Formula". This means a comprehensive meal, which includes the first (soup), the second (meat / fish + rice / potatoes) and dessert (pancake with jam / honey). On average, just such a set, with minor differences. It stands in the area of 20 euros, and drinks does not include. So either bring water with you (hide her under the table, because with its taire, as you know, do not go to decent institutions), or you have to pay extra 3-4 euros for a glass of drinking a restaurant.
You are waiting for 30-40 minutes, and you come to me. We look at what we brought to eat. You ordered Bifstex on Burgundy in Saint Martin Sauce? Please, here he. Damn, but it’s not exactly what you imagined by ordering this dish. You dreamed of a decent size of a piece of meat, and you brought a finely chopped kitlet, spanned black sauce with an acidic taste. You wanted rice as a side dish, and you brought you just a white rice, fucking slices. You wanted a salad with vegetables, and you brought a salad out of bow, where tomatoes and cucumbers make up a smaller part. But it is not necessary to formally to complain about what – the waiter did not deceive you, because you did not explain how many grams of tomatoes, and whether bifstex cut. To hell, you so want to eat that no matter what. At this moments, you are morally ready for McDonalds. Finally, you bring Panketik (damn) in chocolate and from above the ice cream ball. Ice cream cold and damn under him. You eat it all without any joy, and the dessert reminds you of a manna porridge, which in childhood forced to eat mom.
Now you bring an account, and over the initial 20 euros impose 13% for the service and 2% of some local tax. TOTAL, about 24 euros. Not so much amount is saddened, because it was necessary to remember the fact that the service is not included in the price. Peeling other – you are not talked and half of what you brought you, for it was tastefully. And paid for this cost flight on Loomost from Paris to Rome. Here for this and do not like restaurants – for permanent cats in the bag.
