I am no foodie. But I enjoy eating. Besides visiting places, meeting people, and getting exposed to different cultures, I travel to experience the local cuisine.

I can always have my Filipino-style spaghetti at home. But when will I ever get the chance to eat a tarantula again?

Here are 5 ways I get a local dining experience:

1. If a server is out on the street asking me to come eat in a restaurant, I run the opposite way.

Established food joints do not need a barker to attract a crowd. Their reputations speak for themselves. And their kitchen and dining area are too busy not to have all hands on deck. 

Often, the person willing to hear a proposition is a tourist. Most locals would not bother listening to a script. They know the difference between fantasy and reality. And the local, with years of food experience in the region, is who I am following. 

2. I go as far away from the city center as possible.

Restaurants in a city center can provide great dining choices. But let me analyse their incentives to provide value for money. 

Proximity means they have to recover the cost of their prime location. Convenience implies a lesser need to work for an audience – people who NEED to eat will go here but they aren’t necessarily looking for a treat. And considering tourists tend to flock city centers, the taste will likely cater to what tourists want, not necessarily what the locals prefer. 

3. Having pictures on the menu is nice. But that also serves as a warning.

Who needs photographs to visualise what a dish looks like? A tourist. Most locals know what an order entails, how the ingredients come together, and an image of the finished product. 

Outer beauty isn’t important. And that’s true for both appearance and food. And to be baited is the worst feeling in the world!

But what if I REALLY need to see how the food will look like before I order it? I can Google! I can ask! 

4. Ask the server what his/her/their favourite is, not necessarily what the best seller is.

If I don’t know, I ask. Not everyone will be up for a chat. But if I end up with someone who is, I grab the opportunity. 

I used to seek what the best seller is. But to get a flavour of what a local’s taste palate is like, I recently switched my line of questioning to his/her/their favourite.

This doesn’t always turn out well. But a little food experiment never killed nobody. 

5. Check out whose voice is the loudest in review apps

The beauty of democratising reviews is the dilution of high brow and elitist points of view. Access to information is easier. A question can be asked and an answer will be given. Essentially, everyone can give an opinion.

And that is also the downside. There are people who leave ratings because they are asked to. (I’ve been guilty of that.) Bad experiences are likelier to be reported than good ones. And ultimately, the prevalent opinion is likely from the perspective of tourists (which is the viewpoint I am avoiding). 

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