We believe cuisine offers a window to a culture. In fact, one may accurately say that you can literally taste a culture in a dining experience. The factors in dining experiences that contribute to the quality of a journey, however, extend far beyond the consumption of good, even great, food. The venue, ambience, service staff, location, setting, and the length of service are all factors that contribute to a memorable dining experience. Here are just some of the ways dining can be a factor in a great travel experience.
Dining Experiences as a Cultural Encounter
Spending the night in a geodesic dome in Wadi Rum may be cool enough as a factor in a great travel experience; enjoying a meal cooked by Bedouins who have been preparing feasts in this valley for centuries is cool on another level.
Great Cuisine Contributes to a Great Dining Experience
Associating bratwurst with Germany requires little cultural awareness. Recognizing different regions of Germany produce their own variation of bratwurst offers cultural insight. You may find Thuringer bratwurst at many roadside stands off the Autobahn.
Familiar Cuisine as a Surprising Cultural Education
You have very likely eaten, a shish-kabob. Shish is a Turkish word meaning sword or skewer. Chopped meat that is grilled, and served in chunks, is a kabob. Enjoying kabob cooked on a tabletop grill in Egypt offers an incredible taste of culture.
The Contribution of the Pace and Length of a Dining Experience
Leisurely, European length dining experiences create space and bring balance to a travel itinerary. Slowing down to savor a dining experience offers the opportunity to process and reflect on all fellow travelers had seen and heard on a given day.
Context as a Contributing Factor
There are untold numbers of ways the context of a dining experience contributes as a factor in a high-quality travel experience. Eating St. Peter fish on the shore of the Sea of Galilee can be quite meaningful. There is nothing quite like enjoying Swiss chocolate in Switzerland. The examples are too numerous to adequately list.
In these, and so many other ways on multiple levels, dining experiences can contribute profoundly to a high-quality travel experience. We would love to hear from you. What is your most memorable dining experience you enjoyed while you were traveling?
