Delicious Detours

"There are all sorts of ways to explore a new destination. You could sign up for language classes, walk through a local park, or spend a few hours in an art museum. But one of the fastest ways to really immerse yourself in and understand a place? Eat a meal."

"Whether you're treating yourself to a local street food delicacy served on a plastic table, or you're sitting down to a 12-course tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant, eating is truly one of the best ways to put yourself on a fast track to falling in love with a new city or town."

"So to inspire your next culinary adventure, we've compiled a collection of some of our favorite food stories, from foraging for sea urchins in New Zealand to enjoying a nostalgic, homey dinner in Kolkata."

Eating meals provides a rapid and direct path to immersing oneself in a destination and understanding local culture. Culinary experiences span casual street food on simple plastic tables to elaborate 12-course tasting menus at Michelin-starred restaurants, each offering distinct perspectives on place and people. Food acts as both sensory entry point and social bridge, creating emotional ties to unfamiliar cities and towns. Examples range from foraging for sea urchins in New Zealand to enjoying a nostalgic, homey dinner in Kolkata, illustrating diverse ways that eating can shape travel experiences.

Read at Travel + Leisure