He told me that in the places he's been to so far, he's never had that "authentic" feel of the local cuisine (i.e Thai, Indian, Japanese etc.) cause he expected it to be better than the usual thing he eats.
This has happened to me before and I found out EXACTLY what I was doing wrong.
I was eating in Restaurants.
The realization came to me during one of my misadventures in Macau.
Being the clueless fuck that I am I found myself in one of the shadiest streets of Macau, and after aimlessly wandering around I eventually got hungry.
I found this little shack in some shitty alleyway, I didn't think it was a food place until an old man in a dirty apron came out and somehow I found myself walking inside his humble little place.
Okay first off since I was in an unfamiliar place it's only natural for me to feel sketchy as hell. Not to mention the joint was pretty shady too (Dirty, in an alleyway, no AC. What can possibly go wrong, Jesus Christ). I didnt know what to get so I just sort of asked what they had.
Old man asked me if I knew what Minchee was.
It sounded familiar but what the hell?
I didnt know what it was, but it sounds delicious so I just went with it.
Apparently it was just Menchi-katsu sans katsu
After a few minutes he came out with this big bowl that's still steamy and OH MY GOD.
BEST.FRIED.RICE.EVERIt was seriously the best fried rice I ever had.
I left the place feeling very satisfied and being ecstatic about my discovery, I quickly jotted down a few notes. This went on as I visit other places and found out about other stuff.
So, if you're sick and tired of the shitty food they serve you in tourist restaurants and don't mind going for a little adventure, here's some tips.
1. Is the menu primarily in English? If yes, avoid. (English "subtitles" are ok, but just the native language is better)
2. Is there a sign outside in more than 2 languages? If yes, avoid.
3. Can you hear lots of English being spoken inside? If yes, avoid.
4. Does it look like a chain restaurant? If yes, avoid. (If you want to go to McDonald's, fuck you.)
5. Does it have a person outside trying to drag you in? If yes, avoid like the plague.
6. Learn a little of the local language. At the very least, you should know "Please", "Thank you", "Can I have", "Toilet", and 1 to 5. Guidebooks tend to have this sort of stuff in the back, along with loads of other useful info, or just get a phrasebook. Read it /before/ you leave.
7. Be quiet. Instead of fulfilling the obnoxious Tourist stereotype and shouting, be quiet. The person you are talking to can hear you just fine.
8. Be polite. Instead of "Give me" or "I want", try "Please can I have" or "Can you get me". These should be in your language guide. Remember to say please and thank you, or the local equivalents.
9. Don't look like a tourist. i.e. Don't hang your camera round your neck, don't travel in a pack of 10, don't be obnoxious.
10. Avoid eating near tourist landmarks. Those restaurants are there to serve shit food to stupid tourists with too much money. Find a place a few streets away instead.
11. Anything expensive are practically guaranteed to be shit, the cheap will be hit-or-miss. Best is to make friends with a local and ask for advice. Just because food is expensive, it doesn't make it good.
Now for the most important one,
12. Don't be afraid of eating in a hole in a wall joint. They serve some of the best local delicacies you'll find.
Now, just because I said so means you just go around and find the shadiest place you can find. You might get yourself killed. But I bet you aren't dumb to actually pull that off right?
This pretty much applies fucking everywhere except the USA (or any English speaking country in general). If you're in the USA just disregard everything and move along. Enjoy your shitty McDonald's Happy Meal.
