In wondering what people WANT from food on holidays?

[hoovercraft]

Went on holiday and the food at the hotel was lovely. Huge array of salads and seafood and hot dishes. Really interesting food and salads - lovely one with avocado (my fave).
One night they had whole prawns on the buffet, another was a whole salmon. All fresh and lovely. Meat dishes were nice too. Also had a huge paella and local dishes.

But people complained about the food .
One couple we met even went to the local greasy spoon for meals. We went there at lunch and it was horrible - chips, micro pizzas, froen prawns with no flavour in sandwiches.

Im amazed. What do people want from holiday food?

I read on another forum recently about someone who takes MILK abroad (to Egypt I think) because she (an adult) will only have the milk she's used to. They freeze it and then pack it in their luggage, to be put in the fridge as soon as they arrive at their destination.

One of the nice things about holidaying abroad is trying out the local food. You go for the whole experience isn't it - the sights, the sounds, the smells, the food etc. That goes for the children too.

I agree that Italians are the worst. Fussiness combined with arrogance.

Americans aren't too keen on leaving their comfort zone, either. Going to an Indian restaurant is an experience only to be undertaken by the most intrepid gourmet. They certainly wouldn't understand the chicken tikka masala and four pints of lager!

Well, that depends, gramercy . :) I love Indian food.

We just don't have as many Indian restaurants here, like you haven't got so many Mexican ones.

I'm afraid this reinforces my snobbishness about taking holidays abroad. We can't afford to go every year but when we do we pay as much as is possible to try and avoid places where we're likely to find these kind of people.

...Not that it's all class/wealth issue. My MIL wouldn't try much that was 'foreign' but wouldn't have dreamed of asking for egg and chips or Macdonalds.

borderliner Children don't have to eat from the "kids' buffet." My children didn't know that it existed. They ate the delicious local food from the buffet. If you have never been on that type of holiday then you wouldn't know how lovely it was.

I once went on a tour of Rajasthan (North India) with a group from Mumbai. They took their own cook with them so they didn't have to eat the local food.

DH is from Syria and every time we go there, I will happily eat the local food as it is so lovely! Was sooo disappointed to see a KFC opening on one of our visits - the local shawarma takeways are far superior imho

We also got talking to an English ex-pat and his wife while shopping one day and he was complaining that he couldn't find baked beans! I said who needs baked beans with all the lovely Syrian food!! Bloody twat

Sanesometimes1 and 1980, there where 14 of us on our cycle holiday and we all had one day out of 14 where we where we had dickie tummy from the surroundings - there would be no way we could have avoided it, washing up with unclean water food handling by native cooks and waiters etc.

We all used handgel which apparently does help.

but really if your not up for it, then perhaps you should consider not going unless like marcopront you can take your own cook with a health and hygien certificate

I wish i haven't read your poost Pussin

I now want urgently some Syrian food for my lunch!

I meant post . I 'm hungry.

Laq - me too!! Did contemplate making myself a chickpea salad but am 36 weeks pg and too knackered to finely chop parsely...so just had a very English cheese sarnie...

Parsley rather...

Too tired to spell it right as well...

Mmmmmmmmmm shawama

'DH is from Syria and every time we go there, I will happily eat the local food as it is so lovely!'

I would love to go to Syria. I am desperate, in fact. It intrigues me.

Pusin - but that's the difference between being on holiday and being an expat! Sometimes it's just nice to have the comfort food you're used to. I happily ate Syrian food the entire time I was on hol there (fantastic country by the way) but if I couldn't get baked beans in the country I live in I'd be getting visitors to bring then out for me!

I'm always interested in people saying they had terrible food in china. I lived there for two years and the majority was fantastic. I can only think they give different quality food to the tourists because I've heard loads of people complain.

Finally, I actually think Brits are some of the more adventurous with their food. I have worked with a lot of nationalities. I've met a lot more Indians who won't eat anything but their regional cuisine or Egyptians who don't think it's a meal if it doesn't include a slab of meat than I have Brits who turn their nose up at a curry!

God, I'll eat anything put in front of me.

I've had: worms, two types of dysentery, giardia, hepA and numerous sickness bugs.

But I've been poisoned at home as well as abroad.

Don't see the point in going abroad if I'd eat food I can get at home.

These people who don't eat anything but meat and potatoes are the reason this country has such high rates of bowel cancer.

We went to China backpacking for two weeks. Loved the food however, did get bored of noodles/rice three times a day and would have killed for a bacon sarnie

These are the times when I feel embarrassed to be British.

We by no mean have a Tarquin and Jacinta, but they do know that you don't poo poo food until you've tried it. So both at home and abroad we encourage them to try new things.

As a result, they both like tons of thing: paella, grilled sardines, curry, most fish/seafood, (mild) chiilie, various stews, most greek dishes (usually pretty simple flavours anyway), various asian dishes, DD (5) even tried an oyster which was 'OK'.

Yes they love sausage and chips and spag Bol but now they love lots of other things too. It also means if they try something and say 'no' - we don't push it.

No one is saying you have to like all 'forrin' food (Congi anyone?) but you should at least try!

I agree that being an ex-pat is different to going on holiday and feeling you are soooo adventurous you'll try anything.

Sometimes you just want some home comfort food, we are in Switzerland - hardly Papa New Guinea, but sometimes I just want beans on toast and don't want to pay £3.50 for the priveledge.

If you had a week in Switzerland or Germany for example, you could taste a different food everyday. After 7 days that would be on a very rotational basis

Rosti, wurst, fondue, raclette, Chaschuechli, schnitzel, cordon blue....and then back to the start...they also live on pasta and pizza here in restaurants, great for kids but not very exciting for adults.

After 6 months then you possibly fancy something from home.

I must admit the surge of Thai brides seems to be bringining an increase of tasty Thai food into the Zurich area these days though.

priviledge sorry.

We stayed in a big aparthotel in Turkey for a long weekend while I was visiting ds and his Turkish family.The food was all Turkish and was wonderful-the only complaints I heard were from UK holidaymakers who also complained that there weren't any decent chips!This was with very fresh fish served with bread,salads and little dishes of olives etc.At breakfast I overheard someone asking for marmalade and getting angry when the waiter didnt understand.On the tables were jams,'bal crema'[honey and clotted cream],olive oil and lemon juice and butter.

Interestingly my (Ethiopian) friend's kids turned their noses up at baked beans when I served them as a treat the other day. They wouldn't believe that children like them in the Uk and saw it as an attempt to make them eat something'healthy!