6 Food Dares for Your Next Trip

Food can make or break a trip. It can be the most memorable aspect of your trip because it’s amazingly delicious—or memorable because it’s so NOT delicious. I still remember the most amazing sandwich I’ve ever had, from a little bakery in Pitlochery, Scotland. Chicken, cheese, a soft bun, and some sort of crack-infused sweet onion relish that transported me to another domain. I also remember the plate of spaghetti with dubious-looking meat sauce I had in the Galapagos Islands that, although one of the more familiar-looking things I had in the Galapagos Islands, tasted odd and gave me the runs for the next 12 hours.

I admit I’m not always wildly daring when it comes to food but I have learned that, at the very least, trying new foods will give you a good story later. And not all food dares have to mean eating deep-fried grubs or drinking yak milk. Some can be downright fun!

Would you eat this fish cracker thingy from Indonesia?

The Sweet Dare

Order the same item every night for dessert. For example, tiramisu in Italy, which is what I did when exploring Rome and Venice during spring break in college one year. You’ll be amazed at how much variety there is in one dish in the same country.

The Tongue Twister Dare

Try one thing every day that you can’t pronounce or, if you’re looking at it, can’t easily identify. I’m probably the least adventurous in this way unless I’m eating somewhere without a menu in English or another language I speak. You could combine this one with the picnic dare, below.

The Local Flare Dare

Try one famous or ubiquitous local dish, no matter how strange it sounds. For example: escargot in France, blood pudding (also known as black pudding) in Scotland, any one of several dishes made from roast pig parts in the Philippines.

The Picnic Dare

Go to a local grocery store or food market for lunch. Look around at what the locals are putting in their shopping carts. Get all ingredients there, staying away from what looks uber-familiar or what you would buy at home as much as possible. Prepare and eat your lunch back in your hotel room or in a local park. Bonus points for creativity.

The Carnivore Dare

If you’re a meat-eater, try one type of meat that you’ve never had (e.g., crocodile, kangaroo, wild boar). My brother-in-law still grimaces when he thinks of that time he ate auk, a wild bird, in Iceland. But he tried it and now has a good story to tell.

The Herbivore Dare

Try a fruit or vegetable you’ve never seen/tasted at home—the stranger-looking, the better. That star fruit I ate in Thailand more than 10 years ago still lingers in my memory.

How daring an eater are you when you travel? Share your experiences and dares in the comment section below.