How to eat well abroad as a picky eater
Prepare before you go: learn the few dishes of that cuisine that are closest to what you eat at home. On the spot, look for simple preparations such as grilled, fried, rice, noodles and bread, ask for sauces on the side, and check a dish against your taste before you order, not after.
Why travel is hard for picky eaters
At home you know your safe places. Abroad, menus are in another language, dishes look different from what their names suggest, and every meal is a gamble you pay for. Many picky eaters end up eating the same thing every day, or living on snacks, and miss half of what the trip could be.
Before you go
- Learn five dishes of the cuisine that sound close to what you like. Our Eating Abroad guides explain the classics of several cuisines.
- Learn the base of the cuisine: rice, noodles, flatbread, grilled meat. Almost every cuisine has a plain version of its base that you can build on.
- Learn two phrases: "sauce on the side" and "not spicy". They solve more problems than a whole phrasebook.
- Pack a familiar snack for long travel days, so you never have to choose a meal out of hunger.
At the restaurant or market
- Choose simple preparations. Grilled, fried or steamed tells you more than an unfamiliar sauce.
- Look at other tables. Seeing a dish is often easier than reading about it.
- Start small. Street food in small portions, skewers or dumplings, is a cheap way to try something new.
- Read the description, not only the name. Words such as fermented, pickled or sour tell you a lot before the plate arrives.
- Check before you order, with a prediction for your own taste.
Often an easy first dish, by cuisine
| Cuisine | Often an easy start | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Karaage, gyoza, chicken teriyaki, onigiri | Fried, grilled or plain rice, mild and savoury |
| Korean | Bulgogi, japchae, kimbap | Sweet and savoury, not spicy as a rule |
| Thai | Khao man gai (chicken rice), pad see ew | Mild noodles or rice, sauce on the side |
| Vietnamese | Com tam (broken rice with grilled pork), pho | Grilled meat, rice, a clear broth |
| Indian | Butter chicken, chicken tikka, naan | Creamy and mild rather than hot |
| Spanish | Tortilla de patatas, croquetas | Potato, egg and a crisp coating |
Recipes differ from one place to the next: a dish that is mild in one restaurant can be spicy in another, so read the description or ask.
Where Taste10 fits
Photograph the menu, even in Thai, Japanese, Korean or Greek, and Taste10 explains each dish in your language and ranks them for your taste, with the reason why. For a picky eater the reason matters as much as the score: it tells you that a dish is very sour, very rich or full of coriander before you order it. Rate what you ate, and the next menu fits you even better. More about reading a menu in a language you do not speak.
Eat well wherever you travel
Taste10 reads a menu in almost any language, explains every dish in yours and ranks them for your personal taste, with the reason why, so you order what you will actually enjoy.
Taste10 is in testing. Want to try it early? Get in touch.
Questions and answers
What should a picky eater eat abroad?
Start with the simplest version of the local base, such as rice, noodles, flatbread or grilled meat, and dishes close to what you eat at home. Then add one new thing at a time.
Is street food a good idea for picky eaters?
Often, yes. Portions are small and cheap, and you can see the food before you buy it, so a dish you do not like costs little.
Can Taste10 read menus in any language?
It reads menus in many languages and scripts, such as Japanese, Thai, Korean and Greek, and explains the dishes in your app language.
Does Taste10 work without internet?
No. Taste10 needs an internet connection to read a menu or a product.
More about taste
Sources
- Pliner, P. and Hobden, K. (1992). Development of a scale to measure the trait of food neophobia in humans. Appetite, 19(2), 105–120. doi.org/10.1016/0195-6663(92)90014-W