protagoras,
I always defer to the expertise of my local guide when I am travelling abroad and eating something I haven't tried before.
When I was in Negril, Jamaica, I hired one of the locals who worked at my resort and moonlighted as a cabbie to be my guide one night. I got to know him because he captained the waterskiing boat. I paid him $25, and he took me to a bunch of places no tourist would ever dare venture to alone. I asked him to take me to the best local seafood restaurant in Negril and he took me to some place which really did not look like much. It was all open air and no roof over the place, which was kind of strange. Anyway we ordered some conch stew and some other local delicacies which were amazing. The conch stew was unlike anything I had ever tasted, but it was very fresh and I could tell it was expertly prepared. But I never would have expected such quality food given the appearance of this restaurant.
I did the same thing in Mexico, which was needless to say a much bigger risk. These days I would not go anywhere in Mexico outside the tourist areas, it's just plain reckless to do so.
A good friend of mine went to Beijing last year for the Olympics and he utilized the same principle. He met some local guy who was semi-educated and spoke really good English, and offered to pay him to serve as his local guide. He did not pay him much, like $25 a day or so. This guide took him to all the best restaurants and not only that, he also took him to the best brothels and helped him navigate around that immense city. He actually ended up forging a friendship with the guy that has continued and they stay in touch by email.
I always defer to the expertise of my local guide when I am travelling abroad and eating something I haven't tried before.
When I was in Negril, Jamaica, I hired one of the locals who worked at my resort and moonlighted as a cabbie to be my guide one night. I got to know him because he captained the waterskiing boat. I paid him $25, and he took me to a bunch of places no tourist would ever dare venture to alone. I asked him to take me to the best local seafood restaurant in Negril and he took me to some place which really did not look like much. It was all open air and no roof over the place, which was kind of strange. Anyway we ordered some conch stew and some other local delicacies which were amazing. The conch stew was unlike anything I had ever tasted, but it was very fresh and I could tell it was expertly prepared. But I never would have expected such quality food given the appearance of this restaurant.
I did the same thing in Mexico, which was needless to say a much bigger risk. These days I would not go anywhere in Mexico outside the tourist areas, it's just plain reckless to do so.
A good friend of mine went to Beijing last year for the Olympics and he utilized the same principle. He met some local guy who was semi-educated and spoke really good English, and offered to pay him to serve as his local guide. He did not pay him much, like $25 a day or so. This guide took him to all the best restaurants and not only that, he also took him to the best brothels and helped him navigate around that immense city. He actually ended up forging a friendship with the guy that has continued and they stay in touch by email.
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