Dear Poor Lucky Me,
I like to travel but am wary about foreign food. The last time I went to Hawaii, for instance, I brought a suitcase full of Ramen noodles and Luna bars. I know it’s technically America, but i wasn’t willing to take a chance.
So, my wife wants me to take a trip with her to Prague. I looked up their local fare on the internet, and suffice it to say I’m freaked out. Should I cancel the trip? Or maybe just ship food to the hotel before I get there? What would you do if you were me?
Signed,
The Hungry Traveler
Dear Hungry Traveler,
Foreign food can be weird and threatening, but it can also be thrilling! A suitcase full of Luna bars caused you to pass on the poi, and miss the Lau Lau. Actually poi is pretty gross, but it’s not terrifying. It’s not like German food, where everything they serve is under suspicion of being wrapped in intestine. The last thing I need is more intestine-based food
I’ve been to Prague and it is a tricky place to eat. The cuisine is meat-centric and includes both goose and rabbit. Also, I think they use a different alphabet- or they added some weird letters to the Latin alphabet. Is it Cyrillic? I don’t know, I couldn’t begin to understand the Wikipedia entry about it. Anyway, it’s hard to guess at what your ordering. You might think you’re getting pork or game hen, but then your plate arrives and it’s a steaming medley of meat in red sauce. They do have a nice version of fried cheese, but you have to know what you’re looking for.
I don’t mean to sound unadventurous or ignorant, but where I come from the rabbits don’t look delicious or parasite free. Honestly, I don’t even eat duck. Don’t cancel the trip or ship yourself food. Instead, bring a discrete dictionary that you can tuck away and sneak out to decipher menus. Determine one meal as a wild card meal, just in case it turns out that you love game meats.
Sincerely,
Poor Lucky Me
