To preface this, my husband and I have also travelled around the world, including the countries that

It isn t exactly 5 weeks (as in 35 days), but it was the tail end of one week, and the beginning of another, so I thought of it as 5 calendar weeks in my head, when the actual weeks by numbers is really 4.
A typical breakfast would be about $10 per person, and lunches and dinners are $20 per person, so had we been going out to eat every day for 24 days, it would have been $50/day per person on average.
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haha LOVE the infographic!! I keep meaning to use them in posts but have a hard time putting one together. I really like how you did this also I m super jealous of your trip (but that goes without saying)
Let me make it clear that *I AM a huge snob* when it comes to food because I don t eat that junk in my regular life, so why would I start now in Hong Kong? It gives me pimples (a sign of my body s allergic reaction).
Unfortunately, most countries don t know how to make good food for sale other than in France, so we always end up in grocery stores, making our own tapas (in Spain), burritos (USA) or our own sandwiches and burritos with the local pre-cooked foods that they sell, which ultimately tasted better than the real thing in restaurants, and cost 1/4 of the price.
victoria bc seaside inn Kudos to everyone else who can eat the food including my whole family, but I m not going to pay for something I don t like, seeing as I ve eaten it ad nauseum as a kid. (Just as how some people hate raw fish, and I love it.)
Even real Chinese food, not fake American-style Chinese food, leaves a lot to be desired for me. I am not a fan of herbal soups, dim sum, stir fry the way they do it, SPAM passing off for meat, or anything victoria bc seaside inn deep fried like their fried bread sticks for instance.
If I was visiting Japan, I d go hog wild because I trust their standards victoria bc seaside inn in cooking (they are world renowned), and the food is simply amazing. Unfortunately, not every country victoria bc seaside inn s cuisine is to my taste.
If you don't like Chinese food, there's nothing that can really be said about that; everyone has their own personal tastes and preferences. victoria bc seaside inn However, victoria bc seaside inn I have to strongly disagree with many of your statements regarding your perception of food in other countries. With all due respect, you are doing your readers victoria bc seaside inn a disservice by making generalizations based upon your own personal eating habits.
To preface this, my husband and I have also travelled around the world, including the countries that you have mentioned. In most countries you will be able to find good eats if you know where to look.
Hong Kong is well regarded as one of the culinary capitals of the world. It is food-centric by nature, and some of the best food can be found in this city. Oh, and it's super cheap by North American standards. We know several victoria bc seaside inn people (some being ex-pats) living in Hong Kong, and the city rotates around its food culture. The work/life balance is such that it is the norm to work 12-14 hours a day, 6 days a week. With such a hectic schedule, most people will actually "eat out" as a regular part of their daily routine. This structure victoria bc seaside inn creates the need for quick eats that are easy and most of all, affordable. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of places serving "crap", and a ton of high-end, expensive victoria bc seaside inn places serving world class cuisine. But nestled in between these two polarities are a slew of restaurants and stalls serving up fresh, quality food at very reasonable prices.
To say that all cheap restaurants are crap is just plain wrong. Restaurants operate by different structures, but depending on rent and overhead, some places are able to crank out excellent food at ridiculously cheap prices. The average food cost in a restaurant can range from 15%-30%+, with some exceptions. The rest of the operating costs (rent, utilities, victoria bc seaside inn labour, etc…) are highly variable and will change depending on where you are setting up business. victoria bc seaside inn This is not just for difference countries, but within different areas of a city, things will wary greatly. To state the obvious, if I open a 4000sf restaurant downtown, my operating cost will be much different than if I'm running a food cart in an industrial area. If my food cart is busy and high volume, my profit victoria bc seaside inn can even be greater than the restaurant downtown, because my operating costs are so low. Remember, the cost of food is only a fraction victoria bc seaside inn of the total picture. There are a ton of large, fancy restaurants that just break even or make around 1-2% profit when all is said and done. This is why so many seemingly nice restaurants with good food close down. It's a tough, tough business. This is also why in every city, there are hole-in-the-wall places that crank out good food, and run successful profitable businesses that sometimes are around for generations. It's all about balancing the cost of doing business. So it IS possible to be a "cheap" restaurant and still provide real, quality food, no matter what country you are in.
Part of eating in a different country is not about whether you can "make it better" by going to a grocery victoria bc seaside inn store. My husband is a chef and food developer and is able to replicate most things that we eat while abroad. This however is not the point. Dining in another country for us is experiencing the culture victoria bc seaside inn through food. We may not enjoy every meal, but we have an appreciation for how the local people eat, and therefore gain a better victoria bc seaside inn understanding of the culture. This is not to say that you shouldn't be picky with your food choices, but by going with an open mind you might be surprised at the things you might enjoy.
Obviously you can make things cheaper and have full control when making it yourself. It then becomes where you find value for your dollar. For us, when we dine out, we tend to eat things we won't cook at home. It's not that we can't do it, but sometimes with the time and effort victoria bc seaside inn involved it makes no sense to do it yourself. victoria bc seaside inn I don't have time to simmer pho broth for 14 hours, or smoke a brisket, or catch a fresh tuna for sashimi. Sure, we can do these things at home, but what I'm paying for at a restaurant victoria bc seaside inn is the care, time and attention they have put into it. I pay for the convenience of having just a portion of it, without the time and effort involved. When I'm eating in another country, I want to experience the love the locals put into their craft, I want to taste the expertise that has been honed over time through years of experience. What I don't want to do is to go to the grocery store and make myself a ham sandwich because victoria bc seaside inn this is what I'm used to eating at home.
If you don't like Chinese food, that's fair enough. I won't get into the Chinese food debate victoria bc seaside inn as everyone has different tastes and preferences. What I will say is that if you think Chinese food is limited by the things you've listed (SPAM is manufactured in the US by the way) you probably haven't had good Chinese food before. Sure, there is a lot of MSG laden garbage that passes as Chinese food in every country, but there are things in Chinese cooking that are used by many other cultures, including the Japanese. Ask an experienced victoria bc seaside inn French chef about quality victoria bc seaside inn Chinese cooking and they will tell you they share a lot of the same philosophies victoria bc seaside inn in coaxing flavours and building well-rounded dishes.
I agree that you have to be very careful when eating in China, as food safety is a huge issue. However, if you know where to look you will find all kinds of food that will rival the best restaurants anywhere. You make it sound like none of the food is good or even edible in China. Over a billion people victoria bc seaside inn would disagree victoria bc seaside inn with you.
It's good that you can experience the culture in different ways, and everyone has their priorities victoria bc seaside inn when travelling. But if food is a priority for you, and you can't find good things to eat in a city like Hong Kong, you are clearly looking in the wrong places.
I should also clarify that when I call food crap, it doesn t mean that it doesn t taste good to me and I don t want to indulge once in a while (I try not to, I know what it does to me afterwards and I don t like the consequences).
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