Travel for Food - The Importance of Food in Tourism 

You know how sometimes you have an idea for telling a story and it sits, it percolates for months and months and months? Then you forget all about it, you move on, the idea lost and forgotten. And then suddenly you experience a series of events. They’re nothing special, of course. A Freudian slip or a silly topic that a friend brings up at dinner. But that. That moment — it suddenly and unexpectedly lights a spark. And then there you are. It’s 3 a.m. and you haven’t stopped writing. Stuck in this thought, this idea. But now you’ve got the words.

Yeah, well that just happened. Here it goes…

Let’s talk about food. It’s pretty much my favorite thing in the world (that’s like only a 20% exaggeration). Over the years, I’ve noticed my passions and my interest transition from other things like bands and music to food and restaurants. I’d rather save up 30€ to try a new restaurant than I would to go see a band. I’m not sure how or why the transition took place, but it has. And, though it was always a reason why I travel, food has become one of the most important. So much so, it seems, that I traveled to Poland last weekend just to eat some pierogies. The things we do.

Increasingly, I’ve found food to be one of the deciding factors when choosing a new place to visit. It’s probably why I find myself returning to Italy at least once per year. But food isn’t just the reason why I might travel somewhere, it’s also the only souvenir I bring back, and it’s the taste and the smell that always brings me back even when I’m long gone. That’s what happened the other weekend. A series of events which all triggered specific travel memories, thanks to the food I ate. And like any good story, this one starts with a burrito.

Naturally, when I decided to move to Berlin, my biggest concern was to do with the food. Well, the language too — but I figured I’d always find a way to get over that hurdle. German food was always mildly interesting to me —

. — but that was about all I knew. I learned later that there’s much more to German food, but it doesn’t matter much here…I’m still stuck with the oh-so-American burrito addiction. I just can’t get enough of them.

Thankfully, Berlin obliges quite well to my American taste buds. Of course I eat my fair share of German food (especially in the winter!) but as burritos become more and more popular in the Hauptstadt, they make up more and more of my diet. And thankfully, Berlin has lots of great burrito choices. There’s the old favorite, Dolores, and Maria Bonita in Prenzlauer Berg, Santa Maria in Kreuzberg (and now also Friedrichshain) and other places popping up all the time. Burritos are my life force and thankfully Berlin is doing them quite well…

But while the foods I grew up with still play an important part in my life (and my travels), I’m also constantly on the lookout for new foods, new tastes and new…. well, everything….

From burritos to Taco Tuesday, Tex-Mex has made a huge resurgence in Berlin. My favorite burrito comes from Dolores (two locations, one in Mitte near Alexanderplatz and the other in Wittenbergplatz). Bu my other top favorite places for tacos, burritos and quesadillas…

Dolores — Burritos inspired from San Francisco… Delicious. 

Ta’Cabron — Authentic Mexican foods and good margaritas. 

Maria Bonita — One of my favorite eateries, small place, though.

Check out AliAdventures.com for more detailed reviews (and photos) from these restaurants.

Always willing to try new tastes, when my friend suggested brunch at a new restaurant in Berlin serving fusion Japanese and Tex-Mex, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. On this particular weekend, I shuffled around all my plans to make it happen. The restaurant, imported from Brooklyn (like all cool things), lived up to expectations. The food was different, but there was still that taste of home. And as a recent aficionado of Japanese cuisine, I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the mix of flavors.

The bizarreness of eating a fusion Japanese-Tex-Mex brunch from a Brooklyn restaurant in Berlin didn’t go past me. Globalization was once a buzzword with sometimes-negative connotations, but when looking down at my place of sticky rice & taco meat, I couldn’t complain. In fact: I love this strange world. And I want to eat it all.

I know food isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But I honestly believe it’s an important part to experiencing and even understanding a new culture. In so many countries, the food and drinks are so intertwined into cultural traditions that it’s impossible to ignore. Some places even go so far as to designate their local culinary traditions as tourist attractions (like currywurst in Berlin). And then there are so many destinations that are popular almost entirely for their food. Italy comes to mind. Italian food is world-renowned, but when in Italy, the food is just so much more than you could imagine.

When you open yourself up to new tastes while abroad, you suddenly come away with an added value to your trip. There’s the sightseeing of course, but then there are the meals. The crepe you ate in front of the Eiffel Tower. The slice of pizza in a small

in Venice. A late-night kebab in New York City. The delicious, fragrant soup from a street-side vendor in Hanoi. These food memories are just as long lasting as the selfie you take on the Seine, or the photo you snuck inside of the Vatican. And just in case you want the food memories from traveling to stick around a bit longer, there’s always the idea of edible souvenirs…

For more about food and tourism, check out my complete travel archives:

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Travel for food is a great way to see the whole world and discover their culture,Nice post by the way.

Travel for food is a great way to see and feel the culture of the place. I do this always, tasting differents meals and drinks. Nice post!

Adam! When Burrito is the topic, I’m your guy! The German Salami in it just rings a bell for me. Thank you for the background check on the eateries and oh how I envy you. Culture and food are like twins and I totally agree with you.

I have to be honest. One of the things I love about traveling is the food. It makes me excited to find out the new tastes in a new place and how they play with ingredients in a totally different context.

Totally true – I love how sometimes the same ingredients are used in different ways in different cultures!

Undoubtedly cuisines are a huge fact in Tourism sector. Learnt more about new foods and way to have. It’s highly appreciated Adam! I wish you’ll be continuing your writing & sharing such this one.

Thanks Saiful – cuisine is such an important part of culture, it’s no wonder that it’s become so important to travel, too!

Food can turn a meh destination into a memorable place … and a great place into an unforgettable one. Great post!

Great post Adam, I feel the same way about food and how much it affects the way I see travel. It’s the first thing I look up when we book tickets to a place. I have to say, in Berlin I ate a TON of ethnic food and I LOVED Maria Bonita, the enchiladas were fantastic and they even have a good bean dip. WIN!

Thanks Georgette! And I think this is an important point — food when you travel doesn’t even have to be local, it can be international, too. That food tells a story as well

Food has become increasingly important to me when I travel, as well as food experiences. In Spain, food brings people together, it speaks about the varied history, and it’s tasty!

Food in Spain is one of the best — and you’re right, I think it’s not just because of the taste, but the history too.

Ok, now I’m really curious about this Japanese-Tex-Mex fusion restaurant!

Food is definitely a big part of travel and a big part of the culture of wherever you’re visiting. There are so many places I’d love to return to just to eat the food!

You have to check it out Ali! It’s so yummy – still dreaming of the brunch I had there.

I just came across your blog and am loving your “Food & Drinks Around the World” posts. There may be a post on this already, but how do you revisit your food experiences while at home? Are you always looking for the next new restaurant or do you cook as well? If so, do you have a favorite recipe or type of food? Does it change as you travel more or depend on where you are? (Sorry, that was a lot.)

Hey JJ! Sorry for not replying right away. Cooking is a big passion of mine — sometimes I take cooking classes when I’m traveling, or bring back a recipe book if I can find an English-language one. Those are always good souvenirs. But food is also just a big passion of mine, so even while at home I try to make my way to new restaurants, new cafés, new bars…just to try new tastes!

In 2010 I quit my job as a graphic designer in Boston and went on a trip around the world. Since 2011 I’ve been living in Berlin—Europe’s most hipster city, and probably the best place in the world.

Travels of Adam is my blog, a personal way to share my travel tips. You’ll find gay travel stories, nightlife tips, photos and all-too-personal stories from my travel adventures around the world. To learn more about how this life as a full-time traveler began, read 

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