Death of the "Iron Stomach" and the Doubts of a Casual Traveler
On the road, the biggest enjoyment a traveler can possibly have is food. Going to new places and indulging on the delicacies that raised a whole new unknown civilization cannot be underestimated in its value in communicating with the locals. It is like the Chinese says, "民以食為天" (people see food sky/heaven). The centrality of gastronomy in not only the cultural expression of a place, but also the economic realities of the common people residing there provides possibly the most concentrated and succinct method to get know the good and bad of a foreign location.