Great article, Brent. You hit all the top points. The food scene outside the USA is so much more authentic and generally cheaper and more satisfying to me. In America, you are likely to get a Sysco-based meal - Sysco being one of the biggest food service companies in the country. In places I visited recently in Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia. almost all the food I ate tasted homemade and was far cheaper than any American equivalent. I really miss it! Now that I'm back home in Maine, my body is struggling to adapt to the food here.
Yeah, there's definitely culture shock for us too when we return home. At this point, there is nothing I miss in America -- except, yes, you can get good pho outside of Vietnam (although it also now costs $20 a bowl lol)
Having just returned from our trip, I agree with all your points. The “fast food” cicchetti in Venice was to die for. And stupidly cheap, too. A Cynar spritz for 4€ at happy hour? Yes, please. That’d be, like, $14 where we live in the States.
I actually almost fell over. We didn’t look at the prices before ordering. We were just like, “we’re at an Italian restaurant, let’s have a spritz”. $17 a drink + tip is nuts.
Accurate description by my (and my family's) standards, too. I grew up in Romania (where to this day my father handles the tips in my home town when we visit, because he feels we would overtip, which would make us seem arrogant), traveled through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, besides other European countries, and I agree with all your points. Great article, pulling it all together!
The US House just passed a "no tax on tips" bill. If it passes the Senate, expect tipping practices to get even crazier here. I would imagine employers and employees alike will go for lower (taxed) wages in favor of higher (untaxed) tips, and that tipping pressure will only increase.
If you want specific American things like BBQ or burgers or a some type of regional specialty, the US wins out. But other than that, I would choose a restaurant outside the US almost every time. Of course, my experience is limited to France and Italy, so maybe that’s an unfair comparison. There’s definitely good food in the US, but a typical restaurant in either of those countries is much better than what I experience at a typical restaurant at home (US).
This has been my experience as well. My husband & I live in San Miguel de Allende & have been here for about a year & a half now. We recently made a trip back to the USA for work & found that we MUCH prefer the food here in SMA … for basically all the same reasons! Provecho! ☺️
I couldn’t agree more. Especially this gem: “I’ve also never felt even a hint of pressure to leave a restaurant before I’m ready — not even after some epic, four-hour dinners with friends.”
That right there captures one of the biggest joys of slow travel for me… Meals that linger, conversations that stretch, and no check slapped down before you're emotionally done chewing.
We’ve been living this life full-time, and your breakdown made me laugh and nod the whole way through. Thank you!
Yes, I loooooove those long leisurely dinners where the conversation flows along with the wine! Nothing better. And we have way more of them out side of America, sadly.
We have SO enjoyed restaurant dining in most places we’ve traveled. Okay, maybe not Tunisia so much, although it’s possible to fill up on couscous with vegetables and chicken or lamb. We had good food in London, though a lot of it was in Chinatown or ethnic restaurants—but a very good high level pub lunch too. Loved Asian street foods and restaurants for quality and flavor. This is going to be controversial, but we realized during three months in Italy that there is a lot of similarity on Italian menus and we found the food (though excellent quality) a bit bland for our tastes. Still exploring that in France. I trust the quality of food in Europe and Asia over the U.S. However, American restaurants do tend toward creativity and mixing ethnic flavors. Also, we have stopped ordering steak because we haven’t found any to compare with US beef. The absence of tipping pressure is wonderful worldwide!
Isn't it lovely how you often find the best food in the most unexpected places? And I DON'T think that price necessarily means anything: we had great food for cheap and terrible food for a lot. (But money helps!)
I wonder if all the tourism is hurting or helping Italy's restaurants. It does feel like the pressure is high, but I also if the lack of repeat customers in some places is resulting in some bad/bland food.
London is an amazing city for food, but I confess, I don't get British food per se, even the celebrated pub food.
I believe it tipping for good service, but yeah, I hate the 20-25% minimums some places want to charge (calculated after added tax, to boot) - so I usually tell the waiter that I'll tip in cash.
"On the other hand, once you stop ordering food, you’ll be delivered your check, indicating it’s time for you to leave."
Man, I wish that were my experience in America! It's often comical how hard it is to find our server so we can pay the tab after a meal. It's embarrassing, but sometimes I end up interrupting another server and asking them to find ours so we can pay!
I much prefer getting the check early. And we never feel pressured to leave. We're often offered drink refills when the check is brought.
But hey, that's just my experience! Yours might be more universal.
Oh, that's interesting. I wonder if it's a regional difference. When we were back a month ago (Seattle), I kept sensing all these impatient waitstaff. But yeah, I agree it can be hard to actually PAY the check when you actually want to LOL
Curious to understand this part: "Americans’ stubborn generosity screws things up for them." - how come?
If I may chip in, as a European who got to live on other continents (and in the US too!), I'm always wanting to complain about the lack of street food / night markets / cheap options right on the streets in Europe!
Sure, you can go to a restaurant and have a good meal for 12 euros in Paris... but what about my $2 XXL fried chicken from the night market in Taipei? my $2 tapioca com nutella e banana in Rio de Janeiro? my $2 pastel in Buenos Aires? my $5 kimbap in Seoul?
Around these prices or higher, you'll only find kebab, tacos, pita gyros, or any other form of sandwiches in Europe... Wonderful too but it's not the same experience! Mostly comparing to Asia, where the street food experience is so rich, diverse, welcoming... That's something I wish we would have more of in Europe, or anywhere else in the world!
You know, I'm not always sure about the "screw things up for them", although I hear it a lot. I think the idea is that when Americans tip so generously, restaurants and other businesses start to cater to these folks more and more, at the exclusion of locals, who are perceived as being "cheap." For example, taxis are less likely to pick up locals, etc. I don't know if it's true -- it's still money going into the local economy -- but I hear the complaint a lot.
Yeah, totally agree about the "cheap eats"! It really is only fast food in America (which can be really cheap...but it's also uniformly terrible, IMHO.) In Europe, it does feel like it's mostly the Gyros and kabab stuff, although the bakeries are cheap and amazing!
Tipping culture is totally out of control in the US. A favorite bakery just imposed a mandatory 20% tip even though all the person is doing is handing you a your pastry in a bag.
We just returned from an extended trip in the UK, and I think they are more food allergy conscious than Americans (we were routinely asked if we had any allergies, honestly, it was a bit much, since we don’t have any and would certainly tell them ourselves if we did) and they also have surprisingly good vegetarian options. I am not even vegetarian, but I was all over that halloumi! And the seafood was great. But yeah, I sure wouldn’t want to try getting to some of those bathrooms if I were disabled.
We have traveled and lived in lots of countries. I would agree that the average dining experience is often better elsewhere, in terms of the relaxed atmosphere. But, outside of London, maybe, I have never seen the variety of cuisines anywhere that you can find in any American city. I love being able to get Indian, Thai and Vietnamese food any time I like—made by Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese people!
And some countries cuisines are just meh, as far as I am concerned. I mean, it’s not all Italy out there. Depends on your tastes, but let’s just say that after several years in Central Europe I will be fine never seeing a schnitzel or a dumpling ever again. I mean, sure, it’s fun on vacation, but after a few months…
Anyway, fun piece, and I wouldn’t agree that there are pros and cons to both and in the end, it is pretty much a tie. We enjoy dining out while traveling, we enjoy it at home too, it’s just different.
Yeah, America (and London) really excel with all those immigrant cooks! It's amazing. Interesting about the allergies awareness in the UK -- we didn't notice that.
I will say my least favorite cuisine is British and Irish APART from the wonderful ethnic cooking. Fresh vegetables don't actually kill you! I even prefer Central European food to that!.(And Georgian cuisine is amazing, btw. Same for Turkey, obviously.)
Great article, Brent. You hit all the top points. The food scene outside the USA is so much more authentic and generally cheaper and more satisfying to me. In America, you are likely to get a Sysco-based meal - Sysco being one of the biggest food service companies in the country. In places I visited recently in Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia. almost all the food I ate tasted homemade and was far cheaper than any American equivalent. I really miss it! Now that I'm back home in Maine, my body is struggling to adapt to the food here.
Yeah, there's definitely culture shock for us too when we return home. At this point, there is nothing I miss in America -- except, yes, you can get good pho outside of Vietnam (although it also now costs $20 a bowl lol)
Having just returned from our trip, I agree with all your points. The “fast food” cicchetti in Venice was to die for. And stupidly cheap, too. A Cynar spritz for 4€ at happy hour? Yes, please. That’d be, like, $14 where we live in the States.
Yeah and $14 is before the 30% in add-on charges. 😵💫😱🙃
Unsolicited update. We just got two Campari spritzes at an Italian restaurant in St. Pete, Florida. $39.25.
OHHHH MYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOD!
No, seriously, OHHHHH MYYYYY GOOOOOOD!
I actually almost fell over. We didn’t look at the prices before ordering. We were just like, “we’re at an Italian restaurant, let’s have a spritz”. $17 a drink + tip is nuts.
I keep thinking I can't be shocked by the prices, but I always am. And the tip is like an added, "Haha!"
Accurate description by my (and my family's) standards, too. I grew up in Romania (where to this day my father handles the tips in my home town when we visit, because he feels we would overtip, which would make us seem arrogant), traveled through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, besides other European countries, and I agree with all your points. Great article, pulling it all together!
Thank you! That is nice to hear. (We LOVED Romania.)
The US House just passed a "no tax on tips" bill. If it passes the Senate, expect tipping practices to get even crazier here. I would imagine employers and employees alike will go for lower (taxed) wages in favor of higher (untaxed) tips, and that tipping pressure will only increase.
Yeah, I saw that, and I thought exactly the same thing. It's gonna get insaaaaane.
If you want specific American things like BBQ or burgers or a some type of regional specialty, the US wins out. But other than that, I would choose a restaurant outside the US almost every time. Of course, my experience is limited to France and Italy, so maybe that’s an unfair comparison. There’s definitely good food in the US, but a typical restaurant in either of those countries is much better than what I experience at a typical restaurant at home (US).
I agree with you about burgers! And BBQ and the variety of ethnic food.
This has been my experience as well. My husband & I live in San Miguel de Allende & have been here for about a year & a half now. We recently made a trip back to the USA for work & found that we MUCH prefer the food here in SMA … for basically all the same reasons! Provecho! ☺️
Thank you! Yes, it seems obvious after a while, doesn't it?
Had GREAT tacos last night at El Manan Tial.
I couldn’t agree more. Especially this gem: “I’ve also never felt even a hint of pressure to leave a restaurant before I’m ready — not even after some epic, four-hour dinners with friends.”
That right there captures one of the biggest joys of slow travel for me… Meals that linger, conversations that stretch, and no check slapped down before you're emotionally done chewing.
We’ve been living this life full-time, and your breakdown made me laugh and nod the whole way through. Thank you!
Why thank you!
Yes, I loooooove those long leisurely dinners where the conversation flows along with the wine! Nothing better. And we have way more of them out side of America, sadly.
We have SO enjoyed restaurant dining in most places we’ve traveled. Okay, maybe not Tunisia so much, although it’s possible to fill up on couscous with vegetables and chicken or lamb. We had good food in London, though a lot of it was in Chinatown or ethnic restaurants—but a very good high level pub lunch too. Loved Asian street foods and restaurants for quality and flavor. This is going to be controversial, but we realized during three months in Italy that there is a lot of similarity on Italian menus and we found the food (though excellent quality) a bit bland for our tastes. Still exploring that in France. I trust the quality of food in Europe and Asia over the U.S. However, American restaurants do tend toward creativity and mixing ethnic flavors. Also, we have stopped ordering steak because we haven’t found any to compare with US beef. The absence of tipping pressure is wonderful worldwide!
Isn't it lovely how you often find the best food in the most unexpected places? And I DON'T think that price necessarily means anything: we had great food for cheap and terrible food for a lot. (But money helps!)
I wonder if all the tourism is hurting or helping Italy's restaurants. It does feel like the pressure is high, but I also if the lack of repeat customers in some places is resulting in some bad/bland food.
London is an amazing city for food, but I confess, I don't get British food per se, even the celebrated pub food.
I believe it tipping for good service, but yeah, I hate the 20-25% minimums some places want to charge (calculated after added tax, to boot) - so I usually tell the waiter that I'll tip in cash.
haha yes, always AFTER the tax is added! LOL
Enjoyed the article!
"On the other hand, once you stop ordering food, you’ll be delivered your check, indicating it’s time for you to leave."
Man, I wish that were my experience in America! It's often comical how hard it is to find our server so we can pay the tab after a meal. It's embarrassing, but sometimes I end up interrupting another server and asking them to find ours so we can pay!
I much prefer getting the check early. And we never feel pressured to leave. We're often offered drink refills when the check is brought.
But hey, that's just my experience! Yours might be more universal.
Oh, that's interesting. I wonder if it's a regional difference. When we were back a month ago (Seattle), I kept sensing all these impatient waitstaff. But yeah, I agree it can be hard to actually PAY the check when you actually want to LOL
Great post, Brent. The sooner the wake up call spurs North American hospitality businesses into action, the better.
I think it's getting worse. The more "corporate" things become, the worse it gets. But thank you!
Totally agree! That’s why we wrote our book, “Spin the Bottle Service - Hospitality in the Age of AI”.
Hint: our book is not about AI.🤖
A pleasant read, as always!
Curious to understand this part: "Americans’ stubborn generosity screws things up for them." - how come?
If I may chip in, as a European who got to live on other continents (and in the US too!), I'm always wanting to complain about the lack of street food / night markets / cheap options right on the streets in Europe!
Sure, you can go to a restaurant and have a good meal for 12 euros in Paris... but what about my $2 XXL fried chicken from the night market in Taipei? my $2 tapioca com nutella e banana in Rio de Janeiro? my $2 pastel in Buenos Aires? my $5 kimbap in Seoul?
Around these prices or higher, you'll only find kebab, tacos, pita gyros, or any other form of sandwiches in Europe... Wonderful too but it's not the same experience! Mostly comparing to Asia, where the street food experience is so rich, diverse, welcoming... That's something I wish we would have more of in Europe, or anywhere else in the world!
You know, I'm not always sure about the "screw things up for them", although I hear it a lot. I think the idea is that when Americans tip so generously, restaurants and other businesses start to cater to these folks more and more, at the exclusion of locals, who are perceived as being "cheap." For example, taxis are less likely to pick up locals, etc. I don't know if it's true -- it's still money going into the local economy -- but I hear the complaint a lot.
Yeah, totally agree about the "cheap eats"! It really is only fast food in America (which can be really cheap...but it's also uniformly terrible, IMHO.) In Europe, it does feel like it's mostly the Gyros and kabab stuff, although the bakeries are cheap and amazing!
Tipping culture is totally out of control in the US. A favorite bakery just imposed a mandatory 20% tip even though all the person is doing is handing you a your pastry in a bag.
WHAT? Mandatory?? Why don't they just raise the price? that's insane!
We just returned from an extended trip in the UK, and I think they are more food allergy conscious than Americans (we were routinely asked if we had any allergies, honestly, it was a bit much, since we don’t have any and would certainly tell them ourselves if we did) and they also have surprisingly good vegetarian options. I am not even vegetarian, but I was all over that halloumi! And the seafood was great. But yeah, I sure wouldn’t want to try getting to some of those bathrooms if I were disabled.
We have traveled and lived in lots of countries. I would agree that the average dining experience is often better elsewhere, in terms of the relaxed atmosphere. But, outside of London, maybe, I have never seen the variety of cuisines anywhere that you can find in any American city. I love being able to get Indian, Thai and Vietnamese food any time I like—made by Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese people!
And some countries cuisines are just meh, as far as I am concerned. I mean, it’s not all Italy out there. Depends on your tastes, but let’s just say that after several years in Central Europe I will be fine never seeing a schnitzel or a dumpling ever again. I mean, sure, it’s fun on vacation, but after a few months…
Anyway, fun piece, and I wouldn’t agree that there are pros and cons to both and in the end, it is pretty much a tie. We enjoy dining out while traveling, we enjoy it at home too, it’s just different.
Yeah, America (and London) really excel with all those immigrant cooks! It's amazing. Interesting about the allergies awareness in the UK -- we didn't notice that.
I will say my least favorite cuisine is British and Irish APART from the wonderful ethnic cooking. Fresh vegetables don't actually kill you! I even prefer Central European food to that!.(And Georgian cuisine is amazing, btw. Same for Turkey, obviously.)
Thank you!