• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Destinations
    • Brazil
    • China
    • Honduras
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Japan
    • New Zealand
    • South Korea
    • USA
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • Washington
      • Wyoming
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Baking
    • Dinner
    • Desserts
    • Salad
    • Side Dish
    • Low Carb and Keto
    • Freezer meals
    • Party Favorites
    • Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)
    • Slow Cooker
  • Lifestyle
    • Homeschooling
    • Parenting and Motherhood
    • Health and Fitness
    • Home
    • Seasonal/Holidays
  • Shop
  • About
    • Work with Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Good Life Xplorers
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Destinations
  • Lifestyle
  • Work with Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Eating Weird Foods in Beijing

    September 27, 2016 by Jana Leave a Comment

    Sharing is caring!

    • Share
    • Tweet

    This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and participant in other programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

    Have you ever thought about eating bugs and other weird foods while traveling abroad? I never had the urge, but I find fascinating that many people do. Sure I will try the local cuisine, as long it doesn’t involve bugs and other “weird foods” that I would never eat under normal circumstances. Putting whatever feelings of disgust I may have aside, I just find it fascinating that people pay for “food” items that are usually considered pests in their home countries.

    I mean, would the same people eat these “weird foods” if they were sold at their local markets? I think the answer would be no. I then ask: Why not? Does the fact that a lizard is Chinese make it taste better? From what I observed, most of these creatures were simply deep fried, so it’s not like it was prepared in a special way.

    Are we more inclined to be adventurous outside our cultures? Do we feel less judgement? Or does the pressure to “do what others are doing” impact our own way of acting?

    I don’t know the answer, but eating “weird foods” is just one of many things that can happen when you are traveling that would not happen at home and I find that change in behavior fascinating. I put myself in more uncomfortable situations, even in dangerous ones when traveling. At home I am a lot more careful and conscientious of the risks I am taking. I have a theory that we experience something akin to a traveler’s syndrome, a feeling of extra safety or a propensity for higher risk taking while away from home. Here is an example, you see plenty of people visiting the Favelas in Rio. Sure these neighborhoods have gone through a process of “pacification”, but the crime rate is still higher than in other parts of the city and yet, tourists flock to these places with valuables in plain view. Yet, if they are from the U.S. most would never dare do the same in some of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles for example.

    So why is it that we are more comfortable abroad?

    People are not more trustworthy in most other countries than at home. I know that, just like a tarantula is still a tarantula regardless of where it is deep fried. So why do some people feel so compelled to eat them in abroad vs. Times Square? Or would they eat them no matter where they were sold?

    I would love to know your thoughts on it.

    One thing is for sure. The places that get away with selling these weird foods are geniuses! I mean selling “things” that most people would kill as pests for money? $$ Brilliant! Maybe New York City can do that for rats or cockroaches… Sell it to tourists as a delicacy. Lol!

     



    YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:

    This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and participant in other programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

    Sharing is caring!

    • Share
    • Tweet

    Filed Under: China, Destinations

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    I’m Jana. I am fueled by travel and everything good about life. If you are infected by wanderlust, love good food and the outdoors, let’s be friends!

    More about me →

    Never Miss a Post

    Products I Recommend

    *affiliate or referral links - which means I might earn a commission from the company on your purchase. This does not mean it changes my recommendation at all. I only promote products I use myself.

    All About Reading

    Latest

    • Best places to visit in Japan, Itsukushima, Shrine, Shinto, Temple, Buddhism, Japan, Miyajima Island, Hiroshima, Japan, torii gate
      Best places to visit in Japan
    • Child Sleeping on Skycouch on Air New Zealand
      What is a Skycouch? And why you should book it with Air New Zealand
    • All About Reading Review
    • Math U See Curriculum Review

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Policies and Disclaimers

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Shop
    • Work with us

    Copyright © 2021 Good Life Xplorers

     

    Loading Comments...