I've been told, on road trips, to "eat where the locals eat." Why? I know what the locals around here eat, and some of it is okay and most of it is fried. My daddy was a firm proponent that truck drivers knew the best places to eat. Perhaps the parking lot accommodated their big trucks, perhaps the waitress was a cutie, or it was on their route and they had few choices. Why eat where the locals eat (unless the locals are Italian, in which case you can't go wrong.)
Hahaha! I don't eat where most locals eat where I live, but when we go on holiday to south Europe we keep an eye out for the places the locals eat. We also keep an eye on the tablecloths. If they're clean the place should be OK. We've walked past several places the tourist guides claim are very nice to eat at because of the state of the tablecloths.
Mart around here the locals are the same as yours. That's why we do a lot of home cooking. Now and then we get a Chinese meal as a treat but that's about it.
We.do have some tiny places ...little places called like the Dandilion Cafe , only open a few hours a day and very fresh and home grown as possible. We also had a place owner and operated by local fire fighters. Another owned and operated by a family for 30 years - all home cooking. When my son was born he was very sick and I worked nights as a relief manager at a hotel so that he never had to be in care of anyone but family. Biggest question "where do you recommend for dinner ". I think that the gems are out there. - but perhaps not where all of the locals eat.
We eat 95% of meals at home. My area is growing rapidly, which means most of the eateries are corporate franchises. Sort of by definition, the locals eat locally.
Droopy, I'd never thought of the "tablecloth test". In future, I'll use that. Of course, around here tablecloths are a rarity. Melody, we have tiny mom-and-pop places, but they pretty much feature fried foods or tacos. We tried a local barbecue place that we were told was fantastic. Well, fantastic if you like chewy brisket. Eileen, we have Chinese take-out occasionally. It is a treat and pretty good. When we are tired or just can't think of what we want for dinner, we go for Chinese.
