This blog post first appeared in June 3, 2011. As I pack for another road trip, I decided to travel down memory lane.
“So, I gotta ask,” my friend Lindsay said when I dropped off my dog at her house last night, “how are you going to eat local when you are going to Texas?”
That was the same question Rob and I have been asking ourselves when, after signing up for the Eat Local Challenge, we realized we’d be out of the 200 mile radius for nearly a week.
But then I realized that New Orleans isn’t the center of my circle – I am – so if I was going to travel so would my little bubble.
Tip #1: Prepare
If you are going to a city, research restaurants that feature farm to table menus on urbanspoon.com or wherethelocalseat.com that actually have farm-to-table/locavore categories. Also, google the name of your destination and “locavore” to see if there is a group as cools as our NOLA Locavores that have also created website with resources.
Tip #2: Pack
Pack a cooler or lunch bag of local snacks to get you through the day while physically traveling from point A to point B. If you do need to purchase items along the way, stop at roadside stands or grocery stores. They may (or may not) take a little more time than traditional road trip drive throughs but they usually have a better selection of food choices that are clearly labeled local – so you don’t have to know the nearest dairy farm to have a cold beverage on your trip.
Tip #3: Tune In
When you arrive at your destination tune in to the local National Public Radio station. It’s a great place to learn about the region’s resources and events like farmer’s markets or special tasting events.
Tip #4: Just Ask
Ask the concierge at your hotel, or the cab driver, or your museum tour guide. You never know who might be a locavore with a wealth of knowledge. Locavores are hard to identify without a scarlet “L”.
Tip #5: Try but don’t Trip
Try to eat local wherever you are but don’t let trying trip up your entire vacation!
What are your tips for eating local while traveling?
