When one travels abroad there is one aspect that one tends to underplay .And that is eating !!. I don’t want to preach , because everyones priorities are different , but my philosophy on eating while abroad is very clear .It is defined by the fact that I must not fall into the temptation of eating Indian food !! .I can never understand when someone recommends me a Indian Restaurant in lets say Budapest or Salzburg !! For heavens sake – when I travel abroad , the last thing I want to do is eat Indian food .I do that that for 330 days out of 365 anyways !!
The other thing I do is that I regulate my sugar , and fat intake .Europe and America ( I haven’t been to Africa where I am off next ), is flooded by soft drinks and fat food – cheese pizzas , cheese burgers , ham , bacon , sauasages , lemon tarts , pastries , croissants ( I love them !!), and so on .So its always wise to remember that when you have bottle of Coke and a croissant very casually – you are taking in close to 1200 calories !! Hence , I am very careful . I like Coke /Pepsi ( I always remember Raviji when I reach out for a Pepsi !!), more than fruit juice and I carry a bottle of it and keep having a swig from it from time to time .My target is to have a bottle in two days so on a average I am drinking 165 ml of it every day !!.I always have a can of beer in the evening ( light ), and sometimes with lunch as well when I feel drained ( Berlin and Krackow were hot during the day ).
I research a lot on the food specialities of a particular city .So I knew that Berlin is famous for its Cuurywurst and Poland is famous for its Pierogi and Golabki .I also research of eating places in and around my place of residence .
The first port of call in any city is where I stay after I have checked in , is the nearest departmental store .Departmental stores in all cities of Europe are fantastically stocked .I pick up my bread ( whole grain bread – it’s a dream if I can get bread of that quality here .There are so many varieties to choose from .I never eat white bread when I am abroad .I also pick up sausages , bacon , tomatoes , a few onions , mushrooms ( always ), green and red capsicum ,brown rice , brown sugar , tetra pack milk ( low fat – 3.7 percent fat ), croissants , energy bars ( with nuts ), coke , a pack of 4 beer ( can you belive it , I picked up 4 cans of 500ml Carlsberg beer in Krackow for 10 Zloti ( 180 Indian ruppes , ) which makes a can 45 rupees each !! When Sangeeta did not believe it – I photographed a copy of the bill and sent it to her on Whattsap .!!.I also pick up eggs I cook breakfast on my own .I must admit my strength – and that is cooking – which includes chopping , and washing up the utensils .I carry my own Lipton DARJEELING GREEN LABEL , and carry my own small glass .I am a Green Label and tea addict for 35 years now .I cant drink tea from a cup .I have to have it from a small glass (Ikea glass – I have 30 of them and they should last me till I die .!!).
I eat lunch and dinner out since I am always on the move .Dinner will be near the apartment I live , because I don’t want to travel too far away .The food is fabulous in the restaurants ( remember I have researched them and read reviews ) .I loved eating chicken mushroom served in spicy paprika sauce in Berlin and I loved eating Pierogi and Golabki in Poland .I always eat salad which is such a wonderful dish to have . I had some exotic salads – vegetables with no fruit ,cheese , meat, or cream .Pure fresh vegetable salad tossed in lovely sauces mixed in olive oil !! For breakfast , I normally eat a fried egg , ham , mushrooms cooked in tomatoes and onions with full grain break .I sometimes apply a bit of butter on it !! I walk , walk , walk .I take hop on and hop off buses .I hop on and hop off .I am good at travel time management .
I don’t eat during flights .I am entitled to eat and drink in Airport Lounges because of my Priority Pass , and I walk into them and have a bite sometimes .I only drink red wine ( a small bottle )and that too French or Italian .I don’t drink Spanish , Argentinian or Australian wine ( I am sure they might be better , but old habits die hard !!).I don’t mind Sula Indian wine . I have a check list with 31 items on it .It is stored in the “Notes” folder of my cell phones ( I carry 2 ).I count the number of credit and debit cards every now and then so that I haven’t lost them .Incase , I do lose them – I need to block them ! !reconcile my account every night .I prefer paying everything through Forex Card /Debit Card /Credit Card .. I carry very little hard cash with me .
I have never lost anything so far .
Except my Laptop !!. I still cant get over it .I am not happy that I found it- that’s a debt that I owe to Sangeeta .I am worried that I lost it . Has age finally caught up ? How could I forget to leave my laptop at a security point at Schipol ?Can a traveler afford to be careless ?
All said and done – travelling is a highly organized activity involving tickets , boarding passes , passports, changing flights ,apartment bookings , taxis , metro maps ,and bus schedules ,credit /debit /forex cards , clothes , battery chargers , sim cards , cell phones , computers !!!):, reading glasses , rayban googles !!, – so many things one can lose – but cant afford to !!.
Its not easy – it is no longer a “phoren” trip to show off about !!
But worth it . I will always travel ,God willing and memory allowing !!
