Deja Food

While I was in Paris, I was on one mission and one mission only: Find a McDonald’s and order a Royal with Cheese (sorry Parisians). For those of you who aren’t familiar with the opening monologue of Tarantino’s 1994 day-in-the-life style, L.A. underground film, a Royal with Cheese is the European name for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese due to the fact that they use the metric system (and ordering a 4oz with Cheese just isn’t quite as cool). This is just one example of how food is a product of culture and even the same thing can differ from country to country, or even city to city. One of our (peer advisors’) favorite ways to experience different cultures while abroad was to taste them, so this week we’ve compiled a short list of our favorite spots we discovered while abroad so you don’t have to go to McDonald’s (except in France at least once for a Royal with Cheese). Enjoy!

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If you’re lucky enough to study abroad in the small town of Hobart, Tasmania I definitely recommend The Duchess for breakfast; they have the best lattés ever! On the corner of Sandy Bay Rd. they flipped a small house into a restaurant and bakery. The house is in the perfect spot where it catches the sun’s morning rays, making the view of Sandy Bay road a pleasant one. It is about half-mile walk from the Uni and any time I needed a coffee break or felt like having some fresh breakfast with the local Tassies, The Duchess was my place to go! They also sell cakes and pastries that are homemade and absolutely delicious! Finding the small cafes and family owned restaurants made my trip unique and special because I was immersed in the local environment, which, after a few months, made me feel like a local as well. Its a special connection that you gain with the environment that is irreplaceable when you come back. Don’t hesitate to explore more than your surroundings and learn to go off the beaten trail.

For those true Texans who decide to travel abroad, but didn’t quite leave their BBQ cravings behind. This restaurant was the go-to place for my fellow Pluckers-loving classmates and I on our Maymester program. Sticky Fingers was literally an affordable taste of home.

Azenhas Do Mar. That is the most beautiful place I went to while I was abroad. I took a Jeep tour in Portugal that left from Lisbon and travelled to local spots in Sintra. Azenhas Do Mar is a seaside town that is basically Heaven on Earth. It’s a hot spot you definitely don’t want to miss! Another favorite place I went to was a rooftop bar called PARK that overlooked all of Lisbon and the look-alike “Golden Gate Bridge”. The neatest thing about PARK is that it’s situated on top of a parking lot, so if you want to be surrounded by local people while watching the sunset, then PARK is the place to go!