Drew Binsky, the youngest person to travel to all 197 countries on earth, has had some wild culinary experiences. He’s found the best meals in Asia for under $1, eaten at the world’s oldest restaurant in Madrid, and even been to McDonald’s in almost every country.
Binsky shared with TABLE some of his favorite places to eat and recommendations for where people who love food should travel. Get ready to pack your bags and prepare your palate!
Drew Binsky’s Top Travel Destinations for Food Lovers
“The places for foodies are all in Asia for me personally,” Binsky said. “I recommend Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, and Seoul.” He added that: “Vietnam has some of the healthiest diets, nothing really fried or processed, a lot of vegetables.”
On why people should give Kuala Lumpur, not as popular of a destination as some other Asian cities, a chance, Binsky said: “Kuala Lumpur is awesome because it’s Indonesian, Malay, Singaporean, Chinese, and Indian cuisine all mixed together.” In Kuala Lumpur, he recommends walking down the street Jalan Alor and just seeing what you can find. “In these places street food is abundant and people just wheel their carts on a random block and you can grab the food,” he said.
For travelers to Bangkok, Binsky recommends Nang Loeng Market for Pad Thai and green curry. His favorite street food in Taipei is Shilin Night Market, and in Singapore, he thinks Maxwell Food Centre is one of the best places for the classic hawking vendor experience.
Why Asia?
In the culinary world, Europe is often thought of as the gold standard for foodies. But Binsky encourages people to think outside of restaurant walls and see a bigger picture when they travel for food. The night markets are what make the culinary culture in Asian cities so amazing, to him. “In general, in Asian cities, there’s just way more people. In my opinion, the best food cities are the ones that have a lot of street food,” he said. “Europe’s too fancy.” (Though Binsky does live in Prague). “The culinary scene in Europe has high quality, but I just don’t think it’s the best overall. There are way better flavors and spices in Asia. These cities have ten, fifteen, twenty million people and an all-night food culture.”
Binsky explained that when traveling, he rarely eats at restaurants, period, preferring to dine in people’s homes or buy from street vendors. Hehighlighted that the Middle East has some of the best, freshest ingredients. “Beirut, Lebanon and Damascus, Syria also have some of the best food in the world. Not so much street food, but just really, really good food. Try the hummus, falafel, shawarma, tabbouleh in those places.” In Damascus, Binsky traveled around the city with a local family trying many different kinds of kibbeh meat pies and Syrian ice cream. Like East Asia, the Middle East has an abundance of outdoor vendors as opposed to sit-down restaurants, especially for produce.
With Lebanese friends, Binsky got to experience Iftar, the fast-breaking for Ramadan. Part of traveling as a foodie is not just the food itself, but what it means in the cultures you get to witness and the community you build around it.
The Best Produce
“If you want to talk about fresh fruits, this is going to be crazy to hear this, but Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and the border of China with Afghanistan have the best and freshest fruits I’ve ever had in my life,” Binsky said. As to why, he speculated that the richness of the soil contributes.
“Central Asia has an abundance of melons, specifically these big orange cantaloupes and guavas. The best melons in the world by far are in those countries,” he said. That just goes to show that it’s worth getting off the beaten path for culinary adventures.
Story by Emma Riva / Photo courtesy of Drew Binsky
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